Not prone to overindulge, we usually keep it frugal when traveling. This trip was close to home and was a combination of birthday and new year celebration. From first contact, over the phone, staff was extra helpful. They asked pertinent questions about our stay and where we were from, then somehow used that to personalize our stay and make it even more special.

We were greeted with a glass of wine upon check-in while we were given a quick tour of the grounds. My wife was enthusiastic enjoyed the white wine they served. A few hours later, we asked what it was and were informed that it's a project wine of Robert Mondavi Jr's called "One Hope" which supports charities around the world. Upon returning to our room, a bottle of the wine was waiting on the nightstand with a nice note from guest services.

A quick walk around Yountville convinced us that most businesses really do shut down the first week of January around here. Luckily Bouchon Bakery at least was open and we loaded up on pastries...

Since our first two choices of restaurant were closed for annual cleaning, we "settled" for Lucy, the restaurant on the Bardessono grounds. I'm embarrassed that I though Lucy's would be a run-of-the-mill hotel restaurant. We were greeted warmly, wait-staff (Eddie) was attentive and knowledgeable. He could basically explain how to make each dish, he could describe the differences between game birds and the wines that worked with each dish. When I ordered a glass of pinot I recognized on the menu, he brought out a small glass, along with a glass of cabernet franc, which he suggested I try because it was unique and went well with the dish I'd ordered. I was impressed and chose the cab franc. We each only ordered a single dish, but the chef sent out extra dishes with his compliments. Maybe it was a slow night, maybe the chef was trying out some new recipes on us, but it was like the food just kept coming out. And each dish was amazing. After having previously been let down and a little disappointed at more than one of the big name restaurants in Napa Valley in the past, I was impressed to have such a well rounded and beautifully presented meal in a quiet place tucked in to the Bardessono. A well laid cheese service was icing on the cake.

And nothing about the room yet! It was outstanding. A little chilly when we first walked in, but I understand they are environmentally conscious and the heat was turned on right after we arrived. Besides, who needs a warm room when there's a steam shower and huge jetted tub? The environment was nice, but there was a strange feeling of a lack of privacy, with the tub facing a wood-walled patio. Lots of little holes in the wood walls made it so we felt obligated to close the blinds when in the bath. Not a big deal -- someone had stuffed a few of the holes with leaves!

The bar at Lucy's was nice -- we had a couple drinks while waiting for our table. The bartender, Brian, knew his stuff as well. The selection of whiskeys was impressive, although I think they could increase their Irish whiskey representatives!

The gas fireplace was a nice touch, especially considering it was 27 degrees in the morning! Got up at 7am and went upstairs to the rooftop pool. The water was around 80 degrees and a quick swim was pleasant with the hot tub and fresh towels already laid out. Peets coffee and awesome croissants in the bar made the morning easy.

Everything about the stay, even up to checking out, was special. It was almost creepy (almost) how staff knew your name, said happy birthday, or just somehow went out of their way to make our visit special.

I don't know if I've ever given a 5 star rating to anything on tripadvisor, but this place deserves 6 or 7. We look forward to coming back again and again.

Stayed at Bardessono December 9th for a few nights and it was a perfect place to lay your head down after a day in Napa. The small touches and the professional, courteous staff make the stay feel more like a B and B than a 90+ room hotel. The location to the best eateries in Yountville, the fire pit out back and the fresh, free pastry and coffee in the morning we just added pluses to the large, spacious, quite room. Would definitely stay here again.

Stayed here after reading its mention in the New York Times' most recent "36 Hours in Napa" article and was not disappointed. The hotel does a lot of little things that add up - wine and water during check in, all staff address us by name, unsolicited offerings to assist with reservations, filtered water in rooms. Plus free Internet, free bikes, free valet parking, free rides with their car service (the hotel even came to pick us up after one of our bikes broke down miles away). I'm not sure why other hotels haven't realized this yet and presumably this is all just priced into the room rate, but guests paying $$$$$ a night find it extremely offputting to get nickle and dimed on this sort of stuff.

And the hotel also gets nearly all of the big things right. The service, from the valets to the concierge, is shockingly good for an American hotel. Huge bathrooms with double sinks, large terraces, comfortable beds, soft towels, fire place, well-lit rooms -- there's pretty much nothing to find fault with in the room. It's also nice to see how passionate the GM is about his hotel. I hate to complain and almost never do -- he followed up with us after our stay by email after I completed a survey and immediately addressed my one minor issue with the hotel: unfortunately, the hotel restaurant is pretty average, which is surprising given the quality of the hotel and that fact that it's Yountville. Otherwise a top-tier hotel.

My fiancee and I just had a wonderful Christmas break at Bardessono. Arriving on Christmas Eve, check-in was quick, friendly and efficient and we were able to book an in-suite massage for Christmas morning before having a stroll around the small but perfectly formed town of Yountville. Its main claim to fame seems to be the many top quality restaurants and the concierge had booked us a table for dinner at Bottega, where we had an excellent meal and a bottle of cabernet sauvignon from the nearby Ehlers winery.
The hotel is ideally located to explore Yountville on foot and the rest of Napa Valley by car, which we did on Christmas Day after our massages. The hotel bar and restaurant are welcoming and we had a marvellous dinner at the latter in the evening.
Our suite was beautiful, as is the property itself. All the staff were superb, all in all Bardessono is well worth its high rating and I'd definitely stay there again.