I'm in charge of our small wine group and booked a trip for three couples to the wine country in September. The problem is lodging. The other travelers have not been before and are suffering sticker shock over lodging prices. Any suggestions for a B & B or hotel in the $150 range? Prefer something with grounds or common area where we can gather or socialize. I prefer Sonoma but they have never been, so Napa is probably preferred (but more expensive!) Would appreciate any suggestions.

Sheila,
First, it's going to be extremely busy in Sept- you will be lucky to find that many rooms. I don't know why you'd pick Napa over Sonoma just because they've not been. There's so much more charm in Sonoma and the driving is much better. We got a good room rate at Camellia Inn B&B in Healdsburg.It's a great town where you can walk to all restaurants, shopping, etc. Why don't you start contacting B&Bs and explain your booking situation.This is high season, and you're going to pay a high rate everywhere. In Snata Rosa, there are many more chain hotels available within your price range. Best of luck.

Westerbeke Ranch might meet your requirements, but it is not a hotel room experience. The food is great, facilities to meet your needs, area local to the town of Sonoma. You should check the website as it may be too "alternative" for some.

Stayed at the Lodge at Sonoma (Renaissance resort) in Feb. Really liked it. Stayed in a cottage room, they had 2 double beds, couch, table and chairs, tv armoire and large bathroom. Had in-room iron and ironing boards. Very nice sized room. There were 4 of us gals in one room and it was great.
Driving out to go back home noticed that the trip to Napa would have been a short drive so if you want to go there you could do that pretty easily. Easier than driving to Healdsburg like we did. We saw coupons for $179 local wine magazines so like Susan, above, says there are deals to be found.

Sitting by the pool having drinks would be very fun. We sat in the bar/lobby which was very comfortable. They have free wine tasting between 4 and 6 each evening and have an onsite restaurant that was busy when we were ther called Carneros. Didn't eat there, ate at Della Santina's

Sorry, Susan's recommendation are on the "8 days in San Fran" thread.

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Sheila-
We're in Sonoma and Napa during 4th of July weekend. We will stay one night at the Doubletree Sonoma resort in Rohnert Park for $79 and one night at the Napa Marriott in Napa for $149. We booked through quikbook.

Jane, I realize you are locked into Rohnert Park with quikbook, but I wouldn't recommend it as a good location for seeing the wine country. It's a bit of a haul to Sonoma valley proper, and much more so to get to Napa. You will hopefully still enjoy, though. Just wanted to give Sheila the heads up.

Try Rancho Caymus in Rutherford. We stayed there a few years back. It's right next to the BV Vineyards. A block off Rt. 29 between Oakville and St. Helena. Close to many vineyards. I still have the brochure 1-800-845-1777. Hopefully they are still there.

Susan-
Thanks for the advice. We do realize Rohnert Park is not as central as we'd like to be but we decided that we would rather spend our $$ on eating at all the wonderful restaurants, etc than room and board-- $79 is pretty hard to beat and it's only for one night. Also, the hotels (Doubletree and Marriott) didn't require a minimum stay, which worked well for us. Thanks for the heads up though!

Also- for future reference, not sure if you've ever used quikbook before but they do allow you to cancel the reservations up to 48 hours before your stay. You can cancel directly with the hotel up to 24 hours of your stay. Just an FYI.

Jane,

We stayed at the Doubletree Rohnert Park a couple of months ago. Just one warning, don't take the Oakwood Grade over to Napa. It may look shorter on the map, but it isn't. The reason being that the road is small, steep, very curvy, and in some instances, a bit badly paved. Take what looks like the long way, via major freeways. It'll get you there faster I think. Have a great time. The room we had at the Doubletree had some strange furniture and funky flourescent lighting which bothered me (I felt like I was at the doctor's office), but the common areas are pretty nice. Enjoy Napa and Sonoma!

Sheila,

We stayed at Oleander Inn last summer. I believe it's in Yountville and I believe it was about $160. It's a small bed and breakfast, not the most in luxury, but we found it to be comfortable and good for the price (at least for Napa/Sonoma area). The owner cooked a great breakfast and was extremely helpful in terms of her knowledge of wineries and restaurants. You might want to check them out online.

Thanks for all the input. What do you all think of Calistoga area vs. Sonoma? Does anyone know of Sonoma lodging that is reasonable where you can walk to a town (large or small)?

I like Calistoga and Sonoma equally. They are both fun towns for strolling around and both have good restaurants. In Calistoga, we've stayed at Dr. Wilkinson's which is kind of a fifties style motor hotel. Not posh, really, but clean and affordable, and walking distance to everything. There is also the Calistoga Inn, which offers rooms at an affordable rate, but the bathrooms are down the hall, like an old b&b. It is above a fun restaurant and bar, so you'd have good common areas for your group.

In Sonoma, I've stayed at the Lodge at Sonoma, which Suzie has done a great job of describing. You can get rooms there on priceline. If you look at biddingfortravel.com they will explain the bidding strategy. The Dorado Hotel, right on the square, may have rooms in your price range. Have fun!