Napa Valley... or any other ideas?

FutureMrsMiller25

We're kind of stuck of where to go. I always imagined myself going somewhere tropical and/or exotic but after spending money on the wedding and my employment being unknown (I have to move to another state to be with my soon to be husband so I don't know how long till I have steady work) I'm hesitant to go big. I know my FI really wanted to go to Italy but he agreed the flight is basically our budget (I said maybe around $3500-4000). We considered Costa Rica but he said he just can't get excited about it.

We started thinking about possibly staying in the country and once you remove the international airfare we could spend more money on other things and live it up. I live in Florida so basically anywhere in Florida doesn't excite me and I don't want to go anywhere that's still pretty chilly in the end of May. The idea of Napa occurred to me today. Neither of us have been there - anyone have any thoughts?

FutureMrsMiller25

My best friend and one of the BM lived on a cruise ship and so some of the cruise ship part of it has lost its appeal to me from talking with her. Not hugely big on the cruise ship. Like having more independence to go and do what we like.

Sue-n-Kevin

We took an "all California" trip for our HM in September. We started in San Fran, drove all the way down the coast in a convertible over 10 days. We did not go to Napa, but it's really near San Francisco, so you could mix a cosmopolitan city with some vineyards and wineries. May is before the heavy tourist season, and the weather in that area is fairly comfortable all year long.

Check out online sites like www.tripadvisor.com for hotels and activities in various areas. Join www.budgettravel.com (it's free) and they have all sorts of information as well. Both these sites have real travelers itineraries and ratings, and it's nice to sort things out that way. I planned my entire honeymoon along the coast by using them to locate different places and hotels.

Good luck.

mica178

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I love Napa!  It is so beautiful.

Be prepared for expensive hotels and food. 

If you like hiking, go to Muir Woods or Mt. Tamalpais.

To keep food costs down, you can go to those Michelin starred restaurants for lunch rather than dinner.

If you have a Visa Signature card, many of the Sonoma wineries offer free wine tastings.

FutureMrsMiller25

Thanks! We did a west coast trip in May 2009 - went to Portland, OR, San Fran and LA but I guess I wouldn't mind visiting San Fran again. I guess I was just also pondering what was out there besides wine!

Matty143

We also did an all CA trip. We drove to Pebble Beach, San Francisco and Napa.
It was an amazing trip.
Ditto Mica about Napa. It was expensive but worth it.
We stayed at the Hotel Yountville and it was beautiful. Modern but still cozy. The hotels restaurant does a great breakfast too.

Matty143

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_napa-valley-other-ideas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:55cfbd61-a0db-41e4-9f69-c84101c0b682Post:ce1ec6f5-afb2-484a-b013-a5efbdea1113">Re: Napa Valley... or any other ideas?</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks! We did a west coast trip in May 2009 - went to Portland, OR, San Fran and LA but I guess I wouldn't mind visiting San Fran again. <strong>I guess I was just also pondering what was out there besides wine!</strong>
Posted by FutureMrsMiller25[/QUOTE]

I am no help : ) All I did was eat and drink my way around town.
I'm sure someone else has better advice.

FutureMrsMiller25

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_napa-valley-other-ideas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:55cfbd61-a0db-41e4-9f69-c84101c0b682Post:0a77c05e-cf11-46ee-9eb4-9051fe84b769">Re: Napa Valley... or any other ideas?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Napa Valley... or any other ideas? : I am no help : ) All I did was eat and drink my way around town. I'm sure someone else has better advice.
Posted by Matty143[/QUOTE]

<div>Ha! I went real quick with a google search today and it mentioned bike rides, hiking, kayaking and some train (I think the train involved wine though!)</div>

lagiocanda

Just a thought- if Italy is your dream spot then I think you could make it happen. If you get flights for $1100 each out of JAX to Rome or Florence, then you'd end up having approx 200 euros a day in Italy if you went for a week. If you stay at a nice little B & B, budget hotel, or apartment, you'd still have enough money for sightseeing, food, etc. It just depends on what you want- it isn't going to be a fancy vacation on this kind of budget, but maybe you would enjoy having gelato and pizza in Tuscany more than dining at Michelin restaurants in Napa...

FutureMrsMiller25

We go back and forth. I don't think it's financially responsible to drop a lto of money on a trip just bc it's the honeymoon when you don't know what the future holds employment wise. I turn 30 in about 2 years so I said we could save up and make that my 30th trip... he just worries it won't happen if it doesn't happen now. If I was claiming it was our 10 year anniversary I'd agree - a lot happens in 10 years but in 2 years time I think we could make it happen.

Matty143

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_napa-valley-other-ideas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:55cfbd61-a0db-41e4-9f69-c84101c0b682Post:2d126d89-97a8-4b54-b1e2-a28f219f468d">Re: Napa Valley... or any other ideas?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Napa Valley... or any other ideas? : Ha! I went real quick with a google search today and it mentioned bike rides, hiking, kayaking <strong>and some train (I think the train involved wine though!)</strong>
Posted by FutureMrsMiller25[/QUOTE]

I totally thought the wine train was a rip off.
First, we had to go deep into the older part of Napa, only to have the train go right by our hotel. <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-undecided.gif" border="0" alt="Undecided" title="Undecided" />
It was like $100-something a person and that was for soup or salad, lunch and a desert. NO WINE. For $100/person you can eat somewhere much better and just go the the winery you want to go to. I wish we had just gone to Grgich Hills instead of the train.

I'm not really outdoor-sy  so hiking and kayaking was just not on my radar, oops! <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-smile.gif" border="0" alt="Smile" title="Smile" />

mica178

I'd skip the wine train (for reasons listed by Matty).  Pick a handful of wineries to visit instead.  Sterling is at the top of the valley and has a great gondola ride to the top (warning, a visit here isn't cheap unless you happen to have friends in the wine industry who can get you in for free).  I love the tasting room at Medlock Ames.  A lot of people love visiting Domaine Chandon or Carneros to have a sparkling wine tasting.  V Sattui or Viansa are fun for tasting all the cheese and foods.  Coppola is fun if you love the Godfather or other Coppola films (also, the winery is generally gorgeous).

I'm like Matty -- I'm all about food and wine.

But I do recall having a lovely hike around Mt. Tamalpais. 

adktd2boots

There is also Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay... You can do wine tours, visit Hearst Castle, go to Yosemite and the Sequoias.  Central CA is beautiful and May will still have green hills.  Depending when in May, Paso Robles has their wine festival.

meliB229

I live in Sonoma County which is the "other" wine valley. 

Unless you want to stay in low budget motel-6 type places, hotels run about $300-500 a night, and food at the nice resturants are expensive ($25-30/plate). There are COUNTLESS tasting rooms and wineries throughout the region, which you can get to by walking in a town square, drive around to, or get a "tour". However, most wineries charge about $10-20 a person to taste, so it can add up fast. 

There are tons of amazing state parks and county parks to hike in or spend time outside. 

I've also lived in Morro Bay, which another person mentioned previously. That area isn't as "upscale" but its also pretty, there is Hearst Castle and lots of outdoor things to do. It is also more affordable than wine country. 

good luck!