Four Seasons Resort Napa Valley

I hate to complain - but I love this brand, but our experience were very different from our October 2023 stay. We have stayed at 19 different FS properties in North America, ~36 stays and ~120 nights. So I do have expectations. From my observations, it just looked like they were understaffed. Which is strange for this brand and known for having an abundance of help. This was not the case. The pool area had the biggest deficit: pool attendants to set up lounges were hard to find, we even set up our own, waiting times for pool service were high; water, drinks, food, menus, got there - eventually. There was almost no "clean up" from people that had left, food, drinks and used towels sat for hours on the pool deck and in the cabanas. Our lunch of ceviche and steak tacos was average at best, there was no octopus in the ceviche and the steak nuggets were horribly burnt - seriously. I have to mention that even the glassware for drinks was inconsistent. (I know a small detail but...) Breakfast one morning was slow - an egg was forgotten from my avocado toast, mentioned it to two food runners and never received it. The server kindly removed it from the check. Valet was not always available. The PROS: The property is stunning and clean. Just beautiful. The employees, when available, were kind, generous and engaging. We were upgraded to a lovely suite, with a bottle of wine and welcome amenities. They were responsive when asked for incidentals. All in all, this was the most expensive FS property we have ever stayed at - with all the fees probably $3k / night. And I just felt like that it was not worth it and will likely not return.

Expectations should be high when visiting a Four Seasons, but since my boyfriend convinced me that we were heading to Indian Springs in Calistoga, I quietly pocketed any hopes for a five star weekend as we drove farther and farther away from our caviar lunch at Auberge. Entering the subtle stunning beauty of the Four Seasons, my eye did not catch the monument sign, and it wasn't until we entered the reception area where two glasses of wine were brought by someone wearing the FS logo that I secretly fell back in love with him. Reminiscent of Calistoga Ranch, (before it tragically burned), the architects of this resort have honored the land in a collaboration with nature that is the foundation for quite possibly the most peaceful and authentic luxury experience in Napa. The restaurants, staff, rooms, and views are all exceptionally curated. Many will come for the draw of the Michelin starred Auro, where we were lucky enough to have reservations, but canceled as the allure of an extra hour floating in the pool won over. Our dinner at Truss as the sun set was a five star experience in itself, with special thanks to Carlo the sommelier. Our Sunday morning spa treatments were set in the monumental stone building, Spa Talisa. After only three minutes into my massage, I asked myself how can a chef, or a sommelier become celebrities in this town, but not the star of the this immense building on the property? I mentioned this après-treatment to my boyfriend as we sipped champagne overlooking the vineyard, and a staff member who overheard me confided that Michael is the recipient of many similar comments. Bottom line, he needs to be Napa's celebrity masseuse. Book now, thank me later. We'll be back FS Napa.

Our second stay here. Likely the best hotel in the valley. Their pool is good size and they serve really good drinks and tasty food poolside. My wife enjoyed a great massage and we ate at their restaurant a few times. Good food and good service. We’ll be back again.