Looking for Info on San Francisco/Sonoma California

You should go wine tasting between Sonoma and Santa Rosa on Hwy. 12, or up around Healdsburg. It's one of the most fun and romantic things to do. There are plenty of nice places to stay around here; it depends on your budget and what you're looking for.

Don't call it San Fran (and whatever you do, don't call it Frisco!). Then people will KNOW you're a tourist. ;) You want to stay on Union Square, without a doubt. Stay away from the wharf (I mean, go eat at Scoma's, but then leave and go back to your nice hotel on Union Square - nobody wants to hang out at the wharf. It's dirty and tourist-trappy.) For hotels on Union Square, I'd recommend the Handlery. It's half a block off Union Square. The rooms are all a bit different from each other, so it's rather charming. The St. Francis is always an option, but I find it to be way overrated. I like the Grand Hyatt on Union Square also, BUT it's just like Hyatts everywhere. The view is spectacular, but the rooms are tiny. My parents love the Parc 55, which is a boutique hotel. Just depends what you like, but I would definitely vote for Union Square as the general area where you'd want to be. It's within walking (or trolley!) distance from everything.

You can easily do Sonoma as a day trip. Just pick a few of your favorite wineries, or try some new ones (I love touring Gundlach-Bundschu; they have lovely caves).

And remember, people always think it's warm in June here... it's not. Pack pants and dress in layers - San Francisco can get pretty chilly in June! And wear shoes you can walk in; our hills are brutal if you're wearing uncomfortable shoes.

My husband and I just did this exact same thing in Oct for my brother-in-laws wedding in SF. We didn't have time to do the winery (although we would have liked to), but we did the touristy stuff you'd find in a travel book. We did a lot of walking (up and down the hills). The touristy stuff was fun.

Also, we stayed at a hotel right downtown, and hotels in SF are expensive. We got a relatively reasonable price by doing the "name your own price" on priceline.

Have fun. We really enjoyed it.

If you want to be located IN San Fran, I can't recommend, BUT, if you want to be between SF and Wine Country, try the city of Novato. It's just about half way between the two. There are a few hotels there. San Rafael is also nice, just a little closer to SF.

If you can, do the Wine Train - check it out. You can just ride it, or ride it to wineries and get off/on. Peju winery is very nice and has lovely vintages. There's also Francis Ford Copella's winery - more touristy, but kinda fun, and there's a shop across the street that has FANTASTIC olive oils, tapenades, and all kinds of great yummy things.

If you stay in Novato or San Rafael, you can drive to Larkspur and take the ferry into SF - it's a lovely trip and if you don't have to drive in the city, it'll probably be very relaxing for you.

I used to live in Novato and LOVED that area. feel free to contact me and I'll give you as much info as I can.

ENJOY!

The Hyatt at the Embarcadero is right across the street from the Ferry Building (full of great food shops and restaurants, right on the water) and is close to Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf and Pac Bell Park (go Giants!)
Sonoma is AWESOME, so quaint and pretty, but I've never stayed overnight so I can't recommend a hotel. There are wineries all over Sonoma and Napa Counties. My husband and I like Duckhorn and Silver Oak. Check out trip advisor for reviews. Have fun!!!

Stay close to the Warf(spelling?? my spell check is not liking any way i spell it) if you go to San Fran...It is breath-taking. I would take a drive through Salislito as well. It is quaint and very ''made for the movies'' in my opinion. The shops and scenery you can just get lost in. The parks in the area are amazing as well.

I dont have any thoughts on lodging. We stayed at a Best Western. When we travel we use my moms hotel points club...which normally dont have anything better then that. There are I am sure some fantastic Hotels or Bed and breakfasts around there though!

Have Fun!!
San Fran is one of my favorite areas in this country!!

You will want to stay in Union Square - you can ride a trolley down to the warf and go to Ghiradelli Square and walk around, eat down there and such, or drive down, but the Trolley cars are fun, and not too expensive. Union Square is absolutely gorgeous at Christmas time! I always try to make a trip at Christmas........

You should be able to google and find tons of wine tours in Sonoma that you can go on. You should have a great time!