Wine Country
 

My wife and I are planning a 20th wedding anniversary trip to the wine country in June 07. We are first timers to the wine country and would like some ideas on a romantic bed and breakfast or nice hotel to stay in. Should we do a tour or rent a car?

Thanks

$$ is a question. My first response is to suggest the Grape Leaf Inn in Healdsburg and suggest you rent a car. I prefer that side for tasting and buying.

I guess you first have to decide if you plan to visit/stay in Napa or Sonoma counties. I prefer Sonoma county.. Check out Healdsburg, Madrona Manor, The Vitners Inn or Hotel Healdsburg, being three lovely places to stay. There are lots of B&B's in the area if you want this too. Great restaurants, Cyrus, Dry Creek Kitchen being only two of many.
Happy Anniversary............

I topped my trip report for you. I love Healdsburg and can highly recommend the Grape Leaf Inn

hi- we liked the Napa valley side-lots of good restaurants and wineries. Would recommend staying at Auberge du Soleil.

Sonoma is more laid back than Napa. Plenty of great wineries and restaurants near Healdsburg. I agree with previous comment about the Madrona Manor.
In Napa, i'd recommend the Harvest Inn. It's a hotel with a B&B feel, located in St. Helena.

Definitely rent a car and avoid places where you see tour buses! If you choose Napa, you may be frustrated by the crowds and traffic problems. Really takes away from the ambiance listening to semis and honking horns. In Sonoma, you will have prettier drives and fewer crowds. Search for some small wineries where you can meet the owners and winemakers. I always use that approach to find new wineries...the small winery owners will steer you to the best places! In Healdsburg, there are many excellent tasting rooms right in the town square. After a day of driving, if you stay near town at the Grape Leaf or Healdsburg Hotel, you can walk to an afternoon tasting then walk to dinner. Willi's Seafood (tapas) is our favorite there, but Dry Creek Kitchen and a few others never disappoint. Dry Creek, Russian River and Alexander Valleys are my favorite. Gorgeous places!!

Sonoma County has a more laid-back ambiance than Napa. Also, fewer wineries in Sonoma charge a tasting fee than those in Napa. If you would like to get a feel for both counties, you can drive from Healdsburg in Sonoma to Calistoga in Napa for the day. The drive is beautiful. Calistoga is a sweet little town and is not as ridden with tourists as the towns to the east. You will find a number of nice restaurants where you could have lunch. There are quite a few wineries at the west end of the valley you could visit.

Just a word of advise: Cyrus has gotten to be extremely popular so be sure to get dinner reservations. This is an expensive restaurant that is worth every penny--a dining experience and a great place to celebrate an anniversary.

We really enjoyed our stay in Farmhouse Inn (www.farmhouseinn.com) in Sonoma County (Russian River area). Each room has a jetted tub, fireplace, and an in-room sauna. The included breakfast is awesome. And their French restaurant (reservations needed) was amazing for dinner. It's within short drive of many wineries, and Healdsburg. Check it out - and the rates are generally more reasonable then similar places in Napa.

My preference would be to stay in Sonoma as well, but instead of renting a car I would look into hiring a driver. If you poke around you will find someone affordable. This way, you are free to see/do what you want and not worrying about the ever-present police on the roads.

Definitely get to Napa, just try to do it during the week if possible. You didn't say how long you'll be there so I'm not sure if your trip spans weekdays. You will get much more personal attention if you avoid Napa on the weekend.

Finally, do some homework ahead of time and look for wineries that are a little less known. The big names don't ever really do it for me, unless there's something incredible about the place/wines (i.e. Rubicon Estate in Napa with Francis Coppola's movie museum).