Three Days in Sonoma (Honeymoon: Part I)
Did you stress out when planning your honeymoon? I know I did. After all that wedding planning, the last thing I thought I’d stress out on was our honeymoon. We planned on doing 3 days in Sonoma in mid-May before going to South Lake Tahoe (it was more like 1.5 days, actually, because we drove from San Francisco on day 1 and left in the afternoon on day 3). I have never been to Sonoma before. The only things we had planned were our flights, hotel, and places to eat. All I knew was that we wanted to drink wine and relax. However, when I Google searched “Wineries to visit in Sonoma”, the results were overwhelming.
I think I lost a patch of hair trying to narrow down all of the results, including suggestions from friends and family. We only had 1.5 days to really explore Sonoma and I wanted us to have a great time… But picking where to go was driving me insane. I decided to give up on making an itinerary and set one simple priority the moment we arrived:
Become friends with a local and ask for recommendations.
We did this on our first night by asking a local bartender at our hotel which wineries are a must-go when you only have one full day to explore and a half day with time for one winery. He gave us 3 recommendations and we went to all of them. The fourth winery was a family friend’s recommendation. If you are planning a quick trip to Sonoma and have never been, below are some thoughts and recommendations from our three day experience.
Day 1
We arrived in San Francisco, picked up our rental car from Budget, and got on the road by 3:00 pm. It was a beautiful 2 hour drive from the airport to Sonoma (crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and entering Marin County was my favorite part of the drive).
Hotel: The Lodge at Sonoma Renaissance Resort & Spa
While the rooms are not cheap, we loved our hotel. It was quiet, and they let guests have 2 (strong) complimentary glasses of sangria every day, which we definitely took advantage of. They also have free daily wine tastings from 4:30-6:30 pm featuring new local wineries!
Dinner: Cafe la Haye
We wanted a nice dinner that wasn’t formal, and Cafe la Haye was the perfect spot. We treated ourselves to a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and enjoyed the specials of the day (that salmon special was perfect)!
After dinner we walked to Sonoma Plaza where the Tuesday night farmers market was. We ended up eating and drinking more food and wine while listening to live music. We definitely needed to walk off all the food, so we headed back to the hotel on foot. It was a pretty quick walk from the plaza to The Lodge at Sonoma, so your feet won’t mind if you choose to do so.
As soon as we got back we headed straight to the hotel bar to enjoy our 2 free glasses of sangria. We hit it off with the bartender straight away and learned a bit about why he came to Sonoma. We told him it was our first time here and needed some recommendations on places to go. He was happy to give us advice and this is what it came down to:
- 1 day full day in Sonoma is good for 3-4 wineries and tastings.
- During the busy season and weekends - you’d definitely have to call and reserve tastings ahead of time. Since we came in middle of the week in May, we should be fine to do walk-in tastings.
- Since we had 1 full day with a goal for 3-4 tastings, we had to narrow the distance between the wineries, so he recommended his favorite wineries within a quick drive from downtown Sonoma:
- Buena Vista Winery
- Gundlach Bundschu Winery
- Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery
Day 2
After our talk with the bartender at the hotel bar, we decided to wake up early to start our day of wine tasting so we had as much time as possible. Before going to the first tasting, we had breakfast in the plaza at Sunflower Caffe (so great, I highly recommend). We can’t drink wine on an empty stomach!
As we left Buena Vista, we realized that there was no way we could continue to drink as much as we wanted and drive to every winery responsibly.
So we brought the car back to the hotel and called for an Uber. Surprisingly, it worked out well! We were a little worried it might take too long to wait for an Uber or Lyft. But every time we called, it only took about a 10-15 minute wait.
Winery 1: Buena Vista Winery
We had heard about Buena Vista numerous times, even before we got the recommendation from our friendly bartender, and I’m so glad we decided to visit. How can you resist this place? It’s beautiful, rich with history (it’s the oldest winery in California), and the sommeliers are full of knowledge. Our sommelier really knew his stuff, and truly customized everything we tasted based on our preferences and reactions to the wine. We’re not experts, but the wine here had such high quality and exquisite taste. It really set the bar high for the day. They even gave us a free tasting once they found out we were on our honeymoon! We can’t wait to come back!
TIP: Arrive early. As soon as they open. We were the second couple to arrive and practically had the place to ourselves. It was the best!
As we left Buena Vista, we realized that there was no way we could continue to drink as much as we wanted and drive to every winery responsibly. So we brought the car back to the hotel and called for an Uber. Surprisingly, it worked out well! We were a little worried it might take too long to wait for an Uber or Lyft. But every time we called, it only took about a 10-15 minute wait.
Winery 2: Gundlach Bundschu Winery
Entering Gundlach Bundschu Winery was like driving through a vineyard wonderland. From the winery, there is a view overlooking the vineyard, a large pond, and trails leading to picnic tables. The overall vibe of this place was fun, personable, and laid back, which we loved.
The wine here was great, however our experience felt scripted. I’m not sure if it was because Buena Vista really set the bar high with their service, but the person giving us our tasting seemed distracted. She read off notecards and constantly stopped mid explanation, left to address another customer, disappeared for 5 minutes, and when she came back she couldn’t remember what wine we were tasting. She was very sweet, however there were moments we had no idea what we were drinking. We’d still come back because the wine was so good and the views were spectacular.
Winery 3: Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery
This winery had a very classic and cool atmosphere. The staff were super friendly, knowledgeable, and really personalized the tasting to your preferences. In between glasses, we strolled around the winery and there were little exhibits showcasing the history of Sebastiani. It was a really great experience!
I honestly wish I could tell you more about this place, but to be honest, by the time we got to the third winery I had plenty of wine and was a little more than “tipsy.” After the last glass, we needed to go home so we could at least remember dinner.
Dinner: The Girl & The Fig
This restaurant is amazing and if you haven’t been, you definitely need to try it. Everything was delicious and I still dream about that cheese sampler. All of the food here is local, with many of the ingredients grown by the staff, which made eating here much more memorable.
Day 3
Our last day was a half day. We woke up as early as we could (surprisingly no wine hangover - yay!), packed our bags, checked out, and drove to the last winery on our list.
Winery 4: Imagery Estate Winery
About a 20 minute drive away from the downtown plaza of Sonoma is Imagery Estate Winery. We came here by recommendation from Cameron’s parents. Their friend's daughter (her name is also Lily) works here and hasn’t seen Cameron in years. We decided to give her a visit!
The moment we drove through the entrance of Imagery Estate Winery, our hearts were stolen. This place was beautiful and the environment was welcoming. Inside the winery they sold artwork, accessories, and products of local businesses in Sonoma. Everyone was super friendly, we loved the wine, and enjoyed the outdoor picnic area.
Cameron basically had to drag me out of this winery because I didn't want to leave. I loved everything about it and we will definitely be back.
At the end of this part of our trip, we concluded that:
- We love red blends and Cabernet.
- 3 days in Sonoma is a teaser, and next time we have to stay longer.
- When in Wine Country, have your picnic game on strong.
- Strict itineraries are silly, and holding yourself to one might hold you back from really enjoying your trip.
Mostly everywhere we visited was not planned until we got there, and we still had a great time. Stressing out before the trip wasn't worth it! Sometimes it's better to let it go and see where the world takes you.
Did we miss out on some great things to do in Sonoma? If we did, leave a suggestion and I’ll add that to our list when we go back! This was our first time, and I know there is still so much left to see and do. Any tips, suggestions, and recommendations are always greatly appreciated!
After we left Sonoma, we drove north to South Lake Tahoe for 5 days full of hiking and relaxation. I’ll be sharing this second part of our honeymoon next week for Travel Tuesday.
