We're planning our honeymoon to Sonoma and Mendocino in late August. We want to wine taste, enjoy good food, and also do some outdoorsy activities, including hiking i.e. Armstrong Redwoods, kayaking the Russian River, biking in Mendocino, etc...

My big questions right now are where to stay in Sonoma County. We thought we would stay one night at the El Dorado Hotel in Sonoma so we can hit a few wineries in that area, check out the "historic downtown plaza," and eat at their restaurant, but the wineries we are really interested in are in the Russian River Valley. I've read on here and been told that Healdsburg is the place to be! But, I've found that places that I'd want to stay in the area (i.e. Hotel Healdsburg) are so expensive. I've found the same thing for most of the hotels/inns in the area (i.e. Farmhouse Inn, Gaige House, Vintner's Inn). We are okay with splurging a bit - it is our honeymoon afterall, but $300+ a night is just too much. I am wondering if we stayed in Guerneville if we'll regret not staying closer to Healdsburg. What is Guerneville like? Has anyone stayed at the Applewood Inn or the West Sonoma Inn? What do you think of these? Is one much nicer than the other? Anywhere else recommended around $200/night)?

For our itinerary, we're thinking one night in Sonoma, three in Guerneville (or other ideas?), 2 in Boonville, 2 in Mendocino, and 1 in Bodega Bay. Any thoughts on this timeframe? Any other suggestions on what to do in Boonville or Mendocino?

Thanks for any suggestions you can provide!

If you are looking for a break from wine, head to Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville for some great beer and frisbee golf.

Definitely get a meal at Highpockety Ox in Boonville.

In Russian River area, we loved the wine tasting at Duckhorn. It was expensive, but the setting was gorgeous and they also served small snacks with the tastings.

eco2

My husband and I stayed outside of Guerneville last Sept and loved the area. We rented a private home from Russian River Rentals that had a hot tub and beautiful views of the Russian River. Cost was very reasonable and the house was lovely.

I loved Healdsburg for shopping and wine tasting but we really enjoyed returning to "our house" in the evening and having wine outside under the redwoods. Very romantic (and we weren't on our honeymoon)....

We had dinner one night at the Applewood Inn and the food was delicious. The hotel looked beautiful.

Don't miss Armstrong Woods. We packed a picnic one day and spent the entire afternoon at the park. It was magnificent!!

If you like nature and hiking I would suggest the Guerneville area. The drive to the coast from there is only about 40 minutes. We watched the sunset one evening.

I loved the area and would return in a heartbeat.

Congratulations on the your upcoming wedding!!

Diane

Thanks for your comments. They definitely put me at ease about staying in Guerneville. I am leaning towards the West Sonoma Inn. Anyone stay there?

In Mendocino, I am thinking about either the Stanford Inn or the Packard or JD Houses. Any thoughts?

Anyone visit Boonville?

Thanks!

Hi eco2,

We've made many trips to northern California. For overall ambience, charm, food, and shopping, Mendocino and Healdburg are our favorite destinations. If you're coming up the 1, a lunch stop in Bodega Bay might be sufficient. Boonville is teeny but would serve well for wine tasting forays in the Anderson Valley (a caveat, we're not wine-tasters), and it's just a couple of hours from the 101 to Mendocino via the 128. Guerneville, the town, is about the river and the trees (and presumably the wineries), not a lot of there there, but it might provide a good balance in locale depending on your other choices. In Mendocino, I'd recommend checking out the Joshua Grindle, also the Bessie Strauss room at the Headlands Inn. The Stanford Inn is nice but is outside the village. Since you like outdoorsy activities, you might enjoy horseback riding on the beach, http://www.horse-vacation.com, just north of Fort Bragg. In Healdsburg, the Four Sisters recently took over the Healdsburg Inn. We stayed there last fall in a room overlooking the Plaza and were very pleased (they gave us a complimentary upgrade and often have specials).

Thanks for your suggestions! Healdsburg Inn does look nice but the price is a bit high. I guess we're looking for below $250 which is tough (or impossible) near Healdsburg. Plus, we want to stay at places that we are excited about which is hard at the cheaper places.

What would you recommend doing in Boonville or Mendocino? Is 2 nights at each sufficient? Horsebackriding on the beach would be awesome. How far from Mendocino is Fort Bragg?

Any other suggestions on places to stay part way between Mendocino and SFO that may be more appealing or interesting than Bodega Bay?

Here's the breakdown of # of nights we're thinking of but are open to suggestions:
1 night Sonoma
3 nights Guerneville
2 nights Boonville
2 nights Mendocino
1 night between Mendocino and SFO so we can take our time down the coast

From Boonville to Mendocino - the 101 or 128?

Thanks again!

Hi there.
http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/200...05_468x582.jpg

That's my little golist for Mendocino. If you can do Mendocino from tues-thu or Fri, you might find a deal at the MacCallum house on www.luxurylink.com
We did that and saved a bundle. Besides, the village is nicer during the week than on weekends when tour buses show up. We rode horses both on the beach and in the redwoods with Ricochet Ranch. Great time! Don't miss Pacific Star Winery north of Ft Bragg. A good drive, but an incredibly romantic picnic place. Gorgeous winery- best one in CA! Consider the Camellia Inn in Healdsburg. Their rooms are nice and the town is just a block away. Rooms are more reasonable...lovely place. I just loved the Cove Cottage at Alegria in Mendocino. Hey it's your honeymoon...you'll have the most incredible view...plus a hot tubright outside your door! This was a memprable stay for us. There is a hiking book for mendocino- lots of really beautiful hikes. We enjoyed Fern Gully/Pygmy Forest and the redwoods as well. Nothing is more romantic than strolling on the Headlands park in Mendocino as the world wakes up- all the crashing waves, whales in the distance, seals, birds, etc. A real heavenly place.

The Hiker's Hip Pocket Guide to the Mendocino Coast
by Bob Lorentzen Author


go to amazon.com and type that in. They have used ones starting at 39 cents!!

Fort Bragg is about 10 miles north of Mendocino. It is the larger, more practical sibling to arresting, arty Mendocino.

In Mendocino itself, I'd walk on the headlands, stroll through the village, check out my favorite stores including the Highlight Gallery and the Gallery Bookshop, eat well. I think there are many other more active things you can do nearby, but we quickly fall under Mendocino's spell and mostly enjoy its lovely setting and special ambience.

Boonville is on the 128 which runs from Cloverdale at the 101 to the coast. Have never stayed there, only driven through or stopped for lunch.

The coast between Mendocino and Jenner is spectacular. Fort Ross, south of Jenner, makes an interesting stop.

Going south on the 1 and getting closer to San Francisco, the Olema/Inverness/Point Reyes Station area might be a good overnight. Wonderful hiking at the Point Reyes National Seashore, very good food.

We rented a cottage in Kenwood for the month of March and friends who visited stayed at the Glen Ellen Inn. http://www.glenelleninn.com/
It is charming, romantic and very affordable. Glen Ellen is about 10 minutes north of Sonoma.

We are in the wine business so we toured 39 wineries in Sonoma and Napa Valley. Some were wonderful. You can read about them on our web site www.vinorossoidaho.com

There are several B&B's in Healdsburg that are not $300. a night. You can also check out www.sonomacountyvacations.com and see what Vacation rentals might be available. For sure there are several under $200. a night. Some other poster here mentioned how much they liked coming home to their own private apt. in the Healdsburg area.

Thanks for the link. There was one rental that looked perfect, until they added on all the fees - for cleaning and processing, etc... Oh well, looking like Guerneville it is.

Any thoughts on good towns for an overnight between Mendocino and flying out of San Fran? Good places to stay?

Ummmm... Duckhorn is not in the Russian River area-it's over in Napa in St. Helena.

Anywho, Congrats on your wedding !
Now, no nights in Boonville, you will be bored silly.
You'll need to take 128 west from 101-101 doesn't go through Boonville or Mendocino.
Add those nights to Sonoma, Mendocino, Guerneville or consider adding a few nights to a B&B near Pt.Reyes. Lots of hiking there.

Guerneville is a fun, kinda funky
rivertown in the redwoods you'll be fine there-easy to get to Healdsburg
for dinner splurges, yet there are very good places to eat in nearby
Sebastopol and Occidental as well.

R5

Sorry...my mistake on Duckhorn. My wineries are blurred from that trip. Thanks for the correction!

Hi there eco2

You've got a lot of good suggestions here. Just offering some notes here, if you're interested. If you are driving through the Anderson Valley on 128 out to the coast, you will find another redwoods state park called Hendy Woods. It's in Philo, which is west of Boonville. There's a turnoff for an alternate road out to the coast there, called the Greenwood-Philo road. It would put you out on the coast near the town of Elk, further south than where 128 ends. Then you could see a bit more of the coast on your way up to Mendocino town. But be aware that this would be a little bit of a detour and involves some twisty driving - maybe you'll have the time and the inclination, maybe not. Do try to time your walk on the headlands of Mendocino town at sundown - it's a spectacular place to watch the horizon and waves.

I myself like the Anderson Valley enough to spend a night there. The Boonville Hotel has a good restaurant on the premises. During the month of August, it would still be light enough to have an early dinner there and then drive on out to the coast and up to Mendocino.

If you want to see some really lonesome, rugged beaches and coastline, drive north from Mendocino past Fort Bragg towards the hamlets of Wesport and Rockport. Not a heavily traveled area of Highway One, and the scenery is lovely. Highway One ends slightly north of this area and goes inland to join 101. If it's a clear day, you'll see the reason why One doesn't continue on the coast - the mountains of the Lost Coast area. It's called the Lost Coast for good reason - it's beautiful but very isolated and inaccessible.

There are a lot of tempting side roads in Mendocino County, if you're like me and you like that kind of driving. If you do explore, please remember that some of these roads are/were logging roads and so there will be logging trucks barreling down them occasionally. Be careful! And have fun.

Thanks for the great tips, Dovima. We'll definitely use them! We want to explore the coast for sure. We're both in the marine field and are very outdoorsy.

We're going to be coming through the Sonoma wine area, and then to Mendocino and then down the coast. Do you think we should skip Boonville? We were thinking of staying either at the Boonville Hotel or Philo Apple Farm? Are wineries pretty much the only thing to do there?

If we scratch that or decrease it to one night, should we add time to Mendocino (currently 2 nights) or further South add a night (i.e. Pt Reyes or Bodega Bay) where we currently were only planning on spending one night?

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Even if you do not spend the night in the Anderson Valley, I definitely would make the drive on 128 either to or from the coast. The Anderson Valley is just a lovely area, and it's also a throw back to what Sonoma and Napa used to be like 25 years ago. I would drive up to Mendocino via 128 and then on the return, drive down the coast to Jenner and then cut inland to the Russian River area. From Russian River, you can easily drive to the Point Reyes area on your way back to San Francisco. But that's just one of several plans that you could do, I'd just decide on plan but plan on variables as they come up.

Eco2,
There are some great B&B's in Sonoma to stay at http://www.bbsonoma.com/. Dry Creek area has a lot great wineries also. One small family winery with some great Reds is Passalaqucqua. http://www.passalacquawinery.com/
Finally Medicino can be walked in a day or less and nice to stay, but if you want a unique experience, a little south (15 minutes) is the Little River Inn. On the coast, great views, and the only golf course(9 holes) in the area. http://www.littleriverinn.com/. Romantic and unique.

One last thought for a good hike is the Fern Canyon Trail to Pygmy Forest at Van Damm SP.. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=433

Thanks for the great suggestions everyone. We are now thinking of:

1 night Sonoma
3 nights Guerneville
3 nights Mendocino
1 night somewhere further S. on Sonoma coast - Bodega Bay, Pt. Reyes, Sausilito?

Anywhere we are missing? We have room for another night or two.