EST. 2011
This weekend came at such a perfect time. I have been itching to dive into vacation mode leading up to Maui in a couple of weeks. Funny enough, I booked three trips to wine country unintentionally back to back as I’ve slowly planned each separately since earlier this year. We were in Yountville two weekends ago, Healdsburg this past trip, and Matt and I are heading back up to Napa on Saturday for the day. The ease of a quick drive up to my happy place is one of the hundreds of reasons I am so grateful to live in SF. It’s just so lovely, relaxing and beautiful up there. It’s heaven.
It was a very memorable and fun weekend because I had my two best friends with me. We hopped in the car around 2 pm on Friday to beat the traffic and arrived at Arista Vineyards before checking into our hotel. We wanted to try something new and the interwebs had rave reviews about the property and wine. It sure did live up to our expectations and then some…
The rainy forecast was a slight hiccup as I’m rebelling against anything but sandals but sadly had to make do. I know–life is tough sometimes. It’s always difficult for me to pack when a spring or summer weekend is anything but sunny and warm, but still pushed for spring with a neutral palette. I’m also the worst packer in the world (and infamous to always miss something) but managed to come up with reasonable outfits each day! Go me. (Wearing an old Zara top, J Brand jeans, Bernardo booties, long ribbed Jigsaw London Cardigan and my favorite Janessa Leoné hat.)
The setting at Arista itself was magic. I am so not a fan of the rain, but the outcome of several months has made wine country so green! It’s so bright and beautiful and everything looks so nourished and happy. I mean, have you ever seen a more beautiful setting to sip some vino? I could camp out here all afternoon– they even gave us cheese and crackers, what else does a girl need?
Mere grabbed my camera at one point and was IN the bushes taking photos… all the while I overhear “Oh yes…I think I should have been a nature photographer!” as I look over… see? I told you, entertaining. She ended up capturing that photo of the white flowers above, so pretty! I think she’s onto something…
After being introduced to a bevy of delicious wines we cruised down the road to the beautiful Farmhouse Inn. I had heard such wonderful things, and even in the rain, it was just as stunning as I imagined. Green was the theme, and it was just so lush and verdant. The growing vines and potted plants had me at hello. And then there were beautiful pink roses and delicate wisteria popping out of greenery everywhere– it took me awhile to get to our room, just so much natural beauty had me distracted!
The way to my heart is a cozy hotel room. I want to feel like I’m staying at friend’s little cottage (who shops at Pottery Barn, if you want me to be specific…) and I love a good rustic touch. I also dub the room a gem I could stay in all weekend if there’s a fireplace… ding ding ding! Oh and get this (because this was new for me), the fireplace was accessible both inside and from our patio. So cool. The bathtub was huge, something I look forward to every trip (I literally take baths 5-6 times a week so you can imagine I took advantage of this marble beauty). We made ourselves at home quickly and enjoyed some wine before dinner.
In the morning we got ready to head down to breakfast in their garden room at their restaurant. It was quaint and charming and we were so ready for something delicious. We ordered a banana cream donut garnished with hazelnut and praline, the seasonal veggie frittata and the buckwheat strawberry pancakes to share. All were amazing, and the grapefruit bellini hit the spot as well.
We spent the rest of our time relaxing in our room before heading into Healdsburg for the day to adventure. We had the best time, I couldn’t recommend Farmhouse Inn more for upcoming special occasions/weekends you just want to treat yourself to some beauty up in wine country. They are high up on my favorite places I’ve ever stayed list!
I also need to plan more girls trips, they are so refreshing (and hilarious). Until next time Farmhouse Inn! x
