I recently had trade related business in Napa, and stayed at the river Terrace Inn for the good part of a week. The River Terrace Inn is billed as a 4 star hotel in downtown Napa on the Napa River. In reality, it is a nice 3.5 star hotel, technically in the town of Napa, but not walking distance to the downtown. And yes, it is technically on the river, which you can barely see about the size of a steam if you look really hard off the back patio.

Surrounding Area
But wait…that sounds negative but there really are a lot of positives about the property. For one, there is ample free parking onsite. It is walking distance to a WalMart, should you need to buy anything. It is also walking distance to the Napa Wine Train, and is conveniently located for visits to wineries and the surrounding towns (St. Helena, Yountville, Oakville, etc.). It is not rustic (most of Napa proper isn’t), but it is modern and convenient.

Service
Check-in and check-out were fast and accurate. No bellmen approached to help with my luggage, and I saw an empty concierge desk throughout my entire stay, though bell and concierge services are advertised as being offered. Bar service was ok. That’s just it: service was fine, nothing special, not warm or friendly, not rude or lacking, just adequate.

Amenities & Room
This Inn has indoor meeting space and outdoor event space. Free wifi was easy to connect to, and I appreciated having good mobile phone signal strength here. Flat screen LCD TVs with cable, a CD/Radio alarm clock, DVD player, and free DVD library rentals were offered. A sound machine was included, though it wasn’t needed as I was facing the parking lot and was never disturbed by cars nor any rooms around me. Great soundproofing! There was an electronic mini-bar (don’t touch anything lest the electronic sensor go off and you be charged) and an empty mini-fridge, which came in handy for my bottled water. Speaking of which, I received half bottles of bottled water from the cleaning lady each day. Cleaning was good, except one day she got overzealous and rewrapped all the cords on my bathroom hair appliances. (Perhaps she was excessive compulsive?) Bath and Body Works Lime Coconut Verbena scented bath products were stocked.

The beds were very comfortable, layered with plush pillow top mattress covers. The décor was upscale, understated modern in brown color shades. All the countertops (single sink bathroom and mini-bar) were real granite. Of course, there was the obligatory work desk with chair, luggage rack, and sliding mirror glass door closet. There was a full length mirror in the entryway.

There’s a small to medium sized fitness room with TVs overlooking the back of the property. I like that it had glass doors and windows to the more scenic back property river view. There’s a small outdoor pool, which I didn’t use. Supposedly there’s a full service spa on property, but I didn’t see it.

Dining
As far as eating is concerned, there’s a free breakfast buffet is included in the room rate, a wine bar, and a full service upscale casual restaurant. I had one drink in the bar and breakfast daily. The breakfast buffet consisted of cruise ship type reconstituted syrup coffee (at least that is what the taste reminded me of; yuck) without Splenda (get on board people, this is 2008), scrambled eggs, pastries, muffins, toast, fresh fruit, cereal and milk, and juices.

Overall Thoughts
Though the River Terrace Inn doesn’t live up to standard on some areas, the newness of the property, the great room amenities, and the convenient location make it a solid midrange choice for a base in the Napa Valley region. A solid 3-star recommendation.

Related California Wine Country Reviews
Luxury Boutique Hotel in Monterey County Wine Country
Bernardus’ 2002 Marinus Red Wine – Delish
Quintessa 2003 Red Wine – Luxury Drink


Recommended: Yes