Raheem A.
Yelp
My wife and I initially planned a trip to Portland in order to celebrate her 33rd birthday. However, as the trip date drew nearer, we would learn that the Federal Government shutdown would have a negative impact on traveling. We ended up cancelling the trip and booking a two night stay at a bed and breakfast in nearby Calistoga (my wife's first time in Calistoga). Aside from my wife having never been to Calistoga, we wanted to venture beyond the commercialized Napa wine tasting experience and pursue a romantic, low key wine tasting experience. My beautiful, resourceful better half found the Calistoga Wine Way Inn.
When we arrived we were warmly created by Elizabethe who proceeded to give us a tour of the house. En Route to the morning dining area and backyard, we passed a cozy living room with a small reception area filled with scones (this was my first time having scones, they are delicious!), coffee, hot water (for tea), and your choice of red wine, white wine, or Sherry (a fortified white wine). After passing the huge family-style dining table, Elizabethe led us to the backyard area. The backyard is absolutely gorgeous! The first level of the backyard has a quaint gazebo area with plenty of seating, followed by the second level seating area topped off with a fire pit. Unfortunately, it had rained earlier that day; therefore, we were unable to enjoy the backyard. However, I can definitely envision a romantic spring/summer evening with a couple bottles of wine and good conversation with other guests.
After our tour of the entire house (including our room), we went back to our room to relax. Our room included a fridge loaded with apples, water, and sparkling water (perfect for rehydrating after a day of wine tasting), a Smart TV preloaded with Netflix and Amazon Prime TV (we didn't have to watch Netflix on our tablet...yay!), a large bathtub (to my understanding these are not available in all of the rooms), and a comfy bed (I need to know where they purchased their fluffy pillows). As a side note, directly across the street from the inn is Tank Garage Winery and next door to the inn is Puerto Vallarta Market (the Mexican restaurant located within the establishment is delicious!).
Both mornings we were thoroughly impressed with the buffet-style, semi-healthy breakfast spread prepared by Elizabethe and her staff. While dining, we met some pretty awesome, sociable people who made the community breakfast experience enjoyable (sometimes community dining can be awkward). Aside from ensuring that the breakfast met everyone's needs (Elizabethe also caters to those whom have food allergies), Elizabethe did a great job of interacting with all of the guests and making winery & restaurant suggestions. My only gripe (and this "gripe" will not prevent us from staying here again) is that the house is not well-insulated against noise. Therefore, you can hear street traffic and other guests moving around in their room(s) and/or within the house. However, I understand that this is an older home, so the sound insulation may be due for an upgrade.
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Calistoga Wine Way Inn. We look forward to returning so that we can revisit some of our favorite wineries, discover some new wineries, and most importantly...relax. We missed you at checkout, so on behalf of my wife and I...thank you Elizabethe!