Last year, I mentioned the plans for the Solage Calistoga. Now the Napa Valley resort has opened its doors. The resort is an 89-room property which also has a bistro, full-service spa that includes Kate Somerville facials and a 130-foot swimming pool surrounded by cabanas. The guest rooms are called studios and have open floor plans and stone showers with pebble flooring. The restaurant, Solbar, is headed by Brandon Sharp, an alumnus of the hot Gary Danko restaurant in San Francisco. Dishes include Gently Cooked Pacific Halibut with Baby Spinach, White Corn, Sweet 100 Tomatoes and Basil and Beef Shortribs Stroganov with Egg Noodles, Horseradish and Maitake Mushroom. Solbar also boasts Napa Valley's largest champagne list.

The spa includes a mud bar where guests are painted with local volcanic mud. The hotel also offers a couple of bicycles for guests to cruise the local landscape. Like many hotels which have opened recently Solage is touting their green features. The interiors are made from earth-friendly materials such as bamboo and reclaimed cedar and non-toxic, low-VOC paints. Other eco-friendly touches include the use of environmentally-safe cleaning products, solar panels, recycling, water reclamation and even a plan to minimize chlorine use in the pools by using an ozone-based system to keep water clean. Solage Calistoga is also-pet-friendly. Rates start at $325 for a deluxe studio to $875 for a one-bedroom suite.