Calistoga Motor Lodge and Spa

The suites we stayed in had been updated recently and were pretty nice, but cleanliness let the room down. The floors were dusty, there were food marks on the bedroom console, the rug felt sticky, and I found hair in the shower. The bigger problem was the bathroom window: its lower half was frosted, but the upper half wasn’t, so people could see in from the stairway of the next building. Using the toilet and shower felt awkward, and I’m sure some people saw my assets. The location is okay, near Calistoga’s main street, though most central Napa Valley vineyards are a bit of a drive away.

Our May 2026 suite reservation for four was changed to a standard room for two just two days before the stay, with no notice. Nobody would communicate with us, and the manager avoided us. We had to redo all our plans to enjoy wine country. Avoid this property unless you want your vacation ruined. Stay somewhere else and spare yourself the hassle.

I decided not to stay after seeing the classic room, and was in and out in under five minutes. It felt motel-like and nowhere near worth the price. We’d already paid a $500 premium, then were quoted another $350 to move into their renovated property, which they call premium. They did refund the amount without a problem once I decided not to stay, but I still had to cancel our plans and drive home with the kids, ending the fall colors trip we’d been looking forward to. I didn’t see much empathy or any accommodation for the disruption. Their classic rooms shouldn’t cost more than 200 bucks.

The staff were friendly and kind, but the stay felt nothing like the website suggested. It was expensive, and honestly felt like a scam. We stayed one night, and the pools were the main reason we came. Instead, they were crowded and cold, and the water didn’t seem mineral, just strongly chlorinated. There are three pools and a hot tub, but two pools were too cold to swim in. Everyone, including about 20 young kids, ended up squeezed into one small, shallow lukewarm pool and the hot tub. The adult-only pool was freezing and completely empty, so there was nowhere else to go. We were splashed and bumped around in the crowded pool. Looking back, the whole thing is almost funny because it was so bad. Our bed was hard, and there were no pool robes in the room. By the time we got them, we’d already come back from the pools and were freezing. The fridge and TV weren’t plugged in when we arrived, so our visit started with waiting for maintenance to check the room. Never coming back.