Escape to Meadowood Napa Valley

Picture this: Morning champagne and croquet on manicured lawns, with everyone in dress white. With soaring dormers, gabled roofs, French doors and wide porches, the resort resembles a private estate from a bygone era. As the servers refill the champagne flutes, everyone circles around Jerry Stark, the club croquet pro, for pointers. That is not a misprint. Meadowood Napa Valley has a club croquet pro.

Meadowood, which has 85 private cottages, suites and lodges located on 250 acres, is designed to be a destination resort. “You don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want to,” says Debra Martinat, director of sales. “You can relax and never leave the resort, or you can use it as a jumping off place for exploring Napa Valley.” The resort is only a mile from St. Helena, with its shops, restaurants and art galleries, and a short drive from Calistoga and Napa.

Needless to say, given its location, Meadowood is a mecca for wine enthusiasts. John Thoreen has been the resort’s wine educator for more than 10 years, and he can help you select the perfect vintage from the massive wine list at Meadowood’s upscale The Restaurant. The Restaurant has a prix-fixe menu featuring California wine country cuisine, and Thoreen will pair a different wine with each course for groups of from two to 20. Or even better, let him customize your wine tour through the valley. “John has a relationship with many area wine growers, and he can get our guests into wineries where others may not be able to go,” says Martinat.

Sports abound at Meadowood, and not all of them require dress whites. A 3.2-mile hiking trail winds around the perimeter of the resort. “We’re in a valley and parts of the trail can be hilly and challenging,” says Martinat. There are quiet rest areas and tucked-away contemplation spots with benches and hammocks where you can enjoy panoramic views of the valley. The area has vibrant wildlife, including over 100 varieties of birds, and feeders are strategically placed along the trail.

Meadowood also has an extensive tennis program, a heated outdoor pool, and a fitness center with a range of classes including T’ai Chi, yoga and meditation. Golfers might try the on-site nine-hole executive course, or if they want to make a day of it, the nearby 18-hole Chardonnay Club or Silverado Country Club.

“The spa is very popular,” says Martinat. “Almost all our guests visit it.” Classic treatments are offered as well as some that have a specific regional flair, such as the Vineyard Body Polish, which buffs you with indigenous grape seeds in a medium of sea salts and other local minerals. Or book a Valley Stone Massage in which warm basalt stones and chilled marble stones are placed at key points on your body to promote relaxation and balance. Don’t want to deal with the riffraff? Skip the spa altogether and have the therapist come to your room. In the summer you can have your massage outdoors on your private balcony and in the winter inside by your private fireplace. No wonder they call this treatment “Complete Indulgence.”

Meadowood Napa Valley has received Relais & Chateaux certification and the Readers’ Choice Award from Conde Nast TRAVELER as the number one hotel property in California. Room rates range from $350 to $625, with suites from $625 to $3,540. Call 1-800-458-8080 or visit www.meadowood.com for details.