I'm stunned by the detail and generosity of replies to queries on this site! I feel I've already gleaned so much information from your discussions, so a big thank you to all!
Six years ago we honeymooned in New England and discovered the delights of the American Bread and Breakfasts. We are now planning another trip to the States in September (3 blissful weeks to be precise!), this time in California. At the moment we have booked our flight - and that's it. While we have been scouring the guidebooks, there's nothing like real experience, so if you don't mind, a few questions for you folks who've 'been there'.

We want to stay 4 nights in San Francisco - can anyone suggest a small friendly, B&B reasonably centre of town? We don't mind a walk as long as its safe (have I watched too many American movies? Probably)
Is staying on Tiburon or Sausalito realistic for San Francisco?
We would like to do the wine region. Is 2 days in Sonoma adequate to do the area justicer?
We'd also love to visit some of the Northern Californian coast - if you could only visit 2 places what would they be?
We need some 'crashing out' time. We'd like to stay in one place for a week, South of San Francisco in a quiet B&B within sound & sight of the sea. We'd like to walk, picnic, visit some small towns, be alone - is there such a place?
We want to see as much as possible of California without overdoing it - we're outdoor types, so walking, cycling is up our street. Is a visit to Yosemite, Lake Tahoe out of the question given the time period?

I think that's enough - thanks for any help you can offer.

Cheers

Liz

Hi Liz, Very few B&Bs in SF, but a nice hotel in North Beach is the San Remo, although shared bathrooms are the rule. It's in the middle of a quite safe and picturesque area--little Italy and near Chinatown. You do need to be concerned a bit about safety in SF, but it's generally a very safe city. Most of the crime is purse snatching and pickpocketing. Sausalito and Tiburon are an easy ferry ride to SF if you'd rather stay over there.From Tiburon you can take another ferry over to Angel Island with a picnic in hand. Thee is a 5 mile trail around the island for a nice walk. If you feel like climbing, the views are great from Angel Island. You would also probably enjoy Muir Woods with its sequoia trees and nice walks on Mt. Tamalpais. You can probably find accomodations in Lake Tahoe even at this late date. Within the park at Yosemite it's most likely sold out, but there are several small towns nearby with motels that will have vacancies. See El Portal,Fish Camp, Lee Vining, Mariposa---lots of posts on this site in the archives. The one place to put down and rest--I would choose the Monterey coast, probably Pacific Grove where you can stay in a beautiful old Victorian B&B such as Seven Gables Inn or Green Gables Inn across the street from the ocean and lots of walking to do. Also, Carmel but it's more touristy and more commercial. Monterey is busy but you should visit the aquarium and fisherman's wharf on one day just to see it. You can drive down to Big Sur from here and walk and be alone to your heart's content. If you wanted to go even farther south, Cambria and Morro Bay are both lovely little towns on the ocean. If you mean the Sonoma wine country, 2 days are fine. If you mean all of Sonoma County, no. A nice beach town in Sonoma is Bodega Bay--quiet and nice beach walking. Hope this helps. Hard to advise without a budget in mind. Hope you have plenty of time to do all this--I would estimate 3-4 weeks would be about right. BTW, we've done all this firsthand so these are personal recommendations. Live south of SF on the Peninsula and love our long weekends away. Enjoy!

Like the previous poster mentioned...the Green Gables Inn in Pacific Grove (Monterey) is great. It's part of a chain (but doesn't feel like a chain) called the Four Sisters Inns (www.foursisters.com) that have two spectacular and cozy properties in San Francisco. They are the White Swan Inn and the Petite Auberge. Both are walking idstance to Union Square and are perfect for a B&B experience. Another good B&B in SF is the Archbishops mansion, across from Alamo Square (where all the Victorian homes from the postcards are. It's not as easy to get to the main attractions in SF from there...but it's a beautiful estate. Fours Sisters also has other properties in the Monterey area...as well as Napa and Southern California. Their website is quite helpful.

If you want to go further north on the coast, I highly recommend Mendocino.

Dayle, you must be the other half of my brain! I was going to suggest Sea Ranch! You can rent a home built on the naturalized coastal development at The Sea Ranch. Check the phone book for Mendocino. They are all furnished homes; Some have hot tubs, views of the coast and all you bring is food and clothes. You can pick up the food at a market on the way or just some wine, etc. and eat nearby in Gualala or Mendocino. Watch the sea lions and walk along the beach.....its a nice rest after the city pace.

Coastline areas to see: Monterey, Carmel (about two hours or so south of San Francisco). Sonoma County: I live near Bodega Bay and that is definitely a nice area to check out. Have lunch at "The Tides" or Lucas Wharf" in Bodega Bay. Further up the coast, check out Gualala and Mendocino. You won't be disappointed!

Liz: My husband and I just got back from a wonderful honeymoon in northern California. You've picked a gorgeous are to visit! In San Francisco, we were really pleased with the Washington Square Inn on Stockton St. Incredibly convenient, elegant but affordable, nice owners/staff, breakfast in bed every day and wine or tea in the afternoon. We also loved the Monterey/Carmel area and driving along Route 1. I agree with the others that Pacific Grove would be your best bet in this area. As for a restful place on the water, we enjoyed the tiny Harbor House Inn in Half Moon Bay (technically in Princeton, just up the road). It's about 45 minutes south of S.F. with only about six rooms. We were just feet away from the water. Very tranquil, a great place to just kick back. It was also fairly convenient to get to the airport at the end of our trip. Have a great time!