Napa Trip Advice and planning ideas for your trip to Napa Valley

Napa Trip Advice

Just a couple of things we think you should consider when making decisions and planning for your next trip to Napa Valley. People usually have a lot of questions about how best to spend their time (and money) while visiting Napa Valley.

Napa Trip Advice #1: We love the Napa Valley Wine Train at night for dinner for the following reasons:

• It's totally romantic!

• It kills two birds with one stone: dinner and a unique experience

• Leaves time during the day to do some serious wine tasting as well as doing wine tasting on the train before or after dinner

Napa Trip Advice #2: Take a leisurely two-hour guided cruise along the Napa River:

• Plan ahead as schedule is dictated by the tide times/sunset

• Bring a picnic for two including wine

• Bask in the warmth of the sun while letting the light breeze cool you

• See Napa Valley from an entirely different perspective

Napa Trip Advice #3: The Winery Shuttle is a great way to go wine tasting for the first time in Napa Valley

• No worries about how to get there

• Wineries are already "preapproved" as great wine tasting experiences

• No worries about driving; more fun for all

Napa Trip Advice #4: For Hot Air Ballooning, try to schedule it in the beginning of your trip

• In case the weather doesn't work out in the beginning you may have an opportunity to go later during your trip

• If traveling from a different time zone other than Hawaii, getting up at 7 am in Napa will feel like getting up 'normally' back home

Napa Trip Advice #5: When planning your wine tasting day out consider the following Napa Trip advice:

• One is plenty and wrap your day around one appointment-based experience

• do no more than two full estate winery tours

• Bring water, bread and Tylenol for your day out to nosh on in order to keep your consumption/'time/weight ratio balanced

• A good day is hitting 4 wineries

• Be judicious in your time and tasting with each winery

• Proper etiquette would say buy something at each winery

• If you are purchasing a little in a lot of places there are local shippers that can send your wine home to you - Buffalo's Shipping Post

• Plan your day with one-two appointments with other walk-in wineries

• Wineries are usually open from 10am ? 5pm.

• Start at sparkling wine houses like Domaine Carneros, Mumm Napa Valley, Domaine Chandon as sparkling wine is usually easiest on the palate at 10 am

• Share tasting flights to mitigate drinking & driving.

• A flight is usually the equivalent of one glass of wine or more

• Use your dump buckets, the winery won't be offended

Napa Trip Advice #6: We recommend staying in or near the downtowns of Napa Valley (Napa, Yountville, St. Helena, Calistoga) in order to lessen driving while imbibing

Napa Trip Advice #7: Despite the fact that you may have rental car, take a taxi whenever you should. California Law states that you are driving under the influence is your blood alcohol content is .08% or more.

Napa Trip Advice #8: We offer 110% Best Rate Guarantee for our Napa Valley Hotels.