Serina Najar is General Manager of Hampton Inn & Suites Napa, part of OTO Development’s owned portfolio. She has been with OTO since January 2009, working at Hampton Inn & Suites West Sacramento and Homewood Suites Fresno before moving to Napa as part of the hotel’s opening team. One of the most common questions guests ask Serina is, “How should we spend our time in Napa?” Read on if you’d like to know, too.
Everyone Wines About Napa
Napa is synonymous with wine. With 400-plus wineries throughout the Valley – more than 95% of them family-owned – it’s hard to pick favorites, but when pressed (see what we did there?) Serina points out the breathtaking views at Artesa and the bubbly at Domaine Chandon. There’s a directory of wineries on VisitNapaValley.com along with details about tasting and touring – which you can do via bike, train, classic convertible and even tuk-tuk.
Domaine Chandon
Coming to Napa with toddlers – or teens – in tow? Kid-friendly wineries include Sterling Vineyards, with its 300-foot tall gondola; Castello di Amorosa, a Tuscan castle complete with dungeon, torture chamber, moat and suits of armor; and Frog’s Leap, where children AND dogs are welcome.
Don’t Drink on an Empty Tummy
Downtown Napa boasts delightful and unexpected local experiences like Bounty Hunter’s BBQ (which rivals Texas and Tennessee); Ristorante Allegri’s California-inspired Italian dishes; and Eiko’s modern Japanese cuisine.
Oxbow Public Market comprises a diverse mix of local food vendors and artisan cafés under one sprawling roof on the riverfront. Popular tenants include Live Fire Pizza, C CASA, Hog Island Oysters, Fatted Calf Charcuterie and Gott’s Roadside. Edible goods range from Napa olive oil to chocolate to cheese. Find your sweet spot with Kara’s Cupcakes and Three Twins Ice Cream.
Experience Napa
Make your trip a learning experience! Take a hands-on cooking class at CIA (Culinary Institute of America) at Copia, or play winemaker for a day at Conn Creek, where you can blend and bottle your own unique wine.
Beyond restaurants and vineyards, enjoy an array of golfing, hiking, biking and even fly-fishing opportunities.
Go artsy and take in a performance at Napa Valley Opera House or Blue Note Napa. And if you just want to rise above it all? Napa has hot-air balloon rides, too.
Make Hampton Inn & Suites Napa your home base while visiting the heart of wine country. This LEED® Certified property is in walking distance to downtown, via the Napa Valley Vine Trail, and convenient to the region’s most popular vineyards, restaurants and recreation.
OTO owns and operates hotels across the country, and The Johnson Group has offices in six different cities. We’ll be featuring travel tips and insider know-how on other cities in upcoming issues.
Hampton Inn & Suites Napa