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Old May 2, 2021, 7:03 am
  #5  
rbAA
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Bangkok, Thailand. No longer Palm Coast, FL though still exiled, again, from the Bay Area.
Programs: Only the good ones
Posts: 5,153
Originally Posted by garykung
I would pick HR Monterey. HR Sonoma is in Santa Rosa, CA, which is not a tourist city per se. In comparison, I would expect your experience at HR Monterey be better.
Hold that thought. The definition of Bay Area is a loose one. Officially, it composes of 6 counties - Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara (i.e. pretty much where you can find BART). Then you have the extended Bay Area, like Sonoma, Monterey, etc. To be honest, the definition does not matter to locals, but to outsiders only.
The recent photos of the HR Monterey do make it look better, but when I stayed there it looked a bit dreary, and it's away from the water, which is one of the big draws for Monterey. I've liked the IC near the Aquarium, but usually tried (and recommended,) some of the B&B's there. Of course, I prefer the Highlands Inn. And, IMHO the wineries are much better in Sonoma County.

I remember there used to be a bus service to Santa Rosa from SF, about the time BART was started, which they named Far Area Rapid Transit aka FART. Having lived in the Bay Area for over 40 years, almost all the areas (city, East Bay, South Bay and including the North Bay for many years, mainly Petaluma with my business in Napa,) I always felt that it was part of the Bay Area.
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