Lodging in Calistoga?

February 11, 2008 12:24 PM

Have you been to Calistoga, CA? Where did you stay? What spas did you love? What restaurants are not to be missed?

Planning a quick getaway from San Francisco this weekend. We'd love to find a place to stay (B&B, rental cottage, not-too-pricey hotel, whatever) that had charm and atmosphere and wasn't too expensive (under $200/night). Slightly decrepit is even fine. Bonus for kitchenette. Any recommendations for special spas and restaurants in the area would be appreciated, too.

posted by otherwordlyglow to travel & transportation (16 comments total)

Okay, seriously, the Best Western in Calistoga was pretty nice. And I don't say that about Best Westerns, ever. However, that was 5 years ago. YMMV.
posted by InnocentBystander at 12:48 PM on February 11

Went there on my honeymoon ten years ago. It was a blast. Memory has faded a bit but I’m 90% certain we stayed at the Calistoga Spa Hot Springs, which we loved. We did the whole spa thing, mud baths (weird but fun), sauna, Jacuzzi. I think you can probably do the spa package without staying there.

We ate at the Catahoula which was awesome. Again, this is ten years ago. YMMV.

If you can swing it, do a balloon ride.
posted by bondcliff at 12:51 PM on February 11

I've stayed at the Calistoga Spa many times in the past, and always enjoyed it; one especially nice thing is that they have several larger outdoor pools, not just individual hot-tub sized ones. This was nice for us because we were traveling as a family, but may not matter as much to you.

As far as restaurants go, the All Seasons Bistro is wonderful, for either lunch or dinner.
posted by dizziest at 12:53 PM on February 11

And on preview: yes! Balloon rides are awesome. So, though, are glider rides.
posted by dizziest at 12:53 PM on February 11

I haven't stayed there, but the Calistoga Inn has a very good microbrewery/restaurant.

Two local attractions that I really like are the Petrified Forest and the Old Faithful Geyser. Note that these are roadside tourist attractions straight from 1968 (but with 2008 admission prices) and aren't really for everyone. But if you like quirky, Roadside America-type stuff, they're great.
posted by mudpuppie at 12:58 PM on February 11

It's right at the top end of your range, but I'd recommend the Chanric Inn. My wife and I stayed there on our honeymoon last April and really enjoyed it. I'm not much of a Inn/B&B person, but I was pleasantly surprised. The hosts did a great job of being around when we needed them, but not when we didn't. Their rooms are very nice and its an easy walk to downtown. If you do stay there, they can provide all kinds of helpful advice.

We only ate at one place in Calistoga: Pacifica Restaurante Mexico, which is on the main street (Lincoln?). It was ok, a little slow on the service, but their fish tacos hit the spot (in my book its not a satisfactory trip to California if I don't have fish tacos at least once).

I'd recommend touring the caves at Schramsberg Vineyard. Its about 10-15 minutes from Calistoga. The caves are really cool and you get to learn all kinds of cool facts about champagne. There's way more involved with producing sparkling wine than I was aware of. Plus you get to taste some good (and expensive) champagne. Before the tour, I couldn't stand the stuff, after the tour I realized I just can't stand cheap champagne.
posted by cptspalding at 2:01 PM on February 11

Drive a little a farther up the 29 and go nekkid.

Harbin Hot Springs
posted by clh at 2:09 PM on February 11

Been planning a wedding in the area.

The Mount View is nice, we're in fact staying there over the course of our wedding weekend. But on reading your requirements The Roman Spa has kitchenettes and should be in your price range. (AAA discount).


Dr. Wilkinsons was a bit over priced compared to the mountview but is the place to go for a mud bath.

The Best Western if its the one I saw was off the main strip and neither it nor the Comfort Inn (I think) we're nice for big chains but they didn't compete on price (I'd expect them to).

Calistoga Spa is an inexpensive option, though right now in their off season you should be in good shape at most places.

Calistoga Inn is a fun place for a dinner and hit the bar. Cheap lodgings as well but with shared bathrooms.
posted by bitdamaged at 2:23 PM on February 11

For what its worth the Calistoga Spa has rooms with kitchenettes too but in our trip we preferred the Roman Spa.
posted by bitdamaged at 2:26 PM on February 11

Sadly, Catahoula is no longer there, bondcliff.

I always like staying at Cottage Grove. Some of the cottages at the Mount View Inn are extremely noisy -- the ones near the dumpsters. It doesn't seem to matter what day of the week; they're alway noisy. But the main building is quiet, as long as you're not facing the pool.
posted by wryly at 4:17 PM on February 11

I second eating at The Calistoga Inn. I was there last weekend and it was quite tasty.

I'd skip going to see the geyser. It's kind of a disappointing rip-off.

Also, you can tour Chateau Montelena.
posted by jeffamaphone at 5:02 PM on February 11

Well it's looking like we should have planned ahead since there's very little availability! And I kind of only wanted to go for Friday/Saturday nights but since it's President's Day weekend, they also seem to want a 3-day minimum. So further recommendations are still appreciated!
posted by otherwordlyglow at 5:13 PM on February 11

The French Laundry is in Yountville, about 30 minutes South of Calistoga. I've never been there, but I've heard very impressive things about it. Lots of awards, 4 or 5 star ratings from local reviews, top 10 in national ratings. If you're looking for food not to be missed this is the place. Every day they do 2 unique nine course meals. It's also crazy expensive.
posted by ericales at 5:16 PM on February 11

After a more careful reading of the actual question, my previous recommendation would likely be ruled out as reservations are hard to get on short notice, sorry.
posted by ericales at 5:18 PM on February 11

2nd the Calistoga Spa. It's beautiful, low-key and not too pricey.
posted by easy_being_green at 5:46 PM on February 11

If you can't find anything in Calistoga, you could try the Harvest Inn in St. Helena, but it isn't very cheap.
posted by jeffamaphone at 7:21 PM on February 11