Hello!
This is our March honeymoon plan so far...I would love any feedback/suggestions, etc. I feel like I have the Carmel/Monterey part under control but haven't made any concrete decisions about the Napa/Sonoma part. Thanks so much for any help! Thanks also to "Treck" who got us started with this plan!

Sunday, March 21 - drive along Highway 1 from San Jose airport to Carmel - possible stop at Moss Landing for Phil's Fishmarket -staying at the Carriage House

Monday, March 22 - Monterey Bay Aquarium, Fisherman's Wharf - eat at Monterey's Fish House, then 17 mile drive back to Carmel

Tuesday, March 23 - Point Lobos (Cypress Grove and Sea Lion Point Trails)- drive to Napa/Sonoma - 1 north, 156 east, 101 north, 680 north, 80 west, highway 12.

Check in to ????? Suggestions have included Vintner's Inn in Santa Rosa and the Healdsburg area. It sounds as if the Sonoma side is more to our tastes but I know that we will want to venture over to Napa.

Wednesday - Napa / Sonoma - wineries

Thursday - Napa / Sonoma - wineries

Friday - Napa / Sonoma - maybe do a spa in the morning? Then drive to San Jose - staying at Hotel Valencia.

Saturday - fly out at 12:10 pm

I'd recommend the Healdsburg area over Santa Rosa although the Vintner's Inn is nice. Check out The Camellia Inn or the Grape Vine Inn in Healdsburg.
Some folks also really like Sonoma itslef and if you ask for places to stay there you'll get some good suggestions. I'd suggest posting on the Wine-O's thread on the other forums as there are folks who post there immensely familiar with the wineries in Napa and Sonoma who could give you some very good tips.

BTW, you do have alot planned in Monterey and Carmel. If you are flexible about plans, I'd say allow time to simply wander. In my opinion, I'd allow more time at the Aquarium and perhaps leave out the 17 mile drive. I'd also allow for at least two hours and perhaps three at Point Lobos. The walks there will provide you with some spectacular landscape. It will take you somewhere in the neighborhood of three to 4 hours from Monterey to Napa/Sonoma and perhaps more depending on late afternoon commute traffic. I might try to do the aquarium in the morning and Point Lobos in the afternoon. You will be staying in Carmel so you will be close to "home" from Point Lobos. It is not really that far a drive back into Monterey to eat at the Fish House. Or, reverse the order and plan to see the aquarium in mid-late afternoon with an early dinner at the Fish House. The late afternoon at the aquarium can be quite nice especially on the weekends. The crowds will be diminished. The Fish HOuse is probably a 5-10 minute drive from the aquarium. The wharf, while pretty, is a quick stroll. The greatest attractions are the harbor seals and the restaurants. Otherwise, its souvenir shops.

We enjoy both the Napa Valley (Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga) and the Sonoma areas. I would recommend the Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa for your Sonoma lodging. www.sonomamissioninn.com It is a beautiful property and you will be truly pampered here. Their spa is beautiful.

We enjoy the Girl & the Fig, the Swiss Hotel and The General's Daughter for nice dinner meals. If you would like specific about this hotel or other places in Napa Valley I would be glad to help you!! It's a beautiful area. Congratulations and have a wonderful honeymoon!! ***kim*** BTW, when we first started collecting antiques Moss Landing was one of our favorite places to go. I loved the restaurant there over-looking the water. Their steamed clams are excellent!! I can't recall the name of it right now......it's changed hands a few times over the years but still good.

Thanks for the replies! Lots of good information...

PamSF - I'm wondering about your comment of "posting on the Wine-O's thread on the other forums." I'm not familiar with this at all. Where do I go? Thanks!

Vintner's Inn is alright, but be very specific about which room/location you want as one of the buildings has views mainly to the Hwy 101 freeway! Actually, Healdsburg or Sonoma are more picturesque. Check out websites for the Hotel Healdsburg right on the plaza in Healdsburg, MacArthur Place in Sonoma and The Gaige House in Glen Ellen, not far from Sonoma. In March if you'll be there midweek, you might be able to get some comparatively good bargains.

Satchivi, in my opinion, your itinerary excludes the most special and romantic sights in or near the areas you will be--and those are the vistas of Big Sur, which starts immediately south of Point Lobos and runs along Highway 1 for about 40 miles. Some will tell you March is a bad time to see Big Sur, and indeed the weather can be highly variable that month, but if you get a day with decent visibility at all I would not be dissuaded from seeing all you can of it, as it is a one-only-in-the-world place. I agree that you should include the spectacular Point Lobos, but the seascape changes somewhat as you go south and Point Lobos and Big Sur do not duplicate each other. I would cut some of your time in the city of Monterey, which I think you may find a little disappointing, certainly the Wharf and Cannery Row, and even if necessary eliminate the Seventeen Mile Drive and the Aquarium, rather than miss devoting at least a half day and preferably a full day to driving Big Sur. Type Big Sur into the subject search box in this forum and you will find many testimonials from those who found it to be the highlight of their trip and one of the incomparably beautiful and romantic places on the globe. I'd recommend driving, stopping frequently at the many spectacular viewing turnouts you'll encounter, at least as far south as the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. There, take the short and easy McVay Falls trail to see the only falls on the West Coast which fall directly into the Pacific. Heartbreakingly lovely. Also, if the weather is good, stop for refreshment on the open air deck of Nepenthe restaurant and savor a sublime view down the coast and up to the tops of the coastal mountains. If you find you really enjoyed doing so, you might also want to try the different and higher altitude view from the terrace of the Ventana Inn's restaurant just down the road. (In March, they might not be serving on the outdoor areas of these restaurants, unless the weather is very good as it is sometimes, but the restaurants will be open and you can still check out the views if there is decent visibility.) My bride and I found our time on Nepenthe's terrace richly romantic on our honeymoon years ago, and I have savored that warm memory ever since--especially during many return visits.