wining away in October.....

Planning a get away to CA in October. After 3 days in San Fran, I am heading with a pal to wine country. Planning to stay in Windsor, as it seems centrally located.

1. Is this a nice area to stay?

2. Are we close to good wineries?

3. Any reccommendations for good wineries AND good restaurants?

4. Other local things that are ';must-do%26#39;s'; from a locals perspective?

THANKS!

wining away in October.....

Windsor would be a great place to stay. Its downtown has been completely revamped with a town green and mixed use development, with restaurants, an art gallery and boutiques with apartments above. Langley%26#39;s is an excellent restaurant here, and there is more of a pub-like one next to the art gallery. I forget its name. There is a Holiday Inn Express within a couple of blocks of the main street. Windsor Vineyards has its headquarters on the town green.

In addition, you are near Healdsburg, which is an older town built around a central Plaza and with tasting rooms, etc.

I think Forestvillian will jump in and tell you about the wineries in the area.

wining away in October.....

Do you happen to be staying at the Trend West timeshare condo%26#39;s adjacent to the Windsor Golf Course? If that isn%26#39;t the case and you%26#39;re not an avid golfer, I think you would enjoy staying in the town of Healdsburg much more. As Puter said, Old Town Windsor (west side of the freeway) has been renovated and is a very pleasant area with great restaurants and shops. The east side of the freeway is intensely commercial with ';big box store'; shopping areas and lots of development. Other than Trend West, the lodging that%26#39;s very close is the standard chain motels and hotels--OK for a business trip, but not a vacation destination. I think that particularly if this is your first visit to Sonoma%26#39;s Wine Country, you%26#39;d have a better time staying in an inn or other lodging that represents a special experience here. Healdsburg is only a few mi. N/E of Windsor, so you%26#39;d still be ideally positioned to do wine tasting in the Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Russian River Valley--all premier areas for vineyards, wineries and tasting rooms. Do a search within the Healdsburg Forum and you%26#39;ll find a wealth of info. re: lodging, restaurant and winery recommendations. www.healdsburg.com and www.healdsburg.org will provide additional info. and www.wineroad.com is a good site to go to as you plan your wine tasting route. If you do decide to stay in Windsor, Langley%26#39;s on the Green is an excellent restaurant as Puter has already said. Mirepoix is a great dining spot loc%26#39;d in a charming vintage house. Downtown Grill is a very good casual spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Charlie%26#39;s at the Windsor Golf Course is also a good, casual spot with a patio that looks out over the greens.

While the Holiday Inn Express in Windsor is indeed a ';chain';, it is new and nicely decorated and quite pleasant. Breakfast is included....';expanded continental';, as they say. And, it is within walking distance of the Town Green and the shops and restaurants. (Be absolutely sure to find the candy store. You will be amazed. And the art gallery is worth browsing.)

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