I started planning our trip to Northern California... it's been interesting to say the least. Like most Americans I thought I would be able to google "Napa Valley" and find exactly what I'm looking for. WRONG! There are a zillion sites claiming to know the secrets of Napa Valley. They give information on Napa's best hotels, the finest wineries, the most romantic, oh I could go on! But... what's the truth?! I haven't been to the area in years! All I want is a phone number to call and hear a friendly voice on the other end. I want to be able to say, "I want to drink good wine, eat delicious food, and not pay a ton of money!" I compiled a list of resorts and spent much of my morning sitting on hold waiting for the concierge to pick up. But, the most valuable information that I found of course came from close friends.
The results are listed below....
Del Dotto Vineyards-http://www.deldottovineyards.com/
This Vineyard sounds like a slam dunk. I was able to reach a live person and didn't have to sit on hold. I was upfront with her telling her we couldn't spend a ton of money but we still wanted a great experience. I also asked her to recommend a nice hotel nearby (maybe even walking distance) and she recommended two! She also explained (in great detail) the Cave experience at the vineyard and I was sold! For $40 per person you can enjoy the cave experience and what an experience it sounds like! This Vineyard will definitely find a spot on our itinerary.
Napa Valley Wine Train- http://www.winetrain.com/
I envision a fun train packed with jovial wine tasters, music, and great food. I thought we would be stopping at wineries as we made our way through the Valley. WRONG! According to the site... riders will see Napa Valley through the window of a train car. The train doesn't even stop at wineries.
Starting at $89 you get dinner and jaunt down the tracks. I asked my friend about the wine train and she told me the train takes you up and back down the same tracks. The wine train sounds like a nice experience but not for me. Maybe if I had more time in Napa.
Budweiser Brewery tour-http://www.budweisertours.com/
Don't expect a ton of information from the website but if you pick up the phone you'll likely get a friendly and informative voice on the other end. When I called I was told the tours start daily at 10am and run every hour on the hour. The best part... THEY ARE FREE!
The Wine Card- http://www.napadowntown.com/wine_card.html
Again, if I had more time this would work but I want to visit the real deal... the wineries. But, for 20 bucks you get a card and access to 10 different downtown wine rooms. Once you get to the wine rooms you can taste the wine for 10 cents! Not bad.
So, it appears I have the wine tasting portion of our trip figured out. Looking for a hotel is next, ugh! That portion is coming soon. If you have any tips or tricks please let us know!
