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Westin Verasa Napa in HD (Hotel Detail)

My first piece of advice is to avoid coming to Napa on a summer weekend if you have a choice. Hotels are $100 a night less on weeknights and the ability to navigate roads free of bumper to bumper traffic will allow you to travel much more quickly on the valley roads.

I jumped at the opportunity to book the Westin Verasa Napa last weekend using one of my free nights from Starwood Hotels “Stay Two Times, Earn One Free Night” promotion between May and July.

Driving over from UC Davis to drink wine all day for free at Napa County wineries was a regular field trip exercise as a fermentation science college student in the mid-1980s.

Those days are history – mine and Napa Valley’s. Free wine tasting is as rare as a $100,000 home in California these days.

While I haven’t located a $100,000 home lately, I did find my way to a free wine tasting at the Wine Train waiting room across the street from the Westin Verasa at 10:30am. To my dismay, I couldn’t even identify a Monterey Riesling from a Napa Chardonnay on a blind taste test, or a Napa Syrah from a Zinfandel. 22 years is long time removed from my A+ grade in the UC Davis course – Introduction to Enology.  I do still know what I like and I did not like the wine samples I tasted.

I’ll stick with the Birra Peroni, if you please. That’s drink value.

Napa Valley Wine Train
Napa Valley Wine Train

Westin Verasa Napa Hotel

The hotel uses valet parking only for the garage under the hotel. There were about 10 street side spaces, unmetered and no hour limit. I parked on the street in front. I appreciated my decision when I went to my car around 5 pm just as a conference group had arrived in the lobby. A half-dozen people wanted their cars simultaneously.

I had to avoid getting run over by the valet parking kid running down the narrow sidewalk at me when I returned to the lobby pulling my luggage.

Westin Verasa Napa - small circular carport in front of lobby
Westin Verasa Napa - small circular carport in front of lobby

The front desk receptionist offered platinum member amenity choices at check-in. Choices were $10 mini-bar credit, free movie, or points.

Westin Verasa Napa front desk
Westin Verasa Napa front desk

The hotel has three floors. The lobby has an open seating area, cafe and bar area with stools and tables, and a large open space around the hotel doorway entrance. The room was quite bright on a sunny day and from the lobby I could see the central pool courtyard.

Napa Westin Verasa lobby
Napa Westin Verasa lobby

The bar off to the right was active, not busy.

Westin Verasa Napa bar in open lobby
Westin Verasa Napa bar in open lobby
The elevators were behind a low level glass art divider and in the corner there was an architectural model of the entire property.

 

 

Room 2013 are windows just to left of large lobby windows
Room 2013 are windows just to left of large lobby windows

Elevator hallway has furnishings and seating. The elevator speaks with a British accent female voice. Being on the second floor I tended to take the stairs when going to the pool side of the hotel, but I missed my elevator Bond girl.

Westin Verasa Napa elevator foyer
Westin Verasa Napa elevator foyer

Room 2013 is near the main elevator and sits over the lobby/fitness center area on the main floor.

Westin Verasa Napa door decor
Westin Verasa Napa door decor

I opened the door to a luxury one bedroom apartment with a full size kitchen.

Westin Napa Verasa kitchen
Westin Napa Verasa kitchen

This room even has a full oven and all mod cons with a full size refrigerator, dishwasher, two sinks, pots, pans, cutlery, two built-in drawer cutting boards, and microwave. Four sets of utensils and dishes were provided in the cabinets.

Westin Verasa Napa Room 2013 dining table
Westin Verasa Napa Room 2013 dining table

The sitting room had two chairs and a bed couch, large ottoman, and a tray.

Westin Verasa Napa 2013 sitting room
Westin Verasa Napa 2013 sitting room

The entertainment center had an X-Box system, small clock radio pod, and 32 inch HDTV with some real HD channel choices. One complaint is the TV is wall mounted and there is no swivel feature to view the TV if you are at the dining table or kitchen.

Westin Verasa Napa room entertainment system
Westin Verasa Napa room entertainment system

Room 2013 has a full balcony looking over the pool courtyard.

Room 2013 balcony
Room 2013 balcony

The view of the trees and hills is great.

Westin Verasa Napa room 2013 view
Westin Verasa Napa room 2013 view

The bedroom has a Westin Heavenly bed, chair, bed bench, and another 32-inch TV.

Westin Verasa Napa bed and bench
Westin Verasa Napa bed and bench
Westin Verasa Napa bedroom TV and chair
Westin Verasa Napa bedroom TV and chair

The bathroom featured a glass shower stall and separate bathtub with stone walls.

Westin Napa Verasa 2013 shower
Westin Napa Verasa 2013 shower
Westin Verasa Napa bath tub
Westin Verasa Napa bath tub

I wandered the hallways and there is a laundry room just down the hall from 2013 with one washer and one dryer for guest use. The hall corridors are long with a hotel design of three wings extending towards the river. Art work is located in some locations.

Westin Verasa Napa guest rooms hallway art
Westin Verasa Napa guest rooms hallway art

A wonderful feature of the hotel design absent in too many upper upscale hotels is the ability to travel through the hotel hallways to reach the pool, pool changing rooms, fitness room, and bocce court without walking through the lobby.

Westin Verasa Napa fitness center is located on main floor to side of lobby
Westin Verasa Napa fitness center is located on main floor to side of lobby

The pool area features cabanas with lounge chairs (no charge) and a large rectangular spa pool adjacent to the main pool.

Westin Napa Verasa spa, pool, and cabana
Westin Napa Verasa spa, pool, and cabana

Just beyond the pool is the River Walkway. Third floor rooms at the end of the wings have best river views.

Westin Verasa Napa river view
Westin Verasa Napa river view
View from Bocce courtyard
View from Bocce courtyard
Westin Verasa Napa south courtyard at bocce courts
Westin Verasa Napa south courtyard at bocce courts
Westin Verasa Napa bocce courtyard palms
Westin Verasa Napa bocce courtyard palms

The central pool courtyard had table seating and a central fountain with firelight at night.

Westin Verasa Napa pool courtyard
Westin Verasa Napa pool courtyard
Westin Verasa Napa central courtyard fountain
Westin Verasa Napa central courtyard fountain
Westin Verasa Napa courtyard fountain firelight
Westin Verasa Napa courtyard fountain firelight

La Toque restaurant at the hotel has a prix-fixe menu of two, three, or four courses. Wine accompaniment is also prix-fixe menu. I searched my hotel room and I did not locate any information about the restaurant in the room.

A good estimate is $100 to $150 per person for fine dining.

Westin Verasa Napa Artwork in hallway to La Toque
Westin Verasa Napa Artwork in hallway to La Toque
Westin Verasa Napa spoon doors to La Toque Restaurant
Westin Verasa Napa spoon doors to La Toque Restaurant

I wandered down one stairway looking for the north end of the hotel courtyard and found myself in the staff employee area of the hotel. Eventually I wandered out into the meeting area courtyard on the north end.

Meeting Rooms courtyard at north end of Westin Verasa Napa
Meeting Rooms courtyard at north end of Westin Verasa Napa

The River Terrace Inn is adjacent to the Westin Verasa Napa. The smaller pool there was quiet and empty at a time when 25 or so guests were around the Westin pools. That is a plus and a minus for the River Terrace Inn I guess.

The pool area guests at the Westin cleared out when the sun went behind the building. Pool hours until 11pm allowed me to take a night swim. The pool area was empty of people all morning Monday until I left around 11am.

Westin Verasa Napa pools
Westin Verasa Napa pools
Westin Verasa Napa
Westin Verasa Napa
BoardingArea