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Walnut Creek Magazine

Calistoga’s Mount View Hotel & Spa

Jun 20, 2019 08:53AM ● By Fran Miller

BY FRAN ENDICOTT MILLER

It was California’s first millionaire, Sam Brannan, who in the late 1800’s first envisioned Calistoga as a healthful retreat for the affluent. Main Street featured resorts, inns, and hot springs catering to visitors from the big city. Remarkably, the focus on tranquility currently remains, and a wide variety of lodging options make Calistoga accessible to all. Many of the original buildings along historic Lincoln Avenue continue to house popular inns and eateries, such as the centrally located Mount View Hotel & Spa and neighboring restaurant Veraison. Featuring intricate art deco interiors and an on-site spa where guests can indulge in blissfully relaxing CBD oil massages, a stay at Mount View Inn puts you in adherence of the small town’s motto and directive, ‘Relax, you’re in Calistoga.’

Recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, Mount View is soon to celebrate its 100th year. And though the stylized exterior might hint at its age, modern amenities within keep pace with the times: Illy espresso machines, central heat/air, state-of-the-art televisions, and luxe linens provide contemporary comforts. What the exterior does not give away: the lush garden leading to the inn’s ‘Backyard’ and its large patio, heated swimming pool, recently renovated geothermal mineral whirlpool, and cabanas. 

 

Enjoy complimentary wine tasting each evening in the lobby’s Indie Blue Salon where one of three rotating wine brands is featured: One Hope, Charles Krug, or Kaiser Family. A small pantry features a selection of deli items (olives, brie, cheddar, salami, flatbread crackers, etc.) for purchase. In the morning, head back to the salon for complimentary pastries and pour-over coffee made to order. 

Mount View Inn is located within the center of Calistoga – a town best explored on bike. Rent your high-end ride from Calistoga Bike Shop and tour the tree-shaded neighborhood streets or hit the open trail toward varied Calistoga wineries. Schedule their ‘Cool Wine Tour’ and they’ll book for you up to three tastings as well as pick-up any wine purchases you make, having them ready by 5pm back at the bike shop. Or simply walk out the Mount View door to unique wine tasting venues such as LOLA (currently by appointment only but soon to open to walk-ins), whose brick cottage and flower-bedecked patio serve as its whimsical tasting room. 

Back at Mount View, book a relaxing massage or facial at the hotel’s highly rated on-site spa. Choose from deep tissue, Himalayan salt stone, CBD oil, or a smooth stone massage, among many other options. Continue the calm in the co-ed sauna before heading poolside (the dress code welcomes spa robes) with a cup of coconut flavor-infused water. 

For dinner, look no further than neighboring Veraison where the cocktails are handcrafted, the wine selection is plentiful (natch), and the locally sourced bounty of wine country is represented in each delicious dish. Don’t miss the seared artichoke and the avocado toast. Ask for one of the two front window alcove tables from which you’ll have a front row seat to the main street action. 

Bonus: Feel extra good about your Mount View stay; the Inn participates in green ecology practices and donates 50% of its profits to charitable organizations serving the environment and children’s causes.

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