Giannas Gems Sexy Property Spotlight - Auberge du Soleil Napa
I said "I do" with my husband at Auberge du Soleil on 9/10/11…an auspiciously symmetrical date for what has turned out to be a marriage as enduring as the property itself. So when I went back this July to celebrate my birthday, I expected a nostalgic weekend where more than once, I caught myself saying out loud…how did I not experience this when I was here for the wedding?
That's the thing about Auberge du Soleil. It rewards you more the closer you look, wedding day or fifteen years later. And thoughtful details are everywhere. I smiled when I saw conversation cards near the pool (you all know how much I love them),the pink rafts to float on for even deeper relaxation, and a whole library of books in our hotel suite…it’s these little details, anticipating what guests may need or may not even know they’ll delight in, and then letting the splendor of the property and its surroundings unfold to deliver surprise, delight and awe…this is what makes Auberge du Soleil truly timeless.
The View That Started It All
Let's start with what everyone comes for: the view. It was the single biggest reason my husband and I chose this property for our wedding, and it's the same reason travelers from all over seek it out for a destination lunch or dinner while they're in Napa. The property sits atop a breathtaking canyon in Rutherford, and looking out you get a sweeping view of vineyards, hawks circling majestically overhead, and on still mornings, hot air balloons drifting in the distance. It is the kind of view that makes you stop mid-sentence, every single time and one we wanted to share with our friends. It didn’t disappoint then and I was still just as breathtaken by the stunning natural beauty on this visit.
The pool shares that same vista, and lounging beside it is a genuinely majestic experience…the closest I've come to feeling like I was floating atop a fairytale castle somewhere in Europe, if that castle happened to overlook Napa Valley instead of the Rhine. Lunch is served pool side on trays with proper linen and silver, and as you dine, you can hear the laughter and wine glasses clinking from world travelers who are enjoying duck fat fries, burgers and perfectly pan seared salmon from the restaurant on the balcony above. Heaven will have a hard time competing with this.
The Casitas: Every Room Its Own World
Every room here is its own private casita, with high beamed ceilings and a signature scent I can only describe as smoke, leather, and the herbal essence of the earth itself…the kind of detail that instantly transports you the moment you walk in and that I would buy for my own home if it was available. Each room comes well appointed with assorted beverages, books, and magazines, and a soaking tub with bath salts and candles.
The property has just 50 guest rooms and suites in total, spread across five accommodation types: Classic Rooms, Classic Suites, Deluxe Rooms, Deluxe Suites, and the Private Maisons. Every category is housed in its own maison, each named for a town in the south of France, which is exactly the design ethos here: Provence, transplanted onto a Napa hillside. The suites unfold into a separate living room behind French doors that open onto an oversized private terrace, while the two-bedroom Private Maisons take it a full step further with roughly 1,800 square feet of indoor-outdoor living and their own trellised terrace, complete with an outdoor sculptural soaking tub and rain shower framed by unobstructed valley views. It is, without question, one of the most romantic ways to spend a night in wine country.
The beds are, without exaggeration, like sleeping on a cloud. And after a day of sunbathing, there's no better way to transition into evening than lighting a candle beside the sunken tub before dinner.
Dining That Earns Its Michelin Star
The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil is outstanding, both in the quality of the food and the caliber of the service…and the accolades back it up. Opened in 1981 by French restaurateur Claude Rouas as Napa Valley's very first fine-dining restaurant, it has now held a Michelin star for 18 consecutive years, alongside Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star and Michelin Three Key distinctions. Executive Chef Robert Curry, who has led the kitchen since 2005 after stints working under Alain Ducasse in Monaco and Philippe Jeanty in Yountville, sources ingredients from local purveyors at their peak of flavor for a menu that leans French-inspired California cuisine. On the Terrace, you can choose a two- or three-course prix fixe for lunch, or a three-, four-, or six-course tasting menu for dinner, each paired if you like from the hotel's roughly 15,000-bottle wine cellar, one of the most extensive in the valley. For something more casual, The Bar next door serves continuous dining from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., a favorite mid-valley stop for locals and visitors alike. I used to stop here for lunch while writing my wine blog, Decantress Wine Diary, and it was always a welcome destination in and of itself that often delighted my guests more than the wineries themselves.
Wellness, Done the Auberge Way
The property is true to form when it comes to wellness offerings: an indoor/outdoor gym overlooking the beauty of the valley, a pagoda in the middle of the sculpture garden for meditation and yoga, tennis courts set majestically amid a sculpture garden, and a full spa to round things out. Or, you can do a hike up and down the hill the property is on, like my husband and I did the day after our wedding, and work up an appetite for those duck fat fries.
The Property's Best-Kept Secret
If I had to pick the one feature that surprised me most on this visit, it would be the sculpture garden. It's filled with so many delightful works of art, but the real magic is in its hidden corners…spaces where intimate lunches or gatherings can be arranged. Picture a wisteria-covered clearing ringed with lavender, surrounded by forrest and vineyards…set for a private lunch. It's the kind of detail that makes you understand why people fall in love with this place long after the honeymoon ends. The grounds also boast three varieties of olive trees, imported from Spain and France alongside some native to California, woven throughout the property.
A Word on Weddings and Events
The venue space sits between the restaurant/bar and the pool. The largest of the event spaces, Bellevue I and II, combines into a nearly 1,900-square-foot reception and dining room with floor-to-ceiling bronze-framed doors that open onto a private terrace with the same panoramic valley views you get everywhere else on property, and it seats up to 120 for a dinner. Smaller spaces like La Rotonde, Maison d'Arbre, and the garden setting of Le Jardin round out the offering for more intimate gatherings, and Le Salon, tucked inside The Restaurant itself, offers a private fine-dining experience for up to 20 guests surrounded by the property's champagne and Cabernet cellars.
Because of noise considerations, Auberge no longer hosts weddings unless it's a full property buyout…a policy that says everything about how much they care about the guest experience, for the couple and for everyone else staying there.
If you are lucky enough to host your wedding here, take a page from my husband's and my playbook: saber the champagne off the terrace. It's a festive, unforgettable moment your guests will never forget…ours certainly still bring it up! And definitely invest in a world class photographer and videographer because you’ll want to remember these views and moments forever.
The Bottom Line
Auberge du Soleil isn't just a place to celebrate a milestone once. It's a place that keeps giving you new reasons to fall for it, whether you're standing on that terrace as a bride or coming back over a decade later for a birthday and finding it more magical than you remembered.
Would I recommend it for a wedding, an anniversary trip, or simply a destination dinner while you're in Napa? Without a single hesitation - it’s worth every penny as the most priceless hotel in Napa.
Gianna's Gem Rating: 11/10
For more information about Auberge du Soleil and to be put in touch with their team, contact me for a direct intro.
In Memory of Pat Gaudini
We checked out of Auberge du Soleil on the morning my beautiful mother-in-law, Pat Gaudini, passed away, after a fifteen-year battle with Alzheimer's. The sunrise was pink that morning, one of her favorite colors. I could feel her surrounding us with the same love we felt on our wedding day, as though she were reassuring us that she was finally at peace.
As you know, I try to be highly intentional about creating personalized moments. When I began thinking about how to remember her, and how to write a eulogy that felt like her, here is where I landed.
Her roses. Pat loved roses, and we were in Napa, just minutes from her home in Yountville. I cut as many as were still fresh from her garden, pressed them, and built a framed memory box for her partner — her roses alongside photographs and small pieces of her life. From what was left, I made little envelopes labeled Pat's Petals to bring to the funeral, so that every family member could carry something of hers home.
Lessons for Giacomo. To tell my son the news, and to eulogize her in a way that belonged only to the two of us, I wrote down the lessons I believe she would have wanted to give him. They're stitched together from things she actually said, with a few bits of her humor woven in, because she would have insisted on the levity.
She lived in a way I can only describe as universally beautiful, sunshine embodied. If you would like me to share her lessons with you, please message me directly. It would be an honor to pass along her wisdom and her light.
