By 
What a charming little place… St. Helena is, one of the many idyllic towns in the Napa Valley region. This was my second trip to Napa and second wedding to attend. The first time I hadn’t really planned to explore beyond our hotel and wedding activities, so this time I was set on seeing more of the well known, well covered wine country and St. Helena was high on my list.
We drove into the charming town from Calistoga, where my friend was getting married that weekend, for lunch and little exploration. I had come across this cute hotel and restaurant during my usual Instagram research and decided it was well worth a visit, even if just to enjoy this amazing wraparound porch and fall foliage. It was almost as if we were leaf pepping on the east coast, something I am very hopeful about getting to do someday.
Las Alcobas was a gorgeous hotel that truly felt like a luxury version of a quaint bed and breakfast in a small New England town. We went for lunch to their restaurant, The Accacia House, on a Friday and it was very quiet and cozy sitting outside on the veranda. We ordered lunch without any spirits given we had an early rehearsal dinner to attend, however, if I ever came back I would most certainly want to spend the entire afternoon sitting with their special margarita and some friends. My husband ordered the burger, which he loved and I quickly decided on the lobster submarine, which I didn’t really consider different from a lobster roll. The lobster was delicious, but since I ordered without reading the description, I ended up with bacon and avocado, and not the classic lobster roll I was expecting. Despite that, it was still delicious, and a good reminder to read before you order!
SHOP THE POST
After lunch we headed into the small downtown area of St. Helena, conveniently located just down the main road from the hotel. Parking was super easy and the shops were so cute. We popped in and out of few places, one of my favorites being Woodhouse Chocolates, a beautiful space with the most decadent chocolate creations. After grabbing a brown butter ganache, a coffee toffee and hazelnut gianguja, I was ready to find a quaint coffee shop to pair with my sweet tooth. Luckily one was just a few doors down, called The Model Bakery.
After a little caffeine boost, and Arthur’s pumpkin pie fix, we continued to explore the quiant little downtown area. We passed a nice looking oyster restaurant I wish we had time to try, popped into the local pharmacy and browsed some small boutiques. I happened to stumble into a chic jewelry store because I was so mesmerized by the turquoise chinoiserie wallpaper that I had to peep in and take look. Everything they had was absolutely beautiful, particularly all the colorful gemstones and floral creations. I am not even a huge fan of jewelry but put a chinoiserie painting next to it and I am ready to purchase.
Another spot that caught my attention along the way was this well curated gift shop called Pennyweight, where I walked into initially for the glamorous chandelier. They have so many lovely trinkets, from cards to watches to stationery to unique and beautiful coffee table books. Given so many products are online now I have much more of an appreciation for the small boutiques and the skill it takes to sell things cohesively. The selection was perfect and I couldn’t help but buy a few cards and add more titles to my growing coffee table book list. Which yes, I have running list of coffee table books to purchase based on where in our new home I might want to put them and which are worth the investment or not. I take this list very seriously, as you can see.
Another place worth mentioning was Olivier, a cute food shop with a focus on their own olive oil and gourmet food goods, baskets and kitchen wears. They had lots of various jams, honeys and baskets, all good things for a nice vineyard picnic. It was a great place for unique gifts and any foodies or people that enjoy cooking, most certainly on my list for next time I make it back to the Napa Valley!
-MGN
Authentically,
