Outdoor dining at Four Seasons Napa Valley. It’s part of the immersive city-to-country experience … [+]
offered by two Bay Area Four Seasons properties.
It always surprises me when people who love California tell me they haven’t been to Napa Valley. Wine country isn’t just some dreamy Bay Area side trip; it’s a quintessential piece of the culture and economy, shaping the very lifestyle and spirit of the region. Skipping Napa is like visiting San Francisco without seeing the Golden Gate Bridge or biting into a slice of sourdough; you’re not getting the total package.
An immersive new travel experience at two Four Seasons properties brings together the very best of San Francisco and Napa on an itinerary that mixes dining, imbibing, and sightseeing for a one-of-a-kind city-to-country adventure. In just a few glorious days (the length is up to you), the trip lays to rest the idea that the Bay Area is stuck in a downward coil of urban despair and economic struggle, sometimes referred to as the “doom loop.”
Occupying the top 11 floors of a 48-floor tower in San Francisco, the Four Seasons Embarcadero has … [+]
some of the best hotel views in the Bay Area.
San Francisco, known for its history of gold rush settlement, cultural shifts, and tech advancements, has always thrived through challenges and is seeing another resurgence. Evidence of this is visible around the famous TransAmerica building, where a range of new public open spaces are set to open soon, promising new eateries, stores, lounges, activities, and a sky bar.
Not far away, the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero is playing a significant role in the city’s revitalization. Sitting on the top 11 levels of a 48-story iconic tower, the hotel reopened in June 2021, after a temporary shutdown due to the pandemic, and offers breathtaking city and bay views. The hotel, one of two Four Seasons establishments in San Francisco, the other located on Market Street, serves as both a retreat from and celebration of city life.
Guests can partake in a cocktail menu offered by Four Seasons Hotel Embarcadero in San Francisco. The hotel also arranges tours with art photographer Adam Jacobs who imparts valuable advice on art photography, best locations for capturing city landmarks and the bay, and how to leverage optimal lighting. For more adventurous guests, the hotel partners with Adventure Cat Sailing Adventures for a 1.5-hour sunset sail from Pier 39 to the Golden Gate Bridge, offering a unique perspective of the city.
It’s a ten-minute walk from the hotel to Quince, a three-star Michelin restaurant that last year opened a more “approachable” salon, featuring an abbreviated tasting menu in an area with comfortable banquette seating. Or you can stay put at the Four Seasons and enjoy a flight of cocktails at the ground-floor Italian restaurant Orafo, which makes its pasta in-house and procures its meats and produce from local farms.
With two pools, two restaurants, a spa and an on-site vineyard and winery, guests don’t need to leave Four Seasons Napa Valley for the total wine country experience.
The city-to-country program kicks off for real with a limousine transfer to Four Seasons Resort & Residences Napa Valley in Calistoga. Open since 2021, the lush and scenic retreat on 22 acres has 85 guest rooms, two pools, two restaurants (including one with a Michelin star), a bocce ball court, a fitness center, an eight-room spa and its own boutique vineyard.
The 4.7-acre vineyard is not merely decorative. It’s integral to the onsite winery, Elusa, which employs organic farming practices. Winnemakers Jonathan Walden and Thomas Rivers Brown work together here to produce a noteworthy range of fine red wines. Guests at the hotel have the luxury of enjoying a comprehensive barrel room and wine-tasting experience without ever having to leave the grounds. This pleasant diversion can nicely precede a dinner at either the hotel’s own farm-to-table restaurant, Truss, or at the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Calistoga, Auro. Chef Rogelio Garcia, formerly of The French Laundry, brings a disciplined, yet whimsical, touch to Auro’s laid-back kitchen. One creative amuse-bouche offering, for instance, is an inventive version of eggnog served in a laser-cut eggshell doubling as a tiny bowl, held aloft by a ceramic chicken leg.
Calistoga is famous for its geothermal hot springs and healing mud baths. When guests visit the Four Seasons spa, they can relax with treatments that incorporate this mineral-rich mud, used in scrubs and massages to detoxify and comfort the body. The spa also offers outdoor misting decks, steam rooms, and quiet lounges that aid in releasing tension and stress. It provides a perfect place to enjoy all the unique beauty and intrigue the Bay Area has to offer, be it bustling city scenes, peaceful countryside views, or a delightful mix of the two.
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