Napa Valley in December
It was bright and brisk during the day, with the faint smell of burning. We rode Dry Creek Rd to the Oakville Grade, and back. Then onto dinner at Hurley’s Restaurant.
Few tourists were in town and we had the road mostly to ourselves. The route was rolling with a 5 percent grade. The Orbea Carpe Diems were more at home on the flats than the hills, but we made do and appreciated their availability at Bardessono.
We hope that hotels catering to cyclists with bikes is a growing trend. That includes business travelers and tourists. Normally we’d travel with our bikes. To arrive on a weekend getaway, get dressed, and right onto a bike was very relaxing and added to the ambience of the venue. For those into green building and the eco-friendly aesthetic, you’d find it all in the hotel.
Bardessono was included in Time’s Green Design 100. It’s as if they had Ed Begley, Jr. come in and tell them how to build a hotel without concern to the budget or schedule. Instead, just build it as green as possible – $1.2 million-a-room possible. Bardessono sells their energy back to the city from geothermal wells and gave me a USB drive made of cork and magnets.
Note: as a reader commented, Bardessona doesn’t advertise their complimentary bikes, but they are there. They’ve got helmets too. Just bring your kit and pedals. Napa Valley Bike Tours, who gave us the map and good directions also has bikes.
While December maybe the offseason in Napa Valley, for us it was perfect.