Hotel of the Month: Four Seasons, Napa Valley

Why should I go now?

The blossom is out, days are longer, the crowds aren’t here yet and nor is the summer heat that increasingly hits Napa, one of the most beautiful, verdant and spiritual areas of the US. It is also the source of some of the world’s greatest wines, thanks to its location on the West Coast, north of San Francisco, influenced by both the cool waters of the Pacific and the semi-desert heat inland.

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What’s the lowdown?

Mention of a Four Seasons Resort conjures up visions of palatial buildings, grand entrances, and a generally high profile of good old fashioned luxe.

This is different. You could quite easily drive past the Four Seasons Napa Valley without noticing it. And that’s very much intentional. The resort is in a vineyard just outside the spa town of Calistoga, which marks the northern end of the wine-producing area of the valley. Located in an opening in the valley, it is surrounded by a theatre of steep hillsides.

All the buildings are in a very eco style – biophilic design, where nature is incorporated, rather than counteracted. Wooden low-rises, they are surrounded by working vineyards.

At the centre of the development is a series of swimming pools, all angled towards the amphitheatre of hillsides; between them is a contemporary Cal-Mexican terrace restaurant. Piano sonatas and pre-baroque concertos lap across the water – real classical music, not Muzak.

Napa Valley has a light which is as famous in California as that of Provence is in Europe. Here, it is reflected from the pools back into the sky to create a kind of luminosity.

The hotel is located at the northern end of the Silverado Trail, the winding road that lines the eastern side of Napa Valley. The great wine estates of the valley are all a short scenic drive, or a longer but more satisfying bike ride, away.

Grabbing a bite

True to the laid-back style of both resort and region, the main restaurant, Truss, which has a raised terrace with a view across the resort, is a casual, no-tablecloths kind of place, although Four Seasons regulars may feel it’s trying a bit too hard to be cool. (Apparently a more elevated fine-dining concept is opening there soon).

You can try the resort’s own wine there, a powerful Cabernet Sauvignon with all the weight that shows it is made here, in the hottest part of the valley.

Our favourite dining spot – in fact one of the best dining places in a region famed for its cuisine – was Campo, the restaurant by the swimming pools. A chicken superfood salad with balsamic vinaigrette had textures and flavours that were crisp, powerful, biting and vivid, perfect Californian lunchtime food. Campo describes itself Cal-Mexican but in reality it serves food that tastes as light as the views.

Read more: An exclusive tasting and interview with Will Harlan

Getting horizontal

Our vineyard room was effectively the top floor of a wooden chalet, with a balcony directly overlooking the vineyards immediately below (we said hello every morning to the gentleman pruning the vines) and the mountain view beyond. It had the feel of being your own residence in the vines (the room had its own entrance and staircase); clever and distinctive.

Flip side

The resort is very outdoors-based: a series of environmentally integrated low-rise buildings in extended grounds, and you walk around (or are given a ride around in a buggy) on pathways. Great in perfect weather, exposed in the rain. But it doesn’t rain much in Napa, especially these days.

Rates: From $2,190 per night (approx. £1,670/€1,980)

Book your stay: www.fourseasons.com/napavalley

Darius Sanai

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