Giant bed with great linens at the Marriott Napa Valley!

Two things are high on my must have list for hotel rooms:

  • plentiful and easy to access outlets so I can plug in my traveling library of electronic devices
  • good light in the bathroom so I can accurately apply my “too much for daytime, but perfect for me” eyeliner

You might think luxury hotels would always have these two oh-so simple features, but you’d be wrong. It’s hotels that cater to business travelers that always seem to come through for me.

I’m pleased to say that the magical place where you can find all of these delights is in my backyard: the Marriott Napa Valley Hotel and Spa.

Sit in this beautiful courtyard for lunch or just to relax

Yes, it’s the best of both worlds is when a business hotel also has a world class luxury spa, and you get perfect plugs, good lighting and a dreamy hot stone massage. Which you enjoy after a day of wine tasting.

This super tech-savvy property  — guests enjoy wifi access everywhere, you can follow them on Twitter: @napamarriott, and Like them on Facebook — plays host to many Napa-area blogger events. They also have great conference and business space. Who doesn’t want to go to a conference in Napa?!

When my social media agency, Clever Girls Collective, tweeted that we were considering different SF-area hotels for a retreat, the Marriott reached out and provided us with two rooms, two bottles of champagne, and complimentary spa treatments.

The best possible welcome in a hotel room!

Note: Booze and massages won’t buy a good review (everything in this review is my own opinion!) but we are smart enough to say “Yes!” when something this awesome gets offered to us!

This is in fact a glowing review, and here’s how the Marriott Napa Valley Hotel and Spa earned it:

Amazing attention and service from every single person we met — from the waitress at the on-site restaurant (definitely sit outside on the patio!) to the maid who we waylaid in the hallway for more towels, to the bellman who offered to fill our ice bucket before we could ask. When the service is this consistently gracious and professional, I know it’s standard operating procedure for a property, not just a couple of people giving me VIP-service.

Good linens on a nice bed — again, you’d think every luxury property would have this, but you’d be surprised. Loved, loved, LOVED the pillow top mattress, the down duvet and fresh, crisp, bazillion thread count sheets. The hotel completed a renovation in May, and it shows. Everything is new, clean and up to date.

Two plugs in an easy to reach spot. Dreamy!

The plug thing — the Marriott Napa Valley has my all-time favorite hotel feature: the bedside lamps with double outlets on the front of them! No bending over, or moving furniture, or unplugging other things to recharge my phone and laptop.

The lighting — I could see in the bathroom, and in the room. I was happy. It wasn’t so magic that I wanted to unscrew the lightbulbs and take them home, but if necessary I could have plucked my eyebrows without squinting.

What else do you need in a hotel room? We couldn’t hear our neighbors, the TV had plenty of channels, and the closets were big enough to stash our suitcases.

Great hotel room, I would totally go back and spend my own money there.

"The Spa" at Marriott Napa Valley Hotel and Spa

And then there is The Spa. Which I would also go back and visit, weekly, if my budget could support it.

The spa is housed in a separate building, and it’s what makes this a great place to go for a girls weekend, bridal shower, or couples getaway.  It’s a beautiful, relaxing environment. It smells like lavender, which is probably farmed locally, and they give you a soft robe to wear. The masseurs are low key, in that Northern California, wine country way, so you have a “contact mellow” from the get go. And after your hot stone massage, they offer you cucumber water or champagne, while you sit in a big, soft sofa and you dream of making this part of your weekly ritual.

It’s great for a day visit, or as part of your stay. They also offer daily spa specials, so you can even catch a deal.

Other cool things:

I love when hotels have a “Club” level feature, where guests have access to a lounge that has sodas, water, and snacks. Obviously no one can do it quite as well as the Ritz Carlton, with their multiple-course dessert services. But the Marriott lounge is a nice room that opens on to the courtyard, with good seating, lots of cold drinks, fruit and pop corn. It’s a terrific resource, especially if you’re traveling with kids, if you need to stave off afternoon blood sugar crashes, or want an early morning, pre-departure cup of coffee.

The verdict: great for business, pleasure, family or couples travel. A terrific all-around property — I can’t wait until my next friend gets married in Napa and I have a reason to spend another night there!

All photos: C. Lincoln