Friday, October 13, 2023
For our 22nd Wedding Anniversary, Inna made reservations at the Indian Springs Hotel in Calistoga. After finishing our work on Friday evening, we lightly packed our suitcases and loaded our Tesla Model Y.
We started our drive to Calistoga at 17:20, encountering heavy traffic and about 30-45 minutes of delays. We arrived at Indian Springs at around 19:52. We checked in at the reception and were given keys to room #26 in the main building. We later discovered a lovely library/game room nearby.
We had never eaten at Indian Springs' premier restaurant - Sam's Social Club - so we thought about stopping by to see if we could eat dinner there. Unfortunately, all the tables were taken. However, I had made reservations at Lovina in Calistoga for 20:15 (just in case), and we drove a few minutes to dine there.
We ordered the following items from Lovina's menu:
- Bread: Model Bakery Bread (freshly baked and delicious!)
- Appetizer: Apple & Mixed Green Salad
- Inna: Seared Wild Halibut
- Boris: Heritage Pork & Beef Bolognese
We really enjoyed our dinner at Lovina. The service was fast and efficient, and the bread was outstanding! I liked the Apple and Mixed Green Salad and the Heritage Beef Bolognese. Inna's Wild Halibut was excellent, too.
After dinner, we returned to Indian Springs and decided to go for a late-night swim among the stars. It was cloudy, but we enjoyed swimming in the warm, geyser-heated waters.
Saturday, October 14, 2023
I set the alarm for 7:00, but we were pretty tired. After showering and dressing, we were ready at around 8:20 - too late to swim in the pool (before 9:00 breakfast at Solbar). There seemed to be a light sprinkle outside, so we initially borrowed umbrellas, but the rain never came.
We stopped by the Indian Springs' reception to learn about bike rentals, spa availability, and hiking trails. Since bikes were free to rent, we borrowed two city bikes and were told about the following trails:
- Silverado Trail (heading south toward Yountville, starting from Solage/Solbar)
- Oat Hill Mine Trail (a short bike ride followed by a 3-mile hike)
- Washington Street bike trail to Sterling Vineyards
Before going on a bike ride, we ate breakfast at
Solbar, where I had made 9:00 reservations.
We enjoyed an excellent breakfast, ordering the following items and my all-time favorite Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. Inna's Lobster Omelette was also delicious!
- Boris: Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Inna: Lobster Omelette
- Drinks: Coffee
When we returned to our Indian Springs room, we borrowed the bikes and started riding along the Silverado Trail (in the designated bike lane on the shoulder of the road). We pedaled for about 30 minutes until we reached
Davis Estates Winery, where we stopped to rest.
A few problematic uphill sections occurred, and Inna had to walk her bike. However, most of the ride was flat and pleasant, with beautiful views of wineries and hills. We spent a few minutes resting at Davis Estates before pedaling back to Indian Springs. It was a satisfying morning workout.
After returning to our Indian Springs room, we decided to stop by for drinks at La Palmeraie Lounge next door. We received 2 free drink coupons and decided to use them. These free drink coupons were only good for drip coffee and prosecco. We ordered the following drinks:
- Boris: Drip Coffee
- Inna: Lemonade, Latte
The drip coffee was horrible. It tasted like burned water / toxic sludge. I ended up throwing it out. Inna'a latte was tolerable, but she liked her lemonade.
Inna enjoyed swinging in a hammock and enjoying the beautiful day. We decided to eat lunch at
Sam's Social Club. Luckily, we were assigned a table outside and, after some waiting, ordered the following items:
- Inna: Egg-in-a-hole, Hot Tea
- Boris: Scramble, Hot Tea
The lunch entrees were excellent! My
Scramble was fantastic, and Inna loved her
Egg-in-a-hole.
After lunch, we returned to our room, rested, and changed into swimwear. We walked to the pool and spent a few hours swimming in the warm, geyser-heated waters. I also read further in my Kindle edition of Every Man Dies Alone by Han Fallada.
Since this was our 22nd Wedding Anniversary, Inna made special arrangements at a Michelin-rated
La Toque Restaurant in Napa.
It was a 45-minute drive to Napa, and we started a bit late, arriving at 18:15. On the way there, Inna felt a bit queasy, and I was worried that she might get seasick. The Silverado Trail is quite twisty and could upset anyone's stomach. Luckily, the road became more straight, and Inna's stomach recovered.
After being seated at
La Toque, we selected the A La Carte Menu (the Chef's Tasting Menu was very expensive) and ordered the following items:
- Bread: Freshly baked from Acme (best Sourdough ever)
- Appetizer: French Onion Soup
- Pasta: Fazzoletti (to share)
- Boris: Halibut
- Inna: Duck, Cosmopolitan
- Dessert: Concorde (Chocolate Wedding Cake)
The freshly baked Acme Sourdough Bread was fantastic. Inna raved about the quality. She thought it was the best Sourdough she ever tried. Our French Onion Soup was excellent (though I still prefer the Bouchon Bistro version).
The Halibut was small but exquisitely prepared. Inna's Duck was outstanding. We had a delightful evening dinner (though I disliked the 45-minute drive to Napa).
After dinner, we drove back to Calistoga. Inna decided to go for another swim in the Indian Springs' thermal pool, but I was too tired and spent the late evening reading my Kindle.
Sunday, October 15, 2023
I woke at 7:30, showered, and shaved in the morning while Inna was still sleeping. We were slow to get up and started our drive to Solbar (for breakfast ) at 8:30.
After arriving there, I noticed two Tesla chargers (one was being used), and we left our Tesla Model Y to charge there for the next 4 hours (Our Tesla battery was down to 25%)
We had another excellent breakfast at
Solbar, ordering the following items:
- Boris: Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Inna: Eggs Benedict with Dungeness Crabmeat
- Drinks: Coffee
My Lemon Ricotta Pancakes were excellent (as expected). I wish there was more blueberry sauce. Inna's Eggs Benedict with Dungeness Crabmeat was excellent as well. We finished breakfast early and returned to Indian Springs, leaving our Tesla Model Y to charge at Solage.
After the 15-minute walk back, we decided to work off our calories by riding our bikes to Sterling Vineyards along Washington Street. Initially, there were a few cards, but eventually, the path turned into a pure bike path, and we enjoyed a safe, trouble-free bike ride.
Since Sterling Vineyards turned out to be closed until late October, we turned back, returning to Indian Springs in about 32 minutes. Since the hotel's check-out time was noon, we decided to store our bags at the hotel's reception while we enjoyed swimming in the thermal pool.
We spent the next two hours swimming and relaxing. At 12:40, I changed out of my wet swimsuit and into regular clothes, walking back to Solage to pick up my re-charged Tesla Model Y. I drove back to pick up Inna, and we were on our way to Yountville for lunch at
Bouchon Bistro.
The drive to Yountville was delightful, with light Sunday traffic. Although we ran a bit late, we arrived on time and quickly found parking. We were seated promptly at
Bouchon Bistro (at our usual table) and ordered the following lunch items:
- Boris: Gazpacho, Croque Madame with Truffle Fries
- Inna: French Onion, Lamb
- Dessert: Profiteroles
- Drinks: Water, Cappuccinos
We would have preferred seating outdoors (as indoor seating can be pretty loud, but reservations for outdoor seating were not available). As expected, our dishes were outstanding, and we enjoyed the Gazpacho, French Onion Soup, Lamb, and Croque Madame.
After lunch, we wandered around Yountville to see what else might be there, finding other restaurants, hotels, spas, and
Veterans Park. Many shops were preparing for Halloween, and we saw many pumpkins and scarecrows on display.
The drive back to San Jose was uneventful, taking about two hours from Yountville.
Calistoga Trip Report
Highlights
Lowlights
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