October/November 2018 91
contemporary property. Its crowning
achievement is a 11,000-plus-squarefoot
destination rooftop boasting a
360-degree view of Napa Valley and
a myriad of activities. At the wellappointed
Rooftop Spa, guests can
enjoy the Playful Passion couples massage
or the Grapeseed Radiance facial.
On the same rooftop, locals are already
meeting for meals and drinks at the
Sky & Vine Rooftop Bar.
Industrial-chic guestrooms with a
palette of whites and grays are modern
and sedate. Some come with gas
fireplaces; others have balconies.
Every room gets free Wi-Fi, a Nespresso
maker, and daily turndown
treat. The lobby tantalizes with lots
of seating areas for conversation and
wall-sized 3-D textured relief map of
Napa Valley.
According to Matthew Martinucci,
Silverado Resort and Spa vice president of sales and marketing,
the 330-acre Napa resort was at 100 percent capacity that night
and came close to total destruction. As it was, the fire consumed
14 of Silverado’s two- and three-bedroom suites. Flames were
lacerating the hillside, but the Silverado team led the guests to
safety. While rebuilding plans proceed, the other 341 rooms, and
suites remain available. Recently installed is the mansion pavilion,
a 5,000-square-foot tent for private events. The spa was spared,
and the golf course and tennis courts have been ready for months.
“Now everyone can come and have the vacation they have dreamed
of,” he says.
When the fires hit, Napa’s spanking new Vista
Collina Resort was in the middle of construction but
remained unscathed, and opened in July. “Our team
worked through the night to protect the roofs and
exposed wood with water, sprinklers and other creative
measures,” Dave Elcon, general manager, recalls. The
145 lavish guest rooms clad in wine country hues, include
39 suites with fully equipped kitchens.
Away from the hubbub of downtown, Vista Collina
brings a decidedly different Napa experience
to the table. The on-site Village at Vista Collina
features a park-like lawn surrounded by nine tasting
rooms, a gourmet market and a wine/cooking education
center for classes and demos. Elcon envisions
guests trying something new, such as listening to a
new music group on the lawn, trying a new wine or
learning how to use a new cooking gadget such as
the Heston Cue cooking system that employs Wi-Fi
enabled cookware. While the hotel offers a pool, there
is no spa. For folks requiring body kneads, guests can
walk steps to nab a treatment at Spa Terra, the only
spa cave in Napa.
Dragging a 300-foot water hose through downtown
Calistoga, contractor Richard Dwyer was hellbent on
saving his beloved Francis House in mid-restoration.
The developer had fulfilled his wife Dina’s dream
of working together: They were in the process of
updating this romantic inn within walking distance to downtown.
As it turned out, the dry winds blew the fire in the opposite
direction. Calistoga was spared and so was Francis House. Today,
visiting the Francis House is like vacationing in Europe. Dina
and Richard, your live-in innkeepers, are friendly hosts. Fronting
the three-story, five-bedroom guesthouse is a custom fountain
imported from France. Carrera marble, European wood floors,
Italian-inspired ceiling medallions and the occasional outdoor
black-and-white French movie whisks guests to a bygone era. A
swimming pool, fire pit and intimacy zones are divided by fruit
Sonoma KENWOOD INN & SPA
FROM TOP: TRINETTE + CHRIS, COURTESY OF FAIRMONT SONOMA MISSION INN & SPA, OPPOSITE: MICHAEL HOSPELT
Sonoma FAIRMONT SONOMA
MISSION INN & SPA