Calistoga’s New Eden: Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley
The Napa Valley is well-known for its fine hospitality offerings including luxe wines (natch), gourmet cuisine, and sumptuous accommodations. With the opening of the heralded Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley, visitors to the verdant Northern California enclave can now find all of these attributes in one gorgeous place.
Located at the northern end of the valley in charming Calistoga where a throwback vibe gives off a ‘Napa as it used to be’ tenor, this new Four Seasons provides a great reason to unpack and simply stay put – the ultimate for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation. Everything one might require and desire in a wine country visit can be found on property – from wine tasting at onsite Elusa Winery and Vineyard, to pampering spa treatments at Spa Talisa, to the best in seasonal fare at TRUSS Restaurant + Bar.
With views of the Palisades mountains and neighboring vineyards, the resort is intimate yet its seemingly solitary placement makes it feel expansive. 85 rooms and suites encircle Elusa’s organic grapevines, from which acclaimed winemakers Thomas Rivers Brown and Jonathan Walden create elegant and luscious varietals that can be sampled within the winery’s stylish tasting venues or at TRUSS. Due to Brown’s industriousness over the past several years in anticipation of the resort and winery’s opening, Elusa is fortunate to debut with a library of wines that date back nearly a decade. (If the opportunity presents to sample the 2012 Elusa Cabernet Sauvignon, jump at it.) The very limited quantity, signature Elusa wines can also be delivered in-room. Resort guests are also invited to explore the winemaking process from harvest and sorting, to blending and aging, with hands-on demonstrations and opportunities to meet the winemakers.
Whether traveling solo, with the family (young guests get the VIP treatment with kid-sized robes, slippers, and other surprise amenities), or as a romantic duo, the resort features activities to please all. The fully supervised and complimentary Kids for All Seasons program allows parents to enjoy a bit of 'alone time;’ the state-of-the-art fitness center features Technogym equipment; Spa Talisa offers intuitive and therapeutic treatments (in an area known for its hot springs, a mud treatment is a must) as well as private patios with steam decks, and a large hot tub overlooking the vineyards. Two outdoor swimming pools, one for families and one specifically for adults, are flanked by a regulation bocce ball court, and a small fleet of complimentary beach cruisers allow for breezy exploration of the region’s art galleries, artisan shops, farmers markets, restaurants, and cafes.
Hirsch Bedner Associates executed the design of the rooms and suites; those on the first level boast a wine cellar-like vibe of dark, sultry tones and low illumination, with large, gleaming white bathrooms featuring soaking tubs. Upper-level rooms are the reverse – bright white design with black-tiled bathrooms. All rooms feature fireplaces, private, furnished terraces, fully stocked mini-bars, and the heavenly Four Seasons bed. No matter the location worldwide, a Four Seasons bed ensures a decadent sleep experience.
The Resort’s signature TRUSS Restaurant + Bar is a destination unto itself and has quickly secured a fan following not only for its creative cuisine and crafted cocktails (for a quintessential Instagram-worthy moment, select the Jekyll & Hyde smoke-wafting tipple) but also for a commanding view framed by a majestic oak. (One of the wine industry’s most acclaimed authorities was recently spotted dining two nights in a row.) Open for all-day fare is the TRUSS Living Room, where guests can share snacks and small plates such as the artful Napa Valley crudites or the namesake Living Room Pizza made tavern-style with sausage and pickled Nardello peppers. Soon to open is fine dining TRUSS Restaurant with an elevated menu of locally sourced cuisine. TRUSS also features a demonstration kitchen for private and group classes in mixology, wine pairings, or gaucho-style cooking on its Argentinian wood burning grill.
For more casual dining, the open-air Campo Poolside, located between the Resort’s two pools overlooking the vineyards, serves delicious Cal-Mexican fare and festive libations such as the ‘Short Beak, Long Tail,’ made with cucumber-infused tequila, lime, orange agave, and habanero tincture served over a visually impressive cucumber-flecked ice ball.
While each component of this beautiful new resort is alone swoon-worthy - including local artisan crafts that grace walls and tables - it’s the welcoming and personable service, fuelled by a gracious and accommodating staff that stands ready to fulfil every vacation wish, that makes the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley greater than the sum of its parts. There is no doubt that visitors to the Napa Valley have their choice in luxurious accommodations; there is also no doubt that Four Seasons service simply can’t be beat.
Photos courtesy of Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley except where otherwise noted.
400 Silverado Trail N., Calistoga, CA
