Change of Greenery BlogThings to See and Do in Napa Valley that's GREEN!

Napa Valley Wine Tour Promotion 2 people for $99!

OH YEAH… we just launched our Summer Promotion… Get TWO all-day electric bikes for the AMAZING price of $99! (Regular Price $150)

Summer is finally here and we have decided to lower our prices this season!

Starting tomorrow, you can ride our bikes for the low price of $99 for two people and Saturdays at $75pp. You can now reserve online at http://changeofgreenery.rezgo.com/. First come – first serve! Days will be blocked off on our online calendar as soon as it is filled.

What do you get with your all-day bike tour?

-          2 Electric Bikes that can go up to 18mph with a range of 30 miles using pedal-assist or 15 miles using it as a mini-moped.

-          35 Different offers on 5 different maps using the included Napa Valley Green Card Key. This includes 2-for-1 wine tastings at Domaine Chandon ($25 savings), Trefethen Family (Save $10 or $25 for their reserves), Clos du Val ($15 or $25) and many many other deals such as 10% off their food purchases from The Monticello Deli, The Food Mill and any spa package treatments from The Napa Valley Marriott Spa. For a full list – please check out this page. This bike ride pays for itself!

-          Complimentary wine and retail pickup from our Cabernet colored Yamaha Vino moped. Once you return the bikes, we’ll give you your purchases.

-          We also include roadside assistance, but our ebikes ARE equipped with THORN-RESISTANT tubes for those pesky goat heads in Napa Valley. We keep one bike on hand to immediately REPLACE the bike wherever you are at!

-          Bikes MUST be picked up from 9am – 12pm. Return is anytime before 6pm. We are closed Tues & Weds.

Why electric bikes vs. regular bikes?

We see regular bike riders all the time – you know, the ones sitting under the shade on the side of the road trying to catch their breath or trying to seek salvation from the heat and from long periods of bike riding. For people who are VERY familiar with Napa Valley afternoon winds, our bike riders tell me that the motor “saves” them and they get to see sooooo many different things in a shorter time period by going a little bit faster with more strength! Our bikes can actually go up Atlas Peak and Mount Veeder. Trust me, I’ve done it before (and even rode with “real” cyclists for a few miles).

It’s VERY rare that we get a complaint on our bikes and our service, but yet we hear horror stories from our partner wineries about “bike renters being ‘too hot’ on a regular bike and are too bitter to enjoy their visit.” Last week, I heard about a woman who demanded someone from “X Bike Company” to pick her up immediately because she was too exhausted and could not pedal anymore to return the bike. Don’t let this happen to you!

Check out our reviews on Yelp – we are currently at 27 reviews at an average of 5-stars! Woohoo!

We are also listed as “9 New Reasons To Love Napa Valley” for 2011.  We could possibly be dubbed as “the best time you’ll ever have on a bike!” So what are you waiting for? Get out of your car and onto these amazing bikes! Woooooooohooooooooo!

I’m looking forward to seeing you this year in Napa Valley!

A lot of our  bike riders are usually thrilled to know that we have a bike basket when they get their 2 wheels for the day. I believe we are the ONLY bike company in Napa that has a basket. I believe most others companies have a little zip pouch that is about the size of a cosmetic bag. Usually that will contain your bike lock  so that doesn’t leave you much room for many extras.

I’ve seen a pattern with our bike riders… it’s usually a purse or a small bag. Sometimes it’s an SLR camera kit and it’s also a place to put your sweatshirt when it gets warmer in mid-day in the day and to be re-used when it starts getting cooler.

A lot of people tend to bring a picnic lunch, so in this post, I’m going to tell you of some really popular places to grab some food before you meet me to get your electric bike rental.

Carolyn’s Top 5 (Not in any particular order really, but I go to these places and they are really good!).

1) Whole Foods - 3682 BelAire Plaza, Napa, CA – I really LOVE this particular Whole Foods. It’s on the opposite side of the freeway from The Napa Valley Marriott (where we are located). It has about 20 choices of fresh soups and stews, salad bar, meal bar, pizzas and more!

2) Genova Delicatessen – 1550 Trancas St, Napa, CA – This place is REALLY popular… so popular that sometimes you’ll have to wait about 10-15 minutes JUST to get your sandwich ordered! It’s best to fax in your order if possible, but if you’re coming from out of town, it might be alittle difficult to calculate the time of arrival. They’ve been around since 1926 and they have a variety of eats (and wine selection) to choose from! Make sure you get a side of raviolis. The best raviolis I’ve ever had!

3) Vallargas Market - 3385 Solano Ave., Napa, CA – This is walking distance from The Napa Marriott, so if you forgot your picnic sandwich, this would be a good place to bike before your trek. This is a smaller, organic, healthy family-owned market that has sandwiches to-go, a sushi, soup and salad bar. If you’re a history buff (as I am), you might want to check out this page about Vallargas and their history.

4) Monticello Deli & Catering - 1810 Monticello, Napa, CA – I actually had these guys cater a large picnic party last week and ordered the “Variety”. It had different sandwiches (veggie, ham, roast beef, etc). I had the ham and  it was awesome. My party raved about the sandwiches and kept asking me where they came from. My picnic package also included Italian pasta and fresh fruit. Everything looked amazing!

5) Safeway – 3375 Jefferson St. (but really, it’s on Trancas St), Napa, CA – For people who aren’t familiar with Safeway, it’s an old school grocery store that’s located on the West Coast and Central US. They use to have a Safeway in Texas when I was younger, but they closed down in Texas because they weren’t doing well there. Fast Forward to my move to California, they are here! Normally, I would NEVER suggest getting sandwiches from a grocery store as large as this one, but I eat these sandwiches like they are going out of style! $5.50 for a VERY large and meaty sandwich that they prepare in front of you. They have a sandwich bar similar to Subway, but they have BETTER toppings like artichoke hearts, slices of marinated mozzarella cheese. They also put an ABUNDANCE of guacamole on your sandwich if it calls for it. My favorite is the “California Dreaming” sandwich. If you have a Safeway card, you can add a side of soup for .99 cents, which makes it the best sandwich bargain. They also have free wi-fi while you wait for your food, so go ahead and get on your smartphone!

These places are within walking distance from Change of Greenery (or biking distance) with Monticello Deli being the furthest at around 2 miles.

Happy Picnicking and see you soon!

… and get a $50 gift card to dine at Hurley’s Restaurant for lunch. You’ll be whizzing right past it on The Silverado Trail/Yountville Loop.

Hurley's Restaurant, Yountville, CA

Hurley’s Restaurant offers daily 2-course lunches from 11:30 – 3:30pm for $20/per person. The menu changes daily, but you can find it online here (PDFs changes daily too!). Hurley’s is a Michelin-starred restaurant and it is pet-friendly and there is no corkage fee if you bring your own bottle in. Open up your bottle of Cornerstone Cellars here!

Pickup time is 9am – 12pm.
Drop off time is anytime before 6pm.
Pick from 37 different partners to visit (Monticello Vineyards, Gustavo Thrace, Hill Family Estate and many others offering you fantastic deals just BECAUSE you rode our bikes in!).
We pick up your wine + retail purchases for you and have it ready for you when you return your bikes to the “Finish Line” at The Napa Valley Marriott.
We also provide roadside assistance (but that rarely happens!).

This “wine, dine and dash” package is $150 for 2 people.

This is a FANTASTIC deal (possibly one of the best deals in the Napa Valley) and we’re not sure how long this will last so reserve your electric bikes today here.

Don’t balk at riding an electric bike until you’ve tried ours! Our bikes are AWESOME!

Are you thinking of biking in this lovely wine valley? Here is something that most people do not consider and that is…

It usually occurs quite often in the afternoons around 3-5pm more or less and it’s completely unpredictable. Today the winds were at 23mph. The trees start shaking and leaves tend to swirl around in the parking lots. The dust starts to swirl in the vineyards so don’t forget to bring your sunglasses for your bike ride. On the way home from work on Hwy 29 going South, my little Nissan Cube tends to sway. A few days ago, someone almost hit me as his car rolled into my lane.

Most of my bike riders tell me that our electric bikes “saves” them against the wind on their way back to the finish point. It also helps with climbing the hills of Napa! Woot! Woot!

Last weekend I saw a couple off the Silverado Trail with “regular” bikes. I could tell she was on vacation because her bicycle was a rental. Well guess what she was doing? She was WALKING her bike and I’m sure little did she know that she was about to go up a hill. I could tell she was exhausted too. Poor thing!

Some people may balk at electric bikes, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! We’ve even had a hotel guest INSISTING another guest that they do not want to ride a regular bike on their vacation. She yapped, “If there are electric bikes around then TAKE THEM… NEVER do a long tour on regular bikes! I will NEVER do a bike tour on vacation ever again unless it was with an electric bike!”

(For the record, she was never a client of ours – she was talking about her bike tour in Washington. She claimed it almost ruined her vacation from exerting too much energy).

We weren’t listed as 9 New Reasons to Love Napa Valley for nothing ya know!

Conveniently located approximately 3-4 miles from the Napa Valley Marriott, I am proud to introduce you to our newest partner in crime, Silenus Vitners. Silenus Vitners is different and unique in Napa Valley. Instead of going to their tasting room to taste a particular brand of wine — here, it’s a variety! There are 12 vintners who create their wines here and/or get their grapes here at the vineyard. Their tasting menu changes every Friday! Tastings start at $15.00/pp. With The Napa Valley Green Card, it’s a buy one, get one free. You’ll be sampling 6 different types. Also, feel free to bring a picnic basket!

Silenus Vitners

They also have a Bocce ball court.

If you know how to play Bocce ball, please contact me. I want to learn!

Silenus Vitners

Silenus Vitners

Silenus Vitners

For those of you interested in riding the 25-mile Cycle4Sight ride, we have 4 ebikes left. We will rent these out for Cycle4Sight riders for $25 with registration. Registration is $50 and that includes beer, wine and goodies. See their website for more details.

The proceeds go to a good cause.

The ride starts at 9am from Justin Sienna High School, which is down the street from the Napa Valley Marriott on Solano Ave., so you’ll want to get your bike rental at 8:30am.

Here is the route.

Call me at 707-596-0499 for more details.

Hello:

For people who have called me and asked me how to get the 10% off of your room at the Napa Valley Marriott – please click here.

I’m alittle disappointed that this was promised to be printed on the Groupon voucher, but Groupon failed to mention this. This is solely based upon availability.

Thanks for understanding.

Check out this monthly forecast in Napa so you can get a gist of what to wear.

In Napa, it tends to get a bit chilly (50s?) in the morning when you get your bike, so make sure you dress in layers. As noon arrives, it starts to get pretty perfect (70s?). So bring a sweater and maybe some gloves. Remember, we are not open on rainy days.

Since we are not open until this Saturday – feel free to email us at reservations@changeofgreenery.com with your name, phone number, date and we’ll take a peek at our calendar for availability and ping you back. First come, first serve.

We will be swamped with phone calls so please use email. Thanks!

The $7 million dollar renovations at the Napa Valley Marriott has just been completed and I had a chance to see the new digs. I am happy to report that it looks pretty amazing… very chic and modern. The new restaurant, VINeleven, looks fantastic with a circular bar and a HUGE showcase wine fridge in the back. I was able to take a look at the blueprints last year, but no one can ever imagine the final look so this was a mighty surprise to see the new makeover. What I really love is the new Starbucks kiosk with prepared food from Executive Chef Brian Whitmer’s kitchen. So if you need a yummy picnic to put in your bike basket, this is the place to get it! Also grab a Starbucks from here before your bike ride if you need a pick-me-up!

Other things that I love about this new 4-star hotel is:

- The open restaurant with TVs and booths
- The circular bar
- The two seating areas
- The pool and the large doors that will eventually open up so people can mingle outside
- There’s a concierge lounge as well that I haven’t seen finished yet, but it looks very “VIP-ish”. Hopefully I’ll post some of those pictures soon.

One of the sitting areas by check-in

The "lounging" area

Little stands for your drinks

The circular bar

The wine fridge behind the bar

All the employees who I’ve talked to so far all have high energy about the new renovations.  The vibe is definitely there. So there are some key points that I would like to mention about this property that some people may not know about.

- There is an abundance of parking! No valet parking necessary… which I love. I know there are quite a few hotels where there is no parking and you MUST valet park (I will not name names here) but I find it quite irritating when I am forced to valet park because sometimes I don’t have the patience to wait 10 mins more or less for them to find my car and PAY for it. Especially San Francisco where you HAVE to pay usually $50+.

- If you have an electric car, there are car chargers across the street!!!! There are 2 designated spaces (if not 4) at the Park N’ Ride. I had written a post about it before, but it got lost through WordPress updates. I’ll write it again soon!

- The VINE Bus Route is also across the street! It can take you to Downtown Yountville, Downtown St. Helena, Downtown Calistoga and everywhere in between. Yes, it actually does stop at wineries that are along Hwy 29 such as Mondavi and BV. So if you are on a budget and are limited on time to see a couple a places, this might be your best best. Just an FYI, it’s $1.35 per ride and the few times that I’ve been on it in a year, it’s never been packed… once I was on it by myself. Oh yeah, just a head’s up — each bus has bike racks for two so you can take our electric bikes up north to Calistoga and hit up the wineries that are off the beaten path.

- There is a hiking and mountain biking park that is walking/driving distance from the Marriott. It’s alittle over a mile to get to. Unfortunately I’ve only been there once to bike ride and the views were quite stunning! 360 views to be exact.

- Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s across the street. Need I say more?

- Wine Tasting from different wineries from 5-6pm in the lobby at the hotel for guests. From what I understand, they’re all different each night.

On top of everything that I mentioned, there’s also a pool, a spa, a fitness center and electric bikes. If you don’t know who I am, I am the “bike girl” located on the property (I am not employed by The Marriott, I am employed by Change of Greenery). You can find me behind the Napa Marriott Spa where I’ll be shooting visitors off on bikes to every direction. We have bike maps that go North, East, South and West.

This hotel really does have it all and honestly I’m thinking of staying here for my birthday next month. It’s going to be an amazing year at this hotel!

Also, I just got word that our electric bike riders can get 10% off of their rooms. It’s the Marriott’s Spirit to Preserve.

Email me at marriottoffer@changeofgreenery.com and I’ll email it to you.

On top of electric bikes, we have a new addition to the fleet!

Please welcome Baby Troy! He is my nephew! We can’t wait for you to come to Napa! Congrats to my brother and his wife!

New Bike Rider!