Although the pandemic has upended many of our lives, some of the changes it’s brought about have been beneficial: greater flexibility to work and attend classes from home, with more room to spend time with the people we love.
That was what inspired Inspirato member Misty Hagood’s trip to California wine country with two of her girlfriends, her daughters, and their sorority sister.
“My daughters are doing all their college classes online right now, so we’ve been trying to take advantage of it—they’re going back to in-person classes in the fall,” she said.
Misty’s daughters, 21 and 23, had never been to wine country—they’d also developed their own taste for wine over the past year, so Misty figured it was a perfect fit.
The group booked four days in March at Villa Vigneto, enjoying its ample outdoor space and yard the most. Misty even said that the pool was her daughter’s favorite out of any Inspirato home that they’ve stayed at.
“The pool is big and it’s heated,” she said. “There was cornhole, too. And the girls are in college, so that’s one of their favorite games. They would play cornhole, have a drink, go back and forth between there and the pool.”
Another thing Misty loved about the home was the amount of outdoor seating, perfect for soaking in the breezy California weather that stayed beautiful throughout their trip.
“There were so many seating areas, and you could hear the music from all of them because the Sonos system reached all the way to the outside,” she said.
She also loved the spacious master bath with a deep soaking tub: “I took a bath in it every single night,” she said, laughing.
When the women ventured out to explore and winery hop, they took a train, picnicked, and did a day trip to nearby Napa.
(Photos courtesy of Misty)
“The Sonoma Wine Trolley was so much fun—the driver was really informative and had such a great personality,” she said. The open-air train stopped at three vineyards along the way.
Misty’s daughters’ favorite winery was Three Sticks—one of Inspirato’s vineyard partners—where they loved their server and all the different varietals they sampled. They also enjoyed their time at Nickel and Nickel, next to which there was a huge flower field where the group took photos.
(Photos courtesy of Misty)
“There were three little trails leading through the field, and it was just so pretty,” Misty said. “That entire area is full of beautiful landscaping.”
Misty mentioned that it’s best to plan ahead to ensure a spot for tasting at the wineries, as they’ve been booking up fast due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“As soon as you know you’re going, make the reservations. Our Destination Concierge reached out and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do at that point,” she said.
She also highly recommends stopping at the Girl & the Fig, a restaurant in Sonoma that they grabbed dinner and a picnic lunch from on a few different occasions.
Misty and her daughters are eager to go back, and they’re grateful for the time they got to spend together and with their friends, the unique circumstances of the past year allowing for that.
“We know we’re never going to have this much time again,” she said. “So anywhere that looks like it could be fun or relaxing—we go. We’re just really trying to make the most of it.”
