San Jose to Napa Valley
 

We're going to be in the San Jose/Palo Alto area for some meetings, then will to rent a car and drive to Napa Valley and spend 4 days in early October. We prefer to not have a car in Palo Alto, but use cabs/Uber or just walk to restaurants, etc. We'd love some hotel and restaurant recommendations as well as good places to stay in the Napa Valley. Our budget is for mid-range accommodations and restaurants.

>>Our budget is for mid-range accommodations and restaurants.<< . . . means nothing much.

What is your actual budget for accommodations, what sorts of food do you like, and how much do you want to pay for a dinner?

Why Napa? Sonoma County is so much more interesting.

No reason. I have always wanted to go to Napa Valley. I understand that there is a fairly large mountain range separating these two valleys, so maybe we will go to both areas, though I want to maximize our time. While I suspect that the grapes will all be harvested by then, I'm hoping there will still be activity in the vineyards. I would like hotel recommendations in the $250-400 range for both the Silicon Valley area and Napa Valley--or Sonoma Valley! Also any restaurants that are particularly good.

We were in Napa last weekend. The grapes are mostly already picked, and what hasn't yet been picked will probably be picked this week or next at the latest. After that, there won't be any "activity" (except for tours and tastings) in the vineyards. Sorry I don't have recommendations for places to stay or eat (we stayed with friends and ate at home!)

It's not a big mountain range between Napa and Sonoma County. It's a 20 minute drive past vineyards and with lovely views.. Calistoga to the Alexander Valley and Healdsburg. It's a longer drive over the mountains from the Town of Napa over the hill to the Valley of the Moon and Santa Rosa. Napa Valley has one main road up and down the valley... Traffic all the way. Sonoma county has many smaller roads with beautiful vistas and wineries to visit, and no traffic.
As they say, "Napa makes Auto Parts and Sonoma Makes Wine"

Napa Valley has one main road up and down the valley..

Well, two - Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail run parallel to each other for over 20 miles. We drove up to Calistoga on the Trail last weekend, and drove back on 29. The only major traffic jam was in the town of St. Helena. On summer afternoons, it can be backed up on 29.

You mentioned hotels and restaurants in the Silicon Valley area--which is not terribly interesting compared to San Francisco, Napa or the Montery, Carmel, Big Sur areas. The Napa and Sonoma Valleys are beautiful in the fall--the grapes are gone, but the leaves are golden against the backdrop of the mountains. I used to travel to Silicon Valley on business and I liked to stay at the Orchard Hotel in Palo Alto, which is lively and fun. I also sometimes stayed in Saratoga and went to the Mountain Winery concerts if there was something good. There is a direct shuttle from the Inn at Saratoga. There are lots of wonderful ethnic restaurants in the area--it's a diverse population. One of my favorites is Evvia--its sister restaurant in San Francisco is Kokkari.