SF and Sonoma/Napa help

[ckmommy]

I need help. My DH and I are going on our first adult only vacation in 5 years. We are hoping for SF and going to the vineyards. I know nothing about either place. I need locals or those who have done this trip before to tell me what to do, where to eat and stay. My DH has tons of Hilton points to use if possible. Looking for good, and maybe inexpensive food that the locals know of--we love seafood and hope to try something in Chinatown??

 

[lcasa]

My DH lived in SF for a while - our favorite inexpensive Chinese food is at the House of Nanking at Columbus & Kearny. It wins lots of local awards.

Use the hotel points in Napa if you can- Napa hotels are pricey! The SF Hilton is pretty nice too - a bit on the border of "the tenderloin", which is kind seedy - but if you walk toward Union Sq instead you're in a good area. Napa is wonderful - just be aware that the wineries tend to close by 5 so you won't get too many done in a day. My fave is Silverado - owned by Diane Disney Miller! Beautiful site, great wines. There is wonderful food all over Napa but a lot of it is pricey.

 

[barkley]

i grew up in napa, just moved from the area a few years ago.

a suggestion-hilton honor points can be used at some embassy suites hotels. there's an embassy suites in napa that's nice, but i'll make another suggestion if you're going to be doing san francisco as well.

this past summer we went home for a visit and the kids wanted to do the touristy gig in san fransisco-and we wanted to go to the king tut exhibit as well. instead of staying in napa we stayed at the embassy suites in san rafael. if we oriented our travel around non commute times, we could be in sonoma or napa (if you take the very scenic backroads) in no more than an hour. san francisco, depending on where you were going was a short trip as well. it was a realy nice place-and an added benefit with embassy suites is the free cooked to order breakfast every morning and the 2 hours of free cocktails every evening.

as for places to eat in and around napa-what are you looking for? fancy, informal, just great places to get something specific? i can suggest some places but it would be easier if i had an idea of what you like/don't like (and if you're vegetarian).

one thing i would highly reccomend you consider doing is a visit to dr. wilkinson's hot springs in calistoga. while the idea of a mud bath may seem unappealing to most folks, i can honestly say it's one of the most relaxing experiences of my life. they offer a 'stress busters' package for couples that includes one nite of lodging and a package of spa services (mineral bath, mud bath, hot blanket wrap, massage), it's a great deal-but be warned you will be so relaxed you likely won't want to plan on dinner out that nite. when dh and i have done it we've opted to go to one of the great casual restaurants within walking distance.

let me know what you're looking for-i'll suggest what i can.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

We like to do Sonoma county wineries - there is a Hilton in Santa Rosa and a couple other hilton brands too I think. We start at a winery we know in Healdsburg and then ask for recommendations the rest of the day - we've gotten to try some new places we wouldn't have thought to go on our own. For dinner in Healdsburg we really liked Willi's - tapas and raw bar. Grazing on tapas is one of my favorite meal styles so this was perfect. Great food, many great wines by the glass.

In northern Napa county - if you like champagne don't miss Schramsburg. The tour is pricier than most at $25 a person but they poured generously. We tried 4 different wines - 2 in the $35-40 range and 2 at $100 a bottle.

IF you want to do a gourmet bread/cheese/fruit picnic check out the Oakville Grocery - in Oakville in Napa county and Healdsburg in Sonoma county. Some of the wineries have picnic areas that are very scenic. Bring along plenty of bottled water in the car - the rule we were told is drink a bottle of water for every glass of wine so you aren't drunk by noon.

If you buy by the case the winery will ship for you (there is a charge) - if you build your own mixed case getting a bottle or 2 at each place, the wineries will sell you the case box to fill up. Then we took it to a shipping store in Healdsburg to ship it home. when we priced it the ups store was horribly expensive ($80) but another place was more reasonable ($35).

 

[Pixie_Dust]

We like to do Sonoma county wineries - there is a Hilton in Santa Rosa

I live there, but haven't gone wine tasting in years. We used to enjoy it a lot. Do the Sonoma wineries, unlike Napa, still not charge for tasting?

Napa is sort of the Disney of wine experiences, so expensive, and basically "stand in line," as they are all along the same road. Sonoma County has several different areas, but you won't be in some fairy tale wine country setting altogether, just driving in and out from winery areas through "regular people" areas. The SR Hilton is not right near any wineries.

Basically you would go to the Russian River area in West County, the Alexander Valley/Dry Creek area near Healdsburg, or the Valley of the Moon area out towards Sonoma. Then there is the Carneros region that straddles Sonoma and Napa Counties. There are way too many wineries to do them all, so it is best if you do some research and decide what it is you are looking for - a celebrated wine or varietal, or a special tour or scenery, or what have you.

Or go to Napa for the imposing, fake chateau-looking wineries where everything is high-falutin' and you might have trouble getting ressies in the expensive restaurants. It will be more like Disney and may conform more to an ideal of a wine country vacation (plus they have fancy expensive spas, too, for instance in Calistoga)

 

[goofycathy]

I live there, but haven't gone wine tasting in years. We used to enjoy it a lot. Do the Sonoma wineries, unlike Napa, still not charge for tasting?

Napa is sort of the Disney of wine experiences, so expensive, and basically "stand in line," as they are all along the same road. Sonoma County has several different areas, but you won't be in some fairy tale wine country setting altogether, just driving in and out from winery areas through "regular people" areas. The SR Hilton is not right near any wineries.

Basically you would go to the Russian River area in West County, the Alexander Valley/Dry Creek area near Healdsburg, or the Valley of the Moon area out towards Sonoma. Then there is the Carneros region that straddles Sonoma and Napa Counties. There are way too many wineries to do them all, so it is best if you do some research and decide what it is you are looking for - a celebrated wine or varietal, or a special tour or scenery, or what have you.

Or go to Napa for the imposing, fake chateau-looking wineries where everything is high-falutin' and you might have trouble getting ressies in the expensive restaurants. It will be more like Disney and may conform more to an ideal of a wine country vacation (plus they have fancy expensive spas, too, for instance in Calistoga)

WOW I was born and raised in Napa and have NEVER thought of Napa as "high-falutin'" or "imposing" Napa is beautiful! I understand that your biased because you live somewhere smaller that has always been forgotten and left in Napas shadow but let the OP judge for themselves on how wonderful and charming both cities can be for different reasons....I for one love to go back to Napa AND Sonoma every chance I get to really appreciate their differences!

**OP, Napa and Sonoma are VERY different and I would encourage you to see both places on different days to see for yourself how beautiful and quaint they both really are!**

 

[lcasa]

I wanted to second both the Oakville grocery (great cheeses!) and the Schramsberg recommendation - the tour there is really interesting. Champagne is a more complex process than still wine and they take you through each step.
If you have some favorite wineries check their policies in advance - some require reservations, even if they are inexpensive/free.

For paid tastings my DH and I usually share a taste - never had a problem, and you'll get to taste more before your taste buds are spent! Plus if you get some you don't care for you haven't spent 2x as much.

There's a very nice restaurant at Domaine Chandon - lunch there outside was lovely. In Sonoma we recently ate a place named something like 'the girl and the fig' - that was quite good - again, fab cheeses.

 

[pixiewings71]

mmmm wine tasting.....I love that about living here. We really enjoy ourselves while doing the Napa wine tasting, it's so much fun. DBF and I did it in Jan. for his bday, unfortunately he couldn't drink much because he had to drive (we borrowed his Dad's Jag because his car was on it's last legs and we didn't want to drive the mini van LOL) but we went to like 6 wineries. I was feeling no pain when we were done. LOL Anyway, our favorites are V Sattui (you can't buy their wines anywhere BUT the winery), they have a great picnic area and a deli inside with all kinds of cheeses, breads, salads, so you could go there, get lunch from the deli and eat outside in the picnic area. I love love love the Muscat they have (sweet dessert style wine) and the Gamay Rouge. Just YUM! We also really liked Domaine Carneros, we did a single tasting and a cheese plate, it was $30 and plenty of both cheeses and champagne. I've done tasting at Domaine Chandon as well, that's my BFF's favorite champagne so for her bachlorette party we made sure to go there. DBF and I also enjoyed Peru Provence as well, they have a couple of very good red wines, we didn't like Jessup Cellars that much BUT they do a Port tasting and we'd never done that so that was fun.
If you stay at a hotel in Napa you will get a bunch of 2 for 1 coupons for wine tastings, and most hotels will also help you arrange a driver so you can both indulge and not worry about drinking & driving. We stayed at the Vino Bello which is our Shell timeshare, OMG that hotel is AMAZING!!!!!!! (it was on Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe, they have an underground spa that Mike helped dig out). The sister hotel is the Meritage, it's not a timeshare property and anyone can stay there. Both are beautiful, the concierge is wonderful and the staff was great as well.
Have a great time!

 

[PrincessAurora]

I go to Napa all the time and love it. I get lost in Sonoma with all the little goat paths.

My fav places in Sonoma are
* Twomy
* Silver Oak
* Iron Horse (hard to find though but worth it)
* Fritz

My fav places in Napa are:
*Rubicon (I'm a member) Though I heard Coppola opened a lower end winery in Sonoma where he moved the movie museum to. He has some cool things and even his lower end wines are great though I highly recommend Rubicon. It is top tier!
* Grgich Hills
*V. Sattui (FAB wines, not as expensive and FOOD!!!! This is where everyone picnics. In the summer they have BBQ)

In town there are some nice Mom & Pop eateries AND the Oxbow Market in Napa is nice. Just resign yourself that the wine country is pricey. Period. But a lovely time.

 

[lomorton]

If you make it up to to the Napa area, I suggest a visit to the quaint town of St. Helena. On their downtown street, Woodhouse Chocolates is amazing. The chocolate is pricey, but they have delicious concoctions. My favorite is the Cinnamon Bun truffle.

My two favorite wineries in St. Helena are Duckhorn and Rombauer. At Duckhorn, the tasting takes place on the porch of an old farmhouse. Beautiful white railings, friendly servers, and a view of their vineyards. Rombauer has an award-winning Chardonnay, an ultra jammy Zin , and my favorite, their Diamond Cab which is dusty, earthy, and delicious. The tasting room at Rombauer is a little off putting in its small size, but you are welcome to roam the beautifully landscaped grounds with your glass.

 

[PrincessAurora]

Woodhouse is da bomb! I stumbled into their shop and their chocolates are amazing!!!

 

[lomorton]

Woodhouse is da bomb! I stumbled into their shop and their chocolates are amazing!!!

Aren't they? I've been dreaming about that shop for over a year!

 

[barkley]

WOW I was born and raised in Napa and have NEVER thought of Napa as "high-falutin'" or "imposing" Napa is beautiful! I understand that your biased because you live somewhere smaller that has always been forgotten and left in Napas shadow but let the OP judge for themselves on how wonderful and charming both cities can be for different reasons....I for one love to go back to Napa AND Sonoma every chance I get to really appreciate their differences!

**OP, Napa and Sonoma are VERY different and I would encourage you to see both places on different days to see for yourself how beautiful and quaint they both really are!**

i was born and raised there as well-and i wish i shared your sentiments, but a trip back home 2 weeks ago just reinforced for me what the previous poster shared-napa has drasticly changed over the years to the point that dh and i both commented that it reminded us of the areas around wdw-over developed, conjested and tourist driven.

up valley seems to be a bit better, st. helena and calistoga still have their rural charm but napa (inside the city limits) has just gotten overbuilt and overpriced (and going up-the city is considering raising their occupancy tax again which american canyon is hoping will send even more tourists their way).

the icing on the cake was going into the one remaining bookstore in napa (copperfieds on trancas) specificaly to seek out a book on a common california topic and learning from the staff that while it's a normal book for bookstores in california to carry, the napa store does'nt b/c 'our invantory is selected with the tourist shoppers in mind'.

we did spend some time in sonoma, and it was nice to see that the commute route i traveled so often on my way to sonoma state university (backroads all the way) still felt familiar-the vineyards, the rolling green hills-and stornetta's dairy (THE favorite field trip destination of the napa kids of my generation-free chocolate milk and a cool multi color pen).

 

[Joan S.]

Hi, Just wanted to say THANK YOU to all the "locals" or used to be "locals" for posting!! My family is hoping to visit California and some wineries in August. And having someone post info who has lived or is living there is SO HELPFUL!! Joan

 

[pixiewings71]

I don't know about high falutin, the just cracks me up. But I will say I'm counting the days until next month when we go wine tasting for my bday. Mmmmmm V Sattui!

 

[Topper]

Not a Napa fan. One winery after another along a long stretch of road (for the most part) there are side roads and parallel roads with wineries, but most folks stick to the main road. Sonoma on the other hand is like an adventure! Small wineries tucked away off the beaten path, just waiting to be discovered. In the Sonoma area, check out:

Peterson Winery
Wilson Winery
Dry Creek Winery
Alexander Valley
J Winery
Rodney Strong
Iron Horse
Korbel
Jordan Vineyard
Rosenblum Cellars
Copolla
(i could go on for hours)

We stayed in Monte Rio and ventured out from there. Sonoma is fantastic!
We had a vacation rental house, so most meals were eaten there(lots of great local fresh produce), but on our day trip to SF, we hit http://www.thaispiceonpolkstreet.com/thairestaurant/dinner.htm and it was superb!

No matter what you do, you will have a grand time!

 

[barkley]

just as a head's up-some of the cities in napa county are looking at bumping up their tax rate on lodging. if you are traveling to napa, st. helena, yountville, american canyon or calistoga you might want to call your lodging and find out if you will be taxed at a higher rate than you anticipated (with the proposed new tax it would raise the rate in some places to as high as 14%).