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Looking to plan a romantic getaway in Northern California?! Located near historic Placerville and the bustling farms of Apple Hill, the Eden Vale Inn is the perfect destination for a quiet and romantic weekend escape.
In 2022, my husband and I celebrated our 10-year wedding anniversary! We didn’t have big plans to celebrate, even though it was a huge milestone for us. However, he thoughtfully booked this charming and romantic getaway for us in Placerville at the Eden Vale Inn. It was such a perfect location for us to low-key celebrate our anniversary!
If you’re looking to book a similar romantic long-weekend getaway at the Eden Vale Inn in Placerville, here are some tips on what we enjoyed most from our stay, as well as how to make the most of your weekend getaway.
Getting to Placerville
Getting to Placerville is an easy drive from Sacramento or the Bay Area. If you’re coming from out of state, I recommend flying into the Sacramento airport and renting a car.
No matter where you are driving to Placerville from, if it’s a weekday, the best time to leave for Placerville is the late morning to early afternoon, outside of the rush hour commute times. Traffic in populated areas in California is no joke! You want to spend that extra time relaxing at your destination instead of sitting in traffic.
Here are some approximate drive times to get to the Eden Vale Inn in Placerville:
- Drive from Sacramento: Approximately 45 mins to 1 hour
- Drive from San Francisco: Approximately 2 hours to 2.5 hours
- Drive from Oakland: Approximately 2 hours to 2.5 hours
About the Eden Vale Inn
The Eden Vale Inn is a tranquil adults-only Bed & Breakfast located in the hills near the historic town of Placerville. Eden Vale guests get to experience a stay in a luxurious bedroom with private bathroom, with each having their own soaking tub and daily breakfast delivered to your room.
The property is incredibly lush and peaceful – perfect for romantic evening strolls or nights by the firepit. Plus, there are a ton of great things to do nearby if you don’t want to stay on the property the whole time, including wine tasting and visiting all the farms at Apple Hill!
Parking at Eden Vale
Once you arrive through the gate of the property, you can easily find your parking spot near the roundabout at the entrance to the inn. Each guest is assigned a specially-named room (ours was the Cypress) and your parking spot will be designated with name of your room on a sign.
Checking In
Upon check-in at the inn, our hosts gave us a rundown on different things to do in the area, made restaurant recommendations, and then gave us a little property tour before we were shown to our room.
The Cypress Room
We stayed in the Cypress Room, located on the ground floor of the inn, with a comfortable king bed and sheets that felt like heaven. We loved the sheets so much, that we bought a set ourselves after our visit!
Our room also had a spacious private bathroom with robes, coffee maker, and an outdoor soaking tub on the patio. That tub was definitely lovely to relax in at the end of our days!
Outdoor Kitchen
For guests that are planning on preparing any meals or snacks or reheating food while staying at the Eden Vale Inn, there is a shared outdoor kitchen on the property equipped with a small four-burner stove, microwave and toaster oven. The kitchen also has an ice machine, basic utensils and paper towels, and supplies for washing up (including a dishwasher).
We had a shared refrigerator between our room and the room next door to us where we were able to store our dinner leftovers and keep our beer and sparkling wine chilled. Super convenient!
Eden Vale Grounds
The Eden Vale Inn property is such a peaceful spot in Gold Country. My favorite spot on the property was the little pond, which was equipped with a cute little rowboat that guests can take out. There are mosquitos and bugs around the pond, so if you’re sensitive to bugs, bring some bug spray!
They also have an area where they raise their own chickens on site called the Poultry Palace. We made sure to stop in and say hello to the little ladies during our visit!
Breakfast at the Eden Vale Inn
Since the Eden Vale Inn is a Bed & Breakfast, breakfast is included each morning of your stay and delivered right to your room! It is a set menu daily, so you aren’t able to choose unfortunately.
We stayed two nights and had two separate breakfasts – a vegetarian frittata with sausage, white chocolate apricot scones, and fresh fruit and on our second day, we had French toast and sausage. Everything was delicious, especially the scones!
Things to Do While at Eden Vale Inn
There is plenty to do at the Eden Vale Inn, whether its on the property or visiting the surrounding areas. I highly recommend checking out some of the local activities, including visiting Apple Hill, going wine tasting, and eating a nice dinner out!
Visit Apple Hill
Apple Hill is one of our favorite places in Northern California to visit annually, especially in the fall! In fact, I have a whole guide on visiting Apple Hill.
Even outside of fall season, it’s still a great place to visit as there are a few farms open year round, along with a plethora of wineries. If you do happen to visit in the fall, you can expect to hop from farm to farm eating and drinking all the apple treats and cider your hearts desire.
Go Wine Tasting
Wineries in the area are open year round and there are so many to choose from! Wine tasting in El Dorado County is definitely something I want to explore more of. Myka Cellars is a great stop, particularly because they have peaceful lawn seating and a small menu of seasonal bites to pair with your wine!
Edio Vineyards at Delfino Farms is a winery on my wish list, among many others, for their awesome views. And if you visit in the fall, be sure to pop over to Joan’s Apple Bakery on the property for some Walking Apple Pie.
Enjoy a Nice Dinner Out
As any romantic weekend away should include, a nice dinner out at one of the local restaurants is a must! Our choice was Smith Flat – a lovely restaurant about a 15-minute drive from the Eden Vale Inn with outdoor patio seating and live music.
The burrata caprese and artichoke crab dip are perfect starters, and you can fill up on entrees like their Jambalaya Risotto or Lamb Shank! They also make a killer cheesecake! If you’re too full to have dessert after dinner, you can always take it to the room and store it in the fridge like we did.
Grab Beers at a Local Brewery
If beer is more your speed, Jack Russell Farm Brewery at Apple Hill, Hwy 50 Brewery in Camino, and Solid Ground Brewing in Diamond Springs are all great options nearby! Jack Russell and Hwy 50 also have food options, with different food trucks/tents at Jack Russell and a full kitchen at Hwy 50 (try the tasty cheese curds!).
Order Takeout
If you’re just enjoying relaxation time at the inn and don’t feel like heading out for dinner, you can order Door Dash. Note that there are special instructions provided in the Inn’s guide for Door Dash orders/drivers. We took advantage of this one night so we could just relax and eat a pizza on the patio next to the little pond by our room with a nice glass of wine.
Note: I actually recommend against ordering pizza from the list. If I had to choose again, I would definitely go for some tacos!
Take a Sunset Stroll on the Property
Gold Country sure provides some pretty sunsets! We visited in the summer when the weather was warm and were able to stroll around the little pond at sunset, snapping photos of the beautiful sky.
Make S’Mores by the Firepit
If you’re a s’mores fan, this is a must! The Inn sells s’mores kits for $5 each, but I opted to bring my own ingredients because I’m picky about my foods.
There are roasting sticks provided by the Inn that are located in the kitchen area, so even if you bring your own ingredients, you’ll be all set! Just be sure to wash your prong thingies when you are done.
Have a Soak in Your Private Tub
Each room at the Eden Vale has a private soaking tub for your relaxation! You’ll want to be mindful that the tubs do take about 45 minutes to fully fill up, so plan accordingly! It’s just a soaking tub, so no jets or anything, but it feels nice and relaxing, especially with a glass of wine.
Book Your Stay!
We really enjoyed our stay at the Eden Vale Inn for our anniversary, and I highly recommend it to anyone else! If I’ve convinced you that you need to book your own relaxing and romantic stay at the Eden Vale Inn, there are numerous ways to book your stay:
- Book with Hotels.com
- Book with Booking.com
- Book directly with the Eden Vale Inn
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