Monterey & Healdsburg Trip Report
Apr 10th, 2010, 07:48 AM
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Monterey & Healdsburg Trip Report
This is long overdue, but better late than never.
* TRIP REPORT: MONTEREY and HEALDSBURG *
We are avid travelers who have been having a difficult time combining our love of travel with our young family. After throwing around a lot of options, we decided to keep it simple and take a road trip with our toddler last year. We split our time between Monterey and Healdsburg (in Sonoma County). It turned out to be the perfect getaway, relaxing and scenic, but still allowing us time to do and see quite a bit. Just reporting back for anyone who is interested in these areas and anyone who may be traveling with children.
MONTEREY
We left L.A. at about 10:00am. We stopped in Paso Robles for lunch, and arrived in Monterey about 6 hours after departing L.A. The drive was pretty easy—not much traffic. Our 17-month old son was really good in the car and only got fussy right before we arrived in Monterey.
We checked into Intercontinental’s The Clement, right on the waterfront on Cannery Row. The hotel is lovely. I scored a great deal on Hotwire (my first time using Hotwire!) and so we paid about half the regular rate for two nights at this gorgeous place. It is right next to the Aquarium and just a perfect location for exploring the Cannery Row area. Our room overlooked Cannery Row and was really large and comfortable. The staff brought up a crib and we scattered toys and books around for our son to play with. The phone and mini-bar were much more interesting, though. We had a hard time keeping him away from those items. Oh—and outlets. It didn’t occur to us to bring outlet covers, so we kept trying to prevent him from sticking his finger in all of them. Note to self: next time bring outlet covers and rubber bands to fasten the cabinets in hotel rooms.
We spent Monday evening, and all day Tuesday in Monterey. During this time we wandered around Cannery Row, went to check out the sea lions on Fisherman’s Wharf, played at Dennis the Menace Park (greatest park ever!), checked out the restaurants and farmer’s market in downtown Monterey and, of course, went to the Aquarium.
Our son was not as intrigued by the Aquarium as we had thought he would be. He was semi-interested in the fish, at best. Mostly he just wanted to run full-tilt through the building. He did love the children’s area and had a great time sticking his hands in the fountains and bouncing on the bouncy mat. He was interested in a large albatross that a naturalist brought around to show the kids, but the attention span for anything in a tank was pretty short. I think we’ll try this again in another couple of years and see if he’s more responsive to the fish then. My husband and I really enjoyed the Aquarium though. It 'd been many of years since either of us had been there and we had a great time checking out all the exhibits.
We drove into downtown Monterey and spent some time enjoying the huge and amazing Farmer's Market there. It's held every Tuesday from 4-8pm and is definitely worth visiting. The sheer amount of gorgeous produce was eye-popping, and the little guy enjoyed all the musical acts that perform amidst the fruit and flowers.
Restaurants:
El Torito- Yeah, we went to El Torito. In our defense, it is expensive to eat in Monterey and after a 6-hour drive with a grumpy baby we went for the cheap and reliable. Mama had a big fat fruity margarita. The staff gave the monkey a balloon when he started hollering and flinging guacamole on the floor. It was all good.
Paris Bakery Café- If there is a French bakery in any given town I will find it and make it my home away from home. This place, in downtown Monterey, is great. The quiche, croissant and coffee were all wonderful. A lovely place for breakfast amongst the locals.
Lily Mae’s Cinnamon Rolls- I don’t even really like cinnamon rolls. Seriously. But this place was right next door to our hotel and when you walk out in the morning the smell hits you in the face and draws you, trance-like, to its door. We ordered cinnamon rolls one morning and wow, they were good.
Rosine’s- I hear this place has great breakfast, but we found ourselves there at dinnertime. It’s sort of like a Coco’s or Baker’s Square, in both décor choices and menu options, but an independent place that’s apparently much beloved in Monterey. It’s also kid-friendly. This was the night our son decided to have a nuclear meltdown at dinner, so we didn’t get to focus much on the food. It was American standards, nothing special.
* TRIP REPORT: MONTEREY and HEALDSBURG *
We are avid travelers who have been having a difficult time combining our love of travel with our young family. After throwing around a lot of options, we decided to keep it simple and take a road trip with our toddler last year. We split our time between Monterey and Healdsburg (in Sonoma County). It turned out to be the perfect getaway, relaxing and scenic, but still allowing us time to do and see quite a bit. Just reporting back for anyone who is interested in these areas and anyone who may be traveling with children.
MONTEREY
We left L.A. at about 10:00am. We stopped in Paso Robles for lunch, and arrived in Monterey about 6 hours after departing L.A. The drive was pretty easy—not much traffic. Our 17-month old son was really good in the car and only got fussy right before we arrived in Monterey.
We checked into Intercontinental’s The Clement, right on the waterfront on Cannery Row. The hotel is lovely. I scored a great deal on Hotwire (my first time using Hotwire!) and so we paid about half the regular rate for two nights at this gorgeous place. It is right next to the Aquarium and just a perfect location for exploring the Cannery Row area. Our room overlooked Cannery Row and was really large and comfortable. The staff brought up a crib and we scattered toys and books around for our son to play with. The phone and mini-bar were much more interesting, though. We had a hard time keeping him away from those items. Oh—and outlets. It didn’t occur to us to bring outlet covers, so we kept trying to prevent him from sticking his finger in all of them. Note to self: next time bring outlet covers and rubber bands to fasten the cabinets in hotel rooms.
We spent Monday evening, and all day Tuesday in Monterey. During this time we wandered around Cannery Row, went to check out the sea lions on Fisherman’s Wharf, played at Dennis the Menace Park (greatest park ever!), checked out the restaurants and farmer’s market in downtown Monterey and, of course, went to the Aquarium.
Our son was not as intrigued by the Aquarium as we had thought he would be. He was semi-interested in the fish, at best. Mostly he just wanted to run full-tilt through the building. He did love the children’s area and had a great time sticking his hands in the fountains and bouncing on the bouncy mat. He was interested in a large albatross that a naturalist brought around to show the kids, but the attention span for anything in a tank was pretty short. I think we’ll try this again in another couple of years and see if he’s more responsive to the fish then. My husband and I really enjoyed the Aquarium though. It 'd been many of years since either of us had been there and we had a great time checking out all the exhibits.
We drove into downtown Monterey and spent some time enjoying the huge and amazing Farmer's Market there. It's held every Tuesday from 4-8pm and is definitely worth visiting. The sheer amount of gorgeous produce was eye-popping, and the little guy enjoyed all the musical acts that perform amidst the fruit and flowers.
Restaurants:
El Torito- Yeah, we went to El Torito. In our defense, it is expensive to eat in Monterey and after a 6-hour drive with a grumpy baby we went for the cheap and reliable. Mama had a big fat fruity margarita. The staff gave the monkey a balloon when he started hollering and flinging guacamole on the floor. It was all good.
Paris Bakery Café- If there is a French bakery in any given town I will find it and make it my home away from home. This place, in downtown Monterey, is great. The quiche, croissant and coffee were all wonderful. A lovely place for breakfast amongst the locals.
Lily Mae’s Cinnamon Rolls- I don’t even really like cinnamon rolls. Seriously. But this place was right next door to our hotel and when you walk out in the morning the smell hits you in the face and draws you, trance-like, to its door. We ordered cinnamon rolls one morning and wow, they were good.
Rosine’s- I hear this place has great breakfast, but we found ourselves there at dinnertime. It’s sort of like a Coco’s or Baker’s Square, in both décor choices and menu options, but an independent place that’s apparently much beloved in Monterey. It’s also kid-friendly. This was the night our son decided to have a nuclear meltdown at dinner, so we didn’t get to focus much on the food. It was American standards, nothing special.
Apr 10th, 2010, 07:54 AM
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HEALDSBURG
On Wednesday morning we drove from Monterey to Healdsburg, stopping in Oakland for lunch. We went to Fenton’s, an ice cream parlor/ restaurant that’s been in Oakland for like 100 years. My husband remembers going there as a child with his grandparents, who lived nearby. My great-uncle also used to take my father there when he was small. We took our son there to have his first taste of ice cream, which he was very excited about. After lunch, we continued on to Healdsburg, heading north across the Bay, into Marin County and then up into Sonoma County.
Healdsburg is a good hour north of Oakland and the last half of the drive was spent on a small, four-lane highway that was under construction and thus totally congested. We just wanted to get there already. We had planned to make a detour into Sonoma and do a quick drive-by of the main square, but decided to scrap that and just get to Healdsburg. We were so glad when we arrived. Our little rental house (found on VRBO.com) was beyond adorable and only two blocks from Healdsburg’s central plaza and all the wonderful restaurants and shops in town. We loved being able to walk all over town and spent much of our time doing just that. A rental house is perfect when you're traveling with a child, since you can get a lot more space, and kitchen and a yard for the same price as a hotel room.
Healdsburg is so wonderfully quaint, lovely, scenic and romantic in every way. We adored it from the first minute. Over the next several days we spent a lot of time wandering around town, trying a bunch of restaurants and bakeries, browsing through the fantastic bookstore (Copperfield's), looking at antiques and chatting with the super friendly residents that we met.
We drove out to the Dry Creek Valley wine region, really close by, to check out the wineries and gorgeous vineyard views along little valley roads. This is just such a beautiful little corner of the world. We didn't do much wine tasting since we were traveling with a small child, but it was easy enough to pull into the wineries and enjoy the ambiance and take some photos. Sometimes one of us snuck off to the tasting room while the other occupied the kiddo. It worked out fine. We did specifically go to Ferrari-Carano Winery to walk through their pretty gardens and I'm glad we did. It's a beautiful setting. Locals told us repeatedly that the winery we had to visit was Preston, on West Dry Creek behind Ferrari Carano. Their Barbara is fantastic. They also sell home baked bread and olive oil from their property. Other wineries of note: Papapetro-Perry, Ferrell, Love "J", Dutcher Crossing and Wilson.
One day we drove out to Guerneville, about 30 minutes away, to see the property my great-grandfather used to own in the 1940s. It's now a B&B and the current owner made time to greet us, give us a tour and tell us about recent renovations to the property. After that, we drove to Armstrong Woods State Park and hiked amongst the Redwoods. You could really spend all day at the park. There are a number of different trails, all very well maintained, and a small visitor's center and gift shop.
While in Healdsburg, we also went to the beach on the Russian River that you see when you drive into town. When it's warm out, this is a nice way to spend an afternoon and there's usually a lifeguard on duty. You have to pay to park in the lot, but there's a nice little park there with picnic tables and such.
We were really sad to leave Healdsburg. On the morning of our departure we took one last walk through town, stopping by the local farmer’s market, and then began the long drive back to L.A. It took nearly 8 hours, and the last hour was spent in gridlock on the 405 freeway. But it was worth it. It was a wonderful trip, and a great getaway that we could share with our child.
Restaurants:
Downtown Bakery- This is the place all the locals go for coffee in the morning. Every morning there is a whole crowd of folks standing on the sidewalk out front talking. The interior is modest, but really... it’s all about the food. The pastries here are ridiculous. They make a cinnamon donut muffin that rocked my world.
Bovolo- Located in the back of Copperfield’s Books, it doesn’t look like much. The food is wonderful, though. The watermelon and prosciutto salad and margherita pizza I had here was one of the better meals I ate in Healdsburg. Bovolo has a bacon of the month club (!) and serves homemade gelato. Enough said.
Flying Goat Coffee- They have the best coffee in town. They also have Wifi, so all the young people in town set themselves up here. I didn’t like their food as much as other places in town, but their coffee is great.
Costeaux Bakery- Love, love this gorgeous little French bakery. They have a full menu, but we just ordered from the counter for breakfast and then sat at a table in their lovely, open dining area. The pastries are excellent (two thumbs way up for their croissant and morning bun), the coffee is good and service is very friendly.
Barndiva- We weren’t sure if a toddler would be welcome at any of the "fancy" restaurants in town. Fortunately for us, on Wednesdays at Barndiva they host a special dinner with a $35 prix fixe menu where families are specifically welcome. Their large back garden area was perfect for us. When our son got restless we were able to walk around with him and show him the fountain and grassy area at the back of the restaurant. No one minded a bit. And the food... YUM. Lamb sopes, tortas Cubanas, melon salad and a fruit galette were just some of the amazing dishes served up the night we were here. We loved it.
There are also plenty of markets in town where you can pick up food. Oakville Grocery has really nice, high end specialty foods (great cheeses) and Big John’s Market, which we absolutely loved, is filled with all sorts of local treats, pre-made meals and fresh fruits and vegetables. There’s also a Safeway for your basic stuff. We ate at home a couple of nights in Healdsburg, because it was a lot easier and cheaper, and were able to purchase some really great things from the grocery stores.
On Wednesday morning we drove from Monterey to Healdsburg, stopping in Oakland for lunch. We went to Fenton’s, an ice cream parlor/ restaurant that’s been in Oakland for like 100 years. My husband remembers going there as a child with his grandparents, who lived nearby. My great-uncle also used to take my father there when he was small. We took our son there to have his first taste of ice cream, which he was very excited about. After lunch, we continued on to Healdsburg, heading north across the Bay, into Marin County and then up into Sonoma County.
Healdsburg is a good hour north of Oakland and the last half of the drive was spent on a small, four-lane highway that was under construction and thus totally congested. We just wanted to get there already. We had planned to make a detour into Sonoma and do a quick drive-by of the main square, but decided to scrap that and just get to Healdsburg. We were so glad when we arrived. Our little rental house (found on VRBO.com) was beyond adorable and only two blocks from Healdsburg’s central plaza and all the wonderful restaurants and shops in town. We loved being able to walk all over town and spent much of our time doing just that. A rental house is perfect when you're traveling with a child, since you can get a lot more space, and kitchen and a yard for the same price as a hotel room.
Healdsburg is so wonderfully quaint, lovely, scenic and romantic in every way. We adored it from the first minute. Over the next several days we spent a lot of time wandering around town, trying a bunch of restaurants and bakeries, browsing through the fantastic bookstore (Copperfield's), looking at antiques and chatting with the super friendly residents that we met.
We drove out to the Dry Creek Valley wine region, really close by, to check out the wineries and gorgeous vineyard views along little valley roads. This is just such a beautiful little corner of the world. We didn't do much wine tasting since we were traveling with a small child, but it was easy enough to pull into the wineries and enjoy the ambiance and take some photos. Sometimes one of us snuck off to the tasting room while the other occupied the kiddo. It worked out fine. We did specifically go to Ferrari-Carano Winery to walk through their pretty gardens and I'm glad we did. It's a beautiful setting. Locals told us repeatedly that the winery we had to visit was Preston, on West Dry Creek behind Ferrari Carano. Their Barbara is fantastic. They also sell home baked bread and olive oil from their property. Other wineries of note: Papapetro-Perry, Ferrell, Love "J", Dutcher Crossing and Wilson.
One day we drove out to Guerneville, about 30 minutes away, to see the property my great-grandfather used to own in the 1940s. It's now a B&B and the current owner made time to greet us, give us a tour and tell us about recent renovations to the property. After that, we drove to Armstrong Woods State Park and hiked amongst the Redwoods. You could really spend all day at the park. There are a number of different trails, all very well maintained, and a small visitor's center and gift shop.
While in Healdsburg, we also went to the beach on the Russian River that you see when you drive into town. When it's warm out, this is a nice way to spend an afternoon and there's usually a lifeguard on duty. You have to pay to park in the lot, but there's a nice little park there with picnic tables and such.
We were really sad to leave Healdsburg. On the morning of our departure we took one last walk through town, stopping by the local farmer’s market, and then began the long drive back to L.A. It took nearly 8 hours, and the last hour was spent in gridlock on the 405 freeway. But it was worth it. It was a wonderful trip, and a great getaway that we could share with our child.
Restaurants:
Downtown Bakery- This is the place all the locals go for coffee in the morning. Every morning there is a whole crowd of folks standing on the sidewalk out front talking. The interior is modest, but really... it’s all about the food. The pastries here are ridiculous. They make a cinnamon donut muffin that rocked my world.
Bovolo- Located in the back of Copperfield’s Books, it doesn’t look like much. The food is wonderful, though. The watermelon and prosciutto salad and margherita pizza I had here was one of the better meals I ate in Healdsburg. Bovolo has a bacon of the month club (!) and serves homemade gelato. Enough said.
Flying Goat Coffee- They have the best coffee in town. They also have Wifi, so all the young people in town set themselves up here. I didn’t like their food as much as other places in town, but their coffee is great.
Costeaux Bakery- Love, love this gorgeous little French bakery. They have a full menu, but we just ordered from the counter for breakfast and then sat at a table in their lovely, open dining area. The pastries are excellent (two thumbs way up for their croissant and morning bun), the coffee is good and service is very friendly.
Barndiva- We weren’t sure if a toddler would be welcome at any of the "fancy" restaurants in town. Fortunately for us, on Wednesdays at Barndiva they host a special dinner with a $35 prix fixe menu where families are specifically welcome. Their large back garden area was perfect for us. When our son got restless we were able to walk around with him and show him the fountain and grassy area at the back of the restaurant. No one minded a bit. And the food... YUM. Lamb sopes, tortas Cubanas, melon salad and a fruit galette were just some of the amazing dishes served up the night we were here. We loved it.
There are also plenty of markets in town where you can pick up food. Oakville Grocery has really nice, high end specialty foods (great cheeses) and Big John’s Market, which we absolutely loved, is filled with all sorts of local treats, pre-made meals and fresh fruits and vegetables. There’s also a Safeway for your basic stuff. We ate at home a couple of nights in Healdsburg, because it was a lot easier and cheaper, and were able to purchase some really great things from the grocery stores.
Apr 10th, 2010, 07:58 AM
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A few photos:
Cannery Row: http://tinyurl.com/ycfdc4u
Sea Lions in Monterey: http://tinyurl.com/ycb4v9j
Vineyards at Ferrari-Carano: http://tinyurl.com/y9w3w55
Armstrong Woods State Park: http://tinyurl.com/y9gpx4x
Cannery Row: http://tinyurl.com/ycfdc4u
Sea Lions in Monterey: http://tinyurl.com/ycb4v9j
Vineyards at Ferrari-Carano: http://tinyurl.com/y9w3w55
Armstrong Woods State Park: http://tinyurl.com/y9gpx4x
Apr 10th, 2010, 03:55 PM
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"Healdsburg is a good hour north of Oakland and the last half of the drive was spent on a small, four-lane highway that was under construction and thus totally congested."
Wish I'd known you were coming-I'd given you a
scenic detour into Healdsburg!
Do know, Erin74 that all that construction around Cotati/Rohnert Park
northern Santa Rosa and Windsor is for the purpose of adding
a 3rd lane each way. Sonoma County has many wonderful things - infrastructure is not one of them. Sounds like freeway congestion is familiar to you being from the LA area.
Glad you had a fine time in Healdsburg anyway.
kim, What does Yountville have to do with Healdsburg ???
R5
Wish I'd known you were coming-I'd given you a
scenic detour into Healdsburg!
Do know, Erin74 that all that construction around Cotati/Rohnert Park
northern Santa Rosa and Windsor is for the purpose of adding
a 3rd lane each way. Sonoma County has many wonderful things - infrastructure is not one of them. Sounds like freeway congestion is familiar to you being from the LA area.
Glad you had a fine time in Healdsburg anyway.
kim, What does Yountville have to do with Healdsburg ???
R5
Apr 10th, 2010, 04:31 PM
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razzledazzle- Did I hear that freeway project was supposed to be completed this year? The construction was no fun when we drove through it, but I'm sure the result will be worth the minor hassle. We loved Healdsburg more than I can even tell you. We've actually been trying to figure out how to move to Sonoma County ever since our visit there.
Apr 10th, 2010, 08:19 PM
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Erin- the portion just south of Santa Rosa(Rohnert Park Expressway to Santa Rosa Ave) is projected to be completed in 2012. The portion in northern Santa Rosa (Steele Lane to
Windsor River Rd.)is projected to be completed in 2011.
We avoid 101 in these areas with alternate routes we learned
years ago. Especially anytime after 3:00PM-it is just a slog.
It is pretty great living in Sonoma County-Healdsburg is lovely
but so are many other towns in the county. Do come up and explore some more !
R5
Windsor River Rd.)is projected to be completed in 2011.
We avoid 101 in these areas with alternate routes we learned
years ago. Especially anytime after 3:00PM-it is just a slog.
It is pretty great living in Sonoma County-Healdsburg is lovely
but so are many other towns in the county. Do come up and explore some more !
R5
Apr 11th, 2010, 09:51 AM
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razzledazzle - my husband & i are headed up to Sonoma at the end of the month, staying in Glen Ellen but spending a fair bit of time driving out to wineries in & around Santa Rosa and Healdsburg.
May I solicit your scenic detours that will take us away from 101 in these congested areas? I'd welcome an alternative route especially after reading Erin's trip review...
Many thanks!
May I solicit your scenic detours that will take us away from 101 in these congested areas? I'd welcome an alternative route especially after reading Erin's trip review...
Many thanks!
Apr 11th, 2010, 06:41 PM
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Hi erin,
We just returned from Healdsburg yesterday. Stayed at a friend's vineyard located on 220 acres on Dry Creek. Sigh!!! So beautiful. The vines are just beginning to bud out.
My birthday was Friday and we wandered around Ferrari-Carano. What a wonderful way to spend the morning. So beautiful and relaxing in the gardens. Happy Birthday to me!
The weather was outstanding the whole week. Road construction is still continuing on the 101. Got stuck in the afternoon slog after touring some wineries on Arnold Road down by the 37.
I much prefer the Sonoma area over the Napa area. More small town atmosphere IMO with mom and pop wineries everywhere. Glad you had a good time.
Michele
We just returned from Healdsburg yesterday. Stayed at a friend's vineyard located on 220 acres on Dry Creek. Sigh!!! So beautiful. The vines are just beginning to bud out.
My birthday was Friday and we wandered around Ferrari-Carano. What a wonderful way to spend the morning. So beautiful and relaxing in the gardens. Happy Birthday to me!
The weather was outstanding the whole week. Road construction is still continuing on the 101. Got stuck in the afternoon slog after touring some wineries on Arnold Road down by the 37.
I much prefer the Sonoma area over the Napa area. More small town atmosphere IMO with mom and pop wineries everywhere. Glad you had a good time.
Michele
Apr 12th, 2010, 01:27 PM
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nycreba-
I'll certainly give it a try-
Do you have any kind of itinerary for the days you plan
" a fair bit of time driving out to wineries
in & around Santa Rosa and Healdsburg. ?"
I could then follow your proposed driving plan &
selected destinations AM & PM and
steer you clear of Hwy 101 - perhpas even metion a few
of my very biased faves along the way
michele_d
the afternoon slog going north on Hwy 101 from Hwy 37
will get worse before it gets better. As you probably noticed
the 3 lanes of 101 went down to 2 at the
northern tip of Novato.
This area, up to Petaluma, is known as "The Narrows"
around here. (Clever name, huh !LOL!)
Construction for a 3rd lane in "The Narrows" is slated for 2011-2012.
Oh Goody.
R5
I'll certainly give it a try-
Do you have any kind of itinerary for the days you plan
" a fair bit of time driving out to wineries
in & around Santa Rosa and Healdsburg. ?"
I could then follow your proposed driving plan &
selected destinations AM & PM and
steer you clear of Hwy 101 - perhpas even metion a few
of my very biased faves along the way
michele_d
the afternoon slog going north on Hwy 101 from Hwy 37
will get worse before it gets better. As you probably noticed
the 3 lanes of 101 went down to 2 at the
northern tip of Novato.
This area, up to Petaluma, is known as "The Narrows"
around here. (Clever name, huh !LOL!)
Construction for a 3rd lane in "The Narrows" is slated for 2011-2012.
Oh Goody.
R5
Apr 13th, 2010, 01:13 PM
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I feel badly hijacking Erin's thread and spinning off of a separate (but related?) tangent - however, I couldn't figure out another way to post this!
Here are our specific (ish) driving plans for our time in Sonoma:
Fly into SFO, rent car, and drive up to our B&B, Gaige House, in Glen Ellen.
Possibly driving out to Hanna Winery in Santa Rosa later that afternoon; having dinner in Santa Rosa, regardless. Then returning to Glen Ellen that eve.
Next day: we're off to Merry Edwards in Sebastapol (Glen Ellen --> Sebastapol) and then on to Gary Farrell (outside of Healdsburg) and into Healdsburg for dinner at Cyrus. Then home from Healdsburg --> Glen Ellen.
Following day: Glen Ellen --> J Vineyards (back toward Healdsburg) and then from J to Gundlach Bundschu (Sonoma) and on into Sonoma proper for dinner at the girl and the fig. Sonoma --> Glen Ellen to pass out.
Any suggestions on how best to attack the above and avoid as much of 101 as possible would be fantastic. Mapquest inevitably takes me on 101 for many of the above stretches but maybe that's a necessary evil? Will wait for your biased list of favorites in the meantime...
Here are our specific (ish) driving plans for our time in Sonoma:
Fly into SFO, rent car, and drive up to our B&B, Gaige House, in Glen Ellen.
Possibly driving out to Hanna Winery in Santa Rosa later that afternoon; having dinner in Santa Rosa, regardless. Then returning to Glen Ellen that eve.
Next day: we're off to Merry Edwards in Sebastapol (Glen Ellen --> Sebastapol) and then on to Gary Farrell (outside of Healdsburg) and into Healdsburg for dinner at Cyrus. Then home from Healdsburg --> Glen Ellen.
Following day: Glen Ellen --> J Vineyards (back toward Healdsburg) and then from J to Gundlach Bundschu (Sonoma) and on into Sonoma proper for dinner at the girl and the fig. Sonoma --> Glen Ellen to pass out.
Any suggestions on how best to attack the above and avoid as much of 101 as possible would be fantastic. Mapquest inevitably takes me on 101 for many of the above stretches but maybe that's a necessary evil? Will wait for your biased list of favorites in the meantime...
Apr 13th, 2010, 02:42 PM
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Question, nycreba-
Why are you staying in Glen Ellen when 98% of the wineries
you want to visit are up near(ish) Healdsburg ?
:-?
Is that a must ?
What time do you think you will get to Glen Ellen ?
( It's later than you think, LOL ! )
An afternoon drive from Glen Ellen to
Hanna in the Alexander Valley (east of Healdsburg) to avoid Hwy 101 would be:
Hwy 12 north to Calistoga Rd. to Porter Creek Rd.
Porter Creek Rd to either Franz Valley Rd or Hwy 128.
Up 128 to Alexander Valley. This is a very scenic route
and comes with rather slow driving on curvy county roads.
It will take you 1.5 to 2 hours to drive it.
You can see the route in 2 parts on Mapquest if you enter
Glen Ellen to Calistoga, and then Calistoga to Glen Ellen.
Is this what you want ?
Do you have an idea as to where to dine in Santa Rosa ??
All of your days are all over the county and I think this would be a bit of a driving drag.
So....if Gaige House is a must and you don't mind loads of driving may I suggest:
The first day I would move Gun Bun here and your dinner at the girl as well.
Your second day-add your visit to J here.
Your 3rd day-do Hanna and other Alexander Valley/Healdsburg/Dry Creek wineries
OR
skip Hanna and do Sonoma Valley/Valley of the Moon/
and Carneros wineries.
You have you homework.
Let me know.
R5
Why are you staying in Glen Ellen when 98% of the wineries
you want to visit are up near(ish) Healdsburg ?
:-?
Is that a must ?
What time do you think you will get to Glen Ellen ?
( It's later than you think, LOL ! )
An afternoon drive from Glen Ellen to
Hanna in the Alexander Valley (east of Healdsburg) to avoid Hwy 101 would be:
Hwy 12 north to Calistoga Rd. to Porter Creek Rd.
Porter Creek Rd to either Franz Valley Rd or Hwy 128.
Up 128 to Alexander Valley. This is a very scenic route
and comes with rather slow driving on curvy county roads.
It will take you 1.5 to 2 hours to drive it.
You can see the route in 2 parts on Mapquest if you enter
Glen Ellen to Calistoga, and then Calistoga to Glen Ellen.
Is this what you want ?
Do you have an idea as to where to dine in Santa Rosa ??
All of your days are all over the county and I think this would be a bit of a driving drag.
So....if Gaige House is a must and you don't mind loads of driving may I suggest:
The first day I would move Gun Bun here and your dinner at the girl as well.
Your second day-add your visit to J here.
Your 3rd day-do Hanna and other Alexander Valley/Healdsburg/Dry Creek wineries
OR
skip Hanna and do Sonoma Valley/Valley of the Moon/
and Carneros wineries.
You have you homework.
Let me know.
R5
Apr 17th, 2010, 01:48 PM
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Razzle...sorry for the delay - life got in the way of vacation planning. But you bring up many points, and I'll try to get to them all here:
We're committed to the Gaige House in Glen Ellen as I found an unbeatable (but nonrefundable) rate for a stay there on tablethotels.com that I couldn't pass up...it ain't cheap to travel these days! So I was willing to take a slightly out of the way B&B that fit our needs in exchange for the frustration and inconvenience of more driving in general, and on 101 in particular.
I've also stayed up in Healdsburg on prior trips and while that was quite lovely, I wanted to check out somewhere new. I don't think I realized quite HOW out of the way Glen Ellen is for my proposed itinerary.
We're dining at Santi in Santa Rosa - I remembered it quite fondly from a meal there when it was in its Geyserville location and am looking forward to a return visit.
I bought the map you linked to on the compass site - great suggestion, thank you! Hopefully that will help.
We're doing the bubble room tasting at J. and there are only certain times & days to visit them - thus the scheduling on Saturday as it is, and the haphazard route to Sonoma proper afterward.
Friday is our big meal at Cyrus and I chose wineries en route to Healdsburg so we could end there, spend time on the square and in tasting rooms if we so fancied, etc.
Thursday then became the mishmosh day - we arrive into San Fran around 11:30 and hope to be in to the B&B by 2 or 3 (possibly optimistic on our part!)...we may opt out of an afternoon winery altogether depending on timing. All depends on flight, traffic and so on. That's why I didn't want to push Gun Bun to Thursday...we may miss out entirely on that day, and Hanna is able to be missed, in my opinion.
Thoughts on all that?
We're committed to the Gaige House in Glen Ellen as I found an unbeatable (but nonrefundable) rate for a stay there on tablethotels.com that I couldn't pass up...it ain't cheap to travel these days! So I was willing to take a slightly out of the way B&B that fit our needs in exchange for the frustration and inconvenience of more driving in general, and on 101 in particular.
I've also stayed up in Healdsburg on prior trips and while that was quite lovely, I wanted to check out somewhere new. I don't think I realized quite HOW out of the way Glen Ellen is for my proposed itinerary.
We're dining at Santi in Santa Rosa - I remembered it quite fondly from a meal there when it was in its Geyserville location and am looking forward to a return visit.
I bought the map you linked to on the compass site - great suggestion, thank you! Hopefully that will help.
We're doing the bubble room tasting at J. and there are only certain times & days to visit them - thus the scheduling on Saturday as it is, and the haphazard route to Sonoma proper afterward.
Friday is our big meal at Cyrus and I chose wineries en route to Healdsburg so we could end there, spend time on the square and in tasting rooms if we so fancied, etc.
Thursday then became the mishmosh day - we arrive into San Fran around 11:30 and hope to be in to the B&B by 2 or 3 (possibly optimistic on our part!)...we may opt out of an afternoon winery altogether depending on timing. All depends on flight, traffic and so on. That's why I didn't want to push Gun Bun to Thursday...we may miss out entirely on that day, and Hanna is able to be missed, in my opinion.
Thoughts on all that?
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