Auberge Collection now spans North America, the Caribbean and Europe, with further growth ahead. The brand’s story, however, began in California’s wine country with the 1981 debut of Auberge du Soleil, which remains one of our highest-rated properties in the world.

The opening of Stanly Ranch in April 2022 brought the spotlight back to Napa, but the resort’s situation at the southern edge of the town of Napa itself, just off the heavily trafficked Highway 29, was not encouraging. Plus, with 135 rooms and 110 permanent residences, Stanly has one of Auberge’s highest accommodation counts. So I was skeptical, but the positive feedback I kept hearing piqued my curiosity. I booked a stay as the valley shifted into its magnificent autumn colors. And looking for a reason to linger in Napa, I seized the chance to review a hotel in the heart of Yountville with a decidedly different personality.

Stanly Ranch, Auberge Collection

At the end of a nearly 2-mile drive along a vineyard-lined road, bellmen in denim and cowboy hats warmly greeted us. True to the resort’s name, the guest lodgings — all stand-alone structures — and the common areas have a ranch-inspired décor, but it avoids tipping into kitsch.