Hello and thanks in advance for any info you can provide. We are planning a first time visit to Northern California in April. The plan is to spend 5 days (Wend-Sun) in the area before driving south along the coast. We would like to drive through some of the wine country and visit a couple of wineries, see some of the coast north and see the main sights of San Francisco. The plan has been to drive straight from SFO to somewhere on the coast (Bodega Bay?) and then through some of the wine country. We had planned to stay Wend. and Thurs. somewhere north, and then spend the weekend in San Francisco with the idea that the wine country would be less crowded mid-week and the city less crowded on the weekend. This would obviously involve switching hotels and driving into the city on Friday afternoon. In looking for alternatives, I saw staying in Sausalito is an option and the hotels look very nice. My question is whether you think it is better to stay 2 nights in the wine country and 3 nights in the city, or stay all 5 nights in Sausalito and use it as a base from which we can go north or into the city as we please depending on weather, mood, ect. I have read the ferries stop fairly early in the evening but this would not be a problem as we start and end the day relatively early. I guess what I am asking is there any big downside to using a hotel like the Inn above Tide or Cavallo Point as a base to tour San Francisco given what we want to see. Thanks for any opinions.

My choice would be 2 nights in the wine country and 3 nights in the city.

HTTY

It depends, in part, on how much and what kind of driving you want to do. I probably would not do day trips from Bodega Bay in the The City, but it is doable. Bodega Bay is also a bit of a drive from the wine county in Sonoma County and even further from Napa.
Your Sausalito option would mean easy visits across the Bay and the drive to Sonoma or Napa wineries is not that much different from Bodega Bay.
That said, the Inn at the Tides is a really neat place if you get one of the premier rooms with view and fireplace.

Seems like a good idea to me. Your evening restaurant options would not be the same as staying in the wine country or in the City - but if you are OK with that, then I don't see anything wrong with your plan. It would give you a lot of flexibility - one day in the Napa wine country, next day in the City, next day along the coast & Sonoma/Healdsburg wine country, next day in the City, etc. If the weather is foggy - visit the wine country. If it is beautiful, visit the coast. If it is socked in Fog all the time - skip the coast.

Stu Dudley

Thank you for the prompt responses. The process of leaving one hotel and checking in to another always seems to eat up a good part of the day and I think we are going to try sticking with one hotel in Sausalito. I'll report back on how it works.

First off, do not confuse The Inn Above Tide on the bay in Sausalito with Inn Above The Tides in Bodega Bay. It is common error. Yes, The Inn Above Tide is an excellent base for both the city and wine country. There is a ferry to the city just a few steps from the hotel. Wine country is about ummm 30-40 minutes away except during rush hour. I always prefer to unpack once if possible. I have stayed at The Inn Above Tide more than once and it's truly exceptional. The views are amazing...the breakfast wonderful and the staff very friendly. Have a great trip.

Thank you grace. I was able to book the Inn Above Tide which looks like a pretty easy drive from the airport. I like the idea of being able to vary our itinerary!