California - Napa Valley Trip

I am planning to goto the Napa Valley at the end of August (as I have been to SFO so many times so wanted to do something different).

Have a few questions:

1) Where to stay? I am thinking of Yountvillve as there seems to be al lfo of nice restaurants. Which hotel would you recommend

2) French Laundry Reservation. I asked my AMEX Centurion concierge to try and book but as usual they are pretty useless. Just wondering is there a wait list or any easier method to get a reservation

3) Other Restaurants/cafes recommedations

4) Activities to do. I am thining maybe some Vineyard visits. Which one will be a recommedation. Also what else would you recommend to do.

5) How to get there from SFO?

I am debating whether to do only 2 days ot 3 days there and spend 1 day back in SFO?
THanks in advance

5) How to get there from SFO?

Pretty much only one way that I know if you're not driving.
http://www.evanstransportation.com/scheduled_airporter.shtml

3) Although I have not been there myself, many people are recommending Cyrus in Healdsburg as an alternative to French Laundry. It may not be quite the same, but it has received some outstanding reviews.

www.cyrusrestaurant.com

I am planning to goto the Napa Valley at the end of August (as I have been to SFO so many times so wanted to do something different).

Have a few questions:

1) Where to stay? I am thinking of Yountvillve as there seems to be al lfo of nice restaurants. Which hotel would you recommend

2) French Laundry Reservation. I asked my AMEX Centurion concierge to try and book but as usual they are pretty useless. Just wondering is there a wait list or any easier method to get a reservation

3) Other Restaurants/cafes recommedations

4) Activities to do. I am thining maybe some Vineyard visits. Which one will be a recommedation. Also what else would you recommend to do.

5) How to get there from SFO?

I am debating whether to do only 2 days ot 3 days there and spend 1 day back in SFO?
THanks in advance

Opentable is your best bet for a reservation, or a good concierge. Check out http://www.thesandersens.com/res/tips.html , but i think you're already too close for the Opentable norm. Generally, for French Laundry the better plan is to book the table first, then plan the rest of your trip.

Keller's single menu joint, Ad Hoc(?), is also very good, and a bit less expensive.

Vintage Inn is reasonably nice in Yountville, and about a 100 meter walk from the French Laundry. For the whole wine country area, I'd recommend Kenwood Inn in Sonoma, but its NOT convenient to the restaurants in Yountville, St Helena, etc., although the dinner they do in-house is very good. Oak Knoll Inn, in Oakville, is very nice, and much more convenient to many restaurants, but it is a B&B, not a true hotel.

Winery-wise, I've always liked the Dry Creek section of Sonoma, and the wineries further north and off Silverado Trail in Napa, as they tend to be less crowded/commercialized than the ones on 29 in the southern part of Napa. But those aren't that bad, mind you.

For transport, you should rent a car at SFO. There really aren't any good practical public transit options for multiple days in Napa, unless you can afford a limo every day :-)

Have a fun trip!

Thanks.

The AMEX concierge have already made a reservation for us at Ad Hoc.
Just wondering how good is the Bouchon Restaurant?

The Vintage Inn looks good but I just find out that the weekend rates are realy expensive (over 500) So may just stay for 2 days and then head back to SFO.

Are there any other hotel recommendations?

Weekends in Napa during the high season (certainly thru Labor Day) are expensive. Most top hotels in San Francisco cater more to business travelers than tourists, so you could also stay there and drive up to Napa (about 1-2 hours, depending where you're going and traffic).

A better approach to lower hotel rates is to stay in Napa during the week, to the extent you can.

Bob

Thanks.

The AMEX concierge have already made a reservation for us at Ad Hoc.
Just wondering how good is the Bouchon Restaurant?

The Vintage Inn looks good but I just find out that the weekend rates are realy expensive (over 500) So may just stay for 2 days and then head back to SFO.

Are there any other hotel recommendations?

Bpratt has just about covered it all.
Reservations @ French Laundry are booked months ahead.
Rent a car @ SFO Evens bus service is great but you will need a way to get around and explore ( its $29 per person SFO to Napa )
Call up Napa Valley Vistors Center and tell them what you have in mind and they will fill you in 707 226 7459

Get a room in Napa there is a Marriott and Hilton nothing will be cheap north of Napa

I've lived here 19 years never been to any of the above places so, I can't recommend anything.
I know a Mexican place thats as good as it gets no one speaks English But, you wouldn't be able to brag to your friends how much it costs!
BW

Thanks.

I have decided to stay for Wed and Thusday night in Napa (Yountville) and then spend Friday exploring the regions before heading back to Downtown SFO and utilsie for buy 1 get i free night at the MO. Although that hotel is a bit old, I had a good stay there last time and at less than 200USD per night for a 5+ star hotel I guess u can't complain!:D

For the wine/vineyard tours do I have to book or the concierge/hotel reception should be able to organise something.
Prob will not buy any wine as I still need to fly to a few other places before returning home, but just want to see the countryside and majbe enjoy a glass or 2! (have to watch the limit as I prob will drive).

Bouchon in Yountville is part of the Thomas Keller (French Laundry) restaurant group and is very good. I've always had luck getting a last minute reservation there.

The MO in SF isn't the newest 5* in the city, I think that would be the St Regis right now, but its still my favorite, and its been relatively recently, so it doesn't strike me as old or worn. I'm actually staying there Saturday night, as we're having dinner in SF and don't want to drive home afterwards (I live about 35 miles south of SF).

Most vineyards you can just turn up at, but a few of the smaller ones you do need to call ahead about. Depending exactly where you're staying you can always ask the concierge for any "special" suggestions, but otherwise just driving around and pulling into any winery that looks interesting will generally work.

Have fun.

Bob

Thanks.

I have decided to stay for Wed and Thusday night in Napa (Yountville) and then spend Friday exploring the regions before heading back to Downtown SFO and utilsie for buy 1 get i free night at the MO. Although that hotel is a bit old, I had a good stay there last time and at less than 200USD per night for a 5+ star hotel I guess u can't complain!:D

For the wine/vineyard tours do I have to book or the concierge/hotel reception should be able to organise something.
Prob will not buy any wine as I still need to fly to a few other places before returning home, but just want to see the countryside and majbe enjoy a glass or 2! (have to watch the limit as I prob will drive).

Had a wonderful meal at the Dry Creek Kitchen, location on the nice little town square in Healdsburg. Personally IMHO the food was on par with Cyrus just a little bit more relaxed atmosphere.

mike

P.s. The Sheraton in Petaluma though a little futher away might be a decent alternative.

but a few of the smaller ones you do need to call ahead about.

Schramsberg is one of them.

Good meals can also be had at L'Auberge du Soleil

I wasn't overly impressed with Bouchon when we went a few years back. We had a far better meal at Redd that I loved.

FARM at the Carneros Inn was fantastic, a great meal and wonderful service.

There are bunches and bunches of good, fun, beautiful wineries/vineyards out there. It all depends on what you're interested in. Some we just tripped over, some we were cognizant of having to secure reservations. For champagne/sparking wine I very much enjoyed the Schramsberg cave tour (about $30) and I like the wine and cheese pairing at Far Niente ($50 maybe). Call them for tour reservations. Sattui is a nice free tasting option and they have a little deli and picnic area. There are lots of maps out there and actually, if you get one, it’ll show you their locations; let me tell you, I found the map very helpful (some links below). Also, if you have the time, you may want to hit the Sonoma area as well.

http://www.napavalley.com/visitorsinfo/Napa_Valley_Winery_Map.pdf

http://urban.csuohio.edu/~sanda/pic/travel/us/california/ncal/napa/map%20b.jpg

Never been to French Laundry although a buddy of mine was there; he raves about it and as I recall he mentioned something to the effect that it was the most money he'd ever spent for a dinner outing, way over the top but he'd do it again. I have been to the Culinary Institute there a few times and would certainly recommend it.

It’s a great trip, please do enjoy. Let us know what you find of particular interest or if you find something not to be missed!

My husband and myself go annually with some friends to do a weekend trip to celebrate my husbands birthday and we are originally from northern calif but reside in Las Vegas at this time. I can recommend "Inn at Sonoma" ask for a "cottage room" in Sonoma, not far from Napa or "Lavender" a Bed & breakfast in Yountville.
Restaraunts: Domaine Chandon, Hurley's, Bouchon, Tra Vigne all fairly close to Sonoma/Napa/Yountville.
SFO is not a long drive, fairly close.
Winery's - Sterling, Chateu t Jean, Clos du Bois, Ferrari Carano, Gloria Ferrer Caves, Ledson, Sebastiani, Ravenswood

Have a great time, Kris;)

Thanks All,

My Napa trip is fast approaching and I still havent' booked the hotel yet!
I have narowed it down to the following 2 hotels in Yountville:

Villagio
Vintage Inn.

It seems they are just next to each other? Which one would u recommend?

Just came back from the Napa Trip and wanted to give a quick update on the how things went.

I stayed at both the Villagio and Vintage Inn (as they didn't have rooms for 1 night).

Overall it was an OK stay but I really think it is not worth the 450 USD price tag!!

The Villagio is better than the Vintage Inn (newer, better facilities in the room - LCD TV, cleaner)

The issues I have:

1) Lack of proper bedding (no duvet - just a cheap motel blanket/towel blanket thingy in both Villagio and Vintage Inn)
2) Dirty Beddding and room at the Vintage Inn (incl. insects everywhere)
3) Dark and old looking rooms in the Vintage Inn
4) Quality of breakfast is prettty average at both. We actually bought stuff at the Bouchon Bakery on the third day.

Yountville is a nice little town, however didn't get into French Laundry.

This was a really helpful thread for planning my own Napa trip over Labor Day weekend - thanks everyone!

FWIW, we ended up staying at Carneros Inn (VERY pricey, but well worth it), and had dinners at:
Julia's Kitchen, COPIA (Napa)
Ubuntu (Napa)
Ad Hoc (Yountville)

We made all the reservations on opentable.com a couple weeks in advance. Loved all the dinners - they were different and unique and so very tasty.

We only managed to make it to about 5-6 wineries over 3 days, and only in Napa, due to side trips to Pt. Reyes National Seashore on one day and the mud baths at Indian Springs in Calistoga on another, which sucked us in for half a day, literally! (We loved it, but it is not for spa newbies...)

Will post a trip report in a separate thread - or PM me if anyone has any questions about any of the above!