Napa and Sonoma valley are side by side nestled in Northern California and make up California’s most popular wine valley. The area is so popular in fact, that only Disneyland beats it in the California visitor department. There are about 400 wineries in the area which leaves plenty of wine tasting to be done, but the area is also great for relaxing at top notch spas, eating great food, and experiencing the beautiful scenery.

No one who goes to Napa misses out on drinking wine, but keep in mind how fun it is to check out the actual grape vines. You can rent bikes and cruise around the area, take part in harvesting camps, or take tours of the farms. You’ll learn a lot and have a different appreciation for everything that goes into a nice glass of merlot.

There are tons of restaurants to try out in Napa, offering all different types of cuisines. For Italian food, try checking out Oenotri in downtown Napa. The chef’s change up the menu almost everyday and offer all kinds of delicious and fresh pizza and salad options. As for the wine they serve there, they actually stick with mostly Italian wines despite having access to many locally made ones. In the Yountville area there’s a great Asian-American fine dining option called Redd. Expect dishes like pork belly with soy caramel.

As for spas to check out, most of the hotels in the area will be pretty sufficient in that department but there are also stand alone spas. Spa Solage is one eco-friendly option that has advanced mud treatments and mineral water therapies. They also have an aromatherapy blending bar on location so you can leave with some custom fragrances in products to remember your trip by. The Auberge Spa at Calistoga Ranch is basically built into the forest so the outside decks and the treatment rooms look right out into the giant oak trees. They actually make some of their own products as well, including a honey creme body moisturizer that is harvested from the honey that is made right on the ranch itself.

When you’re deciding where to stay in Napa, you have a huge variety of options as well. You can choose to stay in downtown Napa and take advantage of being able to walk to a lot of the restaurants in the main street area, or you can stay at one the bigger resorts that is further out in the Sonoma Valley. Napa takes great pride in catering to their visiting clientele so you can be certain that no matter what hotel you choose will offer great amenities. The hardest part might actually be choosing between all of the amazing places to stay. Napa is one place to visit where the hotel is actually important, since you probably will want to spend some time there relaxing when you’re done with a day wine tasting at the wineries.