We are staying in Sonoma for two nights in October...Leaving from SF in the A.M. wanting to tour Napa heading to Sonoma for the night where we have reservations. Thinking about taking a hot air balloon ride next the morning and then driving to the coast and along the coast a little ways then heading back down to Sonoma again... Also want to stop at Pt Reyes...What would be the best route to take and any recommendations for lunch along the way on the coast?

We head out to Napa/Sonoma every year. It's a wonderful trip.

I do want to say the hot air ballonn was not worth it!!! We were expecting a romantic balloon for 2. Instead there were 32 people or so stuffed into balloons in groups of 8. We had to be there at 4AM. There was fof in the valley (I guess pretty common). We had to drive 40 minutes to another non-foggy site. We waited for the balloons to be inflated and then found that we had to wait until the 2nd flight because they only had room for 24 in the first flight (3 balloons). We then had to "chase" a balloon (with a maniac drive) until it landed someplace random. We finally got to go up at about 8:30AM. The flight was beautiful (although not quite romantic). We landed - 1 1/2 hour drive from our car.

The previous day we had taken a acrobatic plane ride over the valley. This was awesome!!!! I was very afraid of the open cockpit and the fact that we were going to do a barrel roll and loop. It was THE BEST thing we did all week. Not scary at all. Great views.

When in Napa make sure you stop in Oakville. The Oakville Grocery is the best place to stop for picnic food to take with you. There are some great wineries within a mile of the grocery store. Plumpjack, Silver Oak, Cakebread, Francis Ford Coppola & Robert Mondavi (Mondavi has the best tour). You may want to stop at Opus One just to look at the building ($35 a taste last time I was there).

Not sure where you are staying in Sonoma - we were at the Sonoma Mission Inn. They had a great early morning bike tour through the vineyards.

We head out to Napa/Sonoma every year. It's a wonderful trip.

I do want to say the hot air balloon was not worth it!!! We were expecting a romantic balloon for 2. Instead there were 32 people or so stuffed into balloons in groups of 8. We had to be there at 4AM. There was fog in the valley (I guess pretty common). We had to drive 40 minutes to another non-foggy site. We waited for the balloons to be inflated and then found that we had to wait until the 2nd flight because they only had room for 24 in the first flight (3 balloons). We then had to "chase" a balloon (with a maniac driver) until it landed someplace random. We finally got to go up at about 8:30AM. The flight was beautiful (although not quite romantic). We landed - 1 1/2 hour drive from our car.

The previous day we had taken a acrobatic plane ride over the valley. This was awesome!!!! I was very afraid of the open cockpit and the fact that we were going to do a barrel roll and loop. It was THE BEST thing we did all week. Not scary at all. Great views.

When in Napa make sure you stop in Oakville. The Oakville Grocery is the best place to stop for picnic food to take with you. There are some great wineries within a mile of the grocery store. Plumpjack, Silver Oak, Cakebread, Francis Ford Coppola & Robert Mondavi (Mondavi has the best tour). You may want to stop at Opus One just to look at the building ($35 a taste last time I was there).

Not sure where you are staying in Sonoma - we were at the Sonoma Mission Inn. They had a great early morning bike tour through the vineyards.

Going to the coast from Sonoma is an all day trip. It's an hour and a half out to the beaches of Pt. Reyes which are in Marin County. The drive is lovely but it's not along the coast. For more spectacular coastal drives, consider Hwy 1 below Stinson Beach or north of Jenner. Why not just stay over on the coast rather than head back to Sonoma?

If you do go to Pt. Reyes, the Drakes Beach Cafe serves up some pretty good food and it's right on the beach.

Otis...I had a hard time finding two rooms for two nights on a Thursday and Friday night, so I booked two nights at the El Pueblo Inn in Sonoma. But do you think this is doable going back to Sonoma?

I had a totally different experience than adnil1962 with the hot air balloon rides. I have been twice, and thought the experience was definitely worth it both times. We flew over the Sonoma Valley a few years ago in a balloon that held 10 passengers. I'm not sure what the company was called -- the words that pop up in my mind are "Balloons Over the Valley", or something like that. Last year, we took a flight over the Napa Valley with Above the West balloons, and there were only 6 passengers. It's a pretty expensive activity, but an experience you will always remember -- not scary at all, but very peaceful. The balloon ride itself is only about an hour, but the entire activity can take 4-6 hours, depending on how far you are from the launch site. Usually, a light breakfast snack before and a champagne brunch afterward are included.

I know you weren't asking for recommendations about the balloon ride, but I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. The scenery is beautiful, and I think you will love it!

Donna

P.S. -- Between the two, I liked the Sonoma Valley RIDE the best, because passengers got to help inflate the balloon, which was quite interesting. If you're a "foodie" though, you might want to look for a company that includes a full champagne breakfast afterward, rather than just a cheese and wine brunch. Have fun!

JulieR: I wanted to add to the above ... if you choose a balloon company that offers the full champagne brunch after the flight (like Above the West, but they were in the Napa Valley), you won't need to stop anywhere for lunch.

Also, check out this website:

www.coastaltraveler.com

Have a great trip!

Donna

check out the other posts that say napa and sonoma.There is some great info.We went on a balloon ride and loved it.You can request a prvate ride or have just 4 people on your ride but you must request it and it will cost more,either way or in a large group this was a great
experience.

Thanks Donna and Cindymal...will look into those balloon ride suggestions. Which company would be the closest to Sonoma or on the way to the coast?