Meadowood Napa Valley: The Nexus of Napa

If Meadowood gives you country club vibes, it’s on purpose. Before it was an exalted hotel, it was the Meadowood Club, which served as a gathering place for local wine growers in the 1960s and ’70s. Real estate developer and Napa Valley legend Bill Harlan bought the property in 1979, but to this day, it maintains a community feel (and, in fact, still does operate as a private club). Guests greet staff by name, families stop by for a swim. It all has an air of childhood summers spent at the town pool. 

What this means for you as a hotel guest is that, when staying here, you’re in the beating heart of Napa Valley. Old and new, locals and visitors, comfort and luxury—it’s all here for you to enjoy. You’ll still get the world-class stay, complete with plush rooms and impeccable service, but you’ll also experience a more genuine side of Napa.

Meadowood’s personalized approach begins before you even set foot on the property. Shortly after you book your room, a member of the Estate Host team reaches out to help you plan your stay. But they don’t just email you a stock list of restaurants and activities. They arrange a call instead, taking time to learn what you want from your trip and then making it happen, like a friend might do before you come to visit. 

That cozy feeling carries over to the rooms, which strike the perfect balance of casual and elegant. Housed in cottages on the hillside, surrounded by towering oaks, they present like tree houses, with beamed ceilings, comfy nooks and cushioned window seats for whiling away the day with a book. There are wood-burning fireplaces and bathrooms with fixtures that seem plucked from a Restoration Hardware catalog, plus spacious decks that offer the ideal place to sip coffee in the morning sun as the resort wakes up below you.

Cozy guest rooms feature wood-burning fireplaces.

If that sounds lovely, just wait until you see the spa. The entire facility is a dream, with its wooded entrance, open-air treatment rooms and sun-dappled courtyard, but the Tree House Retreat room is particularly special. With a fireplace, hand-hammered copper tub and huge window that opens to the hillside, it’s like the bathroom you put on your mood board and manifest. Book a milk bath, have lunch delivered and sip Champagne—it comes with the room when you book it for 60 minutes—in front of the fire.

In addition to the sizable spa, amenities like a fitness center, trio of pools and five tennis courts are direct results of Meadowood’s status as both a resort and a private club. A hotel with just 36 rooms wouldn’t normally be able to support such robust offerings, but club members create a need—and guests get to benefit. Stay here during the summer and you can send your children to the youth sports camps, even just for a day or two, or attend one of the themed dinners at The Wine Center.

Speaking of The Wine Center: It’s Meadowood’s most unique offering. Instead of having to make reservations, hire a driver and spend the whole day off property, you can simply book a tasting class at the hotel and learn all about Napa wine on-site. Free from the pressure of a winery setting, where the person leading your tasting is ultimately trying to sell you something, you can feel comfortable asking your silliest questions and getting to know the wines you actually like. Some classes even include bottles from acclaimed producers that don’t have tasting rooms, providing rare access to the Napa wine industry’s upper echelons.

The Room

Housed in hillside cottages, guest rooms feel more like stylish tree houses.

Perched on the hillside in shingled cottages, rooms at Meadowood are cozy but never cramped. Sloped ceilings create comfy nooks for sleeping, while wood-burning fireplaces are perfect on cool Napa nights. All have private decks except the Treetop Rooms, which come with wraparound windows instead. Either way, you feel cocooned in the forest—like you’re staying in a stylishly outfitted tree house. 

The room to book is the Treeline Suite. A separate sitting area with a foldout couch is great for families, but the space works just as well as for a couple looking to relax in front of the fire or sip wine on the deck surrounded by oak trees. For more space, splurge on the Hill House, a one-bedroom suite with a separate living area, two terraces (each with a firepit) and an outdoor shower and tub.

The Features

The Wine Center at Meadowood hosts everything from tasting classes to lectures with local experts.

Don’t miss: Whatever The Wine Center has on the agenda. You could book a wine-tasting class (“Wine and War,” which covers historical moments in which wine played a part, sounds especially interesting), but the center also holds regular lectures, dinners and more. 

Favorite features: The impressive swimming facilities, with the adults-only Cabana Pool surrounded by vine-covered pergolas, the Fitness Pool with lane lines for laps and the Family Activities Pool. Three pools for only 36 rooms means they’re never crowded—you shouldn’t have any trouble snagging a lounge chair on one of the grassy areas, which bring a casual, backyard feel to the complex.

Can’t stop thinking about: The milk bath in the Tree House Retreat at the spa. Book the treatment and you’ll get to soak in a copper tub next to a wide-open window overlooking the forest, sip some complimentary Champagne, eat lunch in your robe in front of a roaring fire and leave with silky soft skin.

The Lowdown

Forum restaurant serves an elegant take on Napa Valley cuisine.

What are people drinking: $50 glasses of The Mascot, a Napa cab from the hillside vineyards of Harlan Estate, BOND and Promontory.

The movie that could be filmed here: The 1998 remake of “The Parent Trap.” This is the kind of place where Dennis Quaid, who played a Napa vineyard owner, would spend lazy afternoons with his daughter, a 12-year-old Lindsay Lohan.

The book to read before you go: “Napa: The Story of an American Eden” by James Conaway. Meadowood is Napa Valley history incarnate, so it’s helpful to go in with some context. 

What might surprise you: The entire north side of the property burned in the 2020 Glass Fire, including the iconic Restaurant at Meadowood. You’d never know it though; the resort feels sprawling and complete even with that area temporarily off limits to guests.

The local spot everyone’s talking about: The Restaurant at Meadowood is no more, but the concierge team is happy to make you a reservation at The Charter Oak, chef Christopher Kostow’s other restaurant in St. Helena.

Relax poolside in a private, furnished cabana.

Fast Facts

• Number of rooms: 36
• Number of pools: 3
• Fitness center? Yes   
• Spa? Yes
• Salon? No
• Number of bars/restaurants: 2 
• 24-hour room service? Yes
• Childcare and kids club? No, although there are youth sports camps during the summer and the hotel can provide a list of local babysitting services

Booking With Chase Travel

Chase Travel is the first stop for your next adventure. Eligible Chase cardmembers can visit chasetravel.com for even more trip inspiration, including hotel recommendations, travel guides and editor-curated itineraries, and to earn and redeem points when booking hotels, flights, car rentals and must-do local experiences.

Eligible Chase cardmembers, get started at chasetravel.com.

_{For Informational/Educational Purposes: The views expressed in this article may differ from other employees and departments of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Views and strategies described may not be appropriate for everyone, and are not intended as specific advice/recommendation for any individual. Chase is not responsible for, and does not provide or endorse third party products, services or other content. You should carefully consider your needs and objectives before making any decisions, and consult the appropriate professional(s). Outlooks and past performance are not guarantees of future results.}