Hi all, for my husband's 40th, we are planning a 5-day trip to the SF area. I thought maybe Wed-Fri in Napa/ Sonoma and then Fri-Sun in SF. Would love to hear your recommendations for best luxury hotels in the area.

I would also love to hear your thoughts about any outstanding restaurants. We will do one or two fancy meals (French Laundry if we can get in?), but for dining we tend to appreciate local haunts and excellent food more than formal showpiece restaurants.

Thanks so much.

Great choice being in wine country during the week, not weekend. We've never eaten at the French Laundry and probably never will, but I know others who have done so. Believe it or not, I've seen people on Fodors advertise that they are giving up their reservations..lol! I've heard the best way to get in is through opentable.com
http://www.thesandersens.com/res/fre...ervations.html
Yeah, it's a long url. Auberge du Soleil is another suggestion. I've done lunch there. Cyrus is getting rave reviews. I really liked the Dry Creek Kitchen and Willi's Seafood in Healdsburg. If I had unlimited funds, I would try the Ledson Hotel or Hotel Healdsburg. But, we usually do B&Bs and spend our money on the cellar.

In San Francisco I would stay at the Four Seasons because it is a lovely small hotel and I really like the location, you can walk to China town and other areas very easily, and the Market Street tram is right there which is so convenient for getting to other areas. They also have a Mercedes "shuttle" which goes around about every hour and will drop you at places like Fisherman's' Wharf, etc for free. Their health club is just OK, but they are redoing it and if you do all the walking all over the hills of San Francisco, you may not need to do anything else. They have a good spa.

In Napa, I really almost hate to recommend this as I don't want it to become any more popular, but I will anyway: the Poetry Inn. Really fantastic. Very small. 5 rooms, all gorgeous, with balconies and endless views of the valley as it is high up on a hill. Outdoor showers, fireplaces in every room. Breakfast is a three-course gourmet feast (included) and served outdoors on the terrace. The inn is run by the family who owns the Cliff Lede vineyard and you can stop by his vineyard as well (no charge for winetasting for hotel guests). This is certainly one of my top 5 favorite hotels in the world and I have been lucky enough to get to many of the world's best. Go to http://www.poetryinn.com. It was also featured in June or July's Architectural Digest if you want to see pictures.

Totally agree on the Auberge recco for dinner (would not stay there), try to get a table on the outside terrace. Service and food are outstanding. Another recco would be:

Tra Vigne
1050 Charter Oak Ave
St Helena
707-963-4444
http://www.travignerestaurant.com/tv.htm

Excellent Italian in a very lovely room, they also have a very pretty garden. Of course a great wine list. This is one of three restaurants they run, this one is the most formal, they also have a cantinetta and a pizzeria.

Do you want restaurant reccos for San Francisco?

I was there for my honeymoon 2 years ago (in SF)
we stayed at the Clift and although we had a superior room, It wasn't up to the expectations...the restaurant (asia of cuba) was excellent, but the bathroom was TINY (the smallest I've been in....)the room was OK, quite big, in the corner, good views, but you could hear the neighbours even if they coughed!!!
for restaurants I'd recomend Le Jardinerie, we loved it!!!!
for every day dinners I'd go to Mortons (I know you can find it in other cities, but I think it's the best service of them all)

We were in Napa last sept. and really enjoyed dinner at Tra Vigne & Auberge du Soleil. Lunch at Cindy's Backstreet was very good also. We were on the wait list for the French Laundry and we did not get in - however, we ate for several days at very good restaurants for less than one meal at the Laundry. If you want to get away from the wine for a brief time- check out the library with a stunning collection of Robert Louis Stevenson memoriblia.

I just got back from my 1st trip to Napa. We stayed at a wonderful, if expensive, place called the Harvest Inn, in St. Helena. (www.harvestinn.com) It is centrally located and all the good wineries are within a 15 minute drive. It has 2 pools, several buildings, magnificent landscaping and includes a fabulous serve-yourself breakfast. Get a table outside facing the wine fields.
For lunch you must stop at Mustards. Its on that main highway but down towards Napa. One of the best restaurants anywhere. They have a great menu; make reservations. For an interesting and lovely dinner, book at Chandon. Yes its a winery but they also serve an elegant dinner (and lunch) in a gorgeous outdoor setting. You'll think you're in Provence. In San Francisco, have dinner at Michael Minna. He's a relatively new chef, awarded James Beard Chef of the year in 2005. His restaurant is in the Westin St. Francis hotel in Union Square. Its a $88 prix fixe menu that is very inventive; you've never eaten meals quite like this. There are 3 courses and each course, (scallops, for example) is made 4 or 5 different ways and you get them all. Very helpful wait staff. He also just opened at the Bellagio in Vegas. Hope this helps.

Auberge provides a spectacular view (best ambiance is on the outside deck), great food and superior service. Truly a romantic location. Drinks on the bar terrace are good, too.
Favorite local haunts with great food:
in the town of Napa:
PEARL ***** casual, friendly, everything is wonderful; fantastic soups, the best vegies, any special, ahi sandwich - anything you choose will be delicious.
Celadon****
Cole's Chophouse (you can share!)
Las Palmas on Yajome St, Napa

SPECIAL TREAT you will not regret in
Rutherford: PEJU Winery has casual, outstanding, food/wine pairings on weekdays 11:30 and 1:30 (call ahead or check their website for reservations). It is served outside in the gardens, you will not leave hungry, and you will enjoy every sip and taste. Lots of fabulous food with perfect wines.

St. Helena: Market
Taylor's Refresher