We will be in San Jose for business and want to do Monterrey/Carmel and wine country. Is it possible to do Monterrey area as a day trip from San Jose or should we spend the night and then head up to wine country? We will be in San Jose for 4 nights and then I thought one night in Monterrey, two in Napa/Sonoma and the last one near the airport for an early flight. Is this plausable?

The drive from SJ to Monterey is about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. So it's possible to do it as a day trip, but I think it's better to spend the night so you aren't rushed and have enough time to enjoy Monterey.

I would advise doing Monterey and Carmel as an overnight trip to get a chance to see the area. Some suggestions include the Monterey Bay Acquarium, Fisherman's Wharf, and 17 mile drive. Carmel is a quaint town with sidewalk cafes, galleries, etc. Check out www.monterey.com and www.carmelbythesea.com for more information.

I think that one night in Monterey/Carmel and 2 nights in Napa/Sonoma sound good. Staying the night in SJ before your flight is also a good idea. A hotel in downtown SJ may be preferable to one near the airport since you have more restaurants,etc. within walking distance, and it would still be convenient to the airport which is 5 miles from downtown.

I second the recommendation to stay in a hotel in downtown SJ the night before the flight rather than near the airport. The drive from downtown to the airport is really short.

Thanks for the info! Any recomendations for mid-price hotels in Monterrey/Carmel or Napa/Sonoma and which wineries or spa areas are worth a visit?

Depending on the time of your flight home, you might want to actually stay the night before in Monterey. We often stay on Sunday nights, hit the road by 6 am and are home in Palo Alto by 7:45 in time for my husband to shower/shave and go to his office. You've got to be early morning folks though. I'm assuming you're going from SJC and not SFO. I would definitely go to Napa/Sonoma first (unless it's a weekend) and then Monterey second. So, if you're going east and will take one whole day to travel home with time change, try to take a later flight and spend 4 days in San Jose, then 2 in Napa and then the last 2 in Monterey, getting an early start. Oh---you've got to take the 101 freeway from 156 in Monterey in order for this to work. Good luck.

The wine country on the weekend is nothing but a parking lot. Sonoma is the way Napa used to be, less crowded and with people taking more time, more personal attention. I think one day here, driving around, is more than enough. I would do one night in wine country, leaving SJ in the morning, full day in Sonoma, sleep maybe in Napa to dine in a great restaurant there at night, and early the next morning split for Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur. Monterey for lunch, Fisherman's Wharf, a walk around, maybe the aquarium, but sleep at the Highlands Inn outside Carmel and just across from a gorgeous state park that extends into the Pacific with wonderful hiking, seal views, etc. Next morning, walk around Carmel, do the 17 mile drive thru Pebble Beach, maybe dine there, then continue on to Big Sur. Stay at the Ventana Inn for two or three nights and hike, drink the wine you will have bought in Sonoma-Napa, and just fall in love all over again. Head back to San Jose and out refreshed and renewed.

Excellent advice about going to Wine Country during the week. Leaving San Jose on a weekday morning should not be much of a problem via 680 north to 80 west to 12 into Napa since the commute traffic will be heading in the opposite direction.