Ink House Bed and Breakfast

My lovely wife booked the Ink House for us for our anniversary, and I wasn't thrilled when I found out. The only other B&B we have stayed at was in Santa Barbara and it was a disaster as we were in the back hallway bedroom of their daughter who had gone off to college - very uncomfortable, no privacy, etc. So I tried to get out of it, but figuring it was our anniversary decided to just go along and put up with it and drink a lot of wine to get through.... Well, let me tell you I'm not sure yet if I'm a B&B fan but I am definitely a huge Ink House fan! It runs like an inn set up for guests so not sure how B&B typical this experience was. Big room, big breakfast, wineries all around, and excellent help from the staff. But the real surprise was the ROMANCE! After 6 kids and being married for what seems like a couple of hundred years our romantic evenings each year can be counted on one hand or so - and I'm doing pretty good according to my buddies. We were in the Grand Parlor, a downstairs room with a fireplace and I swear they must pump an aphrodisiac through the ventilation system. I'm not sure who my wife was channeling but both of us could barely walk by the end of our three night stay -- I hadn't pulled a threepeat since sometime in the Bush administration (Senior!). The wine definitely helped, but somehow the Ink House had us acting like backseat teenagers and we TORE up our room - it was unbelievable. Now I heard that when Elvis stayed at the Ink House he boinked five ladies during his three months so this has been going on here for over 50 years -- why didn't anybody tell me sooner?! We loved our stay at the Ink House for alot of reasons, but most of all because it had us holding hands the entire drive home and making plans to return! One hell of a 50th wedding anniversary weekend! Joe & Evelyn

We loved this place. It was right in the heart of Napa on the main road to the wineries. Bikes were available for use, but we didn't. Wine and cheese were served around 6 and the owner sat with us answering questions, giving tips, and telling stories about the Inn...where Elvis stayed while filming in Napa! The room was VERY small, but cute, we made it work. We would definitely stay there again and recommend it to our friends!

We came across the Ink House when we visited the property as part of the Napa Valley Historic Barn Tour in August. Their old 1880s barn is great, but the Inn was so charming that we made a reservation to come back and stay as we live pretty close by in Sacramento. We had a wonderful time as we stayed in the Rose Room which is medium sized with a super comfy king bed and wifi and TV. Breakfasts were great as Rachel and Andrea made us Death by Cheese and Huevos Italianos that were so good we took both recipes home -- the real treat was the sliced apples with the warm maple/brown sugar sauce and the fresh figs which all came off trees on the property. We've been to Napa many times, but really enjoyed the recommendations to have dinner at Press (steakhouse) and Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen (duck burger!) and several wineries we had never been to before (Prager Port Works, Van Der Hayden, and Frank Family were all great new discoveries). This place has all the basics down but really stands out for the location with vineyards and wineries all around yet just a minute or two to the downtowns of St. Helena and Rutherford, and the outstanding service from the innkeepers! Another big plus was the Elvis story full of romantic antics about his stay at the Ink House. Thanks so much to all the Ink House staff and we'll be coming to visit again in December. Clari B.

We had a wonderful stay at the Ink House on our first ever trip to the Napa Valley. It's a neat old elegant mansion on lots of land. For being so antique it is still spotless and fresh and you do get a flat screen TV and wireless internet to stay in the 21st century if you want. They did everything great from breakfast to comfy rooms but the most outstanding things were that they upgraded us at no charge to the largest room when we arrived, and the staffs help was tremendous as it was like having our personal wine country coaches as they told us how to tackle the valley, how to get treated like royalty at the wineries, how to get a free dinner every night at any restaurant in the valley (not kidding, this is a GREAT tip), and even took phone calls from us while we were out exploring to give us advice and directions or set up reservations or appointments. They were fabulous and we really want to thank Andrea, Rachel, Kevin, and Dolores for a wonderful and memorable stay. We are now the wine experts amongst our circle of mostly beer drinking friends and are getting a group to come back during the harvest season! Glenn + Paula

Hi Kevin, I just wanted to tell you that Lisa and I had a wonderful stay at the ink house. Your staff was extremely nice, gracious and helpful. We have been telling all of our friends and family how wonderful it is and we will plan on returning again when the grapes are blooming. Thanks again for making this trip one of our favorites! Scott and Lisa

My wife finally talked me into a B&B, mainly because of the crazy high prices of the hotels and inns in the Napa Valley. We selected the Ink House because it was in St. Helena, but not in the noisy commercial district, was a neat historical building which we both like, and had their own vineyard which we thought was pretty cool. I think we were lucky that this B&B isn't grandma's home with a spare back bedroom for guests but actually is set up and runs like a wine country lodge. Our room - the Rose - was a nice mid-sized room with a killer king bed and had a flat screen TV and wireless internet access (my better half overimbibed a bit during the tastings the first day and was out cold by 6 PM leaving me to entertain myself with the internet and Survivor - Redemption Island -- but the second night was a different story!). We had Rachel and Andrea as our innkeepers and they were both fantastic as there prepared very nice breakfasts and ran a fun happy hour each evening and gave us lots of recommendations for wineries and restaurants (the new Farmstead Restaurant in St. Helena was a great find) plus lots of Winery Tasting Passes (BV, Markham, Jessup, Charbay, Dutch Henry, and Rutherford Grove are some of the ones I can remember). Thanks Ink House for a great anniversary stay and since we live only about 3 hours away we'll be back soon!

A great place to stay in Napa Valley. Kevin, the owner, would be there in the evening pouring wine and telling us stories about the Ink House. We stayed in Elvis' room. He gave us tips on where to go and how to go about wine tasting. Being first timers to wine tasting, we didn't seem so. The Ink house is situated so perfectly that anywhere in the napa valley is 30 min or less. The gourmet breakfasts prepared by Rachel was incredible. The attention to detail by all the staff made our stay so personalized and accommodating. We will be returning to the Ink House very soon. Thank you Kevin, Rachel, Andrea and Delores. You were amazing. See you again.

The service was beyond outstanding! A quiet and peaceful house with all the freedom and amenities you could want in an weekend trip the Napa Valley. I must praise the wonderful hand-made breakfast. The Ink House put the final perfect touch on a romantic get away. I would stay here again in a heart beat!

We couldn't have been happier with our stay at the Ink House. The Inn is a neat historical building on a large lot with their own vineyard, our room was big and quiet with a comfy bed and a plasma TV that kept my husband entertained at night, thankfully :-). Breakfasts were great, and the staff -- Rachel, Andrea, and Kevin -- helped us everyday with recommendations and suggestions and really know that Napa Valley well. A highlight was the evening happy hour with a winery pouring or stories of the Ink House (Kevin should really write a book or screenplay...), so be sure to get back in time. The best thing about this place (besides the reasonable pricing for St. Helena) is the location as you are really in wine country and not on some city street -- surrounded by five or six wineries within walking distance (Whitehall Lane Winery right across the street was our favorite). We really enjoyed our stay here and have already booked a return trip for next summer. New Jersey Barb & Joe

Quaint historical home in perfect location for those touring Napa.

This place was a very pleasant surprise for us - considering it was only around $200 a night instead of the $400+ everyone else wanted! We loved the location as you have wineries and vineyards all around you but are just a few minutes from the small downtowns of St. Helena and Rutherford. Here are our highlights of the Ink House: - Upgraded free to a larger room. - Delicious breakfasts of baked egg dishes, fruit, homemade breads, sausage, cereal, orange juice, coffee, tea, and champagne if desired. - Happy hour each evening with wineries coming in to pour -- we had Beau Vigne one night and Dutch Henry the next. - Lots of VIP Winery Tasting Passes that had us treated like royalty at the wineries we visited. - Hot air balloon ride and Calistoga mud bath -- both recommended and set up by the Ink House innkeepers. - Super comfy bed, nice quiet room, with a plasma TV, and wireless internet. - Tasting the petite sirah grapes right off the Ink House vineyard vines -- really sweet! - Hearing the story of when Elvis stayed at the Ink House and getting the insider secrets to wine-tasting in the Napa Valley from Kevin, the owner. - Hanging out in the stone basement old-fashioned game room one night playing pool and darts against new friends. Here are our lowlights: - One of the two bikes got a flat tire while we were riding it cutting short bike wine-tasting excursion. Probably should have stayed out of the gravel.... - Got too tipsy one day and spent an amorous afternoon and evening in our room and missed our dinner reservations at Press. - Losing a bottle of Whitehall Lane 2005 Reserve Cabernet playing poker in the stone basement game room one night with our new friends - they did pop the cork and share it with us though! - Forgot to ask for the Ink House recipe for "Death by Cheese" As you can see, we really can't think of many lowlights - hope they have availability on our next visit!

We traveled with our friends to the Napa Valley, it was a first time there for all four of us. We selected the Ink House on recommendations from my brother and his wife who had stayed there earlier in the summer and had a great time. Besides being new to the Napa Valley, we are also kind of new to wine tasting. A few visits to upstate New York wineries and that was the extent of our experience. First, let me tell you about the Ink House and the property. It's a great old Victorian that is kept in a historic feel and decor (but still had wifi and flatscreen TVs). We had a large room with a king bed and a medium-sized room with a king bed. Super comfortable beds, good sized bathrooms with showers in each room, plenty of closet space, spotlessley cleaned each day by Dolores, air-conditioned (it was in the 90s during the day in Napa during our visit), and very quiet thanks to the double-paned storm windows and redwood constructions (as we found out later). Big property, with their own vineyard to explore as well. Close to wonderful downtown St. Helena, but still in vineyard country so you don't have the noise of the busy commercial district. The room price was really great for Napa as we paid about $210 a night (includes breakfast and happy hour) when lots of normal rooms at hotels and Inns in the Napa Valley were in the $350 to $600 range and almost kept us from going. But what really makes this place is the fantastic service from Kevin, the innkeepers Rachel and Amy, and the rest of the staff as they made it a fun visit and took care of us like we were family. Be sure to get Kevin's secret tips for tasting in the Napa Valley and ask him to tell you the story of Elvis' stay at the house too! THANKS INK HOUSE!!!!!!! The Real Winelovers of New Jersey

Just want to give a great big THANK YOU to the Ink House and the staff for making our first visit to Napa such a great experience! We were in town for a wedding that took place a few miles away and our family took the entire Ink House for the weekend for our lodging. I'm sure we stressed the staff a bit as we were certainly less inhibited than if we had been staying amongst guests that were strangers and we did get a bit wild a few nights and gave the game room quite a workout, but the Ink House took it all in stride and provided us a fantastic location, great service, and a comfortable and classy atmosphere that really made this a memorable family event. We loved the breakfasts, super comfy beds and nicely appointed rooms at a very reasonable price for Napa in the summer, wireless internet, TVs, happy hour with wineries pouring each night, and the location in the midst of lots of super wineries. But what really made this place standout was the incredible helpfullness and availability of the Innkeepers. They helped us with everything from making dinner reservations, setting up winery appointments, planning activities, and a lot of great recommenations for the non-winetasters in the group. Also, do not miss Kevin's Napa Valley Winetasting Top Secrets that he takes you through during happy hour -- we are sworn to secrecy but I can tell you tha it did get us a free dinner at great Napa restaurants every night and also provided us the royall VIP treatment at EVERY winery we walked into! Thanks again Ink House -- we'll be back and we already have more folks in the family talking about having a Napa wedding in the future so we can all stay at the Ink House again!

We just had a great two day stay at the Ink House. Great rate for Napa, super breakfasts, comfortable room with comfy king bed, excellent service and help from the innkeepers, and surrounded by vineyards and wineries. A special thanks to the Ink House for upgrading us at no charge when we arrived and for all the VIP Winery Passes that not only saved us a ton of dough but got us treated like royalty when we visited a number of fabulous wineries. A really neat historical property, but still with modern touches like internet access and plasma TVs. But don't miss the old-fashioned game room in the stone basement -- many evening hours there playing darts, billiards, and banging on the piano! This is a special country inn and a great fine for us and we couldn't have had a better stay. We loved it and will be back!

This was such a memorable stay that we had to write it up for other travelers that are searching for a uniquely Napa place at a reasonable price in a perfect location. The Ink House is a classy old Victorian built in the 1880s and a neat thing about it is that it is decorated in antiques and makes you feel like you stepped back in time the minute you come through the front door. The rooms are romantic and very comfortable -- they are priced by size and we recommend that you go for the medium or large rooms because of the king beds and extra space as it's not much more. The four acres of grounds and surrounding country roads cutting through the vineyards are great to explore by either bike (the Inn has two bikes - no charge) or walking, which we did every morning. The breakfasts were absolutely delicious, and the Wine tasting Happy Hour has different wineries in pouring each night -- John from Casa Nuestra was fantastic (as were his wines) and stayed an extra hour since we were having so much fun! They also have lots of tasting passes that give you VIP treatment at a number of wineries which saves money and gives you special service when you present them. We made all of our dinner plans at Happy Hour each evening, with the InnKeepers (Rachel, Andrea, Kevin) able to get us a table at even the tougher places. Also, if you are interested in the history of the place just ask Kevin to tell you about Elvis' stay or about the Ink House Stradivarious. He's an unbelievable storyteller and these should both be screenplays! Have a great time like we did and be sure to walk across the lane to Whitehall Lane Winery and tell them you are guests at the Ink House as they fall all over themselves to treat you special!

We just finished a weekend stay at the Ink House with some of our close friends. We couldn't have been happier about the experience, location, and price. This is really a small elegant inn and with the complete concierge service provided by the innkeepers it really helped us get a lot out of our stay -- from restaurant reservations to winery appointments to mud baths it was all easily arranged for us. Even though it is a neat old historical Victorian it still offers the modern conveniences of 4-star hotels with wifi in your room, room service breakfast, flat-screen TVs, big comfy king beds, large bathrooms, and walk-in closets. Superb breakfasts, walking distance wineries, lots of VIP Winery Passes and nightly happy hour with appetizers and wine really make this a great place. But there is something extra special about the Ink House that was remarkable for us -- we travel freuently and cannot recall the last time we made new friends that we then spent time with while we were on vacation -- this happened to us TWICE during our stay at the Ink House, once during the Happy Hour on the first night and the second time at breakfast on our third morning. Very remarkable, and a credit to the relaxed, enjoyabe, and comfortable environment that's been created there. A big thanks to the staff, the Ink House itself, and a special mention to Whitehall Lane Winery (right next door) who treated us like royalty! M&M Scottsdale

We spent four nights at the Ink House in March and had a marvelous time! It's a historic Victorian Mansion set amongst wineries and vineyards all around you, yet only a few minutes from downtown St. Helena and Rutherford. They had all the basics nailed -- comfortable king bed, good-sized room, plasma TV, wireless internet, nice bathroom, killer breakfasts, and wonderful grounds to explore and relax on. But the extras really make this place special -- all three couples that checked in the night we did were upgraded to bigger rooms at no charge, there was a complimentary happy hour each night with wine pouring and appetizers, the owner regaled us with fantastic stories each evening that should really be published in a book and even gave us insider tips to Wine Tasting that we used (and got our dinner paid for EVERY night at the restaurant of our choice!), and the service of Rachel and Andrea (the two innkeepers) was spectacular for a B&B as they answered questions and made appointments and recommendations and reservations everyday of our stay. This Inn is also very reasonably priced for the Napa Valley with an atmosphere that really draws the guests together in a delightful way. Thanks so much Ink House for a great anniversary stay for us! Doug and Cherie Shasta

Can't say enough about our one night at the Ink House, except we wish we could have stayed longer. Upgraded, at no charge, the minute we walked in the door; big comfy bed in a room with elegant antiques, plasma TV, wifi; killer breakfast; happy hour with wine pouring and appetizers and neat historical stories from the innkeeper; free VIP Winery Tasting Passes; surrounded by wineries and vineyards; great classic biliard game room in the stone basement; first class concierge service that made us reservations and appointments; and right in the best part of the Napa Valley. And the pricing is very reasonable especially compared to the $300+ B&Bs or $500 plus hotels/Inns that are in the area. Thanks Ink House, you are our new Wine Country headquarters! John & Marcy

We had a wonderful four day visit at the Ink House during the Crush in late October a few months back. We've stayed at many B&Bs and small inns and really prefer that type of more personal lodging. The Ink House was a great find and is a wonderful B&B Inn -- really more like a historic property boutique hotel. The most outstanding thing about this Inn is the location and grounds. It is surrounded by wineries on all sides and an easy walk to many that treat Ink House guests like royalty and comped us all the tastings and broke out the good stuff! The house itself is beautiful inside with small to very large sized rooms -- ours was a former master bedroom with a king bed and large bathroom that was pretty deluxe in every aspect. In addition to the 19th century elegance, there were also more modern amenities such as flat screen TVs and wireless internet in each room. Breakfast was first class every morning with original egg dishes, home made breads, fruit, pepper bacon, and a chicken apple sausage. Plus orange juice and coffee, and oh yeah - champagne! The staff was very helpful and helped us with many appointments. The evening happy hours were fun affairs with Rutherford Grove Winery pouring at one and lots of great historical stories of the Ink House from the owner. The Inn is located officially in the town of St. Helena, but you are on the outskirts about a mile from the busy downtown. Although the main road is out front, the house is incredibly quiet -- we found out that was due to it's being built in first growth redwood throughout. The observatory on the top of the house is a neat place to hang out as is the stone basement game room for some pool or darts. But our favorite was wandering through their vineyard, which had just been harvested and tasting the grapes from the tiny bunches that were left on while startling jackrabbits and quail -- made us feel like we were vintners living the Napa life!

Initial impressions were not good. Exterior signage was dirty.Place was not well maintained. Guest parking was in the front of the B&B on the highway.None of the path lighting was functioning, although a powerful overhead motion sensor light came on that reminded one of something out of Stalag 17. Door was locked on our arrival (arrived at 5:00 pm) and it appeared that no one was around. When the hostess did arrive, she did explain the numeric keypad code which we would use to enter. This information was not included in our confirmation email. All rooms were located up a nosebleed flight of steps- exceptionally steep, which although not insurmountable for us, might have been problematic for older patrons. The overall impression was that the place was not well maintained. There were spots where wall paper was peeling off the walls, and the doors and mouldings were banged up from, presumably, luggage and other items. It appeared to be a B&B that was operating on a very tight budget. The breakfast, while not exceptional, was acceptable. We were surprised to see a package of Cheezits nesting next to a package of Famous Amos cookies in a straw basket on the dresser. It didn't fit. Overall, we thought that the cost of over $250 per night well exceeded what we received in terms of amenities and ambience. We would not be inclined to recommend this to others or to repeat the experience.

We stayed three nights at the Ink House and found it quite warm and welcoming. Breakfast was too good, accompanied with a mimosa....Yummy! Our room was spacious with a flat screen television and a view of the vineyards. We actually watched the harvest of the grapes, very Napa Valley. We stayed on a weekend and failed to make dinner reservations, mistake, but the staff insisted on making reservations for us. Thank goodness they insisted because there was a huge wait and we just walked in. Thank you, Andrea. All in all, we had a great time and left feeling anxious to return.

We spent two nights at this B&B in September and had a wonderful time. The room was big with a comfortable king bed, the breakfast both mornings was outstanding and we asked (and received) recipes for the original egg dishes (Death by Cheese, and Artichoke Frittata), the Innkeepers (Rachel and Andrea) were friendly and made us dinner reservations each night and recommended activities at breakfast in the morning. We stayed in the Torino Room which is a former master bedroom with a flat screen TV, wireless internet access, and looks out over the White Hall Lane Winery vineyards and the large backyard lawn and gardens. We also took advantage of the many winery VIP tasting passes and had a great time in this beautiful old mansion. It's the kind of place that makes you feel very comfortable and we made good friends with a number of the guests while enjoying the stone basement game room, wine and appetizer happy hour, and the Observatory Lounge at the top of the house. Also used the Ink House bicycles one day (no charge). The two best things about the Ink House are the amazing location as you are surrounded by wineries and vineyards as far as you can see in every direction and also the reasonable price. To find a room around $200 during Crush in the Valley (instead of the $300 - $600 that we have paid before) in such a great place almost felt like stealing! We plan to become regulars at the Ink House!

We enjoyed our brief stay at Ink House and found it to be a nice B&B. There was nothing overly unique or special that we had a chance to experience, but our stay was only one night. The horseshoe pit was a fun find and we enjoyed a glass of wine provided in the evening while we played. The location is very convenient, however you should be aware of the fact that trucks driving on the highway did wake us up a few times at night. We enjoyed the B&B and found the value to be pretty good. Breakfast was nice and what would be expected for a nice B&B. I will say one negative thing: we could not find a corkscrew for the life of us after hours. We ate dinner in the attic room and wanted to have wine with it, but were unable to find a corkscrew! I had to drive up the road to get one. They should have something available to the guests, or at least pointed out.

The breakfast was AWFUL, service was NON EXISTENT, price was expensive for the accomodations, poor service, awful food. Do not stay here. We are very well traveled and we love Napa, but will Never stay at the Ink House and would NEVER recommend it to anyone!!!

Beautiful and clean room, best location in Nappa Valley, neat historic mansion, killer breakfasts, and very attentive staff. We love it and we will be back!

This is a gem of a B&B Inn and we couldn't have been more thrilled with finding it. We spent three days at the Ink House in February as we took a long weekend vacation to Napa to escape the cold back home. The staff was great from the moment we called -- thanks Rachel and Andrea! It's a neat historic home and set right in the middle of several great wineries and even have their own vineyard - not crammed onto a small lot on a city street like many of these are. The rooms are spotless with comfortable large beds and are decorated in antiques but still have 21st century amenities of plasma TVs, wireless internet, and a mini-bar fridge if you want to use them. The breakfasts were excellent creations by the Ink House staff -- we enjoyed the Death By Cheese egg souffle and the Artichoke Frittata the most which came with a wonderful honey maple sausage, fruit, home-baked breads, champagne, orange juice, and coffee. We booked one of the smaller rooms, and since a larger one was available we were upgraded at no charge. On one night we had Patz & Hall Winery pour at the Ink House happy hour -- we visited them the next day and bought a bottle of their Pinot. We used many of the available complimentary VIP winery passes that the Ink House provides, but the best was just walking 1 minute to the Whitehall Lane Winery where they really roll out the red carpet for Ink House guests - all charge waived, opened a premium bottle of Cab to pour for just for us, and were so friendly. This was a great find for us at reasonable prices and really let us enjoy Napa from a great home base. There is also plenty to do at the Ink House as we just lazed around one day and had fun with croquet and the regulation horseshoe pitch, explored the 1880s barn, knocked off a bottle of Heitz cab in the observatory room high atop the house, took the Ink House bikes for a ride, and finished the night off playing pool in the stone basement game room.

We stayed at the Ink House for 2 nights.The main house was full so we were put in the carriage house just behind the main house. It was fantastic,we had the whole house,which can sleep 8 to ourselves. We had a huge living room,dining room and kitchen. THis would be a great place to bring a family or a few couples for an extended stay. The room we had was downstairs with private bath which was very clean and modern,while keeping the old world charm. I would definately recommend The Ink House to anyone wanting to explore the wine country.

We booked a room at Ink House because it was one of the few less expensive rooms for the time we were planning to be their. Our expectations were low to say the least. Were we surprised. The place is quite charming, but more importantly the people were so incredibly friendly and helpful. We got there and we had arranged for a standard queen. We were upgraded to a king suite. That was such a nice thing to do. Kevin the Innkeeper spent an hour or so just chatting with us about the area, about us, him. Breakfasts were great and exceptionally filling. Which is great when your drinking wine that early in the morning. Andrea always asked whether we needed reservations for lunch/dinner and called and made whatever arrangements were needed. Overall it was a great experience. I would definitely return.

Perfect Napa Valley location surrounded by Vineyards. Neat Vicorian mansion on large grounds. King bed, internet, plasma tv and great big breakfast plus outstanding staff!

A lovely B&B in the heart of the wine country. Luxurious kind of beds in a Victorian in the midst of famous vineyards. Fabulous breakfasts, superb service, reasonibly priced for Napa!

We had a great time staying at the Ink House as we scoured Napa for three days for new wines to bring home to our new wine cellar (Frank Family, Vincent Arroyo, and Alpha Omega were our three favorite new wineries from this trip). The place is a neat old mansion right in the middle of the best part of the Napa Valley for wineries. Staff was super and helped us with dinner reservations, appointments to small wineries, and spent a lot of time visiting with us during their wine and appetizers hour each night. The breakfasts were killer feasts and really got us going each morning. Room was clean, spacious and very comfortable -- although we didn't spend a lot of time there except to sleep as Napa is such a great place! Best thing was the reasonable pricing of about $200 a night for the room -- hard to find anything under $300 per night in the fall so we felt very fortunate to find such a great place.