If you’re thinking about spending a couple days here, definitely think about the partaking in the mud bath experience that the town is famous for. I’ve been to Golden Haven before, and it was a lot of fun (if uncontrollable laughter when lowering yourself into a vat of warm, bubbling mud is your idea of fun) and super relaxing. However, this time around, Rick and I are opting for a slightly more aesthetically pleasing spa experience, with a an afternoon at Indian Springs. Forget the thermal mud bath, just look at that pool! I’m a massive fan of the Deco look, so this really appeals to my sense of symmetry and geometric style.

After that stab at health and exercise, I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend being all about relaxing, wine country style. In Calistoga, that might mean renting bikes and cycling to several wineries in the sunshine – Sterling Vineyards being one of the nicest, with a Greek-inspired whitewash villa effect – then dropping by the infamous Fainting Goats at the Old Faithful Geyser, for a bit of kitschy California sightseeing.

Evenings will be all about California cuisine, and a glass of local wine. After my Cakebread experience two weekends ago, i might even become a Chardonnay convert – Sacrilege!!Happy Labor Day!

But, honestly, doesn’t water get a little boring sometimes? Especially after a long, grueling day, and an equally grueling workout. Water might be refreshing, healthy and oooh, pure, but I drink it all day. In the evenings, I want something a little more interesting. A little something that might be considered a treat.

Some days of course, that’s wine. And now I have a couple bottles of delicious Napa specials to crack open for a special occasion. But there are lots of days when wine just isn’t a great idea – smack bang in the middle of a busy working week, and with the first, suspicious murmurings of a sore throat, is one of those days.

So what’s a girl to do? Well, i finally cracked open a mini bottle of Wine Country soda. Check the cute bottle in the pic and tell me it doesn’t look delicious! We were given a couple bottles of this stuff on a recent stay at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, and brought them home with us. it’s non-alcoholic, and uses wine grapes. This one is Pinot Noir. Pour it into a beautiful wine glass, add some ice and voila! It has all of the flavor and none of the alcohol (and alcohol calories!) of wine, and you still get the feeling of ‘ritual’ that you get when uncorking a really great bottle of vino.

I think this might become my stand-by treat for evenings at home, when a mere splash of aqua just won’t do.

Vignette Wine Country Soda