Auberge du Soleil

The terrace at Auberge du Soleil looks west across the whole width of the Napa Valley, over Rutherford's vineyards to the Mayacamas range, and at the end of the afternoon it fills with people who have driven up the hill for that view and a glass of wine. The hotel, at Rutherford, California, began with the terrace and the restaurant behind it, and the rooms came afterwards.

History

Claude Rouas, a French-born restaurateur who had made his name in San Francisco with L'Étoile, wanted a country restaurant in the manner of the Provençal inns he had grown up near. With his partner Bob Harmon he opened Auberge du Soleil as a restaurant on 33 acres of olive-planted hillside in 1981. Guests asked where they could stay, and in 1985 the first rooms opened in a series of low buildings scattered through the olive grove. It was the first inn of its kind in the Napa Valley at a time when the region's hotels were motels and bed-and-breakfasts. Rouas and Harmon went on to found Auberge Resorts, the collection of which Auberge du Soleil remains the original house. The hotel has been a member of Relais & Châteaux for decades.

Architecture and design

The buildings are in the style of a Mediterranean village: ochre stucco, tiled roofs, terracotta floors, wooden beams and shutters. The San Francisco decorator Michael Taylor, known for his bleached, sun-filled Californian interiors, designed the restaurant and the first rooms, and his palette of earth tones and natural textures has been kept through later renovations. Rooms are grouped in maisons along the hill, each with a terrace or balcony facing the valley. A sculpture garden winds through the olive trees above the pool, with large-scale works set among the oaks.

Rooms and suites

There are 50 rooms and suites, from maison rooms with fireplaces and private terraces to suites of one and two bedrooms with outdoor soaking tubs and views across the valley. Every room has a fireplace. The hotel is for adults only; guests must be 16 or older. Rates include breakfast in the restaurant or on the terrace.

Dining

The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil has held a Michelin star for more than a decade, since the guide first covered the Bay Area in the late 2000s, under executive chef Robert Curry, who has run the kitchen since 2004. The menu is Mediterranean in approach with Napa produce, served inside or on the terrace. The Bistro & Bar next door serves a lighter menu all day, and the wine list runs to many thousands of bottles with a depth in Napa Valley producers that few restaurants anywhere can match.

Wellness

The Auberge Spa sits on the hillside with treatment rooms, outdoor soaking tubs and a garden of its own. The pool terrace faces the valley, and the hotel has a fitness centre and runs yoga classes. Guests walk the sculpture trail through the olive grove in the early morning.

Weddings and events

Auberge du Soleil hosts small weddings, with ceremonies on the terrace or in the olive grove and receptions in private dining rooms. The size of the hotel keeps celebrations intimate, and the hotel does not host large receptions. Meetings and private dinners for wine-trade and corporate groups use the same rooms, and full buyouts are possible.

Location

The hotel stands at 180 Rutherford Hill Road, above the Silverado Trail on the eastern side of the valley, between Rutherford and St Helena. Napa town is about 20 minutes south; the wineries of Rutherford and Oakville are a few minutes down the hill. Sacramento and Oakland airports are about 90 minutes away, San Francisco International a little further. As a luxury hotel in the Napa Valley, it holds the oldest claim on the hillside view.