The Ink House: You’ve Never Experienced Napa Valley Like This

The Castellucci family’s newly unveiled luxury boutique inn The Ink House is a dreamy space in an equally stunning location.

If you’ve been following my trips for a while, then you know that I plan everything down to the last minute. This was NOT the case for my trip to Napa Valley’s St. Helena (pronounced St. Heleena). While trying to plan my trip, I found it hard to navigate the Napa Valley area. Where to stay? What’s the best location? What wineries do you see?  It was time to call in the experts to make sure I did Napa Valley right. In comes The Ink House, a luxury inn in the heart of St. Helena. The Ink House’s balance of rustic and elegant design, combined with an amazing history, made it stand out as a unique property that we fell in love with immediately. After reading testimonials online we were convinced that this was the property that could give us the curated Napa Valley experience that we were looking for.

The Ink House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1885 by Theron H. Ink, the property underwent a major renovation and reopened as an exclusive, ultra-luxury boutique hotel in January 2018. In order to maintain its historical status, they had to adhere to strict guidelines to keep the entire structure of the home to how it previously existed. Funded by the Castellucci family, the Inn reflects the owners’ spirit and legacy to create a timeless, sought-after destination for the world’s luxury seekers. 

After booking, we received an email from the General Manager of The Ink House, Brian Woolery, who would be working with us during our stay. The email contained a Curated Experience Questionnaire that had several options for us to personalize our experience. Options included bed and pillow preferences, dietary preferences, and any special requests we wanted during the stay. It also asked what we were looking forward to doing in Napa Valley so Brian and his staff could help plan our itinerary. Needless to say, our experience started well before we arrived!

After 7 days of traveling throughout CA, we finally got to the The Ink House. Pat and I like to describe the property as a 3-tiered wedding cake, the staff and service being the icing on top! This exclusive Inn welcomed us with gracious, highly-attuned service, top-of-the-line amenities, and an inspired design that seamlessly alludes to the property’s history. Ben, one of the staff members, opened the door to the property within moments of us parking our car. He came to greet us, took our luggage and showed us the property.

We were immediately offered a chilled glass of the 2016 Lucia, a Chenin Blanc from the Castellucci Napa Valley’s portfolio of wine, and a charcuterie platter. The wine was light and elegant, crisp and refreshing, the perfect complement to a warm arrival to St. Helena.

The kitchen was striking. It had a locally-sourced living edge communal dining table made by a Bay Area artisan and personal friend of Marco Castellucci. It was backed by a huge photograph of the owner’s winery just a few miles down the road. Before taking our bags to our room, Ben showed us the fully stocked fridge available for all of our needs. We had mentioned in our Curated Experience Questionnaire that we had a sweet tooth, so Brian and his staff made sure to have White Peach Champagne and Blackberry Cabernet Sauvignon sorbet available for us in the fridge as well as a whole drawer full of candy bars. This small yet personalized touch instantly made The Ink House feel like a home-from-home for us.

Our Theron Ink room was inspired by the owner. He was a Napa pioneer who purchased and maintained a lot of land and ranches, so it seemed fitting that our room was rich in natural and adventurous accents. The warm leathers, neutral color palettes and organic textures and colors recalled the Napa Valley landscape. And of course, the views from our window allowed us to look into the neighboring wineries. The room included:

• Anichini fine linens, feather bedding and bath robes
• Spa-like marble bathrooms with a rainforest-style shower head and jet tub
• 55-inch TV with complimentary Netflix
• Acca Kappa bath amenities

Other rooms include The Harriet named after his wife, the Helios named after his working ranch, and the Elvis Room—it’s exactly what you think. It was inspired by Elvis’ 3 month stay in the property while filming his movie “Wild in the Country” in 1960.

On our desk was a welcome letter accompanied by a customized itinerary that Brian had created exclusively for Pat and I based on our interests. The itinerary included wineries, dining and transportation, room for spa activities and even hikes. Brian booked us wine tastings at wineries that we would have never known to look for. He made sure we got a well-rounded experience from the different types of wineries offered at Napa Valley, from the ultra-exclusive to the more walk-in consumer friendly locales.  

We decided to spend the remainder of our evening unwinding at The Ink House. We stepped out back and enjoyed a game of Bocce in their private court while sipping on the Castellucci Lucia wines underneath their pergola and took a walk through the old unrestored barn. The cellar has a vintage-vibe and is perfect to escape that afternoon Napa heat. It includes a pool table and a piano from the 1960’s that the property believes was brought in exclusively for Elvis’ stay back in the day!

That night as we got back from dinner, we returned to a room that was prepped for bed. Ben had removed all our throw pillows and stored them somewhere outside our room and fresh San Pellegrino waters lay beside our bed so we wouldn’t have to go get them downstairs. The small act of removing throw pillows from the bed is one of the small acts that had me fall in love with The Ink House. I always find myself throwing tons of pillows onto the floor and take up space, but The Ink House had already thought of that for us. We had the house to ourselves since the staff leaves around 10PM, but we knew that if we needed them they were just a phone call away. As I stepped into the jet tub to relieve my body of the aches and sores from our previous days in Yosemite, I couldn’t help but think to myself—this is curated service at its best.

The next morning we had breakfast at 8:30AM and were greeted by Brian. His approachable demeanor and friendly personality made us feel right at home. A variety of pastries from The Model Bakery in St. Helena were on the kitchen table, including Oprah’s favorite and famed english muffins… AMAZING!!

Brian had prepped a yogurt and granola bowl made with fruits from the surrounding farms, a charcuterie platter, fresh cantaloupe, and scrambled eggs to top off our hearty breakfast. The following mornings we had a variety of delicious homemade breakfasts including avocado toast, pastries from Sweetie Pies Bakery, grapefruit sprinkled with rosemary and olive oil and more. And of course, fresh brewed coffee.

As we headed to our first winery of the day, we got to enjoy one of the many perks of The Ink House—the House Bentley. Forget having to worry about ordering Lyfts or Ubers or driving back to the Inn after a wine tasting. The Ink House has you covered. Brian personally drove us to and from our destinations in the House Bentley. Talk about uber-luxury and comfort..! Additional benefits include complimentary access to Health Spa Napa Valley where you can join in on the workouts or lounge by the pool during a hot afternoon. Spa services are extra, but totally worth it since you get preferential rates as an Ink House guest.

Following an eventful day at the wineries, we got home to a plate of warm freshly baked chocolate chip cookies…made from scratch!! It’s like Brian and the staff knew what we wanted even before we did. We ate them and lounged in the top floor observatory that has 360 degree views of the Napa Valley landscape. We ended the night stargazing by the gas powered fire pit located in one of their 3 outdoor lounge areas, enjoying the relaxing atmosphere of Napa Valley.

If running away to the countryside and spending your days surrounded by wineries sounds like a dream, I have found the property for you. The amenities at The Ink House are five-stars, but the service and staff are what make the stay truly one-of-a-kind. The Ink House is focused on creating an exclusive experience for guests and we left feeling pampered, relaxed and inspired. From our experience and encounters with the staff and owners, it is clear that The Ink House is more than just an ordinary boutique Inn, it is a labor of love. 

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for The Ink House. All opinions remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company. A huge thank you to the Castellucci’s, Brian, and his staff for offering us an unforgettable stay and experience!

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