Wine Country, California Lodging

There's a wide range of lodgings in California's wine country. (Photo: breakfast with wine image by Pavel Bernshtam from Fotolia.com )

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Where you stay is becoming as important as what vineyard you go to in California wine country. Though wine is now actually made throughout the state, the areas of Napa Valley and Sonoma County have earned the label of ?wine country.? The two Northern California regions offer vacationers nearly as many lodging choices as wineries, with options from small bed and breakfasts to luxury resorts.

Region

Deciding which wine region to visit is a daunting task. It is possible to visit both, but there is nearly an hour?s drive between Napa and Sonoma, so you might want to consider splitting your trip so you can enjoy the lodging in each area. In Napa Valley, the wineries are condensed into towns with accommodations all around them. Sonoma is quite different. The Sonoma wineries are spread further apart; you should look for hotels around towns you?d like to visit rather than wineries themselves.

Location

Within Napa, you will find the lodging centered around the winery towns of Calistoga, Rutherford, St. Helena, Yountville and the city of Napa. Calistoga and Yountville are busy towns that offer lodging between shopping and restaurants. If you want something a bit quieter, try a hotel like Harvest Inn in St. Helena, which is set off by itself, spreading 74 rooms and cottages over eight acres. Sonoma is quite different, with accommodations spread out throughout the towns in the county and not usually near wineries.

Luxury

If you are looking for the full resort and spa experience, it?s easy to find in California wine country. The Five Star Alliance notes Napa Valley?s Auberge Du Soleil in Rutherford as well as the Villagio Inn and Spa in Yountville as top luxury hotels. Also in Yountville on that list, the sustainable Bardessano opened in 2009, offering indulgent amenities like bathrooms with steam rooms and outdoor showers. In Sonoma, the alliance gives praise to the Fairmont Sonoma Mission and MacArthur Place.

Other Options

Throughout the Napa and Sonoma valleys are small bed and breakfasts. Also look at some of the wineries themselves. Inman Family Winery, for example, has a farmhouse they call, ?Bed-and get-your-own-Breakfast? on its property for rent, if you want to get the hands-on wine country experience. You may opt to take a wine train package at Napa?s Westin Verasa and visit the vineyards by rail.

Considerations

Even though Sonoma is spread out, there is another option within that region: tasting rooms. Within the Sonoma County towns of Geyserville and Healdsburg, there are numerous storefronts that represent wineries, so you can walk around tasting different wines without ever driving. Locals in Geyserville even offers tasting of 70 wines from 10 different wineries with no charge. It?s within walking distance of the Geyserville Inn.

About the Author

Marcia Frost is a writer covering topics such as travel, food, wine/spirits, health and fitness. She is the content editor for Cocktails and Joints and writes regularly for many on- and offline publications, including "Michigan Avenue," "Gotham," "Aspen Peak," "Los Angeles Confidential" and "Hamptons Magazines." She has a B.A. in journalism from Long Island University.

Photo Credits

• breakfast with wine image by Pavel Bernshtam from Fotolia.com

Source: http://traveltips.usatoday.com/wine-country-california-lodging-17361.html

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