NAPA’S NEWEST APPEALS

It’s only spring in this rich little valley north of San Francisco, but this year’s first crush has already begun: the crush of tourists.

Almost 5 million people drove up California 29 into the Napa Valley in 1998, drawn chiefly by their palates. But after the last morel has been savored and the last drop of cabernet drained, epicures and oenophiles need a place to stay.

With just 2,770 rooms in the valley, routinely full every weekend year-round and every day from May to October, demand is high, driving up prices. And most of the prettiest parts of the valley are zoned for agricultural use only, which means that new hotels must be located within municipal boundaries, generally along noisy, traffic-clogged Highway 29.

Those able to pay $345 and more for a room at Auberge du Soleil or Meadowood, two Napa Valley hideaways boasting the vaunted Relais et Chateaux affiliation, will surely be satisfied. And visitors who don’t care where they stay so long as they get a taste of the valley will do well enough in cookie-cutter rooms for less than $100 at chain motels along the highway.

On average, room rates range from $185 to $225 (by comparison, the average in San Francisco is $148; in New York, $214). For about this amount, you’ll get most of the amenities, and charm, at any of the valley’s modern inns and old-timey B&Bs.; But you won’t necessarily get location, which, as far as I’m concerned, is crucial to the success of a Napa Valley getaway. Indeed, in the $200 price range there are some lovely places to stay, with pools, hot tubs, topiary gardens and afternoon wine tastings, that are just too close to the highway for complete comfort.

I know, because I spent six days in March sampling accommodations in the Napa Valley, overnighting in some and simply inspecting others. I leaned toward small inns and B&Bs;, which range from $99 to $350 in the high season, roughly from Easter to Thanksgiving. Here is my list of 10 favorites, starting in the south and finishing in the north. (See the sidebar for tips on making reservations, budget choices, more classic B&Bs; and chain hotels.)

The Oak Knoll Inn, in Napa, is happily situated on one of the country roads that crosses the valley, connecting Highway 29 to the Silverado Trail, which parallels 29 to the east. Trefethen Vineyards and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars are nearby, and the view from the inn’s pretty swimming pool is of trellised grapevines as far as the eye can see. The inn was built by a winery owner in 1984 and now is run by Barbara Passino. It has four huge rooms in two wings, fronted by a deck where, weather permitting, Barbara serves such unusual breakfast specialties as strawberry-rhubarb pizza and low-cholesterol chocolate tacos. The rooms have vaulted ceilings, brass beds, wood-burning fireplaces, marble-floored baths and French doors.

The evening wine-tasting ritual sometimes has local vintners in attendance. When guests book accommodations, Barbara offers to arrange itineraries to suit them, including appointments at wineries and dinner reservations.

Those who wish to sleep within walking distance of Yountville’s fine restaurants will fare well at the new Yountville Inn, a 51-room clapboard and field-stone complex that looks like a condominium community. You can see Highway 29 from the parking lot, but the seven buildings that house the guest rooms face inward and have a secluded feeling. I booked the least expensive room available and was surprised by its size and amenities, including ProTerra toiletries in the bath, an electric fireplace and a private patio reached through French doors. A pleasant pool is separated from Washington Street by a stone wall, and there’s a handsome lobby where continental breakfast is served.

Sam and Nancy Scott, who are originally from L.A., started coming to Napa 30 years ago, when Highway 29 was little more than a country lane. Like so many others, they dreamed of retiring to the valley to open a homey little B&B.; What separates their Cross Roads Inn from the herd is its unparalleled location halfway up 1,400-foot Atlas Peak, four miles east of Yountville. The contemporary, split-level inn is reached by a steep, winding drive and offers stunning valley views. The four palatial guest rooms are decorated in pretty country style and have big spa tubs outside the private baths to catch the view. Nancy serves full breakfasts (in room), afternoon tea and cocktails. After dinner in town, guests return to brandy and chocolates, best enjoyed on the deck.

The Ink House, an Italianate Victorian mansion built in 1884 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is right on Highway 29 south of St. Helena. But double- and triple- glazed windows keep the noise out of its seven guest rooms, and foliage in the frontyard obscures the highway altogether. You can see 29 from the marvelous third-floor observatory, but you also can see vineyards and mountains in every direction. The innkeeper, Diane DeFilipi, has furnished the first-floor parlors and second-floor bedrooms in busy Victorian style, with doilies, potpourri, dolls, Oriental rugs, antiques and old paintings. Five of the guest rooms have private baths, and two smaller ones (priced at just $99) share a bath at the end of the hall. A full breakfast and wine and cheese in the late afternoon are included. Diane sets aside a couple of rooms for those who wish to stay only one night, a rarity in the valley.

Shady Oaks Country Inn is a five-room B&B; in a modest, single-story 1920s farmhouse. It was decked in blooming camellias when I saw it, and wisteria vines promised more blossoms and perfume. Three giant oak trees shade the little yard, with vineyards beyond, rolling away toward the hills. Two miles south of St. Helena on a quiet country lane, Shady Oaks evokes the valley before the advent of the rich and stylish. There are three rather small rooms in the main house with private baths, floral fabrics, lace and antiques, and two larger chambers in an old stone winery building out back. Champagne breakfasts are included, served in bed, on the patio or in the dining room.

El Bonita Motel is a Napa Valley anomaly, a motel right on the highway that is nonetheless an attractive place to stay because it is so prettily decorated, reasonably priced and well cared for, surrounded by gravel paths, big oak trees and flower beds. There are three blocks of rooms, the first the noisiest, near the heated pool, which is right next to the road. I stayed in a small guest room, with shuttered windows, a small bath with shower, a television set in a cabinet and pleasing old-fashioned furniture. With the pool closed between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., noise didn’t bother me. Rooms in the two rear buildings are somewhat quieter, more luxurious and thus more expensive, with little patios and the occasional whirlpool tub. A modest free continental breakfast is served in the lobby, and you can walk to several wineries, including Sutter Home and V. Sattui.

The Oliver House is a sweet, well-kept six-room B&B; on the Silverado Trail between St. Helena and Calistoga. It is countrified and homey, with a parlor and three main-floor guest rooms that have private access to the wraparound porch. Upstairs, two bedrooms, usually rented as a suite, share a bath, and there’s another guest room in the cottage out back. The managers, Bill and Anne Ellis, serve breakfast and advise visitors about walks from the inn through neighbors’ vineyards and around the mountain against which the Oliver House nestles.

Situated on a hillock north of St. Helena, the Wine Country Inn resembles a storybook winery, with a stone tower and three buildings containing guest rooms. Some have balconies, fireplaces, private hot tubs and patios. A lovely pool with vineyard views sits below the rooms, and continental breakfast is served in the lobby. I liked this place because it has the comfort and amenities of a nice motel but the feeling of a country B&B.;

Until last spring, the Hotel D’Amici was a little inn by the name of Brannan’s Loft, above a restaurant called Cinnabar, on Calistoga’s main street. But the Pestoni family, owners of Rutherford Grove Winery, took over and renovated the building. The result was a new Mediterranean-Italian restaurant, Cin Cin, opening later this spring, and four of the most stylish guest rooms I saw in the wine country. They are reached by a tiled entryway next to the storefront restaurant and a long flight of stairs. There’s no “office”; rooms are accessed by a code that you get when you book in advance. My room, No. 3, had a sitting area with a chic green couch and handsome lamps, an oak cabinet with a television and mini-refrigerator, an electric heater housed in a faux wood-burning stove and high windows. Wood columns separated the parlor from the attractive sleeping area. A huge Campari poster was placed dramatically above the queen bed, swaddled in a duvet. The small bath had terra-cotta tiles, fanciful wrought iron hardware and a large oval tub.

The Mount View Hotel, a National Historic Landmark, holds a place of pride in downtown Calistoga (across Lincoln Avenue from Ace Hardware and the Hotel D’Amici). Inside, though, it’s anything but old-fashioned, with the popular Catahoula restaurant, serving Southern food, off the stylish lobby. The guest rooms have vines and flowers painted on the walls, whimsical lamps, plump skirted beds, swagged curtains and handsome overstuffed chairs. There is a pool out back and a spa offering facials, massages and wraps. For a splurge, book one of the three cottages to the rear, which all have private patios and outdoor tubs.

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GUIDEBOOK

Negotiating Napa

Getting there: Southwest and United fly from LAX to Oakland Airport; Reno Air and United fly from LAX to San Francisco. Round-trip fares start at $100.

It takes an hour to drive from Oakland to Napa, via Interstates 880 and 80 to California 29. From San Francisco airport it’s half an hour longer.

Where to stay: Rates are for high season, roughly Easter to Thanksgiving.

The Oak Knoll Inn, 2200 E. Oak Knoll Ave., Napa; telephone (707) 255-2200; $315-$395.

The Yountville Inn, 6462 Washington St., Yountville; tel. (800) 972-2293; $180-$285.

Cross Roads Inn, 6380 Silverado Trail, St. Helena; tel. (707) 944-0646; $275-$300.

The Ink House, 1575 St. Helena Highway, St. Helena; tel. (707) 963-3890; $99-$200.

Shady Oaks Country Inn, 399 Zinfandel Lane, St. Helena; tel. (707) 963-1190; $159-$195.

El Bonita Motel, 195 Main St., St. Helena; tel. (707) 963-3216; $109-$159 weekdays, $139-$239 weekends.

The Oliver House, 2970 Silverado Trail North, St. Helena; tel. (707) 963-4089; $145-$195 weekdays, $245-$295 weekends.

The Wine Country Inn, 1152 Lodi Lane, St. Helena; tel. (707) 963-7077; $146-$268.

Hotel D’Amici, 1436 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga; tel. (707) 942-1007; $115-$170 weekdays, $150-$225 weekends.

The Mount View Hotel, 1457 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga; tel. (707) 942-6877; $115-$225.

Booking services: Bed and Breakfast Inns of Napa Valley, tel. (707) 944-4444, Internet https://www.virtualcities.com/ ca/napavalley.htm.

Napa Valley Reservations Unlimited; tel. (800) 251-6272.

Napa Valley Tourist Bureau, Wine Country Reservations, tel. (707) 257-7757.

Wine Country Concierge, tel. (888) 946-3289.

For more information: Napa Valley Conference and Visitors Bureau, 1310 Town Center, Napa, CA 94559; tel. (707) 226- 7459.

Napa Valley Inns

1. The Oak Knoll Inn

2. The Yountville Inn

3. Cross Roads Inn

4. The Ink House

5. Shady Oaks Country Inn

6. El Bonita Motel

7. The Oliver House

8. The White Country Inn

9. Hotel D’Amici

10. The Mount View Hotel