Contact Wally

Use the form on the right to contact me.

I am happy to help you plan your trip to Napa.  If you need a free winery trip planning agenda please give me as much time as you can due to the large number of requests.  I can typically turn around a custom agenda in 3 days.

Happy also to help you with restaurant and hotel recommendations, all honest and unbiased and based on my own experiences.

Cheers,

Local Wally

         

123 Street Avenue, City Town, 99999

(123) 555-6789

email@address.com

 

You can set your address, phone number, email and site description in the settings tab.
Link to read me page with more information.

agenda_firsttimers.jpg

Local Wally's Blog to Napa | NapaTouristGuide.com

Read Local Wally's Blog to Napa for up to date news, features, and stories from Napa Valley. Guest Posts Welcome!

Filtering by Tag: Tuk Tuk Tour in Napa

Napa Wine Train Versus Laces + Limos Tour

Local Wally

Which is MORE WORTH IT? Napa Wine Train or Laces + Limos

Napa Valley Wine Train

Laces + Limos

If you’re coming to Napa most likely you’ve stumbled upon a number of unique experiences that have you wondering if they are WORTH IT. There’s hot air balloon rides, bike rentals, custom tours, but the two biggest and most popular attractions are the NAPA VALLEY WINE TRAIN and LACES + LIMOS. Both promise a once in a lifetime experience and both deliver on that promise, but which one is worth your time… and money?

Napa Valley Wine Train

What a lot of people get wrong about the Wine Train is that they think it’s a sort of hop on, hop off sort of transportation. It’s not. Well, sort of not. There are a number of experiences -

  • LEGACY EXPERIENCE: Taste on the train, stop for a photo op in front of the Napa sign, have lunch on the train, then stop at Charles Krug and V. Sattui for tastings. Pricing varies depending on the season but currently it’s $645 per person. Get $30 off per person with a Priority Wine Pass (pass is $39 and you only need one for every 4 people for this discount).

  • GRGICH HILLS TASTING: Lunch and a stop at Grgich Hills. Currently $380 per person.

  • VISTA DOME LUNCH: Lunch on the wine train, no getting off. Currently $380 per person.

  • GOURMET EXPRESS LUNCH: Lunch in the standard car, no getting off. Currently $225 to $275 per person. Get $20 off per person for up to 4 people with one Priority Wine Pass. Get Pass Here.

  • TASTING ON THE RAILS: Elevated lunch experience, no getting off. Currently $645 per person.

  • AFTERNOON TEA: Chandon bubbles, then teas and tea time snacks, no getting off. Currently $225 per person.

  • VISTA DOME DINNER: Dinner, no getting off. Currently $360 per person.

  • GOURMET EXPRESS DINNER: Dinner in their standard car, no getting off. Currently $215 per person. Get $20 off per person for up to 4 people with one Priority Wine Pass. Get Pass Here.

  • TASTING ON THE RAILS, DINNER: Elevated dinner with wine pairings. Currently $425 to $475 per person.

Laces + Limos Tuk Tuk Tour

Getting to the wineries is half the fun when your ride is a 3-wheeled Tuk Tuk and the path you take is a back country Napa road. Expect a truly gourmet lunch set up in the vineyards with every experience. Tasting fees paid at the wineries.

  • NAPA WINE SAFARI: Join a small group on a full day experience includes stops at hidden gem wineries, a private chef driven picnic lunch served right on the vineyards, an a complimentary digital photo album. $250 per person.

  • JUST US 2. Private full day experience, stop at various hidden gem wineries (winery selection can be customized based on your preferences), chef driven gourmet picnic lunch served right in the vineyards, complimentary digital photo album. $695 total for 2 people.

  • WHAT’S FOR LUNCH? Half day adventure with visit to one winery and the same gourmet picnic lunch in the vineyard. Complimentary digital photo album. $189 per person.

LOCAL WALLY DOES THE MATH AND HELPS YOU DECIDE WHICH IS WORTH IT!

So the Napa Wine Train is super expensive… but is it worth it? With prices that will set. you back more than dinner at THE FRENCH LAUNDRY and food quality that’s good but not Thomas Keller good, you’re really paying for the ambiance of a train ride. There are only two experiences that actually include winery stops.

THE NAPA VALLEY WINE TRAIN IS NOT WORTH IT IF…

  • If you only have one day in Napa and want to immerse yourself in wines and winery experiences then it’s NOT worth it.

  • If you are a foodie looking for the best food Napa has to offer you can get better food for less at an actual restaurant.

THE NAPA VALLEY WINE TRAIN IS WORTH IT IF…

  • If you have tons of money so dropping a thousand bucks to ride a train is no big deal.

  • If you have multiple days here and want an adventure to tell everyone back home about.

  • If you really, really like trains.

My take - I’ve done the wine train and thought it was OK, certainly a good experience but one that had me trying to justify the cost. Friends who have recently experienced the wine train have had much more positive feedback and loved the party atmosphere on the experience they were on (disco ball, dancing, etc). So it could go either way but no doubt about it, it’s pricey.

LACES + LIMOS IS NOT WORTH IT IF…

  • If you’re a first timer and only have one say and want to see the big names like Castello di Amorosa or Sterling. Laces + Limos tries to find the more unique wineries with more personal hospitality.

LACES + LIMOS IS WORTH IT IF…

  • If you want a picnic in the vineyards (and a gourmet picnic at that), this is the ONLY way to do it. Absolutely a stellar experience.

  • If you want authentic winery experiences that might include private tours and barrel tastings, if you want a more relaxed winery with more private experiences, they excel in this.

  • If you want to experience Napa and the country back roads with the wine and sunshine in your face, it’s an elegant way to travel.

My take: I really like Laces + Limos. It’s owned by a husband and wife team and hubby is a trained gourmet chef who prepares a gorgeous instagram ready lunch spread that’s as beautiful as it is delicious. If a picnic in the vineyards is on your bucket list this is the way to do it. Plus the wineries are unique and special and far away from the hoards of tourists. You can do the touristy wineries another day. With Laces + Limos you get winery experiences like a local.

tags Napa Valley Wine Train Worth It?, Laces and Limos Napa Tuk Tuk Tour Worth it?, Which is better, Which is better the Napa Wine Train or the Laces and Limos Tuk Tuk tour?, How much is the Napa Wine Train?, How much is Laces and Limos in Napa?, Tuk Tuk Tour in Napa, Fun Ways to See and Taste in Napa, Picnic in the Vineyards in Napa, Can I have a picnic in a winery vineyard in Napa?

Is Laces + Limos Tuk Tuk Tour Worth It?

Local Wally

Try doing this with your rental car!

Is Laces + Limos worth it?

Before I answer that perhaps a bit of background on who this is, what it is, and what it’s not. At it’s most basic Laces + Limos is a Napa tour where they transport you via a 3 wheeled electric Tuk Tuk to wineries and provide a picnic lunch. But it’s more than that - much more.

The Laces + Limos is Napa winery experience starts the moment you step into their cute little tuk tuk in front of the Archer Hotel. As you leave downtown and wind your way into the back roads of Napa you’ll pass sites and scenery that you can’t appreciate from a car or tour shuttle. The wind in your hair, the sunshine, the scent of the vineyards, it’s that elusive romance of Napa, the Napa of your dreams.

Owned by Chel and Dieter, their focus is on creating unique and authentic Napa experiences. For example, everyone wants a picnic in the vineyards. In the early days of Napa you could pull off the road and lay out a blanket but try that today and you’ll most be asked to pack it up and leave. Today the simple picnic in a vineyard experience is difficult if not impossible to find if you try to do it on your own. But with Laces + Limos you can and their tuk tuks fits right in between the vineyards. Imagine parking next to a romantic table with a white tablecloth and a gourmet picnic prepared by husband Dieter, surrounded by vineyards and grapes you can pick and taste. It surpasses everything you might imagine. Let’s take a look.

Quiet. Peaceful. You’ll feel oh so special when your Tuk Tuk turns down the row of vines and you spy a private picnic table in the distance waiting just for you. The tours are either half of full days and include the gourmet vineyard picnic lunch, which is worth the price right there. Oh darn, I jumped the gun on my click bait question of whether it’s worth it or not so yes, Laces + Limos is worth it just for the lunch experience alone. I mean, if you want to experience lunch in a vineyard then this is it! So what’s for lunch?

Every bite delicious! This is the lunch for two picnic which had so much food we packed some to go at the end.

Husband Dieter is a trained and creative chef and puts together a Napa worthy picnic spread. This is no crummy box lunch, this isn’t a shrink wrapped sandwich made the day before with a bag of chips, Laces + Limos provides a lunch that lives up to the high standard for Napa’s exquisite culinary scene. The sandwich transported me back to Paris with it’s crispy baguette filled with the highest quality ingredients. Let’s see a few more food shots. And look at the view! Right in the vineyards! Amazing!

What is is, and What it’s Not!

Laces + Limos is a unique and fun way to explore Napa with transportation in a Tuk Tuk to wineries and a stop in the vineyards for a gourmet picnic lunch that is unmatched by any other tour. Winery stops are unique as well - For example, we stopped in a Ru Vango, a winery that had not yet hit my radar and surprised me with their stunning wines and hospitality. And yes, their collection of original Salvador Dali’s artwork was quite impressive as well. How has this winery not been discovered by the masses yet is beyond me. A prime seat and private experience with one other couple overlooking the vineyards, a short tour to see the winery in action, a sharp contrast to most tour winery stops where you’re fighting for attention from the host who’s bombarded with tour groups.

We joined up with this couple during our wine tasting and relaxed in the sunshine while sipping sparkling wine. How nice was this!

And winery selection varies depending on what you might be looking for. Let them know if you’re a wine collector or simply a wine lover looking for new wines to love. There’s no pressure to buy wine but you can if you like, and while tasting fees are not included the wineries are priced at a reasonable level so you won’t get that Opus One sticker shock at the end of the tasting. Here’s a few photos of Ru Vango Winery - sparkling to start, a tour with barrel tastings, original Dali art, is this for real?

What Laces + Limos is NOT is tacky and cheesy. From the moment you step into the tuk tuk you’re greeted with Napa quality snacks and a genuine smile from Chel, the owner and host. You can tell that this is a labor of love, a passion to provide visitors with an adventure they will never forget. Here are some candids I took of Chel when she was describing a Napa landmark along the way.

Luxurious, classy, and super fun. You won’t be slinking off a fake trolley car hoping no one sees you. So Laces + Limos isn’t a tacky booze fest experience, it’s tasteful and elegant. But it’s also not snooty - even someone with zero wine experience will love this as much as a wine expert. So many of Napa’s experiences are crowded and touristy (visit the castle lately?) but Laces + Limos provides an alternative to all of that and gives you an authentic experience for about the same price as a private driver.

OK, SO LACES + LIMOS IS WORTH IT? AND WORTH YOUR TIME?

Yes, Yes! Whether you’re a romantic couple on your honeymoon or a corporate group looking for something a a bit out of the box, you can’t replicate this experience any other way so it’s definitely worth both the price and your time. I’ll let them do the actual pricing but basically for a couple it’s about what you would spend for a private driver for a day but a whole lot more fun (and don’t forget the included gourmet picnic lunch!) Even if you are only here for one day, even if you’re a first timer, you should consider this. And if you have two days or more, for sure make this part of your agenda. Reach out to Chel, the owner, and tell her Wally sent you and she will personally get you all of the info you need to decide if a Tuk Tuk tour is in your future. I hope you do it - It seriously is one of the best things to do in Napa.

"WOW! Our experience was nothing short of extraordinary. From the moment we booked until the very end, everything exceeded our expectations."

"4 years later it's the one experience we did during our California trip we still talk about"

"It’s not a tour you find and book, this has been an experience, the once-in-a-lifetime kind that NOT everyone has but lucky ones will"

FRIENDSGIVING 2024

This year celebrate Friendsgiving by booking an unforgettable private tour through Napa Valley’s scenic vineyards including a curated tasting followed by a chef prepared lunch in the vineyards alongside friends and family.

 This limited-time package blends adventure with luxury, offering a unique way to create lasting memories during the holiday season. 

​Here's what you should know-​​​​​​​​​

  • available for up to 12ppl

  • pickup in downtown Napa ​

  • backroad scenic tuk-tuk ride

  • private vineyard lunch 

  • local wine pairings/ tasting

  • interactive holiday fun!

Click HERE for a sample menu. 

$169/ PER PERSON (MIN 4PPL)

Make sure you tell Chel that Wally sent you for special VIP treatment!

tags Is Laces and Limos Worth It/, What is Laces and Limos?, Fun way to get around Napa, Fun Winery Tour in Napa, Tuk Tuk Tour in Napa, Picnic in a Vineyard in Napa, Can you picnic in a winery in Napa?, Getting Around Napa, Is Laces and Limos Good for Bachelorette Parties?, Bachelorette Party Planning in Napa, Corporate Group Events in Napa, Most Unique Experience for Corporate Groups in Napa, Romantic Napa Experience with Picnic Lunch in a Vineyard, Gourmet Picnic Lunch Experience in Napa, What wineries allow picnics in Napa?