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Suggestions for Sonoma or Napa Valley?


MikeRC

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We have a few free days in October after a conference in San Francisco. I would like to stay in the Sonoma or Napa Valley and enjoy a B&B or small inn type atmosphere. Wife would probably make use of spa services, I would probably just poke around (we don't golf) or relax and read. Anywhere as far north as Calistoga would be fine.

 

We have been in the area a couple of times before either driving or on the motorcycle, but I am looking for original ideas & suggestions. We have done some of the winery tours, but not for 10 years.

 

Failing any sage advice here, I have to trust Trip Advisor :D

 

Mike Cassidy

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Danny caddyshack Noonan

No lodging suggestions, sorry. We passed on the Castle tour given the exorbitant price. Don't recall the amount. Wasn't worth it.

We do recommend Keenan Winery. V Satui WInery has a deli and many tables outside to eat and drink what you buy there.

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My wife and I enjoyed the Del Dotto Winery "Cave Experience & Barrel Tasting" in St. Helena. It was a little pricey but a lot of fun.

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We were up there in July 2018. We used AirBnB for a small cabin, quaint little place in Calistoga. Don't recall the price as the wife and her sister lined it all up, but I do remember it was off of Calistoga road and Gates road (I was the driver for these events).

 

The Castle tour, for me, was well worth it. I don't drink so anything to distract from the boredom of watching the wife, her sister and husband tasting this and that was good for me. They go into the history of the castle, construction (interesting about the fr and the place is not just a facade. There is a dungeon and hallways that go down. Out of the whole trip to the Napa/Sonoma area, the castle tour was my favorite. We did hit up a few other wineries but their names escape me as I was not impressed (again, not a drinker).

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We stayed at a VRBO house in Yountville. I can't seem to find them anymore. But, Yountville is centrally located, so think about that. A few great places to eat there as well.

 

Highlight winery tours include Shafer, Del Dotto, Schramsburg, and Caymus.

 

 

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I just left him a phone mail. Couple of world class restaurants in the area. :wave:

 

Edited by Marty Hill
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skinny_tom (aka boney)

:wave:

 

Let me give this a few thoughts... I'm not up to date on the lodging but I can steer you to some "local" experience type places.

Edited by Tom F. (formerly boney)
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Healdsburg is a good base for Sonoma Cty. Many wineries close by and the town itself is pleasant has a lot of amenities. Sonoma more relaxed and less busy than Napa

 

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skinny_tom (aka boney)

`..Still have the scooter, it's my 'around town' ride. Great for getting groceries or running out to a winery to grab a bottle of wine.

 

I think that the best way to help with finding local things to do is the have a better idea of where you'll be staying.

 

For what it's worth, I don't think there is such thing as "local" in Yountville- it is Disneyland for adults. St. Helena will have a bit more local charm, and Calistoga will have still more than that. Napa, the city of, is a big city with plenty of local flavor since it is where the working class still live in Napa Valley.

 

Healdsburg has a tremendous amount of tourist and development pressure on it. It might be too late, but I fear is it becoming like Yountville. Santa Rosa is a big city too, and like Napa, it is where the working class lives. Plenty of local there. Petaluma, if you ask me, is the last of Sonoma County "cities" that still holds it's small town charm (even though it's not so small any more) and managed to resist the tourist pressure. Sonoma, the town of, is seeing a lot of tourist and development pressure too, but has managed to keep a good portion of it at bay. (for dog's sake, there are 37 tasting rooms in about 3 square miles!) I'm most familiar with the Petaluma and Sonoma Valley areas for 'local" stuff, as this is generally where I spend most of my time. I can offer a plethora of secrets about these places, but wouldn't suggest you base your decision where to stay around that. Find a place that looks good to you, and I'll help dig up the off-the-beaten-path places that fit in with the things you want to do.

 

Travel by car can be a bear. Last October's fires destroyed around 9,000 structures, a very large portion of that were people's homes. There are a lot of people who have to commute in from out of the area now, and then there is the construction traffic on top of that. Your best bet is to be north or Petaluma or Sonoma by 2 PM, otherwise it could be at least a two hour ride from the Golden Gate Bridge to either of those towns. Especially on Thursday and Friday. (thank goodness lane splitting is legal in California!)

Edited by Tom F. (formerly boney)
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Thanks for the info folks. We have booked a room in Calistoga.

 

I would be quite happy to just relax, eat at local spots and visit a few wineries.

 

Funny that you mention Petaluma, Tom. Stayed there a couple of years ago when I was riding the coast all the way down from the Olympia peninsula. Quiet early morning ride out to the Pt Reyes lighthouse then on to Skyline Dr.

 

Mike Cassidy

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  • 2 weeks later...
skinny_tom (aka boney)

The great part is that you're coming when the vines are all turning colors and maybe even being trimmed and burnt. Even though we've seen more than our share of wild fires in the last year (another one started yesterday) there is nothing like the smell of grape vine burn piles in the fall....

 

It's been a long time since I went to Calistoga for anything but a daytime stop. I'll do my best to give you some local highlights, and leave the restaurant listings to other sources, since we haven't been up there for dinner in years.

 

If you like to hike, drive up 29 toward Lake County and stop at the top of the pass. You can hike up the fire road to the top of Mt. St. Helena. It's a long uphill slog, but on a clear day the view can't be beat. If that's too much, you can hike into Robert Lewis Stevenson Park to the south, which is not so strenuous. For a nice drive I'd go up to Alexander Valley, which is north on 128 into Sonoma County. Stop along the way where the vineyard doesn't have any fences and walk into it a bit. Stop at the Jimtown Store for a snack. Or conversely, drive up Kortum Canyon Rd until you reach the vineyards. They're fenced but it's a nice secluded canyon where the views among the terraces are pretty cool. If you keep going, it turns to dirt for a mile or so, but you could probably pick your way through it in a rental sedan.

 

Indian Springs has done a lot of renovations and jacked the prices up some serious numbers, however, I can recommend the foot massage and a chill out session at the Buddha Pond- then maybe a spell at the pool. It's a nice place. Used to be a lot cheaper.:-(

 

I wish I could recommend a small "local" winery up that way, but I rarely get out of the Sonoma Valley for wine. Our Napa valley food trips are mostly to the "standards," Sarafornia for breakfast, Busters for BBQ, Taylor's Refresher for an afternoon burger or the Rutherford Grill for ribs and steak.

 

The last of the racing at the Calistoga Speedway is next weekend.

 

That's all I've got. I'm not sure any of it will be very helpful....

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  • 3 weeks later...
:wave:

 

Let me give this a few thoughts... I'm not up to date on the lodging but I can steer you to some "local" experience type places.

I would be interested in this too, I'm heading there in about 2 weels

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