Cabernet House, an Old World Inn — Hotel in Napa

My wife and I stayed here during the last week of March in one of the Acqua rooms. The room itself was nice. The pillows, lots of them, were a mix of soft and firm. The bed was soft but a little uneven, I woke with a back ache each morning. The bathroom and shower / tub area is nice with good soaking tub, large shower and nice smelling soap, shampoo and lotion. I don't remember smelling any coffee when I woke up and went downstairs but ok. They have both French press carafs available both leaded and unleaded. The hot water and coffee are neglected at time and the temperature drops below what one would consider hot. The breakfast has too much bread and there is not a lot of creativity. Egg dish in a ramkin each morning gets a bit old. No meat. Didn't really notice that there would be no meat anywhere but then again didn't ask. The wine reception in the evening is lacking. Don't base your stay on the You Tube videos. They must have been from long ago because breakfast in the Polk avenue house and wine "sipping" are both done in the basement. It is cramped with low ceilings. Tall people beware. I am 6'3" and hit my head a few times while manuevering for breakfast and wine in the evening. So, if I eliminated both the evening wine tasting and breakfast, why did we stay here? Well, given the chance again we wouldn't. It is an ok place to stay if you really want solitude and no interraction with other guests. It is played up on their web site as a difference from a hotel and b & b. I have gotten friendlier service at a hotel. Duely noted. We have stayed at 2 other b & b's in the Napa / Sonoma region, along with other lodges and sorry to say we prefer the others. We were asked, upon checkout, while another couple was checking out, is there anything they could have done to make our stay better? Too late, and no point since our stay was done. My wife commented about the no meat and we were told that so many people have allergies that if we want meat they could deliver breakfast to our room. Glad they cater to the minority. Yes, we would like occasional meat with breakfast and don't think we should have to pay and extra $25.00 to have the breakfast delivered to our room. By the way, the evening wine is at 5:30 pm. Really, we would still be out wine tasting. Needless to say, I would keep looking if you want a truly good or great b & b stay in the wine region.

Here is an update: Within a day and several voicemails left by Russ we connected. Russ was kind enough to address our concerns 1 by 1 not only verbally but also followed it up with an email. Many explanations as well as the details he went through were above and beyond what I would have expected in this day and age. He and his wife are VERY committed not only to the Old World Inn but also making sure that their customers are more than satisfied. By the end of the conversation, we had come to an agreement that my wife and I will definately have to visit the Old World Inn again and ask more questions while we are there. We will post another review after that trip and let everyone know. We are looking forward to our stay and the Old World Inn.

We have since returned from our visit and it was in contrast to our first stay. The most important this I would say is communicate. Prior to your visit IF you have any requests communicate them to Russ and his wife or to the folks at the desk when you are checking in. They are ALL there to make your stay memorable, comfortable and pleasant. This was a GREAT stay and we had some friends of ours join us. The room was Very relaxing, and big with 2 separate rooms with a table and sitting area between them. The breakfasts were good, if you would like some meat, be sure to let Russ know ahead of time and they will work with you on it. The wine tasting is a nice way to wind up the day being out and a good way to prepare for an evening out. They also have good suggestions on places to eat, enjoy wine and enjoy the Napa Valley. Overall, this is a great place to stay and we will be back. Thank you...

From our check-in until our departure 4 days later(a sad day indeed) we couldn't have been more impressed with the Cabernet House.

A group of 8 of us from FL ...all celebrating our 50th bday's stayed at the Cabernet House during the first part of September. My wife and I consider ourselves Bed and Breakfast aficionados, as when available, we prefer staying in them while traveling. We typically stay in 2 to 3 B&B's per year.

The Cabernet House did not disappoint. The personal service through-out our stay was wonderful, with especial note to Macy, who helped us with a later than normal check-in and other items during the week. Location is perfect, and within walking distance to downtown Napa. Obviously a car is necessary if you plan on visiting or touring the Napa Valley area, which covers about a 30 mile distance.

We had booked into the room.. Chocolat. In one word....Spectacular! Couldn't have been more pleased with the size and layout of both the room and separate bathroom area. I know some of the pics and descriptions of this rooms shower make it look awkward with the ceiling angle. I am 6'-1" and I had no problem with clearance at all when showering. Bathroom large enough to also have a free standing tub.

The firepit everynight is a very nice touch. From sunset for about 2 hours, many in our group would wind down with a glass of wine, some chocolates from the B&B (homemade) and discuss our comings and goings for the day. Perfect! As is normal with most B&B the gourmet morning breakfast is included with your stay, and for us is always a highlight of our time away. The dining room area is very elegant and is a wonderful gathering spot to plan and begin your day especially when traveling with friends.

If I have any constructive criticism for the Cabernet House, it would be with regards to the breakfast offerings. We had 4 breakfasts over our stay, and for all 4 an egg casserole or egg frittata was served. While delicious, a larger variety of main course items might be in order, I know you do allow special ordering of items with diet restrictions etc...So I guess I could have gone that route at some point. Again, not a major issue, and I'm am quite sure you have put thought into your menu, just my 2 cents :) .

Everyone in our group of 8 commented that without hesitation we would book rooms at the Cabernet House on any future visits to the Napa Valley area.

Well Done Cabernet House....Keep it Up! Tip: reserve the Chocolat room if available....you wont be...

We stayed 2 nights, the check in process was a little stilted as I had not received the text with the electronic codes to the bedroom door. That aside the room was 2 double bedrooms with a shared bathroom between them. It was great. Both rooms were identical, clean and spacious. It is a very old building and you could hear the people above moving around, but I find if you turn the aircon unit fan on it they do drown out those background sounds.||Breakfast was very good, day one was baked eggs with bacon crumble, fresh fruit and juices on the table. The downside was there was a lady who was vegetarian and she was not asked and therefore did not eat hers. There is pump coffee and a water chiller that makes hot water. Day 2 was french toast, fantastic!||The rooms do not have coffee making facilities, out building had a kitchen on the 2nd floor with a large fridge you could use, bags of ice ( ice machine bit was broken), a water chill unit, which did could make hot water but did not dispense it, I used the microwave to heat water. Plenty of ground coffee and tea, though not sure how long the coffee had been ground and put in the press pots.||We were given 2 bottles of complimentary wine, which was a nice touch, the promised nightly firepit does not happen, no evidence its been used for a long long while. You can walk into downtown easily in 5-7 minutes and always felt safe.||Everywhere in Napa is so expensive, this Inn was a lot of $ but in line with what was available etc, with free parking.||Would I stay...