About Marybeth, National Geographic Author, Writer

Curious Explorer. Award-winning author.

Gutsy Traveler: A woman, like travel expert Marybeth Bond, stands among purple flowers, raising her arms and smiling in front of a wooden building in bright sunlight.
Polar bear tracking and snorkeling with beluga whales in the northern Canadian Arctic.

Marybeth knows travel. She has hiked, biked, dived, danced and trekked across all seven continents – from the depths of the Flores Sea near Komodo Island to the summit of Kilimanjaro.

More recently, she tracked polar bears and snorkeled with beluga whales in the Canadian Arctic, then kayaked among icebergs in Antarctica.

Somewhere in between, four years of studying in Paris earned her two degrees – and a taste for good wine and strong cheeses.

Twelve books (three with National Geographic), countless travel articles, and numerous TV and radio appearances have built her devoted fanbase. She won the esteemed Lowell Thomas, Gold Award for the Best Travel Book of the Year from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.

Woman on cliff in front of a monastery in Bhutan
Yesterday’s Video below. A decade or more later. Is Marybeth still GUTSY? Here in Bhutan.
Marybeth in Antarctica with penguins, snowy mountains, and water—just the kind of moment travel expert Marybeth Bond would capture in a travel video.
Kayaking and camping near penguins in Antarctica.

Yesterday….

Before Stepping up to the Tasting Bar, Sit Down to the Most Important Meal of the Day

Bed, then breakfast

  • At Calistoga’s Chateau de Vie, bed and breakfast guests dig into a classic winemaker’s breakfast consisting of fresh pastry, eggs scrambled with fresh tarragon and triple crème brie and wild mushroom duxelles, paired with a glass of Napa Valley Chardonnay.
  • Downtown Napa’s Inn on First serves an ever-changing breakfast menu including herbed focaccia and eggs with basil aioli, roast rosemary potato with soft baked eggs and a roasted tomato tart. The Inn’s proprietors ensure that returning guests enjoy a new dish each day and every visit.
  • Aurora Park Cottages, just north of Highway 29 in Calistoga, offers guests a hand-delivered breakfast basket each morning including whole wheat croissants to coat tummies with a pre-tasting layer of protective butter.

Morning After Favorites

  • The Michelin-starred Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil, in the hills of Rutherford, pairs its breakfasts and brunches with a wrap-around balcony and stunning 360-degree views of the Valley below. Breakfasts feature house-made breads and jams daily, and on weekends the Restaurant offers a three-course brunch.
  • Set amid the rolling hills of Southern Napa’s Carneros appellation, The Carneros Inn’s roadhouse-inspired Boon Fly Cafe serves homemade Boon Fly donuts, a local favorite. Weekend brunch items include Poppa Joe’s Eggs in a Hole and Green Eggs and Ham, featuring poached farm-fresh eggs wrapped in honey-cured ham on crispy hash browns topped with a lemon-leek cream.
  • At BANK Cafe in downtown Napa’s Westin Verasa, brunch menus are designed by Michelin Star-rated Chef Ken Frank, and menu items are sourced from Chefs’ Edible Gardens at COPIA. Breakfast favorites include Huevos Benedictios, a poached egg served on a corn muffin with chorizo and chipotle hollandaise. Breakfast is served weekdays and Saturday, and a three-course brunch is offered on Sundays.

Bakeries and Markets, On the Go

  • C Casa, located in the Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa, features south of the border favorites with a health-conscious spin, including a Mexican coffee with agave and cinnamon. Locals suggest their huevos rancheros may be the best in town, and additional egg dishes showcase succulent rotisserie chicken, chorizo and seasoned buffalo.
  • Having recently joined the Napa Valley breakfast club with new breakfast menus at locations in both St. Helena and Napa, Gott’s Roadside serves classic American and southwestern sandwiches and breakfast tacos filled with local produce. Sandwiches include scrambled eggs with cream cheese, tomato, avocado and green onions, as well as a southern sandwich of buttermilk fried chicken tenders, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese and charred jalapeño mayo.
  • The Model Bakery, with locations in Napa’s Oxbow Public Market and on St. Helena’s Main Street, is noted for its “world famous” English muffins, perfect for cradling bacon and eggs. House-made granola parfait, quiche, fresh pastries and bacon bread round out Model’s great selection of breakfast fare.

Did you know that in 2012 and 2013, The Napa Valley is the Official Wine Region of the 34th annual America’s Cup?

 

 

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Marybeth Bond