Traveling Without the Kids

I know I said that this blog was going to be about traveling with kids and extended family.  But, I also said that you were going to get an inside look into my family’s adventures.  Since this is “our” first adventure why not share it?  

So, traveling without the kids….I think it is a HUGE part of a healthy marriage.  What’s the saying—“Distance makes the heart grow fonder?”  Well, once you have kids, you often find a lot of “distance” between you and your spouse.  Travel is a great way to keep the flame going and get some much needed alone time.  So, find yourself a great overnight babysitter or call up the grandparents every once in a while!  Take the time to find the couple that fell in love all of those years ago.

So the story for this trip starts with my 40th birthday and what I want to do to celebrate.  My response for my 40th is very similar to what I wanted to do for my 30th—drink good wine!  So, three months after I opened my travel company, my husband set out to book the perfect vacation for us.  That’s right, he did all of the leg work!  It was a ton of work!!!  If you want to go to Napa and see some of the more private, smaller production wineries, I HIGHLY recommend calling me!  We not only found A LOT of new wines that we love, we had a variety of experiences at the tastings.  We saw production lines, barrel rooms, and even blended and bottled our own wine. Without first-hand knowledge of Napa Valley and Sonoma County you will be more likely to end up with public tastings where you belly-up to the tasting bar and taste things you can find anywhere wine is sold.  This was a huge undertaking for him and I am proud to say that he knocked this trip out of the park!

We booked the trip itself primarily with points.  As a travel agent, of course I want you to call me up so I can book everything.  But, I have to say, saving up those points makes getting out of town MUCH easier!  So, we stayed at a “big box” hotel.  Napa Valley has plenty of independent hotels to choose from as well as Inns and Bed and Breakfasts.  The hotel was lovely.  My personal recommendation would be to stay in one of the small towns over the location we chose.  I would have enjoyed staying in town where we could walk to breakfast or dinner a little bit more than where we were.  Also, after spending time in both Napa and Sonoma, I personally like Sonoma better.  The vibe there is a little more laid back and the tasting hosts seems to have a more casual air about how they sell their wines.  

Other than that, it was beautiful!  In the mid-90’s during the day and in the mid-60’s at night.  The scenery was breathtaking, although in the summer most of the grass is brown.  The brown grass and heat are a reminder of how close this region came to total destruction during the fires of 2017.  There are still a few signs of where the fires tried to cross over the hillsides and into the wineries.  We heard a few harrowing tales of winery owners staving off certain destruction, but all-in-all you would never know how devastating last fall was for them.

Speaking on great views, one of my favorite views is from the Tasting Room at Sterling Vineyards.  I know what you are thinking, that isn’t the small winery I promised.  And it isn’t.  But, it is one of my most favorite views.  I highly recommend it.  The tasting is reasonably priced.  Definitely more of a corporate feel when you are tasting, but the gondola ride up and down the mountain is a very unique experience.  Once you reach the top, you can sit on the patio, sip some wine, and enjoy a 360 degree view of the valley below you.  I think that every trip to the region requires at least one quiet moment when you can appreciate the beauty all around you.

Another thing I think everyone should experience is a pairing lunch.  Many wineries offer one.  They bring out multiple courses and pour different wines to match what you are eating.  You can do this on a small scale by purchasing an accompanying snack plate or you can make a reservation for a complete meal.  We did our tasting at VJB which is an Italian-style winery.  The wine was delicious, they had a nice range in per bottle pricing, and the Caesar Salad was some of the best I’ve ever had.  

We ended our trip in the wine country with an authentic Callistoga Mud Bath.  What an experience!  I couldn’t really describe the feeling of the mud itself.  But, it was much warmer than I expected.  The whole process took about an hour and was quite enjoyable.  I love a good massage, but this left me feeling just as relaxed and rejuvenated.  

I love wine as much as the next person, but I would highly recommend extending your trip into San Francisco or Sausalito.  Sausalito is beautiful!  Everything is right on the bay.  There are cute shops to walk in and out of and good restaurants as well.  I like that you don’t have to fly for 5 hours just to make the 2 hour drive up to Napa.  Sausalito is just past San Francisco traffic, making it an easy ride up to Napa the next morning.  By the same regard, we spent our last night in San Francisco.  I would much rather a 20 minute drive to reach an early flight than a 2 hour one!  There is so much to do and see in San Fran, it was a fun way to end a great trip!

photo credits: David Brull & Alan Bernover