There may or may not be an adobe cottage within the walls of the white-columned mansion at the heart of the Silverado Resort. General John Franklin Miller, 
who later became a U.S. Senator, built the elegant 14-room home in the 1870s on a site along Napa Valley's Milliken Creek. Before he could begin construction, however, he faced a dilemma: there was already a Spanish adobe cottage on that spot, and local superstition held that ill fortune would befall whomever destroyed the adobe structure. Taking no chances, Miller is said to have built around it, a possibility that the three-foot-thick walls at the southwestern corner of the mansion seem to support.
Whatever the truth to that legend, the 1,200-acre Miller estate ultimately became the Silverado Resort, welcoming its first guests in 1966 and quickly emerging as a major vacation and conference option in the Napa Valley. Then in 2010, Dolce Hotels and Resorts bought it and immediately set out to enhance its facilities and amenities, including the tennis.
Pro Shop: 707-257-0200
Early in 2011, Peter Burwash International was tapped to direct the tennis program on the 13 hard courts—the largest resort complex in Northern California—and assigned 
Jacob Hansen and James Rutherford to shepherd the turnaround. By the time I visited in June, they'd already made progress in reactivating the member program and were looking forward to their first high season, which runs July to October and brings an influx of resort guests. "The hotel's goal is to make this the tennis destination in Northern California," Hansen told me. As director he brings broad international experience to the task, having had postings at clubs and resorts in Europe, Asia, Central America, and the U.S. "There's so much potential here," he continued, which makes him happy to have a head pro in Rutherford, who grew up olaying tennis in his native Iowa whose experience includes the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa and Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, both in the Palm Springs desert, as well as international experience in Singapore. The members I spoke to already feel that the tennis has been vastly improved in only the few months that PBI has been there.
Courts & Fees. Silverado's 13 courts occupy two locations: there are six courts near the mansion, which is where a small room with a bare minimum of pro-shop accoutrements serves as the main staging area; there are another seven hard courts adjacent to the spa across the road. Court fees: free to guests.
Golf Courses. Robert Trent Jones, Jr. originally designed the 36 holes of golf at Silverado. With the arrival of Dolce Hotels and Resorts, both the North (at 7,100 yards) and South (at 6,685 yards) courses are slated to be redesigned by PGA Hall of Famer Johnny Miller and put under the management of Troon Golf. Those renovations have already begun on the North Course.
Spa & Fitness Center. The Roman-inspired spa encompasses 16,000 square feet and offers an array of massages and treatments, including seaweed and blueberry wraps, enzyme facials, and packages tailored specifically to golfers. The men's and women's locker rooms have the predictable sauna and steam rooms and both open out onto a 25-meter lap pool with outdoor whirlpools, and garden treatment cabanas. the spa building also houses a well-equipped fitness center, with weight-training and cardiovascular equipment, as well as some 30 exercise classes, among them cardio, yoga, and step.
And ... In addition to the lap pool at the spa, there are nine other swimming pools scattered throughout the property. There are also courts for bocce, volleyball, and basketball.
Rather than a central hotel, it has scattered its 435 rooms through more than a score of low-rise buildings. Every room has a balcony or terrace and everything from a junior suite to one with three bedrooms also has a wood-burning fireplace.
There are two restaurants: The Grill, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, al fresco if you like, from a menu that focuses on Wine Country cuisine; and Royal Oak, for dinner of Angus steak, grilled seafood.
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Rates on request.
Seasons. Year-round.
Travel Instructions. There is a county airport in Napa; however, most visitors arrive at either San Francisco International (SFO) or Oakland International (OAK). Travel time is roughly 1 hour from Oakland, 75 minutes from San Francisco.
General Tourist Information. For information about the whole of the Napa Valley, check out the Napa Valley Conference and Visitors Bureau website or phone 800-582-6208. Once in the area, stop by the Napa Visitor Center in Napa for information about everything from wineries and restaurants to biking, hot air ballooning, and anything else the region offers.