You may remember that I like to do a spa day each year for my birthday. Occasionally I make a weekend out of it and go somewhere local, typically somewhere in the wine country. Being so close I often end up at Sonoma for day trips so I wanted to dig in a little further.
Last year I stayed in St. Helena and since I found it so charming made it my lunch stop on the way up. A delicious meal at The Charter Oak right as the rain was really starting to come down. Followed by a stroll through the downtown and a quick stop at The Model Bakery, though a little too late for their English muffins.
From there I made my way up to my Calistoga hotel The Best Western Plus Stevenson Manor. Overall a nice stay with a short walk to the main downtown. They had a pool and jacuzzi as well as a gym, I passed due to the pretty constant downpour and my spa day. They had onsite breakfast which was meh. A cute downtown strip with shops, restaurants, and wine-tasting rooms. Did I make some purchases at Blackbird, yes I did.
I didn’t book vineyard tastings for the weekend because I wanted a little more flexibility and with the pouring rain most of the outside spaces were a no-go. But fret not there are tastings to be had. Lawer Estates had a tasty selection and a friendly staff who also helped me with some restaurant recs. Picayune Cellars & Mercantile was very cute and I even opted for the chocolate pairings which I hear were introduced for the Insta crowds, but yum. Over the weekend I also made it to August Briggs which I found a little less engaging of an experience.
As for food, the first rec landed me at Sam’s Social Club for a tasty and festive dinner. The next day breakfast went to their historically noted breakfast place Cafe Sarafornia for some solid breakfast grub. And then a fancy dinner wasn’t thwarted by the power outage and the staff at Evangeline made a lovely dinner happen.
And the spa day was really the cornerstone of the weekend. I did “the works” at Dr Wilkinsons. An early arrival allowed time to hang in the fortunately covered mineral hot springs. From there a mud bath followed by a mineral bath with a facemask. A pop into the steam room before a blanket wrap. This gets you all ready for your massage. I certainly felt gooey after that day.
On my trip back I decided to take the cutover to Healdsberg and check it out. A daring decision in the continued downpour but the downtown square makes for a charming stroll. One more tasting at Lioco was a great vibe and tasty wines. A lunch stop at PizZando where I had a solid pasta before heading back.
I’m so grateful to be close to so many beautiful places and to have the opportunity to just get out of my apartment for a bit. Another year well celebrated.
