Senior Editor:
Juliana Shallcross
Full Masthead
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SFO*MEDIA
A lobby rendering of the Westin Verasa.
The city of Napa has been pushing hard for a major face lift the last few years and so far so good.
The food and arts institution Copia, was recently coupled with Oxbow market, turning it into a foodie's paradise. Obviously this is having a positive effect if Starwood is opening a condo-hotel just down the street on September 18th called Westin Verasa.
Last week we informed you that Avia Hotels was getting in on the boutique hotel chain game. While the new boutique property Avia Savannah is scheduled to be the first of the chain to open--in December 2008--it's the Avia Napa property we're seeing the most of. Normally we don't like to run renderings instead of photos, but these are the first look at what could turn into a big brand.
The Napa location will be at the Town Center, and plans call for 141 rooms and suites. Some rooms will have soaking tubs and all will have working fireplaces and olive wood floors. We're also eager to see more of the swiveling flat-screen entertainment center.
After the jump, a look inside Avia.
Related Stories:
· Avia Hotels Jumping on Boutique Bandwagon [HotelChatter]
· Napa Hotels [HotelChatter]
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by pbb
Our summer of attending other people's weddings continues with this story from The Carneros Inn in Napa Valley.
The Carneros is a beautiful resort, situated on 27 acres of "grape vines, unspoiled farmland, and scenic apple orchards." Even better, the resort has 86 quaint little cottages that serve as guest accommodations complete with wood-burning fireplaces, flat-screen TVs, indoor and outdoor showers, private gardens and outdoor patios. Naturally, this type of quaintness comes at a price of about $480 a night.
The resort also has three dining areas all serving Plumpjack Wines which actually own the resort.
As for the wedding, the scenery there is gorgeous but we were a little taken aback that other resort guests were able to frolic in the pool in bikinis and bathing suits while we were attending the cocktail hour.
Then again, if we paid $500 a night for our cottage we better get use of that pool.
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by juliana
We've written about Haunted Hotels before but this week we're looking for some good ghost stories. We know, Halloween is not for another month, but if you plan on taking a trip around the end of October, you should know which hotels might have some unpleasant and unwanted guests. Unless, you're into that sorta thing.
Tons of people head to Napa for some wine tasting and apparently, ghosts like to do so too.
The Napa River Inn is located within the historic Napa Mill, built in 1884 in downtown. Naturally, being so old the hotel was bound to get some ghost stories, like this one:
A recent guest in room 201 at the Napa River Inn in Napa, Calif., called the front desk to complain that strange noises and "white blobs in the mirror" were preventing her from getting to sleep. Seeking some relaxation, she opened a bottle of wine and poured a glass. When she turned to lift the glass, the wine had been drained from it. Passing it off to absentmindedness, she poured a second glass and carried it into the bathroom. She set it aside and stepped into the shower. Upon emerging, the glass had once again been emptied, although the guest insisted she had not taken a sip.
Unlike the Windsor Hotel, there's no spooky backstory about who this wino ghost could be. (Our thoughts? Someone's not quite ready to admit they have a drinking problem.)
And although the hotel is plenty old, sleeping in it shouldn't feel like staying in an attic. The hotel's 66 rooms have been updated with modern decor and modern amenities such as WiFi accesss and in-room breakfast from the nearby Sweetie Pies bakery.
Related Stories:
· Napa River Inn reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Napa River Inn [Historic Hotels]
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