Would like to plan a trip to Napa to see the vineyards and go wine tasting.?
Any recommendations as far as lodging, the best airport to fly in/out of, restaurants and vineyards to visit?
As far as the hotel goes, I’d like something economical but clean. Maybe 200 per night? And I’ll be trying to secure a reservation to French Laundry, as I’ve been to Per Se in NYC and figure i should try Keller’s other place.
Thanks!!
Tagged with: fly • french laundry • place thanks • restaurants
Filed under: All Things Wine
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I’ve heard that you need to make reservations 6 months in advance at the French Laundry. Bouchon (also in Yountville) is also owned by the same person. You will find no shortage of world class places to dine in Napa.
You can fly in and out of San Francisco or Sacramento. The airport at Sacramento is not as big or as crowded as San Francisco. Both are an hour or so away from Napa.
There’s an Embassy Suites in Napa that is nice and comes with a breakfast. I often stay at Silverado Resort which can be pricey, but they often have specials on their website.
Dine at Auberge du Soleil for one of the very best views in the valley. It’s an upscale restaurant located off the Silverado Trail.
Learn more about Napa’s wineries and restaurants at http://www.cheers2wine.com. You can also print free wine tasting coupons here.
You can fly into either San Francisco or Oakland. Both are over an hour from Napa Valley. If you’re flying domestically, Jet Blue and Southwest fly into Oakland.
I had the best non-sushi meal of my life at the French Laundry (I had a celebratory dinner at Masa in NYC last year…unbelievable). He also has Bouchon (with an outpost in Las Vegas)…definitely worthy if you like Keller’s work.
While in Napa, you must stop for lunch at Taylor’s Refresher. It’ll be busy…just endure. Very casual…but on a bright sunny day it’ll be a slice of heaven.
Wineries…stay away from the mega-factories. The tours tend to stink, and you feel like cattle. V.Sattui does not sell at retail outlets, so if you go and like their product…buy it there. There’s one up on a hill with great vistas…definitely worthy…I’m trying to remember the name.
There’s several big chain hotels in Napa…if you want a known entity it’ll work great. A couple Marriott’s…a Hilton/Hampton…pretty standard fare. The B&B’s are a mixed bag.
If you go during the summer…it can get quite warm during the daytime.
Be sure to check out STERLING WINERY … it’s sooo cool !!
You take a tram up a few hundred feet … to the winery …
amazing fews … great wine … relaxed, and chill …
Berringer is cool too … you can tour the mansion … and take a tour of behind the scenes stuff …
I’ve never stayed in napa … we always stay in Calistoga …
I recommend Indian Springs in Calistoga !
It’s a spa … mineral baths, mud baths, massages OH MY !!!
I would fly into Oakland … it’s easier to deal with then SF
Bridges Limousine does an excellent wine tour … tell Eric, Jamie sent you, and he should give you a % off …
have fun … don’t forget your camera …
i’d fly to SF since the airport is better, with more flights to choose from.
the first poster pretty much says it all. i just wanna reiterate that you should stay away from the bigger ones, but go to the smaller ones. the biggers ones like JamieGRL mentioned are very commercial. cable cars in a vineyard? you’ll feel like a tourist in a theme park. the smaller ones are warm and inviting.
dunno much about hotels, coz im from SF and always have a DD and go to napa as a same day trip.
you should call french laundry like right now if you wanna eat there. I hvnt yet tried it, because the person answering the phone does hv some attitude.
but hv fun in california!
Airports: San Francisco and Oakland are the closest major airports. My wife and I usually use San Jose because we spend some time with our son in Mountain View before driving up to Wine Country. Downtown Napa is about 90 minutes from either San Francisco or Oakland airports, and a bit more than two hours from San Jose.
Vineyards: There are so many to choose from! Castello de Amoroso is a relatively new place with a beautiful stone castle, Chateau Monteleon has very nice gardens, Rutherford Hills had a nice cave, etc. The wineries in Sonoma Valley will be a bit less crowded than those in Napa Valley.
Lodging: Last year we stayed at the Jack London Lodge in Glen Ellen (Sonoma Valley). My wife is a librarian, you see. We’ve also stayed at Holiday Inn Express in Santa Rosa and Sebastapol - both reasonably priced, and clean and with a free breakfast.
Food: French Laundry is nice (we’ve been told) but you need to book reservations months in advance to get in. It’s also expensive. Tra Vigne is very nice - less expensive and easier to get in. Operated by Michael Chiccarino who has a program on Food TV. Guy Fierri (the Food TV guy with the spikey white hair) has a number of places in the Santa Rosa area that you can generally just walk into.
Several years ago we did the Wine Train - a train that leaves downtown Napa in late morning, you have an elegant luncheon on the train as you roll through the vineyards.