Bardessono Hotel and Spa

Review of Bardessono Hotel and Spa

BusinessClass.com review by Varun Sharma

Close to the vineyards and the gastronomic marvels in Napa Valley, Bardessono Hotel & Spa offers an eco-chic, five-acre property – complete with 62 spacious guestrooms - located in the heart of the petit but famous town of Yountville, California.

Set amidst leafy gardens of drought resistant plants and 100-year-old olive trees, the property has been uniquely designed as an oasis that soothes, calms and renews. Bardessono boasts a delightful spa with four treatment rooms, a rooftop swimming pool and hot tub, a whirlpool and fitness centre. The signature restaurant – Lucy Restaurant & Bar - offers field to fork dining and the hotel provides its guests bicycles to explore and enjoy the neighbourhood.

One of seven LEED Platinum Certified hotels in the United States and one of only 30 in the world, dedicated to building a smarter and more sustainable future, Bardessono makes a commitment to provide a luxurious experience for guests within a sustainable environment.

A glass of wine is offered on arrival, a bottle of Napa Valley wine is placed in the guestroom and the in-room complimentary refreshment centre is restocked daily – the essence of Californian hospitality. Local telephone calls are complimentary and dogs are welcomed with open arms and the obligatory treats.

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Location

10/10

Located in the heart of Yountville, California between mountain ranges and lines of vines - amongst its own vineyard, Bardessono Hotel & Spa is sited just off the main drag of Washington Street. Within walking distance, or via the 24-hour hotel shuttle service, are the internationally acclaimed restaurants, The French Laundry and Bouchon along with numerous wine-tasting rooms. It is not for nothing that this area is affectionately known as the culinary capital of Napa Valley.

Yountville was established by George Yount in the 1800s after receiving the first land grant from the Mexican government in 1836 and named his property Rancho Caymus. When in the early 1850s California became part of the USA, he laid out a six-block area with a public square and created a village he named Yountville. He also planted the first grapevines in Napa Valley although he ever produced wine commercially.

Long revered as an art and cultural destination, places to visit include The Napa Valley Museum and the Gallery at the Community Center for local artists. There is also the Yountville Art Walk, enjoying the public art along the route. The Napa Valley Performing Arts Center at Lincoln Theater is very popular with visitors, a world-class performing arts theatre in town.

San Francisco International Airport - 108 kilometres (67 miles), Oakland International Airport - 97 kilometres (60 miles) and Sacramento International Airport - 116 kilometres (72 miles) are all around a one and a half to two-hour drive from the hotel, depending on traffic.

Accommodation

10/10

Each of the 62 guestrooms and suites at Bardessono offer a private sanctuary and the rarity of an in-room personal luxury spa, with discreet massage tables, steam showers, soaking tubs and top of the line organic bath amenities. Suite amenities include 100 percent Egyptian cotton Fili D’oro linens, REN bath products, a Champagne bathtub and spa, motion-controlled exterior shuttering system and iPad compendiums to order in-house services. The furnishings are custom crafted with commissioned art photography and integrated technology including virtual surround speaker system and media hub.

The 37 Spa Suites offer over 74 square metres (800 square feet) of indoor and outdoor space with large windows flooding the room with natural light, a luxurious bathroom with a concealed massage table, soaking tub, separate shower and double vanities, gas fireplace and private courtyard or balcony. The 18 Steam Spa Suites are a little larger at 93 square metres are located on the ground floor and have an upgraded bathroom that features an indoor dual shower-steam room and an outdoor shower in the private courtyard. The seven spacious Tufa Suites offer a similar design to the Steam-Spa suites but with an expanded outdoor courtyard.

The contemporary-styled Maple Grove Villas are perfect for those who want a little more space and privacy. Divisible by three, the villas – Flint, Jasper and Quartole – may be enjoyed individually or as one three-bedroom residence. Each villa has a living room, a master bedroom and spa bathrooms, whilst the centre villas offer a spacious dining room for entertaining. Each also enjoys a private terrace with a small cocktail pool and sun loungers, docent service and floor to ceiling glass windows.

Elite experiences such as a personal yoga instructor, meditation coach, cooking lessons, museum visits, private chef demonstrations, personal chef-guided excursions and curated wine tasting are available, allowing guests to experience Yountville from an insider’s perspective. Guests who reserve all three of The Villas will receive exclusive access to one of the property’s hybrid Lexus vehicles.

Modified and adapted suites are available in the Spa Suites, Steam Spa Suites and Tufa Suites offering open and accessible living spaces, grab rails, shower benches, portable hearing assistance devices and handheld showerheads, some with an outdoor soaking tub.

Service & Facilities

9/10

A full-service facility, the B Spa celebrates natural beauty with the nourishment of both body and spirit and is decorated accordingly with calming hues of green and earth tones. Offerings include full body massages, couples’ treatments, exfoliations, facials, wraps, hot stone, cool mud, aromatherapy and body polishes. Treatments, which honour the four seasons and provides whatever you might need for each, are carried out either in the spa centre or in the privacy of the guest room. The Bardessono Suites are singularly designed to transform into a personal spa. A Spa Butler will prepare the space 15 minutes prior to the treatment, setting up a massage table, lighting candles and drawing the shades.

Private yoga sessions can be tailored to requirements and there is a complimentary weekly yoga class too. The rooftop pool deck overlooks the mountains and vineyards and is surrounded by loungers and private cabanas.  The Fitness Deck offers up-to-date equipment for exercising al fresco whilst complimentary bikes are available for rental via The Bike Shop.

Passionate about culture, the arts and intellectual exchanges, Bardessono has teamed up with the Andrea Schwartz Gallery of San Francisco to feature up-cycled works of art throughout the hotel that are update annually and as pieces are sold.

Four legged friends are welcomed at “Barkessono” with pet bowls, beds, waste bags and a special welcome amenity. There is a special Bone-Appetite menu available from the Lucy Restaurant, Lucy Bar and from in-room dining with such delights as Mary’s Chicken & Rice, Mindful Meats Beef & Carrots, Aidell’s Chicken Apple Sausage & Eggs or Hobbs’ Applewood Bacon & Spinach. There is a fair pet fee payable to ensure furry friends have their own special amenities.

Style

9/10

The story of the Bardessono Hotel & Spa is the stuff of legends – a true American success story. The Bardessono family first arrived from Italy in 1926 when they discovered the land that was to become their homestead and later, the Bardessono Hotel & Spa. Partially planted, the family continued to add crops of grapes, prunes and walnuts for commercial sale. The family farmed the property together, maintaining a large vegetable garden and tending to a variety of farm animals, forming the basis of the agrarian philosophy that Lucy restaurant operates around today.

By making a conscious decision to use an eco-reclamation and sustainable building process with conscientious developer Phil Sherburne whilst still offering a luxury product which meets the needs of today’s affluent travellers, Bardessono is leading the way in the hospitality world by showing just what can be achieved with a bit of forethought and planning.  It is an admirable achievement which hopefully will encourage and spark similar projects in the future.

Restaurants & Bars

9/10

Named after the matriarch of the Bardessono family, Lucy Bardessono, Lucy’s penchant for farming has motivated the culinary ethics and offerings at the signature restaurant at the hotel.

Today’s Executive Chef Nate Lindsay honour’s Lucy’s legacy by using only locally sourced ingredients where possible using products from farms and suppliers within a 110-mile radius of the restaurant. Chef Lindsay’s dishes start with a preparation of the vegetable side dishes before concluding with the protein for the final step. Herbs and vegetables are also sourced from Lucy’s on-site certified organic garden.

The kitchen garden also inspired the mixologists behind the bar at Lucy, using fresh herbs and garnishes to enhance their hand-crafted cocktails and drinks.

Bardessono guests also enjoy fresh pastries from Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery as part of Lucy’s complimentary, daily artisanal Breakfast Bites.  

Sustainability

One of seven LEED Platinum Certified hotels in the United States and one of only 28 in the world, dedicated to building a smarter and more sustainable future, Bardessono makes a commitment to provide a luxurious experience for guests within a sustainable environment.

Eco-builders constructed Bardessono with 100,000 square feet of salvaged wood used for doors, flooring and walls of the guestrooms, spa restaurant and other public spaces. Recycled steel was also used on the building’s façade in the form of rusted steel panels, designed to represent the colours found in wine, the surrounding vineyards and the equipment used to care for them.

The heavy use of glass in each building reduces the daytime requirement for electricity and when darkness falls, LED, halogen or fluorescent bulbs are used to use less energy, generate less heat and last longer. An underground geothermal system consists of 25,091 metres / 82,320 feet deep geothermal wells which heat and cool the guestrooms, spa and domestic hot water supply. The property also maximises the use of solar energy by covering the roofs with the most efficient solar panels available.

Bardessono is built upon repurposed Tufa stone quarried in Napa Valley 80 years ago for the original Bardessono homestead. The stone was salvaged and re-cut to clad the entry area of the hotel and to serve as an architectural element in the reception and dining areas of the hotel. Salvaged Monterey Cypress, walnut and California Bay trees have been milled into siding used on the exterior of multiple buildings, the flooring, tables in the public areas and dining room.

Indoor bathroom fixtures use low water flow complete with dual flush toilets and waterless urinals. Outside, drought resistant landscaping prevails, serviced by an efficient drip irrigation system. All grey and black water is treated and recycled for irrigation uses by Yountville.

Each building’s flat roof is fitted with a carefully concealed photovoltaic solar collector and reflective material and a 200-kilowatt solar energy system provides a significant portion of Bardessono’s electric energy requirements. Guest rooms have been constructed to minimise solar heat gain with wide overhangs and motor-controlled venetian exterior blinds. Large expanses of glass allow winter sunrays to naturally warm rooms while windows and doors open onto private patios to provide secure nature ventilation. Motion sensors determine room occupancy, turning off lights and electrical devices, dropping shades and allowing more temperature variation in the room while guests are away.

All glues, adhesives, finishes, paints, carpets and fabrics used at Bardessono are required to meet low volatile compounds standards to vastly improve indoor air quality. The fabrics used on interior furniture and all carpets are green certified and the use of plastic is minimised. All porcelain and concrete tiles are made of natural materials that may be recycled. The combination of low VOC compound and the use of organic materials greatly reduce any potential allergens in the rooms.

The spa product lines used in B Spa are curated to be comprised of all organic ingredients and smart packaging while the spa product line companies are based locally and regionally, minimising the delivery mileage and ultimately the carbon footprint.

For every guest who opts out of housecleaning, Bardessono will plant a herb in the kitchen garden to help improve air quality and offset harmful by products.

What We Love

  • Located in the heart of Yountville – you have access to everything the town has to offer – including Bouchon and The French Laundry, the arts, the crafts … and the Napa Valley vineyards. The Bardessono name opens doors.
  • The B Spa. After a long day supping wine, cycling around town or just sitting in the sun, the hotel soa offers a relaxing, soothing and comforting end to the day … and the facilities are really quite impressive.
  • The guestrooms. Whether you are in a Spa suite or a villa – you feel - and indeed are treated – like a favoured member of the family. There is just nothing wrong with any of the rooms … all as perfect as each other and filled with classy amenities … and wine!

    Varun Sharma
    Editor-In-Chief
    BusinessClass.com

What They Love

  • Environmental Stewardship - We are dedicated to building a smarter and more sustainable future. Poised in the centre of Yountville, the hotel is built on intrinsic, environmental values implemented in its construction and maintained by a number of green initiatives, making the commitment to provide a luxurious experience for guests within a sustainable environment.
  • Artistic Experience - Bardessono is passionate about the intellectual exchange and artistic expression, and we are proud to have up-cycled works of art throughout the hotel that are updated annually and as pieces are sold. The Andrea Schwartz Gallery of San Francisco helps keep The Bardessono team educated on unique art available for purchase at the hotel.
  • Lucy - Striking the delicate balance between sustainable innovation and timeless luxury, Bardessono Hotel & Spa blends a sleek aesthetic with a deep “green,” eco-spirit instilled by the matriarch of the Bardessono family, Lucy Bardessono. Lucy’s penchant for farming, a passion she cultivated on the historic Bardessono grounds in the 1920s, has inspired the culinary ethics and offerings of today’s Lucy Restaurant & Bar, the signature restaurant of Bardessono. 

    Alain Negueloua
    Vice President and General Manager
    Bardessono Hotel & Spa

 

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About the author
Varun Sharma
Editor-in-Chief
With over 25 years of experience in luxury travel journalism, Varun is responsible for all the content you see on BusinessClass.com. He works closely with all the hotel and airline brands that appear on the website. BBC-trained, Varun has appeared in print, on radio, television, and now online media - having worked for outlets including the BBC, Telegraph (UK), MSNBC, Travel Channel and Cond...
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