Introduction
California's most illustrious wine country, Napa Valley, is an unsurpassed display of some of the world's most exquisite food and wine. Eight months of sun bathe acres of green hills and vineyards that sporadically give way to charming storybook towns, where spa hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants abound.
Glorious food & wine
To come to Napa purely for food and wine is never extravagant, but celebrated – even the most seasoned oenophile will be satisfied here, with a choice of 250 wineries scattered across hillsides and valleys. From family-owned 19th century vineyards to world-famous wine cellars and Michelin-starred restaurants, Napa's small size means visitors can spend the morning hiking or hot air ballooning and afternoons wine tasting, following ultra-scenic drives. Michelin stars are commonplace in Napa, from delightful Yountville's three-Michelin-starred French Laundry to tiny Oakville, home of the famous Robert Mondavi winery. Swanky St Helena offers fine dining and luxury wineries, such as the spectacular vineyard-framed Auberge de Soleil Michelin-starred restaurant, and rustic Calistoga boasts a hospitable, laidback culture among its forests and hills.
An outdoor playground
Napa's mild climate – around 8 months of warm sunshine – and California's health-conscious ethos means wine and food indulgence is juxtaposed with exploring what's on the doorstep. Wine tasting is preceded with hikes among canyons and rivers, biking through vineyard trails and kayaking on Napa River and further west lies the Petrified Forest, home to huge redwoods that were turned to stone by a volcanic eruption more than million years ago, now the largest petrified trees on earth. Finish days with luxury spa treatments and poolside lounging, the norm in many Napa hotels.