San Francisco / Napa Honeymoon Recommendations?

[KatyWI]

Hey all!

For those of you who live in San Francisco, and all of you who have been to Napa Valley, what are your major recommendations? We''re doing SF for 2 or 3 nights, and Napa Valley for 4 or 5 nights.

My biggest question is, we found a place that seems fabulous in Napa itself, and another that seems great up in Calistoga. If we''re going to have a car either way, should we just stay in Napa the whole time, or split our time between the two? I definitely want to relax, and so I''m not keen on moving, but if it''s worth it, we definitely could.

We really have no clue about any of it, so I''d really appreciate any insight into restaurants/activites/places to stay!

 

[cara]

Calistoga is a lovely place (I was married there) but it does not have enough to entertain me for 4-5 days. Its small. Even Napa is small, I would definitely split my time between two locations in wine country... and for at least one of them, I would want to be in walking distance of one of the squares in a bigger town, such as Napa or Sonoma. (you know, the driving/drinking issue...) Don''t know how much wine tasting you are planning, but I am definitely NOT up for 4-5 days of it - it is exhausting! But one day at least in the Sonoma Valley (which has a different, more country casual feel than the more opulent Napa Valley) and then another 1-2 days in Napa should be doable, with 1-2 days resting your livers interspersed. Point Reyes (due West) and a nice drive on the Sonoma Coast would be an excellent diversion in there. There are tons of great restaurants in wine country - but you should be aware of the early-to-bed timeline. Most vacationers are wine tasting during the day (and wineries mostly close at 5pm) and then dinner at 6ish and then pass out in your hotel at 8pm. Calistoga in particular is famous for mineral springs/mud baths and other spa treatments, so if that is your thing be sure to research which spa you are interested in. But you can surely get excellent spa treatments in other towns as well. For food, we have had excellent food at the Glen Ellen Inn (in the little town of Glen Ellen in Sonoma Valley) as well as at the Girl and the Fig in Sonoma proper. Of course for a honeymoon splurge there is always French Laundry, though you will need a hefty wallet and some serious determination to get a reservation...

 

[AmberGretchen]

As a native, I''m not a huge fan of Napa itself, actually - its very commercial, and the traffic on that side of the valley can be rough. I''d consider (instead or in addition) Sonoma and/or the Russian River Valley. Sonoma is similar to Napa, but much less commercial, plenty of nice wineries and good restaurants, traffic is much easier.

Russian River Valley is a little more rustic, but there are a ton of fun activities to do there in addition to wine tasting - horseback riding and canoeing/kayaking on the river come to mind. In RR Valley, there are a lot more quirky, off-the-beaten path types of wineries, where you end up tasting in small tasting rooms, which I think is a little more fun. You can also go up to Healdsburg, which is a lovely little town, lots of nice shops and restaurants, great place to spend an afternoon.

In terms of winery recommendations, I''d suggest the following.

In Sonoma: Little Vineyards, Buena Vista (more for the history than for the wine), Imagery (also an art gallery), Ledson (pretty place to get and have a picnic), Domaine Carneros by Taittinger (another good place to eat - yummy cheese plates)

In RR Valley: Rochioli, Preston (amazing homemade olives and bread, and yummy local cheeses, friendly kitties in the picnic area

), Moshin

If you''re really attached to going to Napa, I''d stick with Calistoga, St. Helena, or even Yountville - all are prettier and more charming (IMO) than Napa itself. St. Helena is a really nice place to wander. I''d avoid the more expensive touristy places and try either Cindy''s Backstreet Kitchen or Market (LOVE the butterscotch pudding there).

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Katy, I don''t have any specific suggestions, but check out www.slh.com for very cool, luxurious small luxury hotels. I''ve had very good luck on recommendations of that site.

 

[KatyWI]

Bump?

 

[MonkeyPants]

Yup, I agree. Sonoma is so much cuter and I feel like it''s a more interesting town. Healdsburg (just slightly North and West of Sonoma of the 101) is also super quaint. Lots of great B&B''s.

I would definitely split your honeymoon between wine country and SF. There is always something to do in San Francisco. Fort Mason always has events and fairs going on. Lots of fabulous restaurants and bars in North Beach. Are you the touristy type or do you like to do what the locals do? Segway tours, self-guided bike tours, and go-cart tours are all fun (so i hear) and very touristy. If you like to do as the locals, hang out in the Mission, have lunch at Delfina, and have dessert at the amazing bi-rite creamery. I live in the Marina/Cow Hollow area and I never get sick of walking down Marina Blvd. and taking my dogs to Crissy Field. Golden Gate park is huge. The new Academy of Sciences is also very popular (too popular if you ask me...I don''t like crowds)...I could go on forever...

 

[KatyWI]

Thank you all for your recommendations so far!

It''s looking like like we''ll be in San Francisco 3 nights, Healdsburg 2 nights, and Napa 2 nights.

While in San Francisco, we''re obviously going to do some touristy stuff like walk the GG Bridge, walk around the Wharf, etc, but we *love* doing more what the locals do. For example - we spent a week in Key West and never actually entered a bar with a Duval St. address!! We''d much rather find the BEST food and atmosphere, rather than the most popular food and atmosphere.

So continue on with San Fran recs, favorite winery recs, and all that jazz!

cara, thanks for the reminder that we''ll probably be early to bed! I know my fiance has been dreading getting up early for breakfast, but considering the night life is not the high point of wine country, hopefully I''ll be able to drag him out of the sack for these delicious gourmet breakfasts!

AmberGretchen, thanks so much for the specific recommendations! You''re not the first person to tell us that Napa itself is not all that, but we just can''t shake the fact that we want to go! SO we''re gonna be bullheaded tourists and do it.. but we plan to make it up to one of the other regions for sure one day, perhaps St. Helena.

And MonkeyPants, all the talk about Healdsburg (you and a friend of ours!) has us convinced that we have to spend the other two nights at the Grape Leaf Inn! We''re so excited!!