Auberge du Soleil

Why stay at Auberge du Soleil?

Stay here for the setting and the table. Auberge du Soleil opened in 1985 on a terraced hillside in Rutherford, at the mid-valley point where the Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards are densest, and it has been the most consistently romantic address in Northern California for four decades. It is the flagship of the Auberge Resorts Collection, a Relais & Chateaux member and a Forbes Five-Star property, set among roughly 33 acres of olive trees and vineyard with the Mayacamas Mountains closing the western horizon. That combination of pedigree, view and cooking is what earns it the number two rank in our Napa Valley hotel guide, behind only Meadowood.

The 50 rooms and suites, plus two private maisons, are spread across the hillside in Mediterranean-inspired buildings that blend into the olive grove. Every room, even the entry category, includes a private terrace, a wood-burning fireplace and a California king bed, with a choice of garden, hillside or valley outlook. This is a resort built around a single decisive asset, the view down the valley, and almost every design decision serves it.

What is the setting and the terrace like?

The terrace is the point. The outdoor restaurant seating, elevated above the valley floor, produces the most photographed hotel dining view in California: sunset light on the vineyards, the valley spreading below and the mountain silhouette beyond. Guests who have travelled the world's wine regions still single out this terrace at dusk as the reason to book. During the day the pool terrace, set above the olive grove, offers a quieter version of the same panorama, and the Auberge Spa runs the valley's most complete treatment programme from a dedicated hillside facility.

The location is rural mid-valley, which cuts both ways. You are within 10 to 20 minutes of the Rutherford, Oakville and St. Helena wineries and roughly 25 to 30 minutes north of the town of Napa, but you are on a hillside road with no walkable village at the bottom. Plan on a car or a hired driver, and treat the hotel as a serene base to return to rather than a place you stroll out from.

Which room should you book?

Book for the view, not the square footage. Because every category already carries a terrace, fireplace and king bed, the meaningful upgrade path runs from garden view to hillside to full valley view. If the budget allows one splurge, spend it moving up to a room that looks straight down the valley, ideally a Vista or suite category, rather than adding size at the same orientation. Couples travelling together or a small family are better served by one of the two private maisons, which sit apart from the main resort and add living space and privacy. Skip the lowest garden-view rooms unless the rate difference is severe, because the outlook is the reason you came.

How good is the dining and the Michelin restaurant?

The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil holds one Michelin star in the 2026 Michelin Guide California, with Robert Curry as executive chef and a Mediterranean-influenced Californian menu. The wine programme is a genuine destination in its own right, drawing on a cellar of roughly 15,000 bottles that leans deep into Napa Cabernet alongside a broad international list. You can order a two or three course prix fixe at lunch or a multi-course tasting at dinner, and the terrace at sunset is worth reserving well ahead even if you are staying elsewhere in the valley. Breakfast on that same terrace is quietly one of the best in Napa and comes with most room rates.

What do guests consistently say?

Across recent verified guest reviews, three praise points recur: the terrace view and breakfast, the warmth and recall of the service team, and the value of the in-room fireplace and terrace on a cool valley evening. The recurring critiques are just as consistent. A share of guests feel the room interiors read classic or dated relative to the rate, describing terracotta-and-earth-tone decor that has aged more gracefully in some categories than others. Others flag the total cost once dining, tasting fees and resort charges are added, and a minority note that a hillside room can involve a walk or a golf-cart ride to the restaurant. None of these are dealbreakers, but they explain why the room-and-design score sits below the location score.

The honest cons

Be clear-eyed about the trade-offs. The all-in cost is high once you add the restaurant, and valley-view categories climb steeply in harvest season. The design is traditional Napa rather than contemporary, so travellers who want the clean lines of a newer property such as Las Alcobas may prefer that address. The setting is rural, which means no walkable town and a mandatory car. And the atmosphere is unmistakably adult and romantic, so families with young children will feel more at ease elsewhere. If your Napa trip is winery-focused and you are out all day, a mid-valley base can deliver most of the location benefit for less. Book Auberge du Soleil when the hotel itself, and that terrace, is a reason for the trip.

Best for Anniversary

The Auberge du Soleil terrace at sunset is the most frequently booked anniversary setting in California wine country. The valley panorama, the Michelin-starred kitchen and four decades of practice handling milestone dinners combine into an evening the valley's other properties struggle to match. Ask about a terrace-edge table when you reserve. See all anniversary hotels →

Best for Proposal

For a proposal, the hillside terrace at golden hour needs no further staging, and the events team has coordinated more of them here than almost anywhere in the valley. A corner table held for the occasion, or a private terrace arrangement for two, is the most reliable romantic setup in Napa. See all proposal hotels →

From about $700/night. Independent review; we may earn a commission at no cost to you.