Bridgett

HELP!!!!! My husband and I live in So. Cal (we're from the Bay Area though) and we're returning to No. Cal. as "tourist" to celebrate our anniversary (which involves dropping our children off in Hayward with my sis)... We just want to get away, stay somewhere nice that's not going to cost a fortune (less than $200/night), eat in nice restaurant (without the kids) and have some fun/relaxing activities during the day.

We've looked into Napa Valley, but haven't been able to find reasonable lodging... but we're now considering other options from Monterey (south) to Mendicino (norht).

I realize we've chosen a holiday weekend, but there has to be an option to $300/night for a good night's sleep?

We're trying to decide quickly because last year everything was booked by the end of February.

Any suggestions?

Bri

xxx

Big Sur has a few wonderful lodging facilities that don't cost a fortune. And there's a lot of great restaurants in the area as well as wonderful nature to explore.

gail

How about Sonoma County? Sonoma is not that far from Napa if that is where you really want to go. Sonoma County has many of the same types of attractions as Napa.The city of Sonoma is expensive, but Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Healdsburg, might be another choice.

gail

I just remebered one of my favorite places ..Westerbeke Retreat and Conference Center in Sonoma. I think sometimes people forget about all the alternative places to stay in Napa and Sonoma.Westerbeke will actually book individual parties as they have rooms available. If you are looking for a place with wonderful food and IN Sonoma, you might look at the website. the sacrifice for you might be the rooms. They are little cabins, but done very nicely. At least one has a fireplace. There are many retreat places if you end up not finding your price in hotels.

kcaslack

There's a wonderfully private and romantic spot just a couple of minutes outside Mendocino village that is excellent value for money and under $200. It's called the Hay Loft (see the latest edition of Best Places to Kiss in No. CA) and you can see pictures of it at www.mendocinopreferred.com It's only a couple of minutes at most to drive to the beautiful beach where Big River comes into Mendocino Bay at the village--a great beach for walking. Plus on the other side of the river from the beach (at Catch a Canoe) you can rent kayaks or canoes to paddle up the river where you'll find some great spots to picnic. They also rent mountain bikes and the nearby state parks (within 5 minutes) of Van Damme and Russian Gulch have some beautiful hiking trails that go along the ocean as well as in the redwoods. Plus, right outside the village, there is the Headlands State Park that has paths all along the ocean bluffs. Mendocino is a great getaway spot!

kam

In Carmel there is a group of hotels called "Inns by the Sea". Any one of them should work for you. You will need to book a minimum of 2 nights, but that should like what you want to do anyway. Would not suggest Monterey on Memorial Day---or another suggestion would be Pacific Grove. I also like Sonoma better than Napa especially on a holiday. There are less expensive hotels in Santa Rosa. Don't know when you moved south, but the prices just keep going up and up. Welcome back! Hope you have a restful weekend.