Knowing that wineries is part of this West coast vacation article, the Sonoma Valley will obviously be a major focus but, we first get settled in San Francisco, one of the best culinary cities in the U.S. A choice locations to settle in San Francisco for a couple days is the Hotel Adagio, which is a Joie de Vivre Boutique Hotel. The hotel is located near Union Square, which offers an astonishing selection of antique shops, art galleries, bars, cafés, coffee, department stores and some of the best restaurants in the country. Take a stroll after dinner and choose from five ice cream and sweet shops. First choice for dinner is simple, Fisherman’s Wharf and Star Banquets and Travel offers many selections on our San Francisco website, www.sanfranciscoreservations.info for Fisherman’s Wharf than include Fog Harbor Fish House, Fishermen’s Grotto #9, Alioto’s, Ana Mandara who is on our top 2011 picks. Ana Mandara is our top pick for the first night in San Francisco. With 171 reviews on OpenTable.com alone, a menu that is as unique as they come, and a menu layout that is just quite interesting and will bring the curiosity out of anyone. Highlights of their menu, starting with appetizers, Vietnamese crispy rolls, crabmeat, shrimp, & Shiitake mushrooms; or another that will catch the eye, seared beef Carpaccio, julienne Papaya – green Apple, Tamarine sauce and Shrimp crackers. The menu offers many choices, it is quite large and entrées include fish of the day dusted with Wasabi, sautéed Brussel sprouts and fried green tomatoes served with chili – honey mustard sauce. Those who are not seafood fans, the menu brings a Prime Filet Mignon with grilled pineapple, sautéed mushrooms, crunchy sweet rice cake and pineapple sauce or try the slow roasted Sonoma duck breast with Daikon (Turnips) cake and long beans served with Pinenut sauce. Whether a long day of travel was required for your visit to San Francisco will determine as to one or two nights in San Francisco. So, when you are rested, excited, ready to move on, the next leg of the vacation is heading north to a tour of Sonoma Valley wineries.
The plan for Sonoma winery is a day of touring of your choice of Vineyards to visit while driving
through beautiful countryside then settling in at The Lodge at Sonoma Resort & Spa by Renaissance. Guided tours of Sonoma and Napa Valleys are available through California Wine Tours, which you can view online at www.californiawinetours.com. If you prefer to discover the vineyards/ wineries yourself, some of the key vineyards are Benziger Family Winery, Gundlach Bundschu Winery, St. Francis Winery, Bartholomew Park Winery, Kenwood Vineyards, Valley of the Moon Winery, B.R. Cohn Winery and Ravenswood Winery. Planning to stay two days is important so to also enjoy the amenities of the resort, The Lodge at Sonoma Resort & Spa. They advertise to come and relax, indulge, play and savor. That is so true with what the four star resort offers. The Raindance Spa is exhilarating as they offer body scrubs, messages and go as far as to offer astrology readings. “Raindance Spa offers treatments that draw upon the natural healing properties of the region’s herbs, plants, minerals and fruits, including lavender and grape seed.” But, there is much more the resort offers that include an outdoor pool, spa tub, sauna and fitness center. The onsite Carneros Bistro Wine Bar was named one of the top 50 restaurants in the Bay Area by San Francisco Magazine. The restaurant is our top pick after the long day of vineyard touring. The second day though, after a day of relaxing you should feel fit to venture off to our top pick restaurant for the evening. Redd is one of our top picks for dining, located in Napa Valley, the restaurant could be a choice pick for lunch as well. Redd has also received the Diners Choice award from OpenTable.com. Two highlights of their dinner menu are, a prime New York steak and short ribs, salt potatoes, bacon and Cipollini onion ragout; and second, Berkshire pork chop, sage polenta, roasted artichokes and root vegetables. Menus will be part of the vacation planning package supplied by Star Banquets and Travel. Direct online booking is available at www.vacationsnationalpark.com or you can call Star Banquets and Travel for assistance in planning
a personalized vacation.
| Now onto to the start of the sight seeing part of the vacation, which first is Redwood Forest National Park. “Most visitors know Redwood National and State Parks as home to the world's tallest trees—icons that inspire visions of mist-laden primeval forests bordering crystal-clear streams. But did you know that the parks also protect vast prairies, oak woodlands, and nearly 40 miles of wild coastline, all of which support a rich mosaic of wildlife diversity and cultural traditions?” (U.S. National Park Service) If you wish to break up the drive to Oregon, then a couple choice spots are available from Eureka to Crescent City (see our booking links above). Two hotels in the area, the Carter House Inns, which is a luxury hotel is rated 3.5 stars but, a Red Lion Hotel that is 1/3 of the cost is rated near the same at three stars. Details on Redwood National Park, things to do, trails is offered on VacationsNationalPark.com as well as dining stops along the way. |  |
