Dolce Vita Villa in Sonoma
 

Hi US board fodorites,

I am hoping for any input on the following rental which has been proposed for a bachelorette weekend in Sonoma in June:

http://www.vrbo.com/90608

Has anyone stayed here? How is the location (Glen Ellen)? I have never been to wine country so I am a newbie but the pictures look great...just not sure about proximity to nice restaurants, wineries, etc.

Also, Sonoma Mission Inn is on the agenda for spa day, is this a good spot or any others to consider?

Any particular wineries which you fell in love with in this area?

Thanks for any help you can offer! Lastly, I am flying from LA Friday after work, what is the best (ie fastest and non-road rage inducing) way to Sonoma?

Grazie mille,
JenV

Topping for daytime input.

Sonoma experts, help please?

Looks nice. Glen Ellen isn't much...but nearby Sonoma has a plethora of good restaurants. Benziger winery- fun place to tour. Imagery, Gundlach Bundschu, Gloria Ferrer (sparkling)

I like Glen Ellen,(and if I din't live nearby, I'd probably prefer it to staying in Sonoma town.) Wolf House and Glen Ellen Inn are both good for dining. There's a grocery store
nearby. As Linda says, Sonoma and it's many good restaurants, is nearby.

Wineries near Glen Ellen/Kenwood in the Valley of the Moon:
Mayo
Valley of the Moon
Kaz
Arrowood
Kunde
Landmark

Adding to Linda's good list for
In/Near Sonoma:
Sebastiani
Nicholson Ranch

You didn't say which airport you are flying in to, yet if it's after work on Frdiay and it's later than 7PM-you won't have the heavy commute traffic.

Have you considered flying direct from LAX into Santa Rosa (STS) on Horizon/Alaska air ?
Then you would alreay be in the Wine Country and you could drive south to Sonoma town. Not much traffic at all
once through Santa Rosa.

R5

Thanks Linda and RD, unfortunately we only have two days and one for wine tasting - looks like there are alot of wineries to see :-) If you had to narrow to 3-4, which would you choose?

I am flying to SFO w/ another girl, arriving at 4:45 pm Friday afternoon..hence my worry of hitting bad traffic.

Thanks again for the suggestions.
JenV

I loved Gloria Ferrer. They have a gorgeous porch to sit and sip bubbly. They also have a nice gift shop, cute shirts. I can hear R5 laughing right now, but hey.. I really think y'all would like Benziger. Very friendly, also a stellar gift shop. R5, you pick the other two.

I'm not laughing, I think those are
good picks, Linda ! (and I have my own supply of wine-o t'shirts and such)
:S-
Benziger and Gloria Ferrar are
sort of at opposite ends of the area,
so I'll pick two nearer the middle
and the town of Sonoma in case you want to grab a bite-Gundlach Bundschu & Sebastiani, although Ravenswood can be a lot of fun (now Linda's laughing !)

OHHHH, SFO at 5 PM ! Well, you'll be in traffic. You'll need to come up 280/
19th avenue-Hwy 1/cross the GG Bridge
continue north on 101 to Hwy 37/take Hwy 37 to Hwy 121-turn left and continue on up 121 (which shares the name with Arnold Drive) into Glen Ellen.

At least you'll have mostly daylight
at that time of year as well as a lot of company, but you are used to LA
traffic-right ?
:)

R5

If you really sip (not chug) pour some out, share a taste, etc you can easily do 5-6 wineries in a day.

Beautiful ladies - thanks for the recos! Can't wait to be there. So I have the 4-5 places and will see if others think we can do more...I'm not one to leave great wine in the glass and after 3 wineries on my other wine tasting experience in Santa Ynez Valley 4 more giggly girls you could not find :-)
Cheers,
JenV