How much time is enough for Napa?

I%26#39;m going to be in San Francisco for a conference and my boyfriend is flying out to meet me at the end of the week. We%26#39;re debating about how long to stay in SF after the conference vs. when to go to Napa. Is two nights enough in Napa? Less? More? We still have a lot of researching to do about what exactly we want to see. So far we definitely want to see the redwoods and take some wine tours. We haven%26#39;t decided on a guided tour or not. Mostly we want to drink wine, eat good food and r-e-l-a-x.

What%26#39;s the expert opinion - 1, 2, or 3 nights?

Thanks!

How much time is enough for Napa?

The Redwoods would be one day in itself if you go up past Sonoma County. It is not necessary to do a guided tour (unless you are referring to one at a winery, but those are usually less than an hour long). You really can%26#39;t do more than 4-5 wineries in a day and wouldn%26#39;t want to anyway. Here%26#39;s a short list of things you can do north of SF - let us know which interest you.

1) The ocean

2) Redwoods (you said yes)

3) Wineries (yes)

4) Winery tours (cellar tours, etc). Most of the tours and tastings in Napa and Sonoma cost money; some can add up (there are some that are $25 - be aware)

5) The Geyser

6) The Culinary Institute (they have awesome cooking classes that are a real value)

7) Ballooning (depends on time of year)

8) The Petrified Forest (I%26#39;m a geek and thought it was cool)

9) Shopping in downtown Napa or St. Helena or Sonoma

10) Golf

And I%26#39;m sure there are others but that%26#39;s a start!

Let us know and we%26#39;ll help out. Cheers!

How much time is enough for Napa?

If you want to see redwoods, I would do the Sonoma County, instead of the Napa Valley wine thing.

If you go to Healdsburg you are just an hour%26#39;s drive from Armstrong Grove Redwoods State Park. This is a charming town with wine tasting around the Plaza and wineries within easy reach. And then, after visiting Armstrong Grove, you are within easy reach of the coast and can drive down Hwy 1 to Bodega Bay.

For relaxation I might stay two nights in Healdsburg, then a night in Bodega Bay (this is a fishing village where Alfred Hitcock%26#39;s ';The Birds'; was filmed.) Then drive back to San Francisco via 101, which you can reach at Petaluma.

Or, if you prefer more time in San Francisco, which I always recommend, you can skip the night at Bodega Bay and easily make it back to the city after your visit to the redwoods.

If you want to maximize your seeing and doing, I think Puter%26#39;s suggestion of tying in Sonoma with the Redwoods is a good one. Sonoma is just fine and will satisfy your desire for nice wine tasting and tours. It has some outstanding restaurants and I think it%26#39;s more romatinc than Napa, especially due to the intimate feeling of town central with the town square park and all. The Girl in the Fig is must for dinner one night. I would do 3 nights in this area if you can swing it. Really beautiful area!

Thanks for all the input so far. Excuse my ignorance, but what is the difference between Napa and Sonoma and Valleys and Counties (I mean besides the obvious geographical classifications)? I guess I thought they all fell under the canopy of ';wine country.'; We prefer places that are a little off the beaten track and not so touristy or crowded, especially after several days in SF....not too pretentious, either. Am I being too picky? :) Like I said, eat, drink and relax.

Of the list of things to see, here%26#39;s what we%26#39;d like:

2) Redwoods

3) Wineries

4) Winery tours (cellar tours, etc).

5) The Geyser (maybe?)

8) The Petrified Forest (I%26#39;m a geek and thought it was cool) (maybe? sounds cool if there%26#39;s enough time)

So far I was looking at the Doubletree in Rohnhert Park and Hilton Sonoma in Santa Rosa. I know these are not right in wine country, and I%26#39;m open to more suggestions. We%26#39;d like to pay %26lt; $150/night as we%26#39;d rather spend our money on the aforementioned food and drink. We prefer a larger property over a B%26amp;B.

Thanks for all the help!

You don%26#39;t want to stay in Rohnert Park or in Santa Rosa. Rohnert Park is a bedroom community on Hwy 101, not near anything you listed. Santa Rosa is a city, a few miles south of Healdsburg.

If you don%26#39;t want touristy forget the geyser (it rarely works) or the petrified forest.

Stay in Healdsburg, do some wine tours, visit the redwoods on your way to the coast. Or stay in the charming, historic town of Sonoma, do some wine tours, and continue as before.

No, you are not being too picky, you are not being picky enough.

Hey Puter, thanks for the advice. Just checked out hotels in Sonoma - whoa. Pricey. We%26#39;re not quite at that point in our lives yet :) Maybe in a few years. It looks like the two communities I mentioned are about 20 miles away from the action, right?

In Healdsburg there is a Travelodge and an America%26#39;s Best Value Inn and Suites, which cost less than the one you mentioned in Rohnert Park and the Hilton in Santa Rosa.

spacecowgirl-

A few tidbits:

-If you can arrange your trip so that you are visiting/staying in the wine country midweek (Sun-Thurs) instead of the weekend, this often results in substantial savings.

-As Puter has pointed out, if you%26#39;re coming here to relax and enjoy the magic of the wine country, you kinda need to *stay* in the wine country. LOTS of negative/horror story reviews on the TripAdvisor forums for both Sonoma and Napa from folks who stayed in a spot just a save a few bucks, and really regretted it.

-If you look for it, you can often find a room at a small Inn or hotel midweek for less than $225 per night. This may seem pricey to you, but consider that at most places, this includes a full breakfast (important when tasting wine at 10am!), full trip planning services (complete w/maps and insider%26#39;s tips), and even complimentary tasting passes to some of the wineries.

Add all that up, and you come up with a better ';deal'; than staying in a bare-bones motel for $150-175 a night.

-Lots of great stands of redwoods. Armstrong is a local favorite, in part because it%26#39;s less crowded than Muir Woods. But don%26#39;t overlook Muir Woods. It%26#39;s a very special place:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g32766-i258-k14421…

When all is said and done, you%26#39;ve got to find a spot that fits you. But the real, hidden secret of the wine country is its ability to just ';seep into your bones'; after a few days. THe first day you%26#39;re here, you%26#39;re still running a million miles an hour. By the end of the second day, you%26#39;ve started to catch the wine country vibe-- moving slower, and savoring each moment. By day 3, you%26#39;ll be relaxed, and seeing the world from a different perspective. *That* is the true magic of the wine country. But you need to be here for a few days for it to work. :)

We hope you have a wonderful time, both in San Francisco, and in the North Bay (redwoods, wine country, and all that it has to offer).

-The Innkeepers

Napa Old World Inn

My husband and I visited ';Wine Country'; for the 2nd time, this last fall. The first time stayed in Napa, which is really nice, but was not ';relaxing'; if that%26#39;s what you are looking for. The 2nd visit we stayed in Sonoma Co.

I second (or third) the advice to go to Sonoma County instead. When we stayed there, we had a B%26amp;B in Guerneville. While an interesting town for sure, it%26#39;s a little out of the way. Healdsburg is really centrally located, and has a wonderful quaint downtown. But it%26#39;s expensive.

We visited the town of Santa Rosa while there to go to a restaurant, Syrah (wonderful, BTW). While there we noticed a hotel which had been highly recommended here - the Hotel La Rose. I checked prices and it seems VERY reasonable. Santa Rosa, while a city, has a nice little ';historical center'; which is where Hotel La Rose is located, and in addition, it%26#39;s minutes from Healdsburg to the north and Sonoma (maybe 15-20 minutes) to the south, so it puts you in a good place.

Here%26#39;s what I would do:

Leaving SF early AM, stop at Muir Woods. It took us maybe 20-30 minutes to get there, then we spent about an hour or two there. I%26#39;ve been to Muir and to Armstrong Woods. Both are very nice, but for some reason, I was more impressed with Muir. Maybe it was the drive up, maybe it was because it was my first view of those great trees. But I think you would be impressed with either.

From Muir, drive to Sonoma Town. Walk around the historic town center, relaaaaxxxx. Do maybe a tasting at one of the in-town tasting rooms. From there, head on up to Santa Rosa and check in. Go to dinner at Syrah (try the tasting menu - fantastic! Not cheap.... but fantastic.)

The next day, head out to Dry Creek and do some tastings. There are many great wineries along the road. I visited Gary Farrell (great wine and cheese pairings), Arista (gorgeous Japanese gardens, good wine, friendly staff), Bella (nice wine caves) and several others along the same road in one day. It depends on what you like for wine...

The next day, head to Healdsburg for the day. There are really nice wine tasting rooms, great shopping, etc.

Take your time, drink a little, eat a lot, relax... you%26#39;ll love it.

Thanks for all the advice - we booked one of the new Tuscan rooms at Dry Creek Inn in Healdsburg for three nights. The next step is trying to decide amongst all the wineries and great sounding restaurants! Not that all of that needs to be planned ahead of time, some of my favorite places on vacation are places that I%26#39;ve found by accident. However, when your time is limited, it%26#39;s nice to at least have some ideas in mind.

I%26#39;m so excited!