Resources

While we complete our directory, this will be the home of our ever-growing GrassRoutes Green Lodging Guide!!!

Pick a city and read on about what your stay was like, what we loved about each eco-friendly spot, and what they do to give back to the local economy, environment, and community. (The abbreviations are short hand for the GrassRoutes Criteria.) Check back as we include places all over – coming up: New Orleans, Vancouver BC, Philadelphia, San Mateo, Santa Cruz…

California: San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Contra Costa County, Napa County, Sonoma County, Solano County, Mendocino County, Marin County

Oregon: Grant’s Pass, Portland

Washington: Olympia, Seattle

(please pardon the lay out, scroll below to read about lodging in these towns)…

Business Directory (under construction)

Here is our attempt to organize all of the many wonderful businesses that have been covered in a GrassRoutes Guide, or added online because they are new to town. All of these businesses meet the GrassRoutes Criteria in some way, you can search at the top, or search by city, or just browse the listings at your leisure… As of yet, it is not complete, but we’re working on it!

Here’s what we’ve got so far:

San Francisco

Oakland & Berkeley

Portland

Napa and Solano County Lodging and Camping too!

El Bonita Motel

195 Main St, St. Helena, 963-3216, www.elbonita.com, $ clean, en, rec

As much as I love luxury, it is sometimes hard to actually get ZZZs when everything is über-chic and royaltylike. I get the best rest at El Bonita, where there are beautiful pools and amenities, but a more relaxed atmosphere and no major ’tude. The vintage sign makes this place stand out when whizzing by Highway 12 on a weekday.

Auberge du Soleil

180 Rutherford Hill Rd, Rutherford, 963-1211, www.aubergedusoleil.com, org, rec, clean, ro, $$$

No other Napa Valley hotel creates the kind of complete retreat fostered at Auberge du Soleil. In fact, if you opt to make a reservation here you’ll likely stay on the property your whole visit and have the best of the valley come to you. Exquisite rooms are a portal to another reality, where no worries can exist, and between the spa, the restaurant, and the amenities, you won’t be wanting for more. The hotel has huge, private maisons and smaller, cozier rooms with a view, but there is no wrong room to book at this lush oasis. You will feel pampered just setting foot here.

Poetry Inn

6380 Silverado Tr, Napa, 944-0646, www.poetryinn.com, hire, clean, en, ro, $$$

The luxurious outpost of Cliff Lede Vineyards, Poetry Inn is a lofty set of huge rooms overlooking the Stags Leap appellation. No part of your stay here shies away from royal treatment, and while I adore the attention to detail, I sometimes wonder why an escape like this is seen as the be-all end-all of vacations. For a couple days of ultimate tranquility with a high price tag, Poetry Inn can’t be beat–just expect to have a removed experience.

The Cottages of Napa Valley

1012 Darms Ln, Napa, 252-7810, www.napacottages.com, org, comp, clean, $$$

Little rows of colorful cottages decked out on the inside with freestanding tubs, classy country decor, and fireplaces offer more than meets the eye for the lucky folks who find their way here. Though you’ll pay a pretty penny for a night basking in laid-back luxury, it is well worth it for a special occasion when all your focus is on your loved one, and the only interruption you want is to find breakfast waiting at your doorstep at an appointed time.

Camping in Napa and Suisun Valleys

Skyline Wilderness Park, 2201 Imola Ave, Napa, 252-0481

There’s room for 20 tents and 40 camper vans or RVs in a shrub-lined parking area. For only $15 a night you can take in the beautiful hiking trails and rest your head close to the Napa action.

Spanish Flat Resort, 4290 Knoxville Rd, Napa, 966-7700

Just to the west of Lake Berryessa, Spanish Flat is ideal for a more rural Napa experience, loaded with paddling, fishing and smores at sundown.

Bothe Napa Valley State Park, 3801 N St. Helena Hwy, Calistoga, 942-4575

A full service state park, Bothe Napa is always busy with annual celebrations, bocce players, day-hikers and camping groups. There’s a creek and there’s a pool; trees to climb and shaded picnic benches; all that you’d want in a centrally-located park.

Twin Sisters Park, 1875 Twin Sisters Rd, Suisun City, 425-1298

Pretend this area of California is still the wild west, as you sleep under the stars and warm breeze, the discoverer of gold, grapes and green gold – olives!

Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa

3600 Broadway St, American Canyon, 674-2100, www.gaianapavalleyhotel.com, en, clean, org, comp, $$

While on a mission to Wine Country, there’s a stop at “the gateway to Napa Valley” that no earth-conscious traveler should miss: the greenest hotel in the nation. Yes, we in Northern California are that blessed–the Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa takes the green concept and hits the ground running, bringing the beauty and bounty of the outdoors right into the comfort of a luxury hotel.

Architecturally, Gaia, which is Greek for “Mother Earth,” is a strange creature: it appears that you’re walking into Venus’s shell. Decorated in earth tones, the 131-room hotel is composed of Forest Stewardship Council lumber, carpet containing recycled content, recycled tiles and granite, and low VOC (volatile organic compound) sealants, adhesives, and paints. Upon entrance, guests can view the lobby’s real-time display of how much water and electricity the hotel is (or isn’t) using.

The rooms, which sport names like Grasshopper and Daffodil (each comes with literature on its namesake), have the most advanced yet unbelievably logical feature: a sensor that detects when the rooms are occupied and adjusts the temperature as necessary, using 15 percent less energy than most hotels. The shower water also goes through a filtration system that drains into the courtyard’s pond, and a copy Al Gore’s book An Inconvenient Truth is tucked into every nightstand, alongside the Bible and Buddha’s teachings, for whatever sort of enlightenment you’re seeking.

Lavender

2020 Webber Ave, Yountville, 944-1388, www.lavendernapa.com, clean, hire, rec, $$

Sprinkled with lavender plants, golden feverfew, purple sage, and black-eyed Susans, this cozy inn looks more like Grandma’s house than a Wine Country destination. During late afternoons, the wheelchair-accessible wraparound porch  is speckled with smug couples drinking gratis wine and rekindling romance. Little rows of cabinlike rooms, each with its own private vine-covered veranda, hem in the original structure, a classic craftsman-style bungalow.

Marion greeted me jovially, pushing extra scented bath salts on me and encouraging me to use the pool and hot tub at nearby Maison Fleurie, a sister hotel. The retreatlike aspect of the private outdoor space made it hard to leave–two lounge chairs, a fountain, and full, fragrant wine barrels lulled me into long reading and writing sessions. With a complimentary wine tasting and a filling breakfast buffet, plus amenities like sight-switch fireplaces and huge tiled baths, Lavender is a complete Yountville experience without even digging around the small town (with the exception of Thomas Keller’s famed eateries, just footsteps away).

The comfort ended abruptly when I was awoken at 5:15am by loud country music on the alarm radio that hadn’t been turned off from the previous guest, a detail you wouldn’t expect these hospitality professionals to miss. In all other ways, though, this was an ideal getaway, the kind of retreat that isn’t so much a journey into the world but a journey inside yourself, with all the comforts wished for to promote that sort of inner investigation.

The Bordeaux House

6600 Washington St, Yountville, 944-2855, www.bordeauxhouse.com, own, $$$, clean, rec

Keeping with Napa’s ever-present theme, the Bordeaux House is perched at the midpoint between good eating and good drinking. Its warm brick structure immediately invited me in, and I got distracted sitting by the courtyard fountain before I could find my way to my room. Simple, old-school designs with updated perks make each varietal-named room sing with homey comfort. Retreating back to Gerwurtz (which is equipped with a private hot tub) after eating far too much at a string of star-studded eateries makes it not quite so bad that we decided to go for dessert.

Starr Mansion Bed & Breakfast

503 Mclane St, Vallejo, 645-8164, www.starrmansionbb.com, en, rec, comp, $$

This is one of the reviews I wish I didn’t have to write. I want to keep this place a secret, keep it to myself, but alas, my duty is to share my finds, so listen up. The restoration of this 1896 Victorian, just 5 miles from Napa and its attractions, has eight unique rooms at a fraction of the cost of places on the other side of the county line. Palm trees, bay views, and double-down comforters, plus free wine, cheese, and hot bevvies make Starr Mansion Bed & Breakfast just as comfortably luxurious as its neighbors, but more historically rich and much less expensive. Personal service includes in-room massages (schedule in advance) and a full breakfast including all the extras like homemade jam and unsalted fresh cream butter. The powder-blue building is lit up at night, welcoming me even when I arrived a little later than expected.

More to come!

*note about images: Serena and Daniel of GrassRoutes usually take all the pictures on this website, however, in this section we’ve used images from other websites – each image is linked to the original site to credit it. We are working on switching them out for our own images, but in the meantime, thanks for the courtesy!