We will be flying to Oakland and driving to Napa the last weekend of Oct. Trying to decide between Meadowlark country house in Calistoga to be central to different areas, or Marriott in Napa with a great price. Any suggestions? We thought the calistoga price was much more reasonable than other B and B's in Napa area. How far would the coast, Russian River and Dry creek areas be from here?

I think you have made the correct decision....Calistoga. Napa itself is not an interesting vacation destination and you don't have any of the wine country ambience....although if it's only for sleeping and the price difference is significant then who cares? Stay in Napa. Nothing is too far away from Calistoga.... You'll drive an hour at the most to the furthest spot you might want to visit - and probably 20-30 minutes. Lots of wineries and restaurants are very close by, too. You should have great weather!

If you're interested in the coast and Dry Creek and Russian River why not stay in Sonoma Valley? Agree, Napa is not a great destination and the best place to stay in the valley is Calistoga. You'd better book it now, you may have trouble finding a place.

We also want to tour napa. Most of the lodging in Sonoma was already booked and/or higher prices for the hotels and inns.

then definitely stay in Calistoga, as you can avoid some of the traffic better.

Do you want to tour the Napa Valley or the town of Napa? If it's the town you want, that's way down at the bottom of the valley from Calistoga. You might see whether you could get a reservation in Yountville at the Napa Valley Lodge, which is more central.

Just a little tweak on those drivetimes
from Calistoga:
To Coast/Jenner: 75-90 minutes.
To Healdsburg/Russian River: 40 minutes
To Dry Creek: (depending how far up valley you go) add another 10-15 minutes
from Healdsburg.

I love Calistoga, and find as others do, it to be more charming than the Marriot Napa location. Make those reservations !

R5

I just returned from a trip to Wine Country. I stayed in Windsor (which is in the Russian River Region). Staying in any of the areas is about the same if you want to see it all. It can take awhile to drive to the different areas since you have to take the small roads to get anywhere. But I'd go for the place you can get the best rates. Have a wonderful time. It's a great area to visit.

Thank you everyone. I have booked the Meadowlark Country House and am looking forward to it!!