Going to Napa! Suggestions?

M

melimcn

Cathlete
Hi all,
DH and I are heading there for a long weekend in November. We're looking for suggestions on where to stay, how to get around, etc...? I know that everything is fairly drivable, and I've heard of some kind of "booze train"?

Any input you have would be appreciated! I'm a little overwhlemed trying to sort through all of this info on the web.
TIA!
 
Napa/Sonoma are both great. As far as lodging, there are a lot of different options. We were there last November and stayed at Aurora Park cottages. It's like a B&B except that you have your own little cottage with a kitchenette and deck. They bring you warm pastries, coffee and OJ every morning for breakfast. We really enjoyed it and would definitely stay there again. It's in Calistoga which is a good location if you want to do both Napa and Sonoma because you can just go down the road to Napa or over the mountain to Sonoma. Cottage Grove Inn is another cottage type B&B in Calistoga which is a little nicer but also pricier. Unless you are going to have a limo drive you around you really need a car. You can do bicycle tours as well, but obviously you wouldn't be able to visit as many places.

I've heard the wine train is good, but have never tried it. We like to visit the more mom and pop type wineries and a couple of our favorites are Vincent Arroyo in Calistoga and David Caffaro in Sonoma. There are also a lot of great restaurants in the area. Bistro Jeanty has been one of my favorites so far. We went to Press last time we were there and although the steak was good, the prices were very high and the rest of the meal was not memorable. Oakville grocery is a great place to go and get picnic supplies for lunch and many of the wineries have picnic grounds.
HTH,
Pam
 
Oh one more thought. A lot of the wineries require appointments now for tours/tastings, especially in Napa. If there are any that you have your heart set on you should probably scheduled those before you go. I would recommend that if you haven't done a tour before you do one wine tour and one champagne tour, but you don't need to do a tour at every winery. Schramsberg and Chandon both have nice champagne tours.

Pam
 
Thanks for the suggestions! The cottages look beautiful.
Do we fly into san Francisco? Or is there a closer airport?
 
We were there in September and didn't have to schedule any appointments for tastings. Each winery did have specific hours though. You should review different wineries online and check the hours. Agreed though that tours are at certain times, so if you want to take any of those, plan accordingly! We had an absolute blast!

We stayed at a hotel in Napa the first 2 nights, then at Vintner's Inn when we were ready to hit Sonoma, but we were there for a bit longer than you are planning.

We also took a hot air balloon ride that was fabulous!

My DH is an excellent planner! He managed all of it and we squeezed a ton of stuff into our trip, including a one day wine train!

pgeiger said:
Oh one more thought. A lot of the wineries require appointments now for tours/tastings, especially in Napa. If there are any that you have your heart set on you should probably scheduled those before you go. I would recommend that if you haven't done a tour before you do one wine tour and one champagne tour, but you don't need to do a tour at every winery. Schramsberg and Chandon both have nice champagne tours.

Pam
Click to expand...
 
melimcn said:
Hi all,
DH and I are heading there for a long weekend in November. We're looking for suggestions on where to stay, how to get around, etc...? I know that everything is fairly drivable, and I've heard of some kind of "booze train"?

Any input you have would be appreciated! I'm a little overwhlemed trying to sort through all of this info on the web.
TIA!
Click to expand...

It is called the Napa Wine Train. What were you planning on doing? Wine tasting? Fine dinning? Or are you out doorsy? Hiking? Mountain biking? I live in Yountville. Do you live in California?
 
melimcn said:
Do we fly into san Francisco? Or is there a closer airport?
Click to expand...

It depends upon where you live, and what airline you like to fly, and also what else you have on your itinerary. If you are planning a few days in the City, then fly into SFO. If not, Oakland will be more convenient to fly into and out of.

A friend of mine stayed here - http://www.bordeauxhouse.com/ The rooms were new, clean, reasonably priced and also walking distance to several nice restaurants. (Bouchon, Ad Hoc )

DO NOT EAT at this place in St. Helena - Aka Bistro.

HTH
 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone!
We live in Chicago, and will be using our United miles to fly out there. Judging by flights yesterday, we can fly direct to SFO, but would need to connect in Denver if we went to OAK. We hate connecting, so I think we'll make the extra drive from SFO.

We're interested in the the wine and dining, mostly.

I know that Cakebread is definintely one of the winieries we want to hit, so I was thinking of centering us around that area. I'll definitely have to make an appt for a tasting with them, it seems.
 
Travisli said:
You can also fly into Santa Rosa :)
Click to expand...

Hi Travis

Have you flown into SR using Horizon ? It is convenient. It's great if you are flying into/out of LAX, Portland, Seattle or Vegas. At this time there are no direct flights to any other hubs.

:D
 
nancy324 said:
Eat here:
http://www.botteganapavalley.com/index.html

I haven't been back to Napa since it opened, but Michael Chiarello is a great chef, so it should be awesome.
Click to expand...

Yes, . . it is awesome. I live just down the street from Bottega. I went there and had the duck and some salad special that was amazing for my 10 year anniversary. Michael is often there. He is really a hands on type of restaurant owner. Nice guy.
There is also Bouchon, Redd, Ad Hoc, Bistro Jeanty,. . . .really I love the little town I live in. You have to stop by Yountville. You may even want to stay in Yountville, . . .but a warning it is expensive there is just no way to get around that. There is also Hot Air Balloon rides. It is very close to Cake Bread Cellar which is in Rutherford. I would also suggest a visit to St. Helena and Sonoma if you have the time. Although I live in Napa county. Sonoma I'd have to say is a friendlier town. :eek: There is more window shopping to do there too. Either way let us know what you decide.
 
OMG, Janie, I forgot about the hot air balloon rides! We LOVED that! The wine train was okay, but the hot air balloon ride was truly awesome.
 
nancy324 said:
OMG, Janie, I forgot about the hot air balloon rides! We LOVED that! The wine train was okay, but the hot air balloon ride was truly awesome.
Click to expand...

Hey Nancy, . . . yeah I've heard that about the wine train. I personally would not go on the wine train unless someone offered it to me for free. I couldn't for the life of me get in a hot air balloon ride. Way to scared of heights. I get sick driving across bridges.
You HAVE to try Bottega though. Nancy I think you would love it! It deffinitely tops the top 10 restaurants I've ever eatten at. Now if I could only afford to eat at the French Laundry, ..............
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top