Cottage Industry
An Undemanding Cottage of Your Own in Napa

Dickens published the first installment of Great Expectations. Lincoln got elected.

But it was tough to find a place to watch In a World… on streaming.

Get a little historic (but not too historic) at Brannan Cottage Inn, a charmer of a getaway spot that’s all 1860s outside but 2014-friendly inside—now open in Calistoga. (See the slideshow here.)

This is all that remains of a once-14-cottage-strong spread. They’ve done good things with it. Things that’ll make you want to put a leather bag into a car, drive the car a little bit, take the bag out of the car, drop it in the Victorian room next to the square grand piano and then do a little relaxed stretch.

There’s arches. There’s wraparound porches. There’s a sitting area by the fireplace. Oh, and Netflix on Roku, a rainfall shower and (in a week or so) a concierge app.

That last thing is important if you’re going to go anywhere aside from that shower. It’ll help you book any necessary wine tours and hot-air balloon rides.

The bad news: the spa they’ve partnered with, the safe place with the massages and mud baths, is three blocks away. Three.

You can do this.