5 nights in Napa and so much we wanted to see. I spent months planning to make sure that we could maximize our days and take in all of the charm and scenery. Here I share some of the highlights from our trip, but of course we had each day planned out to help us make sure we got to all of our tops spots.

Sunday: We flew into Sacramento which is about an hour drive from St. Helena. The drive to Meadowood was absolutely beautiful. Before checking in we stopped at Gott’s Roadside for a quick bite (this is a MUST! The line is usually super long but it is well worth the wait. Best burgers ever). We had sometime to kill before we were able to check in to the resort so we wandered around St. Helena to get a feel of where everything on our list was located. We stopped into Model Bakery to try the famous English Muffins that we had heard so much about (these don’t disappoint, we love them so much that we have the cookbook and often make them at home). Visiting St. Helena area in December left the towns much less crowded than the high tourist seasons so it was easy to get around and visit all of the great little shops. After a bit more exploring we headed to the resort and we were amazed the second we pulled up. The resort is tucked behind vineyards and tree lined drives. Our charming room over looked the Croquet Lawn and was a perfectly cozy space for us.

Monday: After exploring St. Helena the day before we decided to head to Yountville. We started the day with breakfast & coffee at Bouchon Bakery. We shared coffee cake and a pecan roll and stocked up on macarons as a snack for later. Yountville is such a charming town. There were several great boutiques and galleries to visit. To kick off our trip we had reservations for dinner at the Restaurant at Meadowood. The restaurant was beautiful and the meal was amazing. We tried so many interesting dishes and had a wonderful Sommelier talk to us about the wine pairings for each course. Like all thing at Meadowood our dinner was beyond amazing.

Tuesday: After a quick breakfast at Model Bakery for more English Muffins (we went as much as the schedule allowed) we headed towards San Francisco to visit Muir Woods. It was about an hour and half away from St. Helena but gave us an opportunity to take in the beautiful Napa landscape as we drove past vineyards. Muir woods was beautiful and such a fun experience however, we did not plan accordingly as I was freezing most of the time (next time we go we will do it write and explore more of the strenuous trails rather than the paved paths most visitors follow). Before heading back to St. Helena we stopped at In-N-Out for lunch-being from Southern California, this was nothing new to me but a first for Andrew!

Wednesday: After breakfast we spent a good portion of the morning driving through the Napa countryside. As a photography lover it was so much fun to explore the vineyards and site see. We didn’t schedule any vineyard tours or tasting while we were there but we still made sure to explore the area and see all of the beautiful vineyards and wineries. After our morning drive we went stopped at Sogni Di Dolci in St. Helena for  late lunch. We shared a panini and soup and it was such a fun spot to just enjoy the view of main street!

Thursday: We spent our morning hiking around the property at Meadowood. These trails go around the entire property and vary in elevation making it a great way to see the area from above in all its beauty.  As this was our last day and New Year’s Eve we had a special dinner planned at The French Laundry. This was truly one of the highlights of our trip. We still talk about this meal regularly and cannot wait for our next trip back! (If you are able, I would strongly recommend making reservations and either The Restaurant at Meadowood or the French Laundry while you are in the area.)

Friday: Unfortunately we had an early flight so we headed straight for the Sacramento airport (so early that we couldn’t even stop for one last English muffin at Model Bakery). Next time we think we will fly into San Francisco for a change of scenery. Both airports are about equidistant from our resort so either is a great option.

This trip was better than either of us imagined. We are already talking about taking an anniversary trip in a few years. There is so much to do in the area that it is great for both short weekends or a lengthier trip.