24 hours in Napa Valley

Not sure what to do in Napa? This is what we did on our quick 24 hour trip!

First, my toddler wanted to swim so I had to find a hotel that has a nice pool but also won't break the bank. If you know anything about Napa, you know it is a very expensive destination. I did a bunch of research and decided to book the SpringHill Suites because it had good reviews, a decent sized pool and not too far from downtown and Yountville which were the 2 places we wanted to visit. The hotel came out to $500 for one night and included complimentary breakfast. Make sure to check if your credit cards have any travel credits. We used a card that had $300 travel credit so we paid $200 for the night.

We arrived at the hotel around 2pm and they were able to let us check in early free of charge because there was a room available. The suite was a good size and clean. The only downside for me was that the bathroom was a bit dated. We spent 2 hours at the pool and hot tub and the whole time we were there, there was only one other family at the pool. After swim, we showered and got ready to go to dinner. We really wanted to dine at Bouchon in Yountville but wasn't able to get a reservation so we decided to go early around 5:30 to see if we can walk in and get a table and we did! We were seated outdoors which was perfect! The ambiance and weather were great.

They started us off with some of their delicious bread, butter, and bean dip. My toddler ate SO MUCH bread. For appetizer, we ordered the escargot with puff pastry, fresh radish, a salad, and their special pea soup. For the entrees, we got a the special halibut and the lamb. Both entrees were really good! Out of the appetizers, I would probably skip the radish and the salad unless you're a big radish fan. For dessert, we got a birthday special lava cake with ice cream and sprinkles! Guess who ate most of it? Yes, you're right, my toddler.

After dinner, we took a quick walk and decided to go to bed early since we had a wine train experience booked for the next day. In the morning, we headed to the hotel's lobby for complimentary breakfast. They had boiled eggs, bacon, breakfast croissant sandwiches, yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, pastries, toast, waffles, milk, juice, coffee, fruits, etc. The breakfast menu varies depending on the day.

After breakfast, we packed up and headed out to the Napa Valley Wine Train station around 10:30am to check in. We reserved tickets for the Gourmet Lunch Express. This was the only one that allowed kids so it was a no brainer. This ticket included a 3 hour train ride to St. Helena and back and a 3 course meal for each person including kids. The ticket prices are different depending on the day. Friday and Sunday were almost $200 cheaper than Saturday which is why we chose Sunday. I also looked around for discounts and the only one I found was the AAA discount but couldn't figure out how to use it online. I called them to book and the person helping me with the booking said the discount is usually $15 off per person but she gave me $25 off per person which we really appreciated! The total for 2 adults and 1 child after taxes and discount came out to $647.58. The website also says gratuity is not included in the price and they suggest tipping $15 per person. Like I said, pricey. But we had a great time because it was a unique experience. Would I do it again, maybe if a friend is in town and really wanted the experience.

While waiting at the check in area for our turn to board the train, they had photo areas set up and a cafe to keep us entertained. During boarding, they take a professional photo for your group and give you a digital copy that is included with your ticket. On the train, we were seated at a 4 person table where they took our orders. The servers and service were great! For appetizers we ordered 2 orders of the prawn cocktail and a beet salad. For entrees, we ordered the beef tenderloin, seasonal risotto, and penne primavera. For dessert, we got the lava cake with vanilla ice cream and the orange blossom creme brûlée. (The ice cream and lava cake were 2 separate desserts but we combined them into one because how can we have lava cake without ice cream right??) They also had a menu with additional appetizers and drinks available to order at extra cost. We ordered the cheese plate for $24 which came with a few pieces of cheese, grapes, and some dried apricot. The food was decent but quality felt similar to a catered event which is understandable because they make everything in big batches in the train kitchen. Presentation still reflected a fine dining experience though so it was still a perfectly grammable meal/experience. In my opinion, the best tasting dishes were the beef tenderloin and the desserts. We finished our meal about 2 hours into the train ride and they provided coffee after dessert for us to enjoy during the last hour. We were also able to walk around the other train cars to see the kitchen and lounge area which was really fun for my toddler.

BONUS: When we got our bill at the end of the ride, they gave us a 10% off code to use for our next visit. Go ahead and try it out and see if the code works for you. Not sure if it's a one time use or not but worth a try! PROMO CODE: LWTT26

This concluded our 24 hours in Napa and we made our drive back to San Francisco to get ready for the work/school week!