Sugary Sweets + Satisfying Spa at The Meritage Resort and Spa

PHOTO: The best candied apples I have ever had at The Meritage Resort and Spa (c) Sery Kim

I wrapped up my quick two days at The Meritage Resort and Spa Tuesday with a relaxing day filled with fresh food, delectable desserts and relaxing spa experiences. In fact, I was so relaxed, I didn't even want to leave the resort to enjoy and see Downtown Napa Valley.

PHOTO: View from The Chairman's Suite at The Meritage Resort and Spa (c) Sery Kim

I started the day with breakfast in The Chairman's Suite. The view above is of the nine acres of the wine estate where, for nearly a decade, the property has been producing their own wine. It was a foggy/drizzly morning so the setting was perfect to catch the struggling sun and my basic breakfast of coffee with a side of granola, honey yogurt and fresh blueberries and blackberries gave me the jumpstart I needed to tour the vineyard.

After breakfast, it was a very quick tour of the vineyards before we settled into a fresh and healthy lunch.

PHOTO: Visually nice table setting for lunch at The Meritage Resort and Spa (c) Sery Kim

PHOTO: The menu for lunch with a fresh flower at The Meritage Resort and Spa (c) Sery Kim

It was nice to have another healthy meal for the day -- even though I did have two bread rolls. Both the starter and entree made me feel full and healthy, but the most standout item was certainly the starter. I enjoyed the yuzu viniagrette with the cilantro taint for the slightest tang of zest and visually the dish was quite arresting as well.

PHOTO: Starmoon Watermelon & Feta starter at The Meritage Resort and Spa (c) Sery Kim

The main dish was a Grilled Salmon Salad. Again, continuing the theme of freshness, the dish filled me up without making me feel like I had eaten too much. This was the perfect state to be in to enjoy the wonderfully sugary sweets such as the Candied Caramel Apple. Typically, when I have a candied apple, the apple is so large you really only get a few bites before all the caramel is gone. However, the Pastry Chef at Meritage picked mini-apples -- perhaps no more than three inches in width -- thus when it was dipped in caramel (some also drizzled with chocolate) every single bite had sugar in it. I loved it.

Actually, the entire pastry program is quite strong and since I have a sweet tooth this was exactly what I was looking for. I not only ate my Candied Caramel Apple, I also took one for the road!

As for the spa treatments, both my facial and massage were good. Again, the facial at Gateway Canyons Resort and Spa was only seconded by my experience at the Mandarin Oriental in Washington, D.C. so to have multiple facials back-to-back-to-back meant I could really suss out the techniques. For me, the facial at The Meritage Resort and Spa was missing a couple of layers of cleansing and masks but that may be just a result of the formatting of the facial. Again, nothing wrong with it just not the best-of-the-best.

Same for the massage. Good but not great.

Overall though I found my entire 48 hours to be quite relaxing and would highly recommend those who want to come to Napa Valley to just stay on a resort to pick The Meritage Resort and Spa. You really can come and just stay there without ever missing a beat!