Snub with a View At Napa's Storied Auberge du Soleil,
By LAURA LANDRO
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
From my lounge chair on the sunny poolside terrace at the Auberge du Soleil, I'm enjoying a spectacular view of the Napa Valley, as a soft breeze rustles through nearby olive groves. Better to focus on these pleasant things and forget about the burnt pizza the waiter just brought me, or my visit a few minutes earlier to the locker room below, smelly and littered with wet towels.
The divergent images sum up a recent experience at this storied luxury resort, which has long ranked not only tops in California wine country, but among the best places to stay in the U.S. It certainly lived up to that reputation eight years ago when I had a romantic weekend here with my husband, enjoying the low-key Mediterranean-style villas, sculpture gardens and peaceful pool. But this time, we found a front desk that didn't answer the phone and housekeepers that wouldn't pick up our dishes. Then there was the staffer who woke up a guest in the middle of the night.
The hotel told us it strives for good service and has a rigorous staff-training program. And otherwise, it was still a serene and lovely getaway. But the service was surprising for a four-star hotel, especially since the Auberge will soon be facing new competition. With the local hotel business bucking trends in neighboring resort spots -- occupancy rates jumped to 70% in Napa last year, compared with Sonoma's 60% and San Francisco's 61%, according to Smith Travel Research -- developers are starting to muscle in. Three high-end properties are set to open in the valley this year. Neighboring Sonoma's creeping into the luxury game, too, with a slew of new, pricey boutique spots.
But for now this inn remains one of the only games in town. It's so busy from July 4 through the fall wine crush, in fact, that the hotel suggests booking six months to a year ahead -- and getting spa and restaurant reservations while you're at it. So when we were invited to a recent wedding, we booked a one-bedroom suite ($1,000) well in advance.
We arrived in the afternoon and walked into the reception area, where the front-desk staffer failed to acknowledge us for a few minutes until we asked if we could check in. Fortunately the room was ready, and a friendly bellman in a golf cart had us follow him in our car to the row of cottage-like structures that house the hotel's 50 rooms and suites. Our suite was the same as the one we'd had eight years earlier, with a separate kitchenette and broad terrace, this time overlooking the a new spa, flower garden and the Rutherford hills. We noticed right away that the rooms were starting to look a bit tired, their rustic leather and rattan furnishings stained and frayed around the edges.
The hotel says it is about to undergo a major refurbishment, getting rid of its signature décor, which mixes hot-pink and bright-yellow cushions with muted terra-cotta tile and walls. Though we kind of like the bright effect, the look is a bit dated, a hotel spokeswoman says, and will be replaced with "mustard and cream" fabrics for a French-country feel.
Though the bathrooms are large and airy -- ours had a tub big enough for two -- everything could have used a scrubbing with Tilex. We were glad for the coffeemaker in the kitchen, but not that it still held grounds from a previous guest, and that no one ever seemed to take away leftover glasses from room-service. And outside our room there was a messy supply closet, with a door that was often left ajar.
The hotel prides itself on "understated" service -- which my husband described as more "efficient inattention." It isn't that most staffers aren't helpful and pleasant, but we were struck by the lack of what you might call a service culture. We tried a half-dozen different times to raise a concierge, but they seemed to knock off early and leave on an answering machine. The hotel's beauty salon was closed for the entire long weekend of our visit, to the consternation of several female members of our wedding party. Whenever we called room-service, the operator always told us someone would call back, and no one ever did. And when we finally did get our room-service meal, the waiter presented a check with a 20% service charge -- and then pointed out the space for an additional gratuity.
On our first evening, we returned from a party to have a drink and dessert in the Auberge bar with some local friends. Though it was only about 10:30, we had to lure the waitress from tallying the night's receipts. We all asked for ice cream, which arrived in melted puddles in all three bowls. "That's the way it came from the kitchen," she said when we commented. (I got pretty much the same answer at the pool from the waiter about the pizza.) Though we spent a quiet and undisturbed first night, a hotel employee called and woke our friends up around midnight because someone was complaining about a funny smell from their air conditioner. They were asked to turn off the AC, but declined the offer to bring a fan over.
When we contacted the hotel for comment after our stay -- as usual, our Wall Street Journal affiliation isn't disclosed before or during a visit -- the surprised spokeswoman said the hotel strives for "gracious service and ambience" and was sorry to learn of our inconvenience. Even though the concierge staff does go off-duty at 5:30 or 7:30 p.m., depending on the season, other hotel staff should be able to help guests, she says. Guests can add extra gratuity if service warrants, but waiters aren't supposed to mention it. As for the locker room, she says an attendant is supposed to tidy up every 45 minutes or so.
Otherwise, we did enjoy the facilities -- including a small but serviceable gym, pool and tennis courts. I was impressed by the spa, a 7,000-square-foot stucco structure with treatment rooms around a courtyard with quiet fountains, three plunge pools and olive trees. Because I booked the spa only a few weeks ahead, I had to go at off hours, but I did manage to fit in the "Vineyard Head to Toe" package ($195), which included a grape-seed oil massage and a foot and hair treatment, and lasted a blissful 90 minutes.
On our last morning, my husband and I decided to have a late breakfast on the terrace of the Auberge restaurant, which at that hour wasn't busy. It was another beautiful morning, and the gas heaters helped take the edge off the morning chill. We enjoyed fluffy spinach and goat-cheese omelets, and sipped our fresh orange juice and coffee. We did have to flag down our waiter for everything, and asked for milk about four times before he brought some. But it was best to just focus on the pleasant things, and enjoy that fabulous view.
------
HOTEL NIGHTLY RATE COMMENTS
Auberge du Soleil
Rutherford $425-$3,500 Service hiccups aside, Auberge fills fast and its parent company is expanding. A sister property, the 157-acre Calistoga Ranch, is set to open nearby this fall.
Meadowood
St. Helena $470-$3,585 This 85-room resort was built as a private club in the '60s, and guests may share tennis courts or wine tastings with some of its 1,000 members. Up for croquet? Bring your best whites.
Hotel Healdsburg
Healdsburg $245-$745 The hotel's restaurant, Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen, is a hit. But the lobby's "grappa bar" concept didn't go over. "Too many people wanted martinis," a manager says.
Milliken Creek Inn
Napa $295-$625 It's mellow: Design nuts dig 12-room inn's Bulgari bath products and Buddha heads. (The contractors were Buddhist.) No restaurant, but local winemakers often bring vino for daily snack time.
The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa
Sonoma $369-$1,200 Alert: Sonoma's largest hotel will close 98 of its 228 rooms for renovations in November, and the lobby will move to a ballroom. Spa and mineral pools will stay open.
|