One of my least favorite parts of traveling is having to leave my favorite four legged friend behind. I always wish that our dog, Dr. Indiana Jones or Indy for short, could be with us to experience all of the fun places we go. Lucky for those visiting Yountville, it’s a very dog friendly place! To prove just how dog friendly it is, I will let Indy tell you about our recent staycation at Bardessono, a “pet passionate” resort.
Woof! My name is Dr. Indiana Jones (Indy for short) and I am a 5 year old mutt who is lucky enough to call Napa Valley my home. My favorite things to do in our beautiful valley are taking walks in Vineyards, visiting dogo friendly tasting rooms, going to happy hour with mom and dad, and getting my head scratched by all the visitors I get to meet.
Since I love to visit Yountville for day trips, I was really excited when I was told we were going to SPEND THE NIGHT at Bardessono. Bardessono is a luxury LEED Platinum resort set in the heart of Yountville, that welcomes each of its guests as if they were lifelong friends, including canine ones. You know they are four-legged friendly from the moment you pull up by the statue Stella that waits for you by the door. I had to go say hi but she didn’t seem to be interested in getting to know me.
Our first stop was to check in. The front desk associate was there to happily greet mom and dad with a glass of bubbles and I got my first of many cookie treats. After check in, it was time to see the room! Mom had said they had put together something special for me so I was really excited to see what that could be!
We got to stay in the Tufa Suite. The Tufa Suite features a large comfy King bed with organic linens, two flat screen televisions, a large private courtyard, a see-through gas fireplace, and an amazing bathroom featuring indoor dual shower-steam rooms and an outdoor shower (mom was really excited for me to use the outdoor shower).
When we walked into our home for the evening I was so excited to see my own welcome sign, very own dog bed, cookies, water and food bowls, cookie tin, and a TOY! There were so many new and fun smells! I made sure to explore the fancy bathroom and sitting area to make sure they were up to snuff. After mom and I made sure the bed would be big enough for all three of us and explored our private patio.
After relaxing with the bottle of complementary Silver Trident Rose we decided to go for a walk around the property. Bardessono’s grounds are filled with artwork, hammocks, water features and lots of fun things for me to look at and smell. We stopped by the culinary garden, where the chef for Lucy Restaurant and Bar gets fresh ingredients for his fabulous dishes, and then I decided I need a quick pup nap in the hammock.
I don’t know about you but after a walk I always need a snack. Since it was a beautiful day we decided to sit outside and enjoy the afternoon. I was preparing for another cookie treat when the server surprised me with a Barkessono menu! A menu just for dogs like me! I was so excited that I almost knocked over moms cocktail with my tail. There were so many yummy things on the menu that it was hard for me to choose….so I ordered two…I am on vacation after all. For my starter, I had the Hobbs Bacon & Spinach. The bacon was cooked perfectly and the spinach was great and will help me stay nice and strong. For the main course I had Mindful Meat Beef & Carrots. I love carrots when they are raw but I discovered that I love them even more cooked! While I enjoyed my meal, mom and dad enjoyed some dishes from Lucy’s bar menu including duck mac and cheese, ceivech, and guacamole.
After my fabulous meal I was happy to sit by mom and dads feet while they enjoyed a cocktail and the perfect Yountville weather.
I might just be a dog but I can tell you that Bardessono is the place to stay when you come with your humans for a wine country vacation!
Dogo Tip: Yountville has lots of dog friendly restaurants and tasting rooms as well! Some of my favorites are:
Coqueta
Jessup Cellars
Girard
R+D Kitchen
Redd Wood
Priest Ranch