Included

There are hotels which are bad, and there are hotels which are great. Both kinds can further be divided into those which add on charges for wifi, for water, for the mini bar, for parking your car. And then there are those that simply charge a fair price and include everything. Two extremes are the Wynn in Las Vegas and the Creekside in Bishop. We actually paid extra to be in the "Tower" side of the hotel, which gives access to certain amenities and includes a number of others that "Resort" side rooms have to pay extra for, such as the fitness center, parking and wifi. Or you can buy them ala carte. The Creekside, although far simpler, included wifi, parking, breakfast and the guest washer/dryer. At the Wynn, if you so much as jostle the bottles in the minibar, it is sensed and automatically added to your bill. And as I wrote, there are so many overlapping packages one can get with various amenities that the wife spent a couple hours while we were there sorting it all out. The Wynn was literally 5x in price than the Creekside, and on an absolute basis, much nicer. But it's nice to have everything included.

The Auberge du Soleil in Napa is in a different league entirely.

Minibar? Included (no alcohol, but lots of beverages and snacks).

Wifi? Included.

Fresh fruit in the room everyday? Included.

Fitness room? Included.

Yoga classes? Included.

Toiletries? Included (including "Intimacy aids" - ask me when the children aren't present).

Breakfast? Included.

Use of one of their fleet of Mercedes? Included.

Not the Lunch Wagon, June 2012

We're liking it here.

After breakfast we went for a ride in a MB SLK (a two-seat convertible for you out of the loop). A little different than the Lunch Wagon, eh? But then, it wouldn't accomodate our Stuff. Stopped at one winery, but decided $20 each for a wine tasting at 11:00 was not really what we wanted, so we headed into St. Helena to see what there is to see. A charming little town; think Southhampton with mountains rather than ocean and you get it.

Grandma will explain the facts of life, June 2012

Oils, Vinegars and Sauces, June 2012

The wife bought a pair of shoes she really likes. After working up an appetite we went looking for a basic American lunch, and found it at Gott's. A real old-fashioned summer burger joint - walk up to the window outside, order, then take your food to a picnic table under an umbrella in the back. This really hit the spot.

It's Gott's to be good, June 2012

Finally, we checked out the SLK's handling on a twisty mountain road which was very much the long way to a winery we wanted to check out. Not because we expected to be wow'ed by the wine, but because it was a yet-unfinished real castle being built in the middle of the Napa Valley. The wines were ok, but the existence of the castle was interesting.

Wine Seller in the Castle, June 2012

Finally, dinner at the Rutherford Grill, on the corner of Rutherford Road in Rutherford. The wife started going through the garlic routine with the waitress, and a minute later the manager arrived. He couldn't be friendlier, more helpful or more pleasant to talk to. After all was said and cooked, we had a great meal - fried shrimp for the wife, which she said was the best she ever had, and an Ahi Tuna burger for moi which was the best I've ever had (full disclosure: the only one I've ever had). We had a Frogs Leap Merlot, which is pretty cool since the winery is right down the street.

Ribbit ribbit, June 2012

And the vintner has a good sense of humor.