NAPA VALLEY VACATION

Napa is absolutely one of my favorite travel destinations. A beautiful landscape filled with lush greenery, mountainous views and sky high palm trees, pictures cannot do it justice. A short car ride away from San Francisco, Napa Valley resides on the Northern end of California where food and wine are the main attraction and relaxation is not only encouraged, but a focal point of one's lifestyle. My fiancé and I were especially lucky to visit Napa during harvest season, when wine makers are preparing to process the grapes for wine production only to be bottled a couple years later to sell. If you follow me on Snapchat, you have already witnessed the wine production process, filmed throughout my trip at the several wineries we toured. During our trip we ate, drank and enjoyed the incredible weather and wonderful wines Napa had to offer.

Here I am picking grapes at Chappellet vineyard at Pritchard Hill in St. Helena. Words cannot express how sweet and delicious these grapes were. I snuck a few extra because they were so wonderful. It is a guarantee, whenever you tell anyone you are headed to Napa, they cannot resist but give vineyard and restaurant recommendations. Napa has over 450 vineyards in the valley and a ton of amazing restaurants, so it is truly impossible to visit all of them. Having been to Napa before, we decided to try some new spots based on their glowing reviews both by colleagues and trip advisor.

This is the view from the restaurant at our hotel. The incredible views were certainly amazing. For the second time, we stayed at Auberge Du Soleil, a resort tucked on a hilltop in Rutherford that boasts a beautiful spa, Michelin star restaurant and amazing art placed throughout the grounds. Though there are many wonderful hotels, resorts, bed and breakfasts and homes to stay at in the Napa Valley, Auberge has been our go-to for its wonderful amenities and great service.

Coming from the East Coat, you can only but appreciate the perfect weather at a high of 80 degrees. While touring the vineyard at Spring Mountain, we were more than impressed by their expansive grounds. In fact, an old Soap Opera called Falcon Crest was filmed there, highlighting their beautiful landscapes and stunning views while drama ensued on the 90s television show. The wine at this vineyard was one of my favorites, with rich Cabernet Sauvignon certain to please any wine palette.

There is so much to see and do in Napa it is almost impossible to capture it all in a single blog post. Below I listed the vineyards we visited and restaurants we ate at to help you out for your next Cali trip. Do you have any favorites to share from your travels?