Angela and her mother recently traveled to San Francisco and Napa Valley, California. As it was her mother’s first time in San Francisco, they visited many of the popular tourist attractions. After a few days in the city, they headed to wine country. There, they spent the days sampling delicious food and drink.

As has been true for many of our travels this year, Angela and Theresa found themselves in the middle of a heat wave with both San Francisco and Napa Valley being much warmer than is normal. Their enthusiasm remained undiminished, and they thoroughly enjoyed their journey.

Bookings

There’s nothing exceptional about these bookings. The flights were all paid for with cash or cash equivalents while the hotels we booked were readily available.

Flights

I decided to fly both Angela and Theresa on open-jaw itineraries. Traveling into San Francisco and out of Sacramento saved them the hassle of driving back through the city and shaved about twenty-five minutes of driving time off the end of their trip.

This trip was an exercise in gardening reservations. As flight schedules changed, I was able to refund and rebook several times, saving hundreds of dollars on their respective fares.

• Angela
  • 256.00USD (Capital One Venture X Business Travel Credit)
    • LAS-SFO on UA J
  • 189.10USD (Delta Travel Voucher)
    • SMF-LAS on DL J
• Theresa
  • 898.45USD (United TravelBank)
    • ORD-SFO on UA J
    • SMF-DEN on UA J
    • DEN-ORD on UA J

Hotels

Both of the hotel reservations were made through Hyatt using their Guest of Honor program. This meant that Angela and Theresa benefitted from my Globalist status even though I wasn’t traveling with them.

The Hotel Kabuki was very responsive when we reached out via email requesting a room with two beds (since it couldn’t be booked as a standard room). The Alila Napa Valley was fairly responsive, providing information on winery deals available to guests after a couple of emails.

• One room for three nights at the Hotel Kabuki for 18,000 World of Hyatt points per night
• One room for four nights at the Alila Napa Valley for 40,000 World of Hyatt points per night

Transport

• San Francisco Airport meet and greet transport to Hotel Kabuki from Blacklane for 109.00USD
• Four-day one-way rental of a Nissan Kicks from Budget for 250.63USD

Activities

• Two Alcatraz Angel Island Combo tickets for 88.00USD per ticket

August 31, 2024

I dropped Angela off at the airport around 0900 and she enjoyed a small meal at the American Express Centurion Lounge before her flight to San Francisco. Once there, she waited about an hour for Theresa to arrive. While initially scheduled to arrive three minutes apart, the flights were eventually separated by almost seventy-five minutes, the only non-desirable schedule change that occurred.

Their driver arrived early, and Angela requested he meet them at baggage claim to assist with their bags. Before long, they were off to Hotel Kabuki. Check-in was efficient, but Angela was unimpressed by the rooms. The beds were quite soft and the layout left a bit to be desired, especially for a room that is obviously meant for non-couples traveling together.

They dropped off their bags and headed out into the city. They first walked to the iconic Victorian homes known as the painted ladies.

They continued walking around Alamo Square to see the less popular, but no less beautiful, Victorian homes.

Next was a journey to Haight-Ashbury, one of the most historically important neighborhoods in the city. While there, they took a picture of the Grateful Dead house for Theresa’s brother, a huge fan of theirs.

After a sweaty afternoon of perambulating around the city, they headed back to the hotel to freshen up and enjoy some football before heading to dinner at Nari, a Michelin starred Thai restaurant located on the first floor of Hotel Kabuki.

Angela thought the food was quite tasty with delightful flavors but was unimpressed by the ambiance and the service. For example, she asked the waiter if all dishes are made for sharing, and he said yes, so they ordered two starters and asked to hold off on ordering entrees.

The starters weren’t that generous, so they later ordered two entrees to ensure they had enough food. The entrees ended up being much larger, in relative terms, to the point where they discovered they’d ordered too much food.

In the end, Nari was a good dining experience because of how delicious everything was, but a little disappointing because of everything else. Angela would not return for another meal there.

September 1

Breakfast at Hotel Kabuki was a little underwhelming, with a small selection of hot foods and baked goods, but no cereal outside of some granola. There is an espresso machine available as well as drip coffee in a self-service dispenser.

In addition, the breakfast area is a single communal table and is wide open without a clear place to stop on the way in. Angela saw one person walk in and grab a pastry to go before being chased down by an employee.

After breakfast, Angela and Theresa made their way to Pier 33 to take a ferry to Angel Island State Park. There, they took a tram tour of the island. Unfortunately, the tour is currently abridged because one of the roads it normally uses was recently damaged by a landslide.

From Angel Island, they took the ferry to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Angela and Theresa both enjoyed their time there and the audio tour included as part of their tour package. Angela found the special exhibition on the 19-month Native American occupation (which neither of us knew about) particularly fascinating.

After catching the ferry back to the mainland, the pair ate at Fog Harbor Fish House. They ordered a ton of different seafood, including octopus, oysters, crab cakes, and swordfish. Angela particularly enjoyed her gin and yuzu cocktail along with the oysters.

To finish the day, they made their way to the Powell-Mason cable car turnaround at Powell and Market streets. After waiting for a few minutes, they were able to see the famous operation before hopping aboard and riding up the hill.

September 2

Waking up early, Angela and Theresa headed to the gym. Unfortunately, it seems there is a lack of care taken with the fitness facilities as several pieces of trash were present over the entirety of the pair’s stay, including an energy drink can in the cup holder of one of the treadmills.

That being said, the gym was nicely appointed with a solid set of cardio and weight machines alongside some free weights.

After finishing their workout and eating breakfast, the pair headed to the Golden Gate Bridge. They took the Golden Gate Transit bus (which is notably different from a Muni bus, meaning they had to tap on and tap off to begin and end their ride). The transit ride cost 8.50USD.

Angela wanted to see something new, so they took the bus all the way across the bridge, walked around for a bit, and then made their way back over the bridge in the direction of the Golden Gate Bridge Visitor Center.

Leaving the bridge, they walked through Crissy Field on the way to Lucasfilm’s San Francisco headquarters to see the courtyard’s Yoda fountain, R2-D2 gracing the lobby, and C-3PO peeping out a window.

From Lucasfilm, the pair took a bus to Lombard Street to take a photo of the famously steep and windy road.

They walked back to Fisherman’s Wharf to see the sea lions.

Finally, they returned to Fog Harbor Fish House for the second night in a row to enjoy the seafood tower with shrimp, lobster, and Dungeness crab.

September 3

Angela woke up and hit the weights before heading to breakfast with Theresa. After packing up, Angela walked to the rental car pickup point and secured their conveyance for the next few days, a Nissan Kicks. This was, apparently, the worst car that Angela has ever driven.

Angela returned to the hotel to pick up Theresa and they headed out of San Francisco to Saint Helena where their next lodging was located. Check-in at the Alila Napa Valley was very friendly, and the room was quite nice, with ample space, a luxurious bathroom, and a pair of firm beds. The room also included a small balcony with a firepit overlooking a vineyard.

After settling in, Angela and Theresa headed to Beringer Vineyards for their first wine tasting of the trip. The location is a five-minute walk from the Alila Napa Valley and they enjoyed their time there. Beringer Vineyards is the oldest continuously operating vineyard in Napa Valley. The most prominent highlight of the vineyard is a beautiful house filled with stained glass and beautiful wooden trim.

With some wine in their bellies, they returned to the hotel where they enjoyed a seven-course tasting menu at the in-house restaurant, Violetto. Each dish was delicious, and every single course also had a story to go along with it.

September 4

After a great night’s sleep in a delightful bed, Angela and Theresa enjoyed their first breakfast at the Alila Napa Valley. Dishes are ordered a la carte, and, with Globalist benefits, each guest is allowed 45.00USD worth of food items. Angela thought the food was delicious.

The only drawback to breakfast is that the location is fairly close to the road so if you’re sitting outside, there is a lot of road noise. If this bothers you, be sure to sit inside.

While Angela handled the bill, a praying mantis flew onto it. We are taking this as a good omen for the rest of the year because, instead of panicking, Angela gently placed the bug into an adjoining tree.

For the day’s first tasting, the pair headed to Paraduxx, a red wine blend specialist. Angela mentioned that she enjoyed the tastings on this trip because she was exposed to wines that she would never order and was surprised to find she liked quite a few of them.

After leaving Paraduxx, Angela and Theresa made their way to Caymus Vineyards. Angela particularly liked the options at Caymus and the employee she talked to was nice enough to tell her to just grab some bottles at Total Wine when she returned home rather than having to worry about transport or shipping costs.

After the second tasting, they returned to the hotel where Theresa spent some time relaxing by the pool while Angela headed to the gym for some cardio and stretching. Again, the gym was well-appointed with a really nice set of cardio and weight equipment.

For dinner, they enjoyed a meal at Bottega, an Italian restaurant. Angela ordered burrata and meatballs to start along with a pasta featuring rabbit in a balsamic glaze. Apparently, it was so good that pictures fell by the wayside!

September 5

After another excellent night of sleep, the pair headed to breakfast where Angela ordered poached eggs. She was happy to report they were cooked perfectly, which is quite the compliment coming from her.

Their first tasting for the day was at B Cellars. There, they had a tour with one of the owners, Jim, who was surprisingly born and raised in Las Vegas, followed by a food and wine pairing. The winery is unique in that they bored into rock to create a man-made cave to ensure a constant temperature for the maturation of the wine. That is also where special events for members are held.

The food and wine tasting menu was quite delicious. It is apparently so notable in its quality that the other wineries that Angela and Theresa visited specifically talked about how good it was.

After leaving their first stop, they spent a few minutes at Lake Hennessey, a beautiful spot for boating and walking.

Their second tasting was at Titus Vineyards where they enjoyed a few drink options before heading back to the hotel.

Before dinner, Angela headed to the gym for her workout. She specifically mentioned that wine may not be the best pre-workout beverage. In spite of that, she still got her cardio and weightlifting in before the pair walked to dinner at Market. Angela ordered soup and a crab cake and said they were good.

September 6

The last full day in Napa Valley was one of luxurious relaxation. After an early breakfast, Angela and Theresa headed to the spa for a massage. While Angela enjoyed her massage, she didn’t think it is worth the cost, especially compared to other similarly graded properties we’ve stayed at. In addition, the spa area left a little to be desired in terms of amenities. There was no sauna, for example, only an outdoor shower and a steam room.

After their massages, they decided to relax by the pool until dinner. For dinner, they headed to Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch where they shared several dishes to start, including meatballs and eggplant parmesan. For their entree, they split a burger that came with potatoes alongside homemade ketchup and aioli. For dessert, they chose a slice of cheesecake and were provided with complimentary homemade soft serve with olive oil and sea salt as a belated birthday celebration for Theresa.

September 7

After a final breakfast featuring delicious fresh stone fruit, housemade yogurt, and granola, Angela and Theresa packed up and headed for the airport. Sacramento Airport is fairly small, and they had no issues returning the car or checking in and checking bags. After clearing security, the two visited the Escape Lounge (courtesy of Angela’s Business Platinum Card) to while away the time before their flights. Angela reports that the lounge is perfectly average, but certainly better than being in the terminal.

Theresa left a few hours before Angela and, eventually, Angela boarded her flight home, ending an enjoyable week-long trip to California.