I had the pleasure of staying in the relaxation and wine destination of Napa Valley this past weekend. The theme of the visit – as is with all my vacations – was #StudentBudget. If you’re looking to discover the pricey wonders of Napa in a financially-tight fashion then look no further than my splendid experience.

We got our room at Napa Discovery Inn at a strikingly low $80 (taxes and fees included) from Hotwire.com. The tiny accommodations were nowhere close to luxury, but that’s never bothered me before. Our host was incredibly friendly and our room was well-sized and lacked any sort of questionable smell.

Napa is chalk full of wineries so that even after plentiful online research I had no idea where exactly to go during our two days there. Thus, our first stop was the Napa Welcome Center located in beautifully quaint downtown Napa. We told a lady there we were looking to experience the area as affordable as possible and she promptly handed us free and 2-for-1 wine tasting cards. And off we went…

First day destinations:

• Sutter Home (free tasting with card) – our sommelier was amazing. He recommended restaurants around the area and told us about the free tasting across the street at Heitz.
• Heitz (free without card) – beautiful backyard sitting area.
• V. Sattui (2-for-1 at $15 with card) – this was a major tourist destination, as the winery was named 2014 winery of the year. The grounds were absolutely fairytale-like.
• Peju – we stopped by here since this is only one of the few wineries to close past 4PM.
• Farmstead restaurant – worthwhile dinner spot. Warm and modern decor was on point and the food was delicious. We had the cheese rolls and vegetarian gnocchi.

Second day destinations:

• Napa Premium Outlets – not much to see here. It’s got your typical Coach, Michael Kors and J. Crew factory stores.
• Uncorked at Oxbow – free tasting with card.
• Oxford Public Market (restaurants and things for sale) – very similar to the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Worth seeing, but definitely has overpriced offerings.
• Melted – amazing little hipster lunch place in downtown Napa where you can find food that your wallet isn’t actually cringing at.
• Darioush Winery – this is just absolutely worth seeing. At $300/wine tasting there was no possible way we were touching any of their wines, but it’s perfect for photo-ops.
• Black Stallion – beautiful grounds again.
• Robert Mondavi Wine Estate – again, just a great place in Napa to take pictures.
• Yountville – home to 2 Michelin rated restaurants (French Laundry and Bouchon). Picturesque town great for taking an afternoon stroll.
• Ristorante Allegria – classy Italian restaurant in Downtown Napa. A great choice that is slightly cheaper than your typical Napa fare.

-Pictures of the Trip-

The Sutter Home Grounds

The Backyard at Heitz

The Grounds at V. Sattui

Darioush

Inside Darioush

Black Stallion

Robert Mondavi