For my husband’s 40th, we took a four-night trip to Napa, where he drank his first-ever glass of wine! We spent two days winery hopping and took a day trip to Lake Tahoe. 

Flights / Transportation: Roundtrip MCI to Oakland using my husband’s Southwest Companion Pass and points. The cost for the 2 of us to fly was just under $23 + points.  

Utilizing the Chase Travel Portal, I booked a four-day rental car. I always pay $5-$10 for my rental car with my Chase Sapphire Preferred since it offers excellent rental car coverage, and the rest is taken care of with Chase Ultimate Rewards. 

Stay: We stayed at the Andaz Napa on 1st Street in Downtown Napa. I redeemed points from my Chase Business Ink Cash $0 annual fee card for this stay. This was made possible since I hold the Chase Sapphire Card that gives me access to 14 incredible transfer partners, including Hyatt. 

I emailed the hotel upon booking and let them know we were visiting for my husband’s 40th. They graciously upgraded us to a Junior Suite and welcomed us with a bottle of wine and snacks. 

Fun / Eat / Drink: Our trip to Napa was booked two days before our departure. One of my best friends had recently been and gave me the best recommendations. Here is the rundown of our time in Napa. 

Beringer Vineyard is one of the oldest vineyards in Napa. We had a great sommelier, and he told us about how Jacob Beringer hand-drew hundreds of maps telling people from San Francisco how to get to his winery for the opening!  

Trefethen Family Vineyards has beautiful grounds and felt the most commercial to me out of the four vineyards we visited.

Frog’s Leap Winery, I could live here! I wish I did live here! The house, the gardens, everything is stunning! If you can visit Napa, Frog’s Leap should be on your list. We even had a case of wine shipped home. 

White Rock Vineyard was a funky experience. First, we were the only people there and got a defacto private tour. It was so informative and laid back. Just my vibe! 

We drove out to Lake Tahoe for the day to go kayaking and scout for a possible future trip. Our kayak operator recommended we head over to Fallen Leaf Lake, and I will be going back! It is the type of lake you can poach up at for the entire day, and your kids can play. Plus, it is quiet and stunning! 

Gott’s Roadside is the quintessential American roadside burger joint! 

We ate at Model Bakery and C Casa inside Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa. Both were excellent. 

R+D Kitchen is a fantastic place to grab lunch on the patio. 

Final thought: This 40th birthday trip was so much fun and was thrown together at the last minute! The power of recommendations from people you value and love can turn a trip from good to incredible! 

Cards that made this trip possible 

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