Stanly Ranch, Auberge Collection — Hotel in Napa

Stanly Ranch is sparkling new - everything still has the fresh leather and metal smell. Modern industrial barn design is executed to perfection both exterior and interior. You can literally say it is out of a magazine page. We were blown away by the caliber of the facilities. Bar none, this is one of the very best. The bedding was soft, everything was pristine clean, both Bear (restaurant) and Gavel (coffee shop) were awesome, and there's just so much serenity to enjoy. And the swimming pool, gym, and spa were spotless.

My family had a great time. We played in the pool, in the gardens, took great strolls in the vineyards, chatted and bantered in our porch with the firepit, and the list goes on and on. Again, just a lovely getaway. Oh the drive into the resort from the main road. Gorgeous. You literally split the vineyard like a movie.

But now here is where it gets a bit "weird". Stanly Ranch is priced at Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton and above. It surely competes with the Carneros Resort & Spa across the road. At this price-point, you cannot win just with brand new facility and equipment. You need to deliver a level of service like no other. You need to make your customers feel that they're the only reason why the resort exists. Don't get me wrong. We did see glimpses of this from a few employees. But it just felt like everyone was getting used to their jobs and parts to play, rather than forming an end-to-end experience. Based on the service, we kept on getting illusions that this was a 4-star establishment like the Carmel Valley Ranch. But then each time we paid for anything, were reminded that we should be expecting more.

I can really see Stanly Ranch becoming a premiere luxury resort for Napa in the near future. The location is fantastic. The vineyards that it has built around and into provides a perfect backdrop. I would create more programs for families that take advantage of this surrounding. Yes, they had farmer Nick's tour and the falcon training sessions. But why stop there? I would make sure to truly personalize the service, starting from the valet to the restaurant to the in-room dining.

For the time being, the resort will have to invest a bit of time and effort to start building up their clientele. Afterall, at this price-point, your market is limited. But I truly hope they make it through. I see so much potential with Stanly Ranch. We'll return but hoping by then, it has...

My husband and I just stayed here and we were really looking forward to a nice week away from a really busy time. I am not someone who leaves reviews but I was inspired. We have stayed at other Auberge resorts before so we had high expectations. Unfortunately this place was disappointing. They are brand new , the property is absolutely beautiful, but they are just not up to par. Once we booked it’s typical for their concierge services to call and make sure we don’t need help with reservations or activity planning, we never got that call. And no one ever approached us when we checked in. Not a big deal, but noticeable when other things aren’t so great. One day we went to the pool and we where there for an hour before anyone came to offer service. We are pretty self sufficient so we had set up our own towels but they noticed and finally came over and asked if we would like for them to set up the chairs we had already set up, lol. One of the reasons we booked here was because they were having a special dinner event with a Michelin star chef and a wine pairing. The night before the dinner the manager called us at 5 pm and was like, sorry dinner is cancelled. No explanation nothing, not even let us make your stay better by providing such and such. He was like it will be rescheduled and you can come back, and we are like we literally flew across the country from Miami for this…really?! The kicker was when we were leaving, we had an early morning flight so we were leaving the resort at 630. They have this coffee shop that has great coffee and yogurt. I went there at 635 to get something for the drive to SFO and they weren’t open, the girl working in there came to the door and when I asked when they were open she rudely stated “ I don’t open until 7, you’re gonna have to wait.” Mind you all of their brochures and their Google site clearly says they open at 630, if you search Gavel it says 630 on Google. She could care less. Again overall Napa was great but this place needs a lot of work. We understand you are new and that’s understandable but if you are gonna charge 5 star prices, which I am happy to pay, I expect 5...

Update: Reducing one star given I left an item at this resort (a nice T-Shirt) and I remember leaving it in the room and despite calling the resort 3 times and leaving messages, no call back. That's unacceptable for a resort that charges $1,500 per night.

We've stayed at most of the resorts and hotels in Napa, and Yountville, and the broader valley.

This has to be my favorite.

Let me elaborate.

It's in close proximity to a ton of wineries and restaurants in Napa and I can get door-dash delivered easily if needed.

The rooms are spacious and not next to one another at resorts where you can easily hear someone.

It's cabins with beautiful spacious patios.

I was in 38A which is in close proximity to the pool and just beautiful.

The service across the board was top notch. From the check-in process to every staff member I met -- frankly maybe a bit too good as they provide fruit and want to clean daily which I am frankly no longer used too post Covid haha.

The SPA staff led by Yalda and crew are A+ -- and I got a massage from Cameron that was out of this world. So good I knocked out and started snoring throughout the experience.

We ate at all the restaurants on-site and the food isn't Thomas Keller but I thought it was very good, especially their farm to kitchen items.

The GYM is the best gym facility I've seen at any resort this size -- only comparison I can think of is the gym at the Cosmo in Vegas which gets much more crowded.

Few items they have to improve:

More snacks and fruits throughout the venue for guests, Outside of trail mix and water outside of the massage, there really isn't much complimentary except apricots in your room, and the coffee and some non-alcoholic beverages.

I know it was bad luck and unexpected but their steam room wasn't working at all the days we were there and the women's stream room per my friends were way too hot on your feet and not the body.

The HVAC in the rooms are a bit too loud at night....

Construction is way too loud nearby, I know it's unexpected but have to...