1. Calistoga Inn
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 942-4101
Address: 1250 Lincoln Avenue
Description: For a no-frills (OK, maybe a couple of frills), ambience-thick stay in Calistoga, try the Calistoga Inn, an old western-style hotel that dates from 1882. The 18 second-floor rooms, connected by a creaking wood-floored hallway, sit over a restaurant and microbrewery/bar (see the Restaurants and Nightlife chapters). Each room has a sink and a queen bed (one room has two twin beds), but there are central, shared bathrooms and showers, and no in-room TVs. Continental breakfast is included; brunch, for an extra charge, is available on weekends.
2. Mount View Hotel
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 942-6877, (800) 816-6877
Address: 1457 Lincoln Avenue
Description: This is the closest Calistoga comes to the Ritz-Carlton. The mission revival building, now a National Historic Landmark, was constructed in 1919 and served the area for years as the European Hotel, haunt of literary bigwigs and first ladies. (It is said that Mrs. Herbert Hoover planted the roses in the garden.) An elegant lobby takes you to either the hotel or Mount View Spa; both are run separately and found separately in this book. BarVino Wine Bar is right next door (see the Restaurants chapter). The hotel has 32 rooms, suites, and cottages, the latter being detached units (with private spa tubs) out by the pool. The other rooms are on the second floor, and some have antique furnishings. Continental breakfast is delivered to your room. No smoking is allowed anywhere on this property.
3. Hotel D’Amici
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 942-1007
Address: 1436 Lincoln Avenue
Description: If Calistoga had luxury apartment suites, they’d look something like this. Hotel d’Amici is downtown, perched on the second floor of a 1936 building once known as Green Hotel. (The “secret door” is just to the right of the Flatiron Grill entrance.) The hotel has four spacious, well-appointed rooms, two of which share a balcony over Lincoln Avenue, making them coveted spaces during the Fourth of July and its Silverado Parade (see the Festivals and Annual Events chapter). All have private baths, and continental breakfast is delivered to your door. The owners also run Rutherford Grove Winery. You pick up your keys there (1673 Highway 29 in Rutherford) and get a complimentary wine tasting.
4. Clarion Collection Lodge At Calistoga
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 942-9400, (877) 424-6423
Address: 1865 Lincoln Avenue
Description: Only in Calistoga would the Clarion have a mineral-water swimming pool and whirlpool tub. It also has a sauna and steam room. Each of the 55 rooms (including a 2-room suite) features individual temperature control, cable TV, coffeemakers, and hair dryers. Continental breakfast is included in the price.
5. Stevenson Manor Inn
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 942-1112
Address: 1830 Lincoln Avenue
Description: This motel is affiliated with Best Western. Stevenson Manor has a pool, a sauna, and a gazebo-sheltered central courtyard. The 34 rooms are done in subdued shades of green and burgundy. Four have private whirlpool baths, and seven are warmed by fireplaces; all of them are equipped with refrigerators, microwaves, and coffeemakers. All rooms are nonsmoking.
6. Scarlett’S Country Inn
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 942-6669
Address: 3918 Silverado Trail
Description: A “country inn” can sometimes mean a suburban cul-de-sac and a large rose garden. But Scarlett’s is the real thing, a bucolic acre midway between Calistoga and St. Helena, where guests share space with friendly dogs and chickens. The early-20th-century farmhouse now holds two of the three guest units—the Gamay Suite and the Camellia Suite, which actually can be opened into a full house for larger parties. Each room boasts a separate entrance, queen-size bed, TV, microwave, and fridge. But the outdoor space is the big selling point here: a hammock, a tree swing, an aviary with finches and canaries, a lush fig tree, a pine-protected swimming pool, and a spa. Full breakfast is served.
7. Christopher’S Inn
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 942-5755, (866) 876-5755
Address: 1010 Foothill Boulevard
Description: Crafted by an architect who combined a house with two cottages to make one large building, this inn is nice enough from the outside, but that doesn’t hint at the luxury held within the 21 rooms. Delicate prints, exquisite antique desks, fresh flowers, and high, open ceilings—it’s a tasteful experience. Some rooms have private Jacuzzis. Breakfast—yogurt, baked cobbler, etc.—is delivered to your door. There’s also complimentary espresso, cappuccino, and port. In-room massage can be arranged. Christopher’s also has two voluminous flats in back, facing onto Myrtle Street, that sleep as many as five people. Children are allowed at the inn.
8. Wine Way Inn
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 942-0680, (800) 572-0679
Address: 1019 Foothill Boulevard
Description: This bed-and-breakfast inn, opened in 1979, was the first in Calistoga. It’s near Calistoga’s busiest intersection, and the owners want you to know up front that there is some street noise. Nonetheless, from the solid oak front door with etched glass to the soft colors of the decor in each second-story room, the owners have managed to create a pleasant environment in their circa-1915 home. In addition to the five interior rooms, the Calistoga Room is a detached unit—it’s out by the multitiered deck that backs up to a wooded hillside. The breakfasts alternate daily between sweet and savory, with specialties such as frittata and tomato omelets. They serve their own blend of coffee here, made by Calistoga Roastery and served French-press style.
9. Chelsea Garden Inn
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 942-0948, (800) 942-1515
Address: 1443 Second Street
Description: This small, five-suite bed-and-breakfast on the corner of Fair Way and Second Street tries for neither Victorian splendor nor designer finery but emphasizes comfort. Each unit has a sitting room, bedroom, and private bath; some have kitchen facilities. Air-conditioning is provided in all rooms. There is a latticed courtyard, pool, and hot tub. A full breakfast is served.
10. Hideaway Cottages
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 942-4108
Address: 1412 Fair Way
Description: Look for the hedges and palm trees in front of a two-story gingerbread house on peaceful Fair Way. In back are 17 cottages facing onto a landscaped courtyard. The two-acre site is just 2 blocks from Lincoln Avenue. Many of the rooms have full kitchens, CD players, VCRs, and wireless Internet access. Hideaway, an affiliate of Dr. Wilkinson’s Hot Springs (see the Spas and Resorts chapter), has a large mineral pool and spa tub. Breakfast is made up of baked goods from the Model Bakery in St. Helena and coffee roasted right in town at Calistoga Roastery.
11. Brannan Cottage Inn
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 942-4200
Address: 109 Wapoo Avenue
Description: Nearly 150 years ago, this spot had row upon row of one-story white bungalows, all with five-arch fronts, intricate gingerbread gable boards, wraparound porches, and scalloped cresting. Now only one of them remains on its original site, and it’s a six-room inn. (Two of the rooms are out back in the carriage house.) The look of the place—the 11-foot ceilings, oak floors, and ceiling fans—whisks you right back to the days of Sam Brannan (see the History chapter). Each unit has a queen bed and a refrigerator. Full buffet breakfast is served in the dining room or on the patio. Children 12 and older are accepted, and dogs are allowed with prior approval.
12. Cottage Grove Inn
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 942-8400, (800) 799-2284
Address: 1711 Lincoln Avenue
Description: This location was once the promenade area of Brannan’s Hot Springs Resort, the spa that gave birth to Calistoga (see the History chapter). The grove of Siberian elms was planted by Brannan in the 1850s, and today they form an effective visual barrier to the traffic of Lincoln Avenue. Each of Cottage Grove’s 16 private cottages has a wood-burning fireplace (and a basket of wood on the porch), a CD stereo system, TV and VCR, air conditioner, private bath with two-person Jacuzzi tub, Egyptian cotton towels, and an ironing board. Each has a theme too, like the Music Cottage, the Audubon Cottage, and the Fly Fishing Cottage. Continental breakfast and evening wine and appetizers are served in the common room. The owners allow children age 12 and older. Smoking is not allowed.
13. Craftsman Inn
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 341-3035
Address: 1213 Foothill Boulevard
Description: Appropriately named after its style of architecture, the Craftsman Inn has five rooms dubbed for local mountains and cliffs. All are elegant and classy, with 600-thread-count sheets, jetted tubs, flat-screen TVs, and a decanter of Madeira. The champagne breakfast is a treat; owner Gillian Kite is a chef, so the morning meal will make your day. It could be spinach and smoked salmon quiche, or sweet corn fritters with bacon. One of the perks at this inn is a package deal for a room and cooking classes, taught by Gillian. In-room spa services can also be arranged.
14. The Pink Mansion
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 942-0558, (800) 238-7465
Address: 1415 Foothill Boulevard
Description: Alma Simic was a colorful character. She was the previous owner and longest resident to live in this stately home, and she had eclectic tastes in decorating, with a mixture of Victorian and Oriental influences. Fortunately for visitors, the current owners have made certain that Alma’s sense of style remains intact. The six guest rooms are elegant and tasteful, and most have views. The Master and Honeymoon Suites are large—900 and 800 square feet, respectively—and feature king-size beds, two-person spa tubs, and private decks and sitting rooms. There’s also an indoor heated pool and spa. A full breakfast is included, along with afternoon wine tasting. By the way, the mansion has been pink since the 1930s.
15. Calistoga Wayside Inn
City: Calistoga, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 942-0645, (800) 845-3632
Address: 1523 Foothill Boulevard
Description: This split-level, Spanish-style home, built in the 1920s, is more like something you would expect to see in an older Los Angeles neighborhood, but it seems right at home in Napa Valley. The living room has rough beams and a wood fireplace. The backyard is densely shaded by trees—a dogwood, English walnut, loquat, and at least a dozen others. The three guest rooms are comfortably furnished and cooled by ceiling fans. One of them, the Camellia Room, has sole use of the home’s original master bathroom.