The Wine Country

Pros: Isolation & seclusion, No TV's (adults), No Cell Phones, Beautiful Coastal Scenery
Cons: No TV's (kids), Hard to Get To (but that's what makes it so isolated)

Last year we decided to do the grand tour of our home state, California. We took two weeks, started in Redding, and slowly drifted down to Mariposa before heading home. You would think two weeks would give you plenty of time but this is a big state and...

Pros: Cozy and romantic atmosphere
Cons: Not everything on the menu is good

Heading out to the wine country, but too late to make reservations at French Laundry? Consider the quaint and romantic Glen Ellen Inn in Sonoma county -- bed-and-breakfast charm combined with sophisticated culinary presentation. (But no, despite its...

Pros: Wine tasting, beautiful scenery, great weather, gourmet restaurants, and outlet shopping!
Cons: Possible traffic driving up to Napa, difficulty trying to choose from all the wineries

A huge number of tourists who come to San Francisco take the requisite day trip to Napa. That very fact scared me off from visiting until just a few months ago, when I realized my newfound delight in wines made such a visit unavoidable.

My...

Pros: Exciting, wonderful, perfect food; attentive, almost doting, but ultimately unobtrusive service
Cons: Can be extremely difficult to get a reservation, but worth every iota of effort

Last year I had the pleasure to dine at The French Laundry in Yountville. It was without a doubt one of the most breathtaking meals I've ever had, if not the most.

It's been about a year and a half since that memorable meal (and I still...

Pros: Affordable Bliss
Cons: the Snob Factor

Wine Country Mud Utopia.

During the holiday season I found myself in Northern California with a few nights free. My Sweetheart and myself decided to treat ourselves to the luxuries of Calistoga, California. In this small town in Napa...

Pros: Full service spa, close to shopping, quiet, private
Cons: In room jacuzzis will not fit everyone

In the quiet town of Calistoga, two hours north of San Francisco, I found myself. Calistoga is part of the Napa Valley wine country but it is best known to northern Californians for its spas and resorts. The word “resort” brings to mind huge...

Pros: March is a fine time of year to visit; our B&B made our stay extraordinary
Cons: We stayed too many days

Introduction: My husband and I vacationed in the Napa Valley (stayed in Napa, to be exact) in March ...

Pros: no crowds anywhere
Cons: taking a chance on the weather

Review Topic:  Sights & Attractions

December seemed an unlikely month to plan a trip to Napa Valley, and we did so with some hesitation. Our ultimate destination was Hawaii, but coming from the East Coast, we decided to break...

Pros: right next door to the International Spa; everything you need is within walking distance, quiet location off the main street, nice spa and pool area
Cons: can be pricey; an older property with old fashioned rooms and dark interiors that could use a little updating

Review Topic:  Accommodations

Last August, I had the pleasure of staying a couple of nights in the north end of the Napa Valley in a quaint and cute town named Calistoga.

Calistoga has quite a number of motels, bed...

Pros: Sonoma and the Valley of the moon - our favorites.
Cons: cool evenings in August.

The Sonoma valley is absolutely beautiful. We visited this past summer, making the 1 hr drive from San Francisco.

As we began our trip north, the fog was starting to roll over the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. The sky quickly...

Pros: Yummy Food and Beautiful Scenery
Cons: Whew it gets Hot out here!!

So it was getting around that time that my mom starts harping about quality time with her daughter. Lets go to Napa, she says. Whoooaaa Napa? Land of wine and cows? Umm.......maybe another time mom. But I found myself in a car driving past Vallejo and...

Pros: None at all! (well the weather was nice)
Cons: Everything you can think of

Review Topic:  Sights & Attractions.

I feel sick, sick to my soul. I feel that deep melancholy that reminds me of the day I realized there was no such thing as Santa. Every now and then I need time off. Not just off, but away....

Pros: Great variety of wineries and restaurants, as well as little shops.
Cons: A lot of wineries are now charging for the wine tasting, so it can get to be expensive. Restaurants were expensive, too, but maybe it was just the ones we chose to eat at.

Traveling through Napa is a great experience because you meet one surprise after another around every corner. One place we had dinner was upon the recommendation of a friend. It was called COLE’S CHOP HOUSE, and we really felt obligated to honor the...

Pros: Top brand names including "rare" ones, excellent facilities, conveniently located
Cons: None (other than the hassle of trying to schedule time for both wine-tasting and shopping!)

After my very disappointing visit to Vacaville’s outlets here in Northern California, I gave up on outlets for months. Having grown up here but moving to Los Angeles for college (GO BRUINS!), I had yet to find any Northern California outlets as...

Pros: Beautiful scenery, great wine, no crowds
Cons: Need a map to find out-of-the-way wineries, hours vary

Every few years, I make the mistake of visiting Napa on a weekend around the holidays. In case you haven't ever made this mistake, let me set the scene: hundreds of tour buses at every winery; wine tasters 4 or 5 deep at the bar; lines for the bathrooms...