help! N.California Honeymoon, ideas?

[vizsla]

hi there!

i know there are a lot of people on this forum from N. California and before i make myself nuts searching tripadvisor - i''d thought i should try here first.

my FI have flip flopped so many times about where we would like to go on our honeymoon. it started as a fancy dancy all inclusive, moved to a more manageable mexico honeymoon.. and now we are scratching it all and are thinking about a napa, big sur, carmel honeymoon.

for reference we are from ohio, getting married in florida (so we''ll do the whole beach thing for a week before we get married) - and we are quite adventurous. originally we thought we might regret not doing the fancy dancy honeymoon, but we love to travel! and have no doubts that we''ll go all of the places we want to.. but with the expense of a wedding etc. it makes more sense for us to be a little more conservative in our honeymoon choice.

did that make sense?

well.. here is where i need some help.. where should we go? where should we stay? what should we see? what should we do? not miss?

i think we will fly into san fran. (i''d love to do a couple of days there since neither of us have ever been!) and then rent a car to head out into the countryside. we love wine! so nappa would be of interest to us, but we also heard such wonderful things about monteray (sp?) and carmel - and i think we''d love to drive the big-sur highway (such a novelty for us midwesteners

travel dates would be october 28-november 3rd or 4th.

thanks in advance!
viz

 

[Gypsy]

I live in N CA an it's a great place to go for a honeymoon. But if everything is happening on the east coast... is there a reason to fly cross country for a nice honeymoon? If your wedding is anytime in the spring/summer/fall... the east coast has some wonderful places. New England, the islands off the coast of Georgia... Martha's Vineyard...

Just wondering is all... with what you might save on airfare staying on the east coast you get get something else... and nice romantic dinner for two somewhere with all the trimmings.

But if you want to come to CA... what season? Anytime in Dec-March I'd go to San Diego (S CA) personally. I wouldn't want to deal with the rain up here.

But Carmel and Big Sur are nice.

I wouldn't fly into SFO unless I really wanted to go to SF or I got a good deal. Oakland or San Jose would be my choice.


ETA: Scratch that. I saw your dates. It's lovely out here around Halloween actually. I haven't stayed at too many places, because we've always been within driving distance... so I'll let the others chime in there.

I would still check out the Georgia Islands, as long as it's not hurricane season. (I never remember when that is).

 

[oshinbreez]

Why not just stay in FL for your honeymoon? Where are you getting married? What do you like to do?

 

[vizsla]

thanks gypsy!
we actually have enough cc points for our plane tickets - but not for both of us to fly out of the country. so the ticket price really isn''t a concern... and, to be honest, growing up on the eastern side of the country... we''ve done a lot of east coast traveling .... that''s why we thought west coast .. for the mere fact that we really haven''t explored there much at all....

honestly .... we thought we rather spend our $$ on a nice hotel and great food and wine and pamper ourselves with spa treatments (we are a sucker for a good massage) - in lieu of plane tickets and an all inclusive package deal .... and since we are doing the whole beach thing for a week before the wedding we really thought that this would be a nice change from the beach.

 

[neatfreak]

We're getting married in SF and spent last summer out there. We LOVE the area obviously, and there are a ton of fun things to do out there. I can tell you a few things that WE enjoyed while we were there.

-SF is great for a few days. Hit the tourist spots if you like that stuff, take day trips to Muir Woods, Sausalito (rent bikes and go over the golden gate for this, FUN!), you can also go to Calistoga where there are hot springs. Fun stuff.

-Go to Napa for a few days for wine and relaxing. There are a ton of B&B's, inns, etc. depending on your pricerange.

-Go to the aquarium in Monterey, gorgeous!

-Carmel, Big Sur, and Santa Cruz are fun day/overnight trips too. Good food and very relaxing.

If you say more about the kind of things you like to do I might be able to think of a few other things...

 

[KimberlyH]

If you''re all about the wine I''d also considermaking a day trip to Healdsburg...http://www.healdsburg.com/visitors/wineries_breweries/index.asp

I lived in the Sacramento area for 7 years and we went wine tasting quite often and were members of several wine clubs; I never fell in love with going to Napa, I often felt like a cow being herded at the wineries (there''s a reason for that, the wine is terrific and Napa/Sonoma is quite centrally located!). We had most of our wine fun in Amador and El Dorado Counties because it was close to home and a bit more quaint. Here are two links:

http://www.eldoradowines.org/
http://www.amadorwine.com/

There are some amazing wineries in that area, but it''s not as chic as Napa. Sutter Creek has some adorable B & B''s though (http://www.suttercreekinn.com/) and Sutter Creek is an adorable town http://www.suttercreek.org/.

You really can''t go wrong wherever you end up.

 

[elsie]

Hey vizsla!

We just did the N. California honeymoon-thing about a month ago, and it was great!

Here''s our itinerary w/comments:

We flew into Oakland and drove down to Moss Landing (~20 mins north of Monterey) and stayed at the Captain''s Inn. The B&B was right on a marshy wildlife sanctuary, so we had this wonderful view of seals and birds right outside our window -- and the breakfasts were 3-courses and amazing. We went kayaking one morning and were able to see seals and otters up close (so cool!). We also spent a short amount of time in Monterey, but I can''t suggest anything since we only just ate and walked around. I really loved the area around there and I think we''d really love to do the Big Sur drive when we go back.

After that, we drove up to Napa and got married/stayed at the Wine Country Inn. So beautiful! We had a decked-out cottage with a patio overlooking the vineyards. We did the wine tours and had some amazing food. Wish we had more time there.

Lastly, we spent time in San Fran and stayed here: Orchard Hotel. The rooms here were very nice, but we were so spoiled by having very isolated rooms at the other places, so the noise was a small problem. But the hotel has a great restaurant. We did mostly touristy things here (Lombard St, Alcatraz Tour, Chinatown).

If you''re more of a scenic person like we are, I''d suggest spending more of your time in the Napa or Monterey area. We did 2 days in Moss Landing, 2 days in Napa, and 3 days in San Fran, and we think we should have just stayed for a bunch of days in Moss Landing and/or Napa. The atmosphere was just so relaxing, and it really made us feel like we were on vacation.

Sounds like you made a good decision about your honeymoon, though, and you will have a great time!

 

[FireGoddess]

Just a caution - that is potentially during the start of rainy season, so depending on how much rain there has been/is, highway 1 could be blocked off in certain areas.

 

[Skippy123]

When we went to Pacific Grove/Monterey we stayed at the Seven Gables. It is the most beautiful B&B. They serve cocktails w/cheese and crackers at 5 and wonderful big breakfast in the morning. Our room overlooked the ocean. It was so romantic.

Here is the website if you are interested. http://www.pginns.com/

 

[vizsla]

wow!
thanks elise and everyone for your suggestions... i''ve got all of the websites pulled up and i''m getting ready to drink my morning coffee and take a ''look see'' at those places... but i just wanted to say thanks... and keep em coming!

 

[diamondfan]

L''Auberge Du Soleil, Napa, French Laundry for Dinner, winery tours if you like wine...spa, hikes, sounds good to me!

 

[Beacon]

DF has this right. Auberge is fantastic, very private and beautiful, excellent views. French Laundry is an icon, one of the best restaurants in the country. Be forwarned, they are costly. If you want French Laundry book it today.

Slightly cheaper alternatives include stay at Villagio Inn and Spa, dine at Redd. You won''t go wrong.

 

[Jelly]

Lake Tahoe isn''t that far away!

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 5/25/2007 9:03:25 AM
Author: diamondfan
L''Auberge Du Soleil, Napa, French Laundry for Dinner, winery tours if you like wine...spa, hikes, sounds good to me!

OMG French Laundry. I LOVE French Laundry.

Make reservations NOW. It''s hard to get in if you call too late.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 5/25/2007 11:42:07 AM
Author: Jelly
Lake Tahoe isn't that far away!

Lake Tahoe is gorgeous and provides lots of options from gambling to bike riding to boating around the lake. One of my favorite places in Northern CA.

ETA an 'e' to Tahoe.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Date: 5/24/2007 4:13:50 PM
Author: KimberlyH
If you''re all about the wine I''d also considermaking a day trip to Healdsburg...http://www.healdsburg.com/visitors/wineries_breweries/index.asp

I lived in the Sacramento area for 7 years and we went wine tasting quite often and were members of several wine clubs; I never fell in love with going to Napa, I often felt like a cow being herded at the wineries (there''s a reason for that, the wine is terrific and Napa/Sonoma is quite centrally located!). We had most of our wine fun in Amador and El Dorado Counties because it was close to home and a bit more quaint. Here are two links:

http://www.eldoradowines.org/
http://www.amadorwine.com/

There are some amazing wineries in that area, but it''s not as chic as Napa. Sutter Creek has some adorable B & B''s though (http://www.suttercreekinn.com/) and Sutter Creek is an adorable town http://www.suttercreek.org/.

You really can''t go wrong wherever you end up.

I second Kimberly''s suggestion on Healdsburg! DH and I love the Russian River area for wine tasting. The wine road has a ton of great wineries: http://www.wineroad.com/

Although Napa and Sonoma are beautiful and have a world-class reputation, it''s packed & pricey. If you''re looking for an intimate wine tasting experience, then that''s not the way to go.

 

[vizsla]

i can see i''m wayyy out of my league here wow! so many things to check out...

thanks so much for your suggestions...

and for more info. on us.. my FI and i absolutely love/appreciate/covet mid-century modern architecture - from what i''ve read, cali. has some of the most extensive examples of mid-century architecture. i''d love to be able to stay at a mid-century hotel / B&B or take a tour etc. any ideas?? i''m reeeeaaalllyyyy pushing it arn''t i

what do you all think about the schedule? one of my friends suggested flying into LA and going to santa barbara... but that seems kinda far away from carmel etc... am i right? truly it takes 4 hours from top to bottom in ohio so these huge states always baffle me

i think our main goals are - to be able to see as much of the coast as we can without going overboard and over scheduling ourselves.

 

[AmberGretchen]

As a San Francisco native (born and grew up in the immediate SF Bay Area), I have to say I think that Sonoma is much less crowded and commercialized than Napa, and honestly, neither is that crowded when you''ll be going, which is sort of the "shoulder" season - i.e. not peak time. Sonoma is less crowded and pricey and more rustic than Napa. If you go to Sonoma do check out Healdsberg and Glen Ellen and the other small towns up there, as well as Sonoma itself which has a cute little town square with some interesting history, as well as a shop that makes really nice local olive oil soap that actually leaves your skin soft in a lot of yummy scents. Our current favorite winery is an offshoot of the Benziger behemoth - its a tiny boutique place one of the Benziger brothers started called Imagery. They make wines from grapes that aren''t commonly grown in California but are more common in Europe. Their wines are very different from most of the rest of what you''ll taste in Napa/Sonoma and have all been excellent in our experience. Its a small production winery, usually a couple hundred cases of any given wine at the most. Also fun is that each wine produced there has the label designed by a different local artist, and they display the original works of art created for the labels in an art gallery in their tasting room. Definitely fun.

Another town we like up there is St. Helena. We traditionally end our weekend trips up to Wine Country with a lunch in St. Helena at a restaurant called Market - really perfectly done comfort food, high end California style, but not as expensive as a lot of the other places up there (their mac ''n cheese is fabulous), and a stroll up and down the main street - its always a perfect, relaxing way to end a vacation.

And if you''re into wines make sure to do at least one sparkling wine tasting. The ones I would recommend are Domaine Carneros, Gloria Ferrer, Iron Horse and Domaine Chandon (you don''t have to do all of these but they all make really excellent sparkling wines). Carneros, Gloria Ferrer and Chandon all have lovely tasting rooms with beautiful places to sit and have a nice light lunch like a cheese plate or simple sandwich while sipping your champagne/sparkling wine of choice - its a relaxing start to a wine country vacation and very romantic.

Anyway, I clearly could go on forever, but I won''t. Best of luck - I think the Napa/Sonoma Wine Country is a fantastic place for a honeymoon and that will be a good time of year for it especially if you don''t mind the possibility of a little bit of rain.

 

[Skippy123]

I have only done Santa Barbara to Carmel/Monterey and spent the nice in the town below San Simeon. LA to Carmel sounds long. How long do you have?

I love Santa Barbara!!! You would love all the Spanish style tiled roofs!!! The courthouse and the Mission church there!