becca

Planning to spend one year anniversary in Wine Country and San Fran. Plan to be in wine country for 3 days and San Fran. 1 day in late December. Suggestions on Napa vs. Sonoma, where to stay, vineyards to see, weather, Wine train (worth it?) and restaurants. Have been to Opus One, Far Niente and Mondavi. Thanks!

Matt

I know you didn't ask for this suggestion but the San Francisco Hilton on O'Farrell St. was a good hotel. It has a pool; a towers section; and is a short walk from a major thoroughfare, a shopping district, and the cable cars.

Matt

I know you didn't ask for this suggestion but the San Francisco Hilton on O'Farrell St. was a good hotel. It has a pool; a towers section; and is a short walk from a major thoroughfare, a shopping district, and the cable cars.

Kristin

Hi !! My husband and I stayed in Napa for 4 days in the summer of '96--we ate at the most romantic restaurant (recommended to us by several different people, and also recommended in the Triple A travel guide) It is in Rutherford, just a couple of miles north of Napa called Auberge du Soleil (the inn of the sun). It has a really romantic bar, and a beautiful restaurant. Tile floors, vines hanging all over, beautiful flowers, little fountains, delicious food (expensive, but hey--it's your anniversary!), and a gorgeous outdoor balcony--(probably not recommended in December!). Anyway, we loved it!! For a little rowdier time--Mustards was also a great restaurant--not romantic, but delicious and lots of fun--we also enjoyed a place called The Briq--am not sure what town those 2 are in, but they are all just a few miles away from each other in the Valley. I haven't been to Sonoma so can't comment on that. The Auberge du Soleil has gorgeous accommodations also, but that was too pricey for us--we stayed in a condo at the Silverado Lodge in Napa (I think approx. $150 a night) Very nice. I wouldn't recommend the train ride, altho we didn't take it--we just saw the route from our hot air balloon ride (which we loved), and it looked like the train just followed the main Hwy 29 (someone we asked said it was just o.k.) Go to the Hess winery--beautiful contemporary art and delicious wine--the vineyards are on the mountain in Napa (west end of the city). We are not experts on Napa, but we just drove up from S.F. and liked it alot better than we thought!! Enjoy!!

Paul

Congratulations on your anniversary! I prefer the Sonoma valley over Napa because it is less crowded and personally I think the wines are better. If you do go to Napa, eat at Tra Vigne in St Helena. Kinda pricey, very yuppie, but superb food. If you go the Sonoma Valley route, the Rex in Geyserville has great Italian food if it's still there. Great wineries in Sonoma valley are Pedroncelli (IMO the best wine value around), Dry Creek, Davis Bynum and Foppiano. Have fun!

sue

Happy anniversary!! What a wonderful way to spend an anniversary. I have to agrre with most of your respondents.
forget the wine train. If you have an unlimited budget - stay at Auberge du Soleil. Hope you are Rockefeller!! It really depends what you want as to where you stay. Are you going to stay in and "snuggle" most of the time then stay at Auberge or Meadowood or The Silver Rose Inn in Calistoga and do a spa type thing. If you're going to do a lot of wineries you might want something more in Yountville or St. Helena. You can call Napa Valley reservations Unlimited 800-251-6272 or B&B Style 800-995-8884. I really enjoyed Sonoma as well, but we go to Napa once or twice a year and make our pilgrimage for wine. They are much friendlier in Sonoma and it is not as crowded, but you will only get to a few wineries. If yiou want to do a number of wineries you are better off on Highway 29 or th Silverado Trail.. Interesting wineries are Opus One and Jarvis. Silver Oak has wonderful wine. I do not personally care for the wines, but Sterling vineyards has a gondola ride and a pretty view. For a very romantic lunch or dinner also go to Domaine Chandon. The food is superb and I love sparkling wines. You can contact Dmaine Chandon at 1-800-234-8844 and ask to become a Doamine Chandon clkub member. It is free! When you get to the winery you bget a free glass of champagne and you have better access to the concierge for reservations. Have a great time!

Judi

Another restaurant to consider is Terra in St. Helena, where the grilled sea bass is to die for - truly one of the best meals I've ever eaten in my life. Loved Mustards too - the duck was divine.

A B&B which receives raves is Foothill House in Calistoga. On my next trip, I hope to consider price as no object and and stay at Auberge du Soleil.

A glass of champagne while sitting on the terrace at Domaine Chandon is a "must."

Ram Parameswaran

I've been to Napa on three occasions and Sonoma twice. I was just there in February and avoided Sonoma because of all the flooding. Wine obviously is purely a matter of preference, and I think there are great finds in either location. Sonoma is definitely friendlier and less crowded- the wineries are much more spread out compared to Napa. The major advantage to Sonoma is that most tasting is free, whereas in Napa there usually is a $3-5 charge per person for tasting. Sebastiani Winery in Sonoma has a nice tour. Someone already mentioned, but a must see in Napa is Hess winery, up in the mountains overlooking the valley. Also, at even higher elevation along the same ridge is Chateau Potelle. Both are a bit of a drive off the beaten path (and you really think that you are getting lost until you finally see some signs for the wineries!), but have spectacular grounds and views- definitely worth the detour. Mumm's for "sparkling wines" is also worth checking out in Napa for something different. Whenever I have been there, I have always stayed in the city. Most recently, after hearing several glowing recommendation on this message board, I stayed at the Archbishop's Mansion B&B in Alamo Square. I was very impressed with this place, but it is a bit expensive and away from the heart of the city, but we had a rental car and parking was free. Enjoy your anniversary!