The best Yountville hotels and restaurants.

A perfectly charming little place, Yountville was named for the first man to plant grapes in Napa Valley, George Calvert Yount.  Although there are several very nice hotels in Yountville, the real reason to stay here is for the food.  Yountville is the only town in American with a popular of just 3,000 people that can boast four Michelin-starred restaurants.

Yountville is just one square mile.  If you wander down Washington Street for six blocks, you’ve “Been there and done that.”  But along the way, you’ll find cute shops, beautiful gardens, and plenty of culinary temptations.  

It’s just nine miles north of the town of Napa, and it’s a great base for exploring the whole region.

The best restaurant in Yountville, some say the best restaurant in the country, is Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry.  It is one of only two American restaurants outside of New York city to have been awarded three Michelin stars.  To make reservations, you need to call exactly two months in advance of the evening you wish to dine.  Even then, you’ll be lucky to score a table.  For $250 per person, you can choose between Keller’s nine-course tasting menu or vegetarian tasting menu.  No single ingredient is repeated.

The menu changes daily, based on what’s fresh -- Keller’s huge  kitchen garden is across the street.  But it may include delicacies like foie gras, duck, oysters, and truffles.  Dining here is an unforgettable experience. 

If you’d like to try Keller’s spectacular cooking without maxing out your credit card, Bouchon is a delightful French bistro just down the road. You can eat inside, at the bar, or at one of the sidewalk tables on the terrace. If you love bistro classics like Steak Frites, roast chicken, and leg of lamb, you’ll be very happy here. There’s a raw bar with impeccably fresh shellfish, and desserts are worth writing home about.

If they have the bouchons -- little cork-shaped brownies -- when you’re there, order them. If not, you may be able to buy some at the Bouchon Bakery next to the restaurant. It’s a great place to pick up breakfast is it’s not included at your hotel, or even if it is. Buy a Parisian-style macaron for later in the day.

Keller’s other restaurant, Ad Hoc, has an interesting concept. It serves one family-style dinner a night. There’s no choosing. What he serves is what you get. But no one seems to mind. In fact, what started as an experiment turned out to be wildly popular. If you’re in town on Monday night, you’ll get to try Keller’s legendary buttermilk fired chicken.

The other French bistro worthy of a Michelin star is Bistor Jeanty. Once again, you can dine inside or on their cute patio. With classic dishes like Cassoulet (bean stew) and Pieds de Chochons (pigs feet), this is old-school, stick-to-your-ribs French cooking

The Old V Marketplace, which dates from 1870, used to be the Groezinger Winery. Today, it’s home to Michael Chiarello’s new Italian restaurant Bottega, his flagship Napa Style store, and several other boutiques and gift shops.

Since opening about a year ago, Bottega has been named Top Newcomer of the Year by Zagat and a Top 20 New Restaurants by Esquire. Chiarello makes virtually everything on site, including his delectable salumi, pastas, and condiments. His rich pasta sauces might include duck, rabbit, or chanterelles, and wood-oven roasted fish and poultry are stellar. The restaurant has a huge, covered outdoor patio overlooking the gardens at the Marketplace.

Redd, the stylish restaurant of chef Richard Reddington, has an eclectic, contemporary menu and a hip vibe. The menu offers dishes influenced by Mexican, Mediterranean, and Asian cooking. And in the course of the five course tasting menu, you may sample them all.

The newest hotel in Yountville, Bardessono opened in 2009. It’s an ultra-modern place whose industrial look seems out of place in sleepy, little Yountville. But inside, amenities like 40” LCD Tvs, soaking tubs, surround sound systems, fireplaces, and private courtyards keep guests coming back. Free high-speed Internet access lets you stay connected. And in-room spa services mean you can receive all the pampering you want without ever venturing out.

A winner of Environmental Design’s Platinum Certification, Bardessono is one of the greenest hotels in the Napa Valley. An innovative underground geothermal system is used to heat and cool the water and rooms. Solar panels supply must of the hotel’s power. And salvaged trees were used for the woodwork in the rooms and public areas.

The Vintage Inn is right on Washington Street, next to sister property, V Marketplace, and across from Bouchon and Bouchon Bakery. Several two-story buildings are scattered across the beautifully landscaped property. In spring and summer, the gardens are really gorgeous. Rooms here have balconies overlooking the vineyards or small, private patios, fireplaces, and big, luxurious bathrooms. There’s a spa, and a wonderful swimming people that’s a welcome benefit on hot, summer days. Included in the rate are a breakfast buffet and a bottle of wine. The Vintage Inn has everything you need for a romantic Napa Valley weekend.

Their sister, the Villagio Inn and Spa, is all about the spa. Like the Vintage Inn, it’s rooms are located in two-story buildings spread across the property, and all have top-of-the-line amenities. But the real reason to stay here is to enjoy the 13,000-square-foot luxury spa. With 16 treatment rooms, five spa suites with soaking tubs, fireplaces, and private terraces, and outdoor, thermal soaking pools, it offers every health and beauty treatment imaginable.

Maison Fleurie is a sweet little bed and breakfast that provides excellent value for money in Yountville. It has 13 rooms ranging from a simple, upstairs room in the main house to an elaborate Carriage House suite with fireplace, deck, and soaking tub. There’s a private swimming pool and sun deck, and the buildings are surrounded with lovely gardens. A gourmet breakfast, afternoon wine and hors d’oeuvres, and freshly baked cookies are included in the rate. The location is walking distance to everything.