Meadowood Napa Valley

Be careful about room selection! I’m in the middle of my third stay at Meadowood and this stay was easily the most anticipated part of our trip to the Napa Valley for our anniversary. I love the kind customer service (Jen Norris with the concierge team made us feel so welcome even before coming on property). Housekeeping is to be commended as well and the hotel has stellar in room and on property amenities. All this said, I am not absolutely thrilled with my stay. When I last stayed here in November, I stayed in the croquet lodge and adored it due to its proximity to main reception and dining. Despite its central location it was totally serene. During this stay, it’s been a complete hindrance. Loud croquet parties and groups day in and out outside the room, and if anyone burns a fire nearby our room reeks. I’m afraid my clothes are going to stink like campfire. Given the room rate, I don’t want to feel like I’m camping. Or smell like it either. Be forewarned! The new spa is absolutely gorgeous, both of my therapists were world class. Check your bill though– I was shorted one service in my package (hopefully it will be adjusted — haven’t seen the final bill 24 hrs later) and they forgot the gift that was part of the package. They quickly fixed the latter issue. Perhaps they do not frequently have guests that select the «curated collection».
* UPDATE– I shared my concerns with management and they moved our room for our last night here to a more private oak view room. This made a huge difference in our comfort level. Such a beautiful room and gracious customer service.

This is a beautiful place to stay when you are in Napa.
There is plenty to do, tennis, hike, 9 hole golf course, croquet field (you have to wear your whites) great lap pool and another smaller pool, spa and a 3 star Michelin restaurant called The Restaurant at Meadowood. Where do I start, check in was quick and simple, very welcoming and friendly staff always checking to see if they can do anything for you. They have a variety of different rooms, this was our 2^nd stay and the first looking over the croquet field and this time up in the other separated cabin rooms. The rooms are super nice, elegant, quiet, comfortable with small porch, great bathrooms, very nice sundries (molten brown), chocolates and chewy caramels and a illy coffee machine. They are happy to pick you up and cart you around the property or its easy to walk to the various activities.
The Restaurant at Meadowood
We dined one evening and ordered the 10 course dinner but chose our wines. We sat down to beautiful dry flowers on a piece of slab. We tried one of their many unique cocktails beforehand. Each time they bring a course out and set it down almost simultaneously they explain what it is and how its prepared. They also switch that person up.
Impeccable service. The 1^st course was a eel
Smoked over cabernet staves beef tongue, the 2^nd course was a chilled avocado and caviar sunflower, the 3^rd abalone bean wild onion, 4^th potato cooked in beeswax sorrels, 5^th cod cabbage whey oyster, 6^th broth of spring lamb and artichokes, 7^th spring lamb garum artichoke, 8^th grilled duck «fudge“rhubarb mustard and Brillat black truffle brown rice bread, 9^th black apple walnutpan kefir 10^th the garden, candied (vegetables and fruit) dried, chocolate babka .
Everything was presented perfectly. It was a very rich and exotic flavors all unexpected with slight hints of familiarity. Obviously the menu changes as you can read by the other reviews. Prepare yourself for about a 3 ½ hour dining experience worth it all.

I had the pleasure, and by pleasure I mean absolute BLISS of staying at Meadowood last fall. Room categories: wow, I’m not sure which one was my favorite, but what a gorgeous room product this hotel has! LOVE the rooms. Definitely romantic/​cozy/​luxury/​never-​wanna-​leave-​it dreamy. Did I mention how much I LOVE the rooms? The new Spaaaaah had just opened when I was there and let me tell you… if you like spas, then you need to go, just for the spa experience: «OMG» doesn’t even come close. The service, the food, the tucked-​away jewel of a hotel this is… perfect for a romantic weekend when you want to really splurge and impress someone special. With access to some of the finest wineries in Napa right off the Silverado Trail, and easy peasy driving distance to St. Helena, Meadowood is the star at the top of the Napa boutique hotel crown. I can’t wait to go back.

Napa Valley is our designated «get away»! We love visiting wine country! Always a different experience. My fiancé and I decided to stay at Meadowood… and we had an AMAZING experience! The property is beautiful! From the moment we drove onto Meadowood the service was impeccable! You can literally unwind on property! They also provide transportation with their house car so you are able to dine and wine. SAFELY!!! Just to paint a picture… Green everywhere! Trees! Nature!!! Just relaxing! If you ever have that one opportunity to go to St. Helena… for sure book Meadowood for your stay. you will not be disappointed! P. S. Great Staff… also Mr. Humberto Guzman thank you for being an such an outstanding host! Everything you recommended was «ON POINT»!

Beautiful property with beautiful everything, except the price tag. That’s not very pretty. Unless you like spending a lot of money. Then this is a beautiful price tag as well.
I know that if you can afford to stay here you probably shouldn’t be complaining about how much it costs. But I also know that I live in America and freedom of speech is one of my rights! So I can say whatever I want! Wahhhhh money!
The running trails around the property are pretty cool but unless you like running up rocky slopes that feel like they’re leading you into the middle of nowhere, I’d recommend you just trot down the streets nearby instead.
If you’re a runner, that is. If you’re not, then I guess you can just sit on your butt and watch TV in your room. There is no in-​between. You are one or the other.
There was a payment snafu when I left the hotel and I was charged an extra night’s stay. It took about two weeks to get the amount credited (actually, I still haven’t received it yet but they told me it was coming). It was probably just an anomaly, but it’s always a good reminder: check your bill! Also, hide ya kids, hide ya wife. Just in case.

The staff at The Restaurant is superb, genuinely friendly and eager to please. Woe-​be-​tide with dealing with the front desk, particularly the night manager who has no authority. We experienced a comedy of very costly and amateurish errors for which even token compensation had to be negotiated. We second the views of another writer that the Post Ranch Inn is a far better way to spend more than $ 2K per night.

***************************** 1435 ***************************
What not to love about this beautiful resort, everything is as luxurious as one can be. The service is impeccable from the moment you reserve the room, in the dining room, to the event we held here, and to the moment we check out.
Meadowood is a modern resort, with the royalty service, not to mention the 3 Michelin Star The Restaurant at Meadowood and the perfect lunch spot The Grill with a killer golf course view.
The tennis court, the pool, and the spa are all on point.
The comfort of bedding and high thread counts sheets that make you relax the moment you lay your head on it just for an afternoon nap, after all that wine tasting tours.
The housekeeping did an awesome job on cleaning our room.
Meadowood is a perfect spot for honeymooners, lovers, or just for any special occasion… As of for us, it was just another StayCation away from Silicon Valley.

We love the energy of this picturesque dos getaway. We enjoyed the outdoor dining as part of a group during my husbands business’s summit. We also enjoyed the meals at the grill (the rib eye is extraordinary.) we even tried the lunch boxes that they make for your field trip to explore this great property.
The gym was clean and had everything you need for a full workout. The spa was great and the facials and massages were outstanding.
What a great place to get away! Relax…

We have stayed here on several occasions and have always completely enjoy our time. Hiking trails, golf course, spa, yoga, group exercise classes and a beautiful pool area… not to mention with in a bike ride to some of the most amazing wineries in the world.
Rooms are nestled in, on a beautiful wooded property, large stone fireplaces, decks and crisp mornings make Meadowood a rare gem. HIGH recommendation. I’d give it 6 stars if I could.

We’ve stayed at many luxury hotels including my no.1 favorite «post ranch inn» in Big Sur.
I was surprised to see this place being more expensive than post ranch where we paid apx 2k for a night.
For such a high price and solid ratings on Unilocal,my expectations were high. Sadly, they are not being met.
Room amenities: having to pay for sparkling water when you’re dropping +2k for one night, does not make sense.
My goal for this trip is to relax after a massively busy set of months, and before a ton of upcoming work trips. The golf area is nice and quiet, but when checking out the pool area, it’s not at all. There are a TON of people, lots of kids running around (even in «adult» pool) and kind of feels like a busy and very touristy beach. On top of that, service is super slow and expensive.
The place does not give you an exclusive relaxing vibe. solage calistoga, 20 mins up north, will give you much more bang for your buck.

My ever first Ultra High End Review ,
My friend Free Willie just had his wedding at Meadowood Napa Valley and my god was it wonderful ! I am not going to comment on food as I was dead drunk with a numb tongue by the time the Main Course came but yet the Place was wonderful !!! For those of you who can throw in 100k for a wedding this is the place to be !!! For those who can spend 1k a night for a room to stay there are no other choices.
For those who just went to your best friend’s wedding at Meadowood, well God Bless Ya !

Better late then never! I wanted to write a review on Heather McMichen! She was such a delight to plan with I really enjoyed working with her. She was always quick to respond and very personable. The Ciao Bella Wedding Planning team did a wedding here last October on the 4^th of 2014. My clients had the time of their lives celebrating their big day at Meadowood Napa Valley.
Heather was so sweet and went above and beyond. She was always available via email or on the phone, even if I left a message she would get back to me on the same day. That’s huge when it comes to planning. It was great to work with another Wedding Planner at the Venue that actually cares. Here are some photos we have from the photographers Jaime and Chase Photography.
Thanks again Heather!
Christina Lomonaco
Ciao Bella Wedding Planning

This review is for Heather, the wedding coordinator at Meadowood. Our son got married there this last Sunday. The venue is amazing! But, Heather was the best. She was honest with my son when he wanted something that was not appropriate. She was honest with the parents when we all wanted something inappropriate. She made everything perfect. As the parents of the groom, we know that we take a back seat to the Bride and her family, but Heather never made us feel that way.
Thank you Heather. I so very much appreciate everything that you did to make this the best wedding that I have ever been to!
PS…good luck on your wedding!

Best restaurant I’ve ever been to hands down! Not surprising since i is one of 5 in the whole state of California that has 3 Mitchelin stars. Beyond impressive!
FOOD– Our Amber Events team and I worked a wedding up here since we are wedding planners in LA. I do have a few notes about meadowood as a vendor that I would love to add. When booking for a venue we definitely had to talk about vendor meals. Our clients were given the option to 1. Lunch box of a cold sandwich, juice box and chips for $ 40.00 per person (lol!)
2. Hot dinner choice of salmon with veggies & fries
Burger and fries (gourmet burger of course)
Or Italian pasta ($ 100 per person)
Our clients were overly nice and decided to buy us all a bf dinner plate and boy was i thankful! They thought that paying that much for a cold sandwich was insane!
I chose the salmon and it definitely was hands down the best salmon I have ever had. Rich, buttery and melted in my mouth. The flavor of the fish was incredible and was very fresh. It was better than sushi! (& sushi is my favv)
Service– ¹⁰⁄₁₀ The waiters were top notch! I felt like I was royalty! They bent over backwards to make us feel welcome. Great great service! Very knowledgable and recommended some fabulous wine choices that paired perfectly with our meals.
Front desk was very helpful! Any request was met they went above and beyond to make anything happen. As a wedding planner I was in contact with them all day and with everything they were ON IT!
Wedding Venue– Very professional staff. Flawless catering and bar staff. Wedding director Heather was amazing! She really is knowledgable and very experienced in the wedding industry and has been a pleasure to work with.
Ambiance– Romantic, country meets city, dreamland, luxurious, upscale, world renowned
Overall experience– If you are looking for the best of the best service, location, food, adventures, romantic, family vacation, getaway THIS is the spot!!!
10 star rating if you ask me!

If I could imagine what GLAMPING would be, Meadowood fits to a T:
*in the middle of no where
*trees, so many trees
*peaceful
*nature-​esque
For the GLAM part:
*attendants greeting you at every interval of the resort
*reception area teamed with luxe décor and homemade peppermint bark
*Teslas and Mercedes are the house cars
*tennis courts, golf course and a croquet field
*room service
*Frette linens
*Molton Brown products
*turndown service
*newspaper delivery
*heated bathroom tiles
*automated drapes
*lights all have dimming feature
*generous wall outlets, even in the toilet area
*Illy espresso maker and electric tea kettle
*umbrella service
*fresh floral displays everywhere
*candles and bath salts at the oversized tub
*breakfast nook
*accessible MW bottled spring water
*fine china and Reidel wine glasses
*slippers
The only downer is, the SPA, needs a lot of TLC, or just a tear down. The extra details were also lacking, no snacks, tea and infused water are on the tea deck, which is outside, SO inconvenient. Technicians are just okay, need a refresher course, the 4 handed Dosha massage and the Meadowood Ritual could have been executed much better. Ask for ½ size bigger than you normally wear for the slippers. Looking for to the new facility to be complete next year.
Such a special stay, the rain didn’t dampen a thing. Truly a first class experience. The best Napa has to offer.

We enjoyed our gorgeous, and well appointed room. Nice touches. including little bows tied to almost everything in our room. Door to door service in small golf carts is available to just about anywhere around their resort. Wine hour was delicious as well. Our reason for the stay this time was to visit their MIchelin rated restaurant but our stay was punctuated by such a lovely stay at their resort accommodations as well. We highly recommend this resort!

This resort is world class in every way. From the service to the grounds to the room, you won’t find a more elegant and graciously accommodating resort in Napa. The room appeared to have been recently renovated with a frenchish country kind of décor theme– well executed and very, very tasteful (see my pics).
My wife and I were floored by the service which included golf cart (daytime) and car (evening) rides up and down the property by request. We had a chance to hike the trail, use the pool, get a couple of massages, play tennis and eat at both restaurants while here. At every turn there were polite, smiling, and enthusiastic staff waiting to make your experience perfect without pretentiousness– they certainly succeeded in doing this for us. Every single staff member smiled and waved in passing no matter how busy or time of day. This represents superior management and a culture of guest focused service most high end resorts should strive for.
This resort is tucked into the hills with pine trees and plenty of shade, which was nice with temps in the high 90s during our stay. Our cottage room was perched high on a hill and felt like we floated in the trees.
Turn down and housekeeping service are thoughtful and made our stay there just beautiful. We wouldn’t consider staying anywhere else in napa valley.

Awesome Catering Outfit in Wine Country
SITREP
I have to give a big shout out to Hall Winery for introducing me to this exceptional catering outfit: Meadowood Napa Valley — Picture of Napkin Logo:
They catered, served and paired the most exquisite taste bites with a wonderful taste-​tour that my friends and I were lucky to participate on this past Saturday, November 23.
THE TASTE BITES
There was nothing but elegant preparation in each of the tasty delicacies that we got to sample with the wines on this 4-​Flight tour throughout the winery campus.
* 1^st Flight (Reception) — a delicious Ahi Tuna Tartare, with Avocado and Lime on a Gaufrette Potato Crustini, and this was wonderfully paired with the 2012 HALL Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc. The Ahi’s spiciness was wonderfully accentuated by the coolness of the Sauvignon Blanc. See picture:
* 2^nd Flight (The Conference Rooms) — a very savory Duck Confit Tortellini, and Duck Consommé, with Micro Red Mustard, and this was wonderfully paired with the 2010 HALL Napa Valley Merlot. Both just accentuated one another and emboldened the overall heartiness & earthiness of these flavors. See picture:
* 3^rd Flight — (The Barrel Rooms) — a zesty Parmesan gnocchi topped with dried spanish chorizo & braised in Hall Cabernet, and this was wonderfully paired with the 2010 HALL Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (so a Cabernet Double-​Whammy!) This was chancy and could have been OVERDONE on Cabernet, but it wasn’t! And actually, THIS pairing was my favorite of the day, though all were amazing. See picture:
* 4^th Flight (The Recreation & Bar Rooms) — a Beef Tataki on Koshu Yuzu Granit, and this was paired with the 2010 HALL Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. AMAZEBALLS. I would have loved a steak-​sized version of the Beef Tataki! See picture:
THE CATERING STAFF
The young lads & ladies were all incredible, efficient and friendly. They were all too happy to indulge my passion for their taste bites and very willing to put up with my taking pictures of them, letting me pose and get them & their trays in a good light, etc. Such an exceptional staff.
THE LOWDOWN
Meadowood Napa Valley is definitely your go-​to catering outfit for exquisite taste bites for you special events!

Review solely for Meadowood as a wedding venue:
If you are looking for a luxury wedding venue in Northern Napa, this is your place. Having been in and around my fair share of weddings, after being a maid of honor in a wedding at Meadowood, I can tell you that the venue and the staff are unparalleled. Every last detail is taken care of and thought of by the on-​site wedding coordinator, the staff is completely professional and unbelievably helpful, and the place itself is gorgeous. As the MOH, I acted as a liaison throughout much of the wedding, and everything went off seamlessly, largely in thanks to the staff. And the food was the best I’ve ever had at a wedding.
I’m sure it’s going to cost you your first-​born to get married here, but if your goal is complete class and professionalism, you can’t go wrong.

Romance schmomance weekend getaway.
Let me preface by saying that there’s nothing more annoying than couples PDAing over social networks like FB.
«Honey buns, pookie wookie misses you…»
«Noooo, pookie wookie… honey buns misses you more.»
For Christ sakes, don’t you people have Gchat or text? This was annoying when I was single and still annoys me to this day so I promise to limit the use of annoying PDA descriptors and pet names in this review.
As our one year anniversary was approaching, Snookums said, I mean Mr. NSS said, he had a couple of surprises in store for us. One night, however, as he was showing me his phone, I started to chuckle as I read, «Call Meadowood to confirm reservations».
Anniversary Surprise FAIL.
Yah, he spent the whole weekend beating himself about that but promised there was more surprises in store. I soon figured out he also had made dinner reservations at Three Michelin Star Meadowood (review to come) and scheduled a couples massage.
Anniversary Surprise EPIC FAIL.
A valiant effort considering Mr. NSS had never made a single reservation before meeting me; so he claims.
Going in, I knew that Meadowood was a 5 star resort, however, I have never experienced a 5 star resort like this. Boosting over 250 acres, Meadowood is an AHHH-​MAZING resort tucked away on a hillside. Clusters of private bungalows are scattered throughout the resort and there’s seven tennis courts, a croquet lawn, hiking trails, swimming pool, health spa and private wine tastings.
The resort itself is not Vegas glamorous but it’s luxuriously comfortable and perfect for a relaxing yet indulgent getaway. The staff and the hospitality exuded is epitome of first class. We’re no millionaires (unless le boss decides to gives me a million dollar raise) but Meadowood made us feel like one for the weekend. If Unilocal had a 10 star rating scale, Meadowood would earn every one of those stars.
~ * ~CHECK-​IN~ * ~ *
Check-​in is at 4 pm and they even called at 3:50 pm to let us know our bungalow was ready. After checking in, Keith came to help us with our luggage. He brought us to our bungalow AND showed us its amenities AND went over the resort map with us.
The drive there is spooky at night as it’s pitch black and lacks visible signage so I highly recommend checking in before the sun sets.
~ * ~ROOM~ * ~
Mr. NSS booked the «Art of Romance» package (average weekend cost: $ 1,000/night) and I was nicely welcomed with a bottle of bubble and a dozen of roses:
. We were placed in the scenic lawn view room with a fireplace. I normally wake up to a hairy ass in my face (my Pom’s) so there was nothing like waking up to lush greens and people playing croquet:
. The bathroom had dual vanity and a tub. The shower head had strong water pressure.
I do wish there was more counter space in the bathroom and an outlet on the side (not the middle). When I was either blow drying or curling my hair, the cord would clothesline all my makeup bottles. A slip guard for the tub would have been nice to prevent clumsy and/​or drunken mishaps.
~ * ~AMENITIES~ * ~
*Free WiFi
*Flat screen TV
*Molton Brown hair care and body care products
*Archipelago scented candles
*Illy espresso machine:
*Cuisinart electric kettle
~ * ~UNPARALLELED SERVICE~ * ~
The staff will greet you and wave as you drive in, and welcome you with a smile and by your name. I never saw a grumpy face the entire weekend and there was absolutely no pretentiousness just pure genuine friendliness, attentiveness, and professionalism.
~ * ~IN-​ROOM DINING~ * ~
The only let down was the food. The Corned Beef Hash ($ 19) was dry and salty and the Smoked Salmon Benedict ($ 19) had a broken hollandaise sauce:
. Tack on a 20% service charge, $ 6 delivery charge, 8% tax and tip, it’s really a waste of money for mediocrity.
~ * ~SPA~ * ~
*Swimming pool:
*Gym (closes at 8 pm)
*Full spa services (we had a 60 minute pure relaxation massage with the wonderful Annette and Morris, whom left us in tranquil bliss)
~ * ~PARKING~ * ~
Free parking for guests and visitors
~ * ~GOING ABOVE & BEYOND~ * ~
*Personalized itinerary provided in the «Art of Romance» package:

*Daily wine reception from 4:30 pm — 5:30 pm = FREE alkie!
*Complementary ice tea, lemonade, and cold bottles of water in the reception area
*Ice buckets refilled daily
*Fresh pair of slippers are placed bedside nightly
*Freshly baked cookies are delivered nightly with the daily Meadowood Journal:
*Complimentary ride (s) to and from your desired area within the resort in a Benzo
Thank you, Mr. NSS and thank you, Meadowood for creating the best and most memorable anniversary any girl could ask for.
P. S. — Please remember to shut your windows when engaging in «extra-​curricular» activities. Although the bungalows are private, they’re not THAT private… ;)