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The Meritage Resort and Spa
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"Awesome. We recently stayed here on brief trip to Napa. This place is really as good as it gets. The room was reasonably inexpensive and was…" read more »
68 reviews for The Meritage Resort and Spa
A friend invited me to stay with her at this resort several days ago.
I have no idea as to the price range of the room.
All I can say is that this place is a class act all the way around, very clean, attractive and comfortable beds. Once we got to the room we ventured out in the area, but then returned to the room because it was so comfortable, even ate at the restaurant at the resort which by far exceeded my expectation, both in service and food and was priced reasonably.
I would only improve a small detail: the selection of DVD's available at the check out at the front desk was sort of limited, I would add some different films or bring my own selections.
But then it is a free courtesy, I should just shut up....
Nice hotel. Not super fancy, but pretty nice. Our room looked a little run down (I notice little details like cracked tile, paint chips, peeling wallpaper, etc.), but the rest of the property was nice.
We visited during the 4th of July and had a nice view of the Napa firework show.
The lobby was nice, in the morning they have coffee and tea near the entrance to the pool.
They allow dogs! We could see people walking their dogs from our window. We also saw lots of jack rabbits. We even saw a dog chasing jack rabbits.
The pool area is pretty cool. From the spa, you can view the vineyard. The vineyard is great to walk through (and you can look for jack rabbits).
The underground spa area looked cool, but they wouldn't give us a tour of it, so we don't really know.
The biggest downside to this resort is the location. It's a bit isolated, which is cool, but it's in the middle of a business park and you have to drive to go anywhere.
Comment from Sheri T. of
The Meritage Resort and Spa
2/8/2010
Hello Andrea, thank you for your post - we hope you'll…
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Last minute deal for AAA members and we were off for a weekend in Napa. Oh and guess what... They take DOGS!! so the whole family was able to go. Perfect.
The hotel itself was just fine considering we spent most of our time outside of the room and the hotel. The room itself was a decent size but nothing special. The bed... a little too hard and the restaurant was good but nothing special for napa cuisine. The staff was incredibly friendly and they have a shuttle (first come first serve) that runs most of the night into Napa so you don't have to drive to dinner which is always a good thing in wine country.
They also accept dogs which is great but keep in mind they do not provide anything for your precious pup. So bring a doggy bed and don't forget a water and food bowl.
The spa is really relaxing. You can buy a service and use the sauna and whirl pool for free or pay $25 for the day to use them which is always a nice alternative. The sauna and whirl pool are gender separated so there is one set in the mens and one set in the womens so if you are the type who enjoys being naked I say go for it. The steam room in awesome with so much steam you can barely see and the whirl pool is also extremely relaxing. I also got a terra massage and even though it was not the best massage I ever had it certainly was not bad. Besides, did I mention that the entire spa is inside of a cave? pretty cool.
You can also take walks along the grounds and enjoy being out in the fresh air with grapes everywhere. They also have informational plaques on the different grapes in the vineyard.
So all in all a good weekend at a decent price and the dog could come.
I emailed them a few times about the experience, still haven't heard back. Obviously customer service is not the priority here.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/27/2009
We just got back from a two night stay at the Meritage in Napa. Some people have said negative… Read more »
Stayed here for the weekend of my birthday and really enjoyed it. The room was large and comfortable, the bed was so comfy and huge I wanted to take it home. As for the service, everyone was nice and helpful, no more, no less. I do highly recommend Spa Terra and Siena restaurant, both of which are onsite, but I'll do those reviews seperately.
Best Meeting spaces in Napa. I have enjoyed working especially Ms. Hotchkiss.
We had a busines meeting in this resort and I heard we got great rates so I can only yelp about the venue, service and spa.
The location is horrible. Yes it's in the middle of nowhere in a business park. Now if you are only looking for reasonable accomodations for your luggage - this would be ok. I've stayed in several locations in Napa and I would recommend Embassy Suites or even the Best Western in downtown over this location.
The service was ok - not great - not bad. No major issues with our conference room. The valet service was approachable as the concierges desk. The bar was good and the bartenders efficient. I will note our catered buffet lunches were good.
The spa on the otherhand was a complete waste of money. The "spa cave" is a nice gimmick but it does NOT add to the tranquility of a spa. If you like being stuck in a dark room with no access to natural light than by all means this is your place. The lockers / steam / suana / whirlpool were all VERY small. The relaxation lounge where you wait for your therapist was cozy and it will make you want to sleep. Maybe that's the point....so you will get so relaxed you won't realize how bad your actual service is? I had the cave stone message (equal to the hot stone) and it was not worth it. They placed hot stones on me and forgot about the massage part....
Not worth it if you are spending wine country prices for a Napa Valley get away but a-ok if someone else if paying for the tab. As for this yelper, I would stay somewhere close to downtown Napa (Riverfront Inn) so you can walk around or go to real resort where you wouldn't want to leave (Auberge du soliel). Budget friendly locations were noted above.
I am far from the expert type of reviewer that typically posts their likes and dislikes here, however I do feel that my experience at the Meritage merits a post on Yelp. My daughter, sisters and I spent one night at the Meritage and were treated with the absolutely best form of hospitality that I have come across for a long time. Everyone from the wait staff to the managers that we met made our stay very enjoyable and extremely relaxing.
I can't wait to go back!
Cockroaches....
Stay here if you like bugs, cause for the past 2 years we have got them
This will be the LAST time we ever stay here. My husband, daughter and I go to napa every year and stay for little over a week. This trip was the worst I have ever been treated by any hotel staff EVER. Mr. Palmer how you even became a Manager is beyond me. YOU SUCK!!!!
Michael Palmer is the hotel manager and is VERY unprofessional. I am not sure how he even became manager. I can think of many sleazy ways, because this asshole is as sleazy as they come.
Deanna the front desk manager is just as rude and disgusting. Let me tell you the issues we faced this year. I will skip the other years because it is our fault for returning. The place is gorgeous and we really wanted to give it a 3rd chance.
For one, we had a roach in our room the first night. Just chilling in the kitchen sink. YUCK!!! We had to move rooms but there were more bugs in the other one. We did save the bug to show the staff. They didn't seem to care and said it was a cricket. ARE YOU SERIOUS i know what a roach looks like!!!!!!!!!!
Our Phone NEVER worked and they were unable to fix it during the whole time we were there. And, neither my husband or I could get reception from our cell phones. They did offer to move us again but all our stuff was put away. We had the suite with the full kitchen, front room and bedroom. We were not about to pack everything for the second time
Our card keys had to be reset more than 9 times before they finally came and reset the locks.
Jonathan, Stephanie, Peter were AWESOME!!! they work at the front. They were very curteous and anxious to help with the issues. There was however one woman who just rubbed me the wrong way. She had reset my key for the 6th time but this particular evening she was shoveling food in her mouth and talking to a co-worker and made me go all the way back to my room to get my ID. WHICH, she had never done before. So, why this time. When I called Mr. Palmer....He gave me a fake apology but supported his employee 110%. I think she was in the wrong, if that was the norm she should have asked for my ID the other times she reset it for me.
The room had a smell to it and the housekeepers are LAZY and slow. My husband was also missing over $30 dollars which he left on the counter!!!!!!!!!!!! I was mad that he even left it there.
they never once gave us a discount for our troubles. All they did was give us some FAKE ass apology. DO NOT COME HERE the spa is nice, but do yourself a favor and DO NOT STAY HERE unless of course you love bugs
Comment from Sheri T. of
The Meritage Resort and Spa
10/7/2009
Not Constructive! We find this rant/review to be rather…
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I was in Napa for a birthday celebration and stayed here for 1 night. This place didn't completely wow me, but overall I thought it was an ok spot for a short stay. Few of the positives for this property included--1) decent size heated outdoor swimming pool 2) rooms were well maintained and found the king size bed comfortable 3) shower/bathroom was a good size.
Some of the areas where the property lacked were 1) drinks were bit expensive at the bar 2) it is not at close proximity to downtown Napa 3) gift shop had a limited selection 4) wine tasting on the property was expensive compared to the wineries in Napa
Nice place, book thru http://hotels.com....not directly thru them....
mmmmmm. pretty resort with a pretty pool in a pretty location!
we got a free upgrade to a corner suite, and it was HUGE and comfy.
i see that other reviewers saw bugs - thats's gross. i did not see any bugs, but if i had i would not give this place 5 stars.
our experience here was nothing but great. the interior design is really nice and traditional, and the restaurant was good! the rates were great and sis and i are very happy we stayed here. we even got a free bottle of wine to take home with us. thanks!!!
there is a winery on the premises that i think rents the space in the cave, and their vineyard is right in back of the resort.
the spa was AWESOME, i got a hot stone massage and almost passed out 5x.
miss it already :-(
Booked through http://hotwire.com. Arrived and was told the hotel is overbooked and our option was to stay at the Holiday Inn express. So basically, we can stay at a 2 star hotel instead of a 4 star. Drove 10 minutes to the Holiday Inn. Woke up at 6am to the Walmart trucks unloading inventory. Upon leaving, find out my car had been keyed. They should have put me up in a comparable hotel or paid for the damage caused from moving me to a more seedy hotel. Do not book here.
I think if Meritage billed itself as a 3-star hotel my expectations might have been lower and rating might have been higher. However since it was rated as a 4-star on Hotwire, we chose to spend more money for a November mid-week booking to get the 4 star experience. We didn't.
The Good:
- The room was decent. It was decorated in a faux-Tuscan fashion but the overall effect was nice and understated.
- The towels were decent
- The water pressure in the shower was excellent - very important to my enjoyment
- The drinks and pizza at the bar were great
The bad:
- Room service - the servers themselves were extremely nice and professional, but service staff lost our breakfast order (assigned it to the wrong room). This led to us being very late to our next stop, and when the breakfast finally came it was completely cold (like it's been sitting around for about an hour). Also the room menu prices didn't actually match the room service prices, which either hotel or the restaurant should have rectified, but neither did.
- If you do order room service, there is no table in the room for 2 people to eat. I had to reposition an ottoman and eat on the night stand. There should be at least a small non-desk table in the room.
- Cleaning service: since there is no table in the room, we ended up having our morning coffee in bed and some of it spilled. I took all the blankets and pillows off to make sure that cleaning service saw it and changed the sheet. They didn't.
- Our room had a fabulous view of a porter-potty in front of the freeway. Don't be fooled by the pretty pictures on this site. Aside from the lobby it's a standard business hotel about 5 miles away from downtown. It's close to the outlets
Overall, we didn't feel like our experience justified the $188/night we paid on Hotwire (again, this was mid-week in November, not height of season) or the 4-star ranking this hotel bills itself as. Since it was a special trip, we felt let down.
I had a very pleasant stay here. The room was spacious and the beds were very comfortable. The staff was extremely nice. We had a mix-up with Shell Vacations (terrible organization) and they were very helpful and accomodating. We had a drink in the bar area and the bartender was very sweet and prompt.
The concierge was very helpful in recommending wineries to check out for tastings and also gave us a couple free tasting coupons. The shuttle to downtown left promptly and picked us up from dinner right away after we called.
I also loved the Spa Terra. My massage by Lily was excellent, and the ambiance and amenities were fabulous. The entire staff was friendly and professional.
The only reason I'm not giving this hotel 5 stars is because of the location. It's in the middle of a business park, which kind of takes away from the experience. I feel like you'd expect a hotel like Courtyard by Marriot or something in that area, not a resort like Meritage. However, I wouldn't have that keep me from staying there again.
All in all it was a very good experience and we very much enjoyed our stay!
I have a fond place in my heart for the Meritage.
After a mind numbing week long corporate meeting I held there a couple of years ago I was quick to dismiss this resort. But because of obligations, we returned to an amazing turn around. I and all that were in attendance relished in the great food, atmosphere and service. It was complete Napa experience that left us educated, happy and full!
It is in an industrial area, a bit secluded, but once you enter you forget where you are and are enveloped in the warmth and charm of this hotel. If you have a chance to stay in the time share Vino Bello.....Please do. The rooms and amenities are AMAZING. The spa is one of a kind and I have to say my massage was one of the best that I have ever received and I am a bit of a spa buff.
Cheers to the Meritage...and Thank You!
Upon arrival we found a good parking spot and took our bags in to check in at the front desk. The space was clean and people were helpful. We were staying on the first floor at the end of the hall, directly adjacent to the pool. Our room was complimentary due to the Shell Vacation pitch we were here for.
Our bed was fairly comfy, sheets and towels were acceptably soft, and no problems with the shower as I see many have experienced. We stayed two nights and the room was cleaned when we returned each time.
Saturday evening we went to the bar to unwind with a post-sales-pitch drink. Their bartender served our manhattan in an old-fashioned on the rocks (rather than strained into a cocktail glass), and forgot the bitters. Yikes. Better stick with beer & wine here.
Sunday morning we tried venturing to the hotel's restaurant but when we saw the only option was an $18 buffet breakfast, we decided to skip it and eat in downtown Napa instead.
All in all it was fine, it just lacked soul. There was plenty of parking and free shuttle to Napa which is great for evening dining. I just felt like I was staying in Vegas or something.
NICE! I want to come back.
This place is stunning! I read previous yelps about it being in a business park and I was a bit apprehensive. But, really this property is so huge that they couldn't have built it in in the town of Napa. The whole business park thing was a non-issue because we had a great view of the vineyards and the swimming pool area. We got a conjoined suite and room. The feel was that of a brand new model home with all the high end amenities. Definitely luxurious but not super charming. Our suite had a full kitchen, large and super plush bathroom and a nice size sitting area. It totally fit our needs to the T and the two rooms slept all 9 of us perfectly. I didn't notice thin walls, but we did have security come up once to tell us to quiet down but we were being very loud and he was nice about it so no love loss there.
My one qualm is the rates are already high then they add a resort fee and a service fee on top of it all. We ate at the house restaurant called the Siena for brunch and then had to pay another $35 for a "service fee" on top of the food price. I will review them separately though.
I would probably stay there again during the slow season on a weekday so I can get a more affordable rate. It was raining the whole time we were in Napa so we missed out on swimming in the pool, playing bocce ball, and walking around th grounds.
My friends and I really enjoyed our stay at The Meritage Resort and Spa. Just thinking about The Meritage Resort makes me feel so relaxed! Let me recap on what happened. Our commute from the Bay Area took about an hour, and luckily, we didn't get lost. Upon arriving, we were kindly greeted by the concierge. We immediately saw how luxurious this resort was ... there were numerous cozy sofas, a fireplace, and a piano. Anyway, we arrived a few hours before our check in time, but that was not an issue at all. There were no long lines, and the staff was extremely kind, and treated us like VIP.
As for our room, it was gorgeous, very relaxing! The king size bed was comfy. It had a nice big closet with an auto-light, and a robe hanging there. An amazing bathroom with fabulous lighting, perfectly placed make-up mirror. At the far end of the room there was a desk, and comfy chairs. I peeked out the window and saw Spa Terra. However, I did not get a chance to go to Spa Terra but heard many wonderful things about it.
During the evening, we had reservations at The Siena Restaurant, which was beautiful. We ordered several dishes, and they were all delicious. The portions were quite tiny, pricey, yet very fulfilling. In addition, the staff was kind, attentive, and efficient.
Overall, my entire stay was ... incredibly relaxing, I didn't want to leave at all. I highly recommend this resort because The Meritage Resort is truly one of Napa's finest treasures.
The hotel was nice. When you first walk in the enterence is very charming. There is a fire place running on a stormy day and smelt and felt so good! The rooms were a great size and were decorated very modern with a few antique looking things. The shower sucked, and the spa was closed. (not the day spa, but the pool spa).
The bartenders in the lobby bar were not very friendly, maybe they were to busy, and the waitresses in their resturant were worse. We had breakfast there one morning and my boy friend and I split one meal. The waitressed asked if we wanted Tabasco sauce with the eggs but we finished the eggs before she brought it to us... It took her 30 minutes to bring the bill to our table and the table next to us (and they were not even busy that morning). I only left her a $1 tip... but the service wasn't even worth that dollar... They did have very good homemade English muffins.
Okay back too the Hotel. The bellmen and the doormen were very kind. They had a ghost playing the piano in the main lobby area. o best part was; we got a free bottle of wine!
I would rather stare at the hotel then stay there a night... I am only giving it a four star because it was a nice weekend with my boy friend and I!
This is my third time staying here and finally writing my first review. With each visit, I increase my rating for this place by one star. The first time I stayed at the Meritage was when it was first being constructed so notably alot of the facilities, pool & spa weren't open yet. Second time, I visited, most of the facilities were up and running, but a couple of things were missing that didn't make it quite there as a resort. The third time I visited (this past weekend) - everything was perfect! Not sure if it was the weather or the fact that there was a bottle of wine waiting for us upon arrival or the fact that I got to enjoy the pool whilst overlooking the lovely vineyard...everything was perfect! It is VERY hard for me to relax and unwind....and I finally relaxed for a couple of hours here at the Meritage.
My relaxi time unfortunately had to come to an end because I was after all in Napa and much wine tasting had to be done! But the great part was that after wine tasting, after a lovely dinner, I was still able to come back to the hotel and relax in the hot tub with other friendly patrons. The pool closes at 10pm but I think we all appreciated the fact that they let us stay out until almost midnight - because after all, everyone was well behaved ;-)
Overall, a wonderful place with a romantic tuscan feel to it. Compared to other Napa hotel prices, I would say it's actually on the moderate - moder high side, but definitely worth paying the extra money to stay here!!
My wife and I just got back from a 5 night stay at the Meritage. Here are the highs and lows of our stay:
The good
- attentive staff
- free DVD rentals and popcorn for when you want to relax in the room
- free shuttle to & from downtown Napa (drop-off and pick up wherever you need) with very courteous drivers
- nice vineyard to walk through
The bad
- location: 4-5 miles from downtown Napa
- poor wine selection in the bar, especially for a Napa valley resort
- the shuttle to Napa only runs at night
- poor breakfast service in the Siena restaurant (the manager took our order and brought our check since the waitress was not taking care of us)
- the bocce court couldn't be used since the balls were all cracked and broken
- a rosary in the nightstand and an instruction pamphlet on how to pray - WTF?
- the concierge trying to sell timeshares at the neighboring Vino Bello resort
- leaky shower and lots of excessive wear and tear, especially considering the resort is only a few years old
It's not a bad place to stay, but we likely won't return. There are better, more convenient places to stay.
I saw all these 'hit or miss' reviews after we booked it for our wedding weekend. It was still worth the trip, but let me do some justification.
* My gal pal deduced one of the primary reasons it's situated where it is (essentially, a business park) - so they could build the spa into the hill and boast how the wine cave doubles as Spa Terra.
* Weekend breakfast to-go bags are laid out by the elevators in the mornings, and a water/iced tea/lemonade station takes its place in the afternoon.
* Bare Escentuals bath products. Yay.
* DVD player and fridge in each room. Meager library of movies to choose from, but a nice convenience nonetheless.
* 5 minute/mile drive from downtown Napa. Just down the road from the main highway.
* Vino Bello resort next door is from the same parent company (Shell timeshare vacations). If we ever decide to look into that route, then we get a free night at Meritage and agree to a presentation. Mind you, it's over $300/night here.
Nice hotel. Unfortunately BED BUGS! Came home from stay and found bedbug bites all over. Called the hotel a couple days ago and they confirmed the room we stayed in had been condemned for bedbug infestation. AND they didn't even have the courtesy to call us to let us know!
With so many other places to stay in Napa, I WOULD NOT stay here simply because of the bug situation!
Comment from Sheri T. of
The Meritage Resort and Spa
7/15/2009
Kevin, I was so sorry to hear about your situation and can…
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Most wonderful experience! Everyone from the Valet & Bellmen to the beautiful Bartender treated us like Royalty. Comfortable beds, beautiful courtyard view...even the furry guy by the pool had a smile on his face. The shuttle made the location a non issue. Looking forward to my next visit!
The Meritage is a beautiful hotel, but unfortunately their customer service ruined my stay. I am a 1st year special education teacher and wanted to spend one relaxing evening in Napa for my birthday. After looking at numerous hotels on http://hotels.com, I decided to splurge and book a room at The Meritage. I was planning on traveling with my dog and was well aware that different hotels have varying policies regarding pets (only allowed in certain rooms, allowed with an additional fee, etc.), so my boyfriend called before we booked the room online to get more information about the resort's pet policy. We were assured that there would be no problem if we were to bring our pet to stay in the room we were looking at online. There was no mention of a pet fee. The next day, we got an email summary of our reservation and were surprised to see a $50 pet fee. This put the room out of our price range. We called The Meritage again and my boyfriend spoke with the same gentleman who he had spoken with the night before about the pet policy. That gentleman admitted that he might have accidentally omitted that information and transferred the call to a manager. This is where the situation got extremely frustrating. The manager said that her employee had told her that he did indeed inform us about the pet fee during our initial call. When we told her that just moments before he had said he may have forgotten to tell us that information, she said that she believed what her employee had told her and was going to stand by him. She basically called us liars - it was very insulting and offensive. We explained our financial situation and asked that the pet fee either be waived or our reservation be cancelled without penalty because if we had been told that there would be an additional pet fee when we called, we would not have booked the reservation in the first place. She refused to cooperate with us and made us feel like we were trying to scam the hotel. She finally reduced the pet fee by 50%, but by that point I didn't even want to leave my house - I felt so angry that we were treated so poorly. So much for my one relaxing night! I mailed a letter to the manager of public relations on November 12th because I was so upset and have not received any response. Oh yeah and they charged us 5 times and then thankfully corrected their error because some of the funds were taken out of my checking account which was a major inconvenience. I would not ever book a room at this hotel again and urge you to consider other hotels in the area.
**Edit** 12/9/09
I would like to respond to the reply posted by the hotel employee Sheri T. Her response is absolutely absurd. There was no information about any aspects of the pet policy on http://hotels.com, the Meritage website, or the Meritage reservation booking page beyond the fact that pets are allowed in the hotel. That was why we called in the first place!
I am not an unreasonable person and completely understand the purpose of a pet fee. I would have been happy to pay it if I had been given the opportunity to decide if I could afford to do so. If I had been given the information regarding the fee when we called regarding the pet policy, I definitely would not have booked the room because of the price. $50 is not a "small fee" for me. I have never been charged that much extra at other hotels.
In response to Sheri's comment that we could "cancel the reservation with us if this was an issue", we specifically asked the manager to cancel our reservation, but she said it was against hotel policy. She said we could choose not to show up, but we would not be given any refund for the cost of the hotel room.
The statement "We do stand behind our employees and again were as apologetic as possible with this guest" really makes me mad because either the gentleman who we spoke to the first 2 times or the manager were not being honest with us and we have not received any apology regarding the dishonesty (or the 5 separate charges for our one-night fee of $220!). The manager I mailed a letter to has not responded either. Please beware, the employees we dealt with have not proven themselves to be trustworthy. Judging from the comment Sheri T. posted, they will throw you under the bus and try to make you look bad if they think it will help the reputation of the hotel instead of admitting that they made a mistake.
Comment from Sheri T. of
The Meritage Resort and Spa
12/9/2009
We are disappointed that this guest did not want to pay the…
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Don't get me wrong! The resort is not bad or anything. But for $300 - 500 a night, I think travelers should expect a lot more. First of all, it's in a corporate park area. NOTHING in the area. Secondly, the room was not very clean. Thirdly, the swimming pool and patio area looked like a pool area in a condo complex, not a fancy resort.
The on-site wine tasting room (a real cavern) is pretty cool, but it's empty. EMPTY. And that cavern is the only cool thing on the site, other than the condo complex pool area.
The positives? They have a shuttle that runs back and forth between downtown Napa and the "resort." But it only runs from 5pm, far too late to be useful to someone who likes to go places during the daytime.
I would recommend a Renaissance or Marriott or Westin property, or stay at a smaller place where the room will be just as nice but at half the cost of the Meritage.
This is a very odd hotel, and NOT worth the money for several reasons:
1. It is far from any of the wineries and restaurants in Napa. It is in a business park. Not very great atmosphere.
2. It seems more like a hotel you would find in Vegas (note the cheesy decor and the spa "cave" - fake cave?? sooo corny - are we in disneyland?)
3. Loud "spa" music continuously playing in the pool area + paper thin walls = annoyed to the point where we called the front desk to turn down the music at 5am
4. Paper thin walls and ceilings = I can hear the girl sneezing in the room next to mine and her later phone conversation (yes, she will be down in ten minutes in the lobby!)
5. Wine stain on one of the paper, glass coasters in the bathroom - enough said.
6. Pillows - should be comfy and fluffy, and not feel like a bunch of pillow covers bundled up in a pillow-like shape. I had a giant knot in my neck the next morning.
7. A cheap bottle of free rose wine has the opposite effect of "hospitality". We are in wine country and that is what you give your guests?? Get real. Skip the cheap wine and invest more in proper pillows...
Overall assessment: I have stayed in Marriott Courtyards that were swankier or more quaint than this place. Save your $ and stay somewhere closer to the wineries and restaurants. This place is overrated and overcharges for what they have to offer.
Comment from Sheri T. of
The Meritage Resort and Spa
5/12/2009
I was disappointed to read that you were not pleased with…
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The room was amazing for the price, the hot tub was perfect temp, and staff (though over-worked) were more than friendly.
Yes we did have a horrible view of the airconditioner from our window, but to be honest after a day of spending $$$$$ on wines and expensive food, having the free bottle of wine with some drive-thru from the nearby In & Out, and watching Food Network & Monty Python on the beautiful flat-screen was all I really wanted. If you are doing more than just Napa then it is centrally located to the freeway to get you to St. Helena, Sonoma, and Mendocino all for the one spot.
My fiance and i celebrated our 6 year anniversary in Napa last weekend and stayed at the Meritage for one night. I was a bit reluctant at first due to the mixed reviews, but decided to give it a chance because the weekend was coming up quick and we hadn't booked a room yet.
We arrived at the Meritage around 8:30pm, ready to relax after a long day. We had attended 2 social functions - my company picnic and a birthday party - earlier that day, so we couldn't wait to just 'veg' out in our room. We were pleasantly surprised..although the resort is quite small it looked gorgeous with the lighting at night. Upon checking in, the front desk attendants were very friendly and inviting. However, we did request a room with a king size bed and no such rooms were available when we checked-in. They apologized and gave us a room with 2 queen size beds on the 1st floor with a patio. We didn't think it was a problem at all.
Once inside the room we were again pleasantly surprised. The bathroom contained 2 sinks, separate toilet room, and a bathtub. Also, there were Bare Escentuals (i love this brand!) shampoo, conditioner and lotion! In the mini bar area we found complimentary water, soda, coffee, tazo tea and a bottle of wine. We were very happy to start our Napa weekend with a bottle right in our room!
Later that night we decided to step out of our room to explore. Honestly, it didn't take that long! We found the resort to be very nice and clean (you can tell it's still new) and very quiet.
When we got back to our room, we decided to order room service. We ordered the cobb salad and a turkey avocado sandwich..which came out to be about $26. Pretty pricey..but we were hungry! Even more brownie points for having it delivered to our room in about 20 minutes!
That night we slept well with the help of their complimentary bottle of wine..and ofcourse their SUPER soft and comfy beds!
Although it is a bit of a drive to the heart of Napa Valley (about 25 mins)We would definitely stay here again.
A shockingly disappointed experience. From the check-in, I had 'attitude' from the front desk, overcharged $60 for some 'resort charge', kids were doing 'cannonballs' in the jacuzzi just to name a few of the multiple problems with this place. I had a mid-week $75 credit that they didn't want to honor and finally after a fuss they did. It was valid and very disturbing that they didn't want to honor their own promotion!! I hated my Spa Terra massage too. Definately not worth the price!!! It was *almost* a hassle to stay here. So much for a nice, relaxing resort stay.
All I have to say is...wow. Best spa experience ever!!! My husband and I went and had the seduction treatment. From the cave ambience to the professional staff this was an experience we will never forget. The massages were excellent and we left feeling utterly relaxed. We will definitely be going back!
Comment from Sheri T. of
The Meritage Resort and Spa
10/7/2009
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I have to say our weekend at the Meritage was an absolute disaster. My wife booked this place after reading tripadvisor reviews and I suspect the upside of the property is the spa.
To begin with check-in is at 4pm and check-out is at 11 a.m. A short stay to say the least if you are doing a 1 day trip. We got there shortly before 4 pm and were told that they would check us in despite the check in being at 4. It must have been 3:15 pm.
Then we go to Concierge to pick up our welcome packet, and to our surprise the welcome packet was essentially a sell job for their time share presentation.
There was a wedding on the property the evening we stayed and this resulted in guests slamming doors, screaming and running down the halls till 3 am. We were scheduled to be at a hot air balloon ride at 6:30 a.m, so you can imagine how we felt about the sophomoric love fest happening outside our room.
Our on-line reservation stated check out was at noon, i called the day of our check out requesting a late check out, they gave us half an hour (11:30) despite the physical reservation stating check out was at noon.
In summary we arrived at the glorified motel 6 at 3:15 pm on Saturday, and left at 11:30 am on sunday and barely slept through the night. The wine tasting was very nice, the spa seemed nice but pricey.
Because we were constrained by a day trip to napa, we ended up at the Meritage. The low's are location, price, service, sleazy pitch by concierge and small rooms. The high's are the wine tasting, which I suspect can be taken advantage of without being a hotel guest.
The success of this new resort will remain to be seen, and it has potential. It has a lot of nice amenities, but it is definitely in its early stages of development. It's better suited to a group affair (corporate retreat, wedding reception) than a romantic getaway destination. I was there for a business conference, so our purpose was a good match with the resort, however, I think it will be much better in a year or so. To note, the hotel was completely booked for the weekend, and it is an enormous hotel.
Location - good, near Lake Barryessa. Maybe a little remote if you don't want to drink & drive. It's off of Hwy 29, just South of downtown Napa. You enter through a corporate park, which takes away from the serenity and beauty of the area.
Environment - nice, once they get the vineyards fully developed in the back. Right now the hotel looks out over a dirt field which they are quickly trying to build into a lush vine-filled field. Unfortunately, the tractors and equipment were running as we were outside trying to have our business meetings. This made a lot of people in my group VERY IRRITATED. The inside of the hotel is very nice, kind of wine-country-themed, but not in a tacky way.
Rooms - I loved my room - it was very big, with a good layout, excellent linens, comfortable duvet and down pillows, tastefully decorated. Plasma screen TV. My TV worked SOMETIMES. Nice desk area and plenty of outlets. Some rooms have balconies (mine did not). Good bathroom with 2 sinks and the toilet in its own separate room (I love that). Starbucks coffee and Tazo Teas and a little coffeemaker. Free wireless in the hotel - eventually. The server was down a lot while we were there which was a big, fat, annoying bummer. Air conditioning, check check check. Newspaper delivered daily. Soft fluffy robes and nice-quality towels. The room lighting was great - both in the shower and in the entrance, they used some kind of amazing daylight bulbs, so it almost felt like you had skylights. I hate bad lighting, so this was a plus for me.
Pool - very nice, although not very deep - 3'10 - 5ft was the range. Well suited to families. There was a recurring problem of people having late night parties or gatherings out by the pool and keeping other guests awake. Hopefully they will gain better control of this. This made some people in my group VERY ANGRY.
Health Club - not where I spend my time, but I looked at it, and it's pretty small. Heard there will be a running trail. Right now you have to run around the office park. Fun! I'll sleep in, thank you.
Food - very good for the most part. We had a variety of different group meals, ranging from sandwiches and salads, to Italian/Mediterranean, to Mexican. Mexican was the best. Room service was just ok as far as the food goes, but very prompt.
Staff - extremely nice and well-trained. They have clearly spent a lot of time making sure that their guests will be treated properly and with kindness and efficiency. Even when bumps in the road occurred, the staff handled them well. There were a few bumps. They did not, however, miss one of my 4 wake-up calls, and this is a very good thing in my book.
Bar - small bar near the entrance with a great, informative bartender who makes a WICKED margarita. Bless you, bartender, I would not have survived the week without you!
It was hotter than hell while we were there, and having to work while up in Napa can seem cruel (if you don't have free time) - so our tolerance was pretty low. However, this is the type of clientele the Meritage is courting, so it will be in their best interest to solve these problems quickly and make sure that word-of-mouth is positive. If they do that, I think they have a very good chance of excelling as a unique destination in Wine Country.
I saw all these not so delightful reviews. But I had already booked my room a while ago for my New Years vacation. We stayed for three nights. Everyone seemed to complain about the resort fee, but hey free bottle of wine upon entry and restocking of sodas and water included is fine with me!. Plus any hotel charges an extra 50 dollars a night for a "romance package", which is a bottle upon arrival and some fruit, late checkout if your lucky. The fee also includes wireless internet which is nice.
No lodgenet movie ordering or video games, but I read about the DVD player so I brought my own movies.
PET FRIENDLY! YAYA. Do you know how hard it was to find a decent pet hotel in the area? So Snoopy got to come along. The only other pet friendly I heard about was Embassy Suites, and I heard the pet rooms aren't great.
It is in a business sort of square, but whatever, its tucked behind the two lane highway that most of the inns are rested on. 40 minutes from San Francisco, 5 minutes from the long stream of wineries and amazing restaurants.
I loved it!
I booked a room here for two nights when my parents flew in for a visit. I still don't think they have forgiven me. I was thinking "well, good, my mom can spend the day at their spa and my dad can go golfing". I spent $784 for the two nights and all I got was a whole lotta grief from the parents. Thing is- I don't blame them. When they arrived their room wasn't ready, even though it was after 3:30, and the hotel staff would call when it was. no big deal, we just went back to my house to relax,. 6 o'clock rolls around, and we finally get a call saying their room was ready, hours after scheduled check in time. Oh, and good luck trying to find any parking. When we arrived (for the second time) the front desk unapologeticly informed my parents that their room was now a second floor front facing room "with a view", instead of a fourth floor back facing room with a view. What the hell? The front facing rooms get the lovely scenery of Napa's corporate park; you know, office buildings, the DMV, ect... They didn't offer anything in return, even a reduction in price. Only after I complained to the manager, did he have a bottle of wine sent to their room (it was the cheap stuff, and tasted horrible). And now we get to the rooms... Basic, basic, basic. More or less, a Best Western with a champagne price. Not all that clean either.
the ONLY reason this place gets a star it that my mom and dad really did enjoy the spa services. But you can get the same thing from many of the day spas around town. They hated the location, too industial, too far from downtown, the wineries, and NOTHING is i walking distance. But I booked them a room for their last three nights at the River Terrace Inn, for half the price, which they did enjoyed.
The hotel is pretty cool, but I had ordered room service over an hour and a half ago.....someone from the front desk said that the "room service lady" left for home an hour ago. I'll raise my review to two stars if they actually deliver the food and if it's "comped" per the front desk. Still waiting......
I enjoyed this place. Yes, it is in a weird locale, away from anything that is truly "Napa". No, it's not that far...but behind the corporate park, the location leaves you asking "wtf?" Yes, the rooms are roomy, comfortable and quaint. No, there aren't that many beautiful vineyards to overlook.
I reviewed the restaurant (Siena) and spa (Spa Terra) separately. As a resort, this place has potential. It's a good spot for a nice getaway, especially if you are not looking for active nightlife or an abundance of drunk wine tasters. Even though it's south of downtown, it's really not that far. The one negative was that our room had a funky smell to it...quite unpleasant (wet dog?). But the management made up for the inconvenience, quickly and resolutely. Stink happens.
I will go back as this is an affordable luxury in the expensive Napa region.
Hotel prices at Napa are out of control. This place, compared with others, is actually reasonable. However, on this occasion, I was here with E for his company holiday party and they picked up the hotel tab. Sweet.
The room we had was a decent size, with a view of the vineyard and the cave. It also had a, now fairly common, flat panel TV. The bed was very comfortable with a nice fluffy down comforter. The bathroom had a big shower with products from Bare Essentials. And each room came with nice thick bathrobes.
All in all a very nice stay. Minus 1/2 star for the valet who claimed that the car wouldn't start. E then walked with the valet to his car, put in his key and turned and VROOM... By the way, when we asked for the car the next day to go home, the valet asked if it was an automatic. WTF? If it's not, he won't be able to drive it? Very strange. Besides the valet problem, minus one star for the lukewarm shower this morning. Not pleasant on a cold day.
