My husband and I are heading from San Francisco to Sonoma on a Friday, and plan to stay two nights (we were originally thinking about Mendocino, but have changed our plans). We know very little about the area and the information online is overwhelming. Can anyone please offer some help on planning one great day in Sonoma? Saturday is our one day to tour wineries (I love dry reds, he loves sweet whites) and we want to do as much as possible (yet we don%26#39;t want to come home with a DUI).
Any suggestions on how to get around, the best tours, or places to stay with a great view and great food? We are pretty easy going people, just want to get the most fun out of our short trip.
All suggestions are soooo much appreciated!
Sonoma: 1 day adventure
What is your budget for lodging? We really like the Sonoma Mission Inn, it is a spa resort and very nice with many great amenities, it is actually located in Boyes Hot Springs, about 5 minutes away from downtown Sonoma.
For wineries in the area, I would not miss Chateau St. Jean, Kenwood, Ledson, Imagery and BR Cohn. There is also a place we enjoy called Gundlach-Bundschu in the area, this would be a very nice choice for a picnic lunch.
For great eats, the General%26#39;s Daughter, the Swiss Hotel, Cafe La Haye, the El Dorado Kichen and the girl and the fig are all nice choices for meals in Sonoma. Have fun! :)
Sonoma: 1 day adventure
How would you recommend we get from place to place? Rental car, bikes, or would you recommend a particular tour company? I will look at your hotel recommendation. I know not to expect anything ';cheap'; but around $200/night is an ideal expense for us. Thanks for the recommendations on wineries.
Lodging prices and types (from small cottages, B%26amp;B inns, motels, to resort hotels) really run the gamut--so it%26#39;s hard to make a recommendation not knowing what you%26#39;d consider ideal. Check www.sonomavalley.com under their lodging category for lots of possibilities and also take a look at the TripAdvisor reviews.
Staying in the area that%26#39;s close to Sonoma town%26#39;s central Plaza would be a great experience. The Plaza area has many historic buildings inc. the Mission San Francisco de Solano and as you walk the perimeter of the Plaza you’ll discover several tasting rooms and wine shops where you can stop in, as well as a number of shops, cafes and restaurants.
3 of my favorite wineries are clustered just a short driving distance northeast from the Plaza: Ravenswood (Zinfandel “specialists”), Buena Vista (beautiful property with old stone bldg’s and walls) and Bartholomew Park (historic property with an intriguing little museum, walking paths and lots of great scenery). There are many, many other great wineries, restaurants and sights within a few minutes of where you’ll be staying, so be sure to do a search on the Sonoma Forum--lots of recommendations and itineraries.
Definitely drive north thru the very scenic Sonoma Valley (';Valley of the Moon';) to the Glen Ellen and Kenwood areas.
As you travel up the Sonoma Valley, the vineyard, mountain and oak-studded views are fabulous. On the way, just a couple of wineries not to miss are B.R. Cohn (olive oil tasting as well as wine) and Imagery (intriguing wines and a very unique art gallery). Some of the prettiest views in the area are within Jack London State Park in the Glen Ellen area; be sure to walk to the ruins of Wolf House. A couple of good places to pick up a picnic lunch: Glen Ellen Village Market on Arnold Dr. and Cafe Citti further north along Hwy. 12 in the Kenwood area. (You can also “eat in” at Cafe Citti). There are also several excellent restaurants right in the little village of Glen Ellen inc. Wolf House, the Glen Ellen Inn, Saffron, and the fig cafe.
Try to take the tour at Benziger Family Winery near Glen Ellen as it’s one of the best and most unique. Definitely do visit Chateau St. Jean--superb wines and a gorgeous property with formal gardens. The Ledson ';castle'; is also a stunning property and I enjoy many of their wines.
For dinner in the town of Sonoma, there are lots of great choices inc. the girl and the fig (at the Sonoma Hotel), the General’s Daughter, Cafe La Haye, Sonoma Meritage, Harvest Moon Cafe, the El Dorado Kitchen and the Swiss Hotel.
Thank you Forestvillian. I am still curious if there is a tour we could sign up for, or if the best thing is to just drive responsibly?? How far apart are all of these places you%26#39;ve suggested? Can they possibly be done in one day?
The Sonoma Valley is 18 miles long with over 44 wineries. There must be a tour of some kind but you can do it yourself. If you go to the visitor%26#39;s center in the old Carnegie Library in the Sonoma Plaza they will supply you with a map of the wineries and information on the valley, perhaps tours as well.
When tasting you don%26#39;t ';drink'; the wine you taste it. Many people swish it around in their mouths until they get the essence and then actually spit it out. there are special containers for this in the tasting rooms.
Go here for the Sonoma Valley Visitor Center web site. If you have time before you come you can request a visitor%26#39;s guide to be sent to you.
http://www.sonomavalley.com/
Have a good trip. I grew up in Sonoma. You will love it, downtown built around an 11-acre Plaza from the Mexican occupation days with some of the original adobe buildings still standing now housing hotels, boutiques and restaurants.
You say you have one day. Are you staying overnight, since you ask about a ';place to stay';?
Amy--the distance as Puter has indicated is not great at all and you can drive from the Sonoma Plaza to the northern end of the Sonoma Valley near Kenwood in under 30 min.--however, the sheer number of places to see along the way is bountiful, so you%26#39;ll want to either make some very specific plans of what you wish to do or just be very flexible about your schedule, knowing that you won%26#39;t be able to see and do it all. You might want to get to Benziger first thing (I believe they open at 10am) and take their tour, then spend a bit of time exploring more wineries to the north (e.g. Chateau St. Jean and Ledson) and/or walking at Jack London State Historical Park. Then work your way south along Hwy. 12 back to Sonoma, stopping wherever seems most interesting--assuming it%26#39;s Sonoma where you%26#39;ll be staying. Since it sounds like you%26#39;ll pretty much be staying within the Sonoma Valley during your visit, driving yourself would give you the most freedom and flexibility. That being said, you may wish to at least check with a local tour company to get an idea of costs and itineraries. Beau Tours (www.beauwinetours.com) is a good co. and I believe their tours start at $60 per hr. with a 4 or 5 hr. min. Inquire about a tour that uses a towncar or a van rather than a larger vehicle as it will be a much more enjoyable experience.
Thank you, Puter. Yes, we are planning on arriving in the area on Friday evening (or afternoon), staying the night, doing the winery tours on Saturday, staying the night and heading back to SF Sunday morning. Still looking for **affordable** places to stay.
We ended up booking a hotel in Napa, but when I was looking it seemed like the cheapest place in the Sonoma was the Sonoma Hotel. It is on the plaza and the girl and the fig is attached to it. I have never been there but it had decent review on this site. hope this helps.
And I agree that the best way is to drive yourselves- the tours are expensive plus you still have to pay tasting and tour fees at most of the wineries. If you drive yourselves you can have a lot more flexibility as well. Or, depending on where you stay, you might even be walking distance from some of the wineries.
The Sonoma Hotel is in a great location, you may also want to check out the Hotel El Dorado, right across the street, it is a bit more upscale than the Sonoma Hotel. :)
Since I do not what is ';affordable'; to you, it is hard to make a recommendation.
Since we like to stay near the Plaza, I will give you some recommendations and then you can google them for price.
The El Dorado Hotel is right on the Plaza and is in one of the original adobes. It has a great restaurant, The El Dorado Kitchen. It is not a large hotel. The best rooms are the ones on the second floor overlooking the Plaza...they have large ';porches';, or balconies. But understand, this is an historic adobe and not a modern hotel.
The Sonoma Hotel, mentioned by someone ahead of me, is also in an older historic building. The ';famous'; restaurant, The Girl and the Fig, is in a downstairs corner of this property. It is reasonable. It is also iffy. We had a very bad night here in a scruffy room on the main floor behind the lobby right next to the street. Their upper rooms may be okay. The building itself has an interesting history. The upstairs was once a social hall and the downstairs a grocery.
The Swiss Hotel is also on the Plaza and has four or five rooms, which I know nothing about except I am skeptical because they are over a very active bar. The restaurant here has a nice back patio. I don%26#39;t recommend the rooms, necessarily. The restaurant is fine.
The Inn at Sonoma may be over your budget, but look at it. It is just about 1/2 block from the Plaza and is quite new and spiffy.
Someone will mention the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and spa in Boyes Hot Springs. While the property may be great, the location is not and I would not stay there unless I was into a relaxing spa experience with no sightseeing involved.
We like the El Pueblo Inn, about a mile north on Hwy 12. They have two buildings, aside from the lobby, one with ';adobe'; rooms and one with....';forgot what they are called';. This is the result of a complete renovation of the property some years ago, adding the new wing.
The ';adobe'; rooms are just fine. There are gardens between the two buildings leading to a swimming pool and the rate includes a do-it-yourself waffle breakfast which is fun.
There is also, near town, a Best Western Sonoma Valley Inn, built around a courtyard with a pool and spa. It is quite fine, but I boycott it because when my mother was in the local hospital during her last illness I stayed there many times, and the one time I had to cancel...a day ahead of time....they refused to refund my deposit. Attitude and crappy continental breakfast besides. Grump.
Now that I have bored you to death, here are some websites to look at.
www.eldoradosonoma.com/el_dorado_hotel.html
http://www.innatsonoma.com/
http://www.elpuebloinn.com/
http://www.sonomahotel.com/
http://www.swisshotelsonoma.com/
http://www.sonomavalleyinn.com/
http://www.fairmont.com/sonoma
Have fun !!
Please report back.
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