INTRO, LOCATION & TRANSPORTATION

Sonoma is a winemaking area that’s ~44 miles north of San Francisco and ~21 miles southeast of Santa Rosa. It neighbors its equally famous rivalry, Napa. Sonoma County is known for fun art galleries, 19th-century adobe buildings, and beautiful nature trails. Sonoma, as rumor has it, boasts a more laid back vibe than Napa. Sonoma County has a small airport that some west coast airports, including Seattle International, fly directly into through Alaska, American Airlines and/or United Airlines. If you’re not on the west coast, it’s easiest to fly into San Francisco and drive up to Sonoma, e.g., when I lived in Michigan, Detroit International did not offer a direct flight into Sonoma.

While the downtown is very walkable, most, if not all, of the wineries are a car-ride away. Given that the primary activity is drinking, a DD, ride share option, or taxi driver is required. Ubers are NOT popular in Sonoma, so go with one of the local Taxi services, Sonoma Taxi or Old Town Taxi. Ubers were slow (~40 minute wait times) or unreliable to pick us up, whereas Taxis took ~10 minutes to get us. For any hiking, you’ll want a car.

LODGING

On our “girls weekend,” we opted for an airbnb in downtown Sonoma. Even after thoroughly researching alternative options for the sake of this article, I still believe that our 2-bedroom, 2-bath duplex style apartment is one of the best options in the area. It’s is located in Sedona Plaza, i.e., walking distance to all that downtown Sedona has to offer, and is a great base for a getaway. I feel that the photos in the listing did not do the place justice, the apartment has beautiful lighting and modern updates. It is not dog friendly.

Other walkable downtown airbnb options include this 3-bedroom, 2-bath bungalow for ~$650-$795/night and this hip, modern 4-bedroom, 3-bath house. No dogs at either property. For more further out, vineyard/farm style stays, I recommend this 3-bedroom, 2-baths Sonoma house with a pool and this 3-bedroom, 2-bath thoughtfully decorated farmhouse on a vineyard. Both further out properties allow dogs.

Sonoma has a number of interesting hotels, but many luxury resorts, including four Auberge options, are scattered throughout Napa, Yountville and Calistoga.

BRUNCH

Sunflower Cafe 

We enjoyed a lovely breakfast at Sunflower cafe, which features a beautiful back patio seating area (dog friendly) and is walking distance from the Airbnb. The menu is fresh and the breakfast is good, though fairly expected cafe fare. AD’s Review: 4.5.

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The Girl & The Fig  

While The Girl & The Fig serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, we stopped by the joint for lunch. The Wild Flounder and range of salads that we shared were all very good, somewhat traditional dishes. AD’s Review: 4.4.

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ACTIVITIES

Wine Tasting

We did two wine tastings while in Sonoma. The first was at Canihan Wines, which is a very small, family owned winery that features organic wines. The second was at Hanzell Vineyards, which is a larger, organic vineyard. We preferred the wines at Canihan slightly, but felt that Hanzell offered a better overall experience with beautiful grounds and tremendous views. Reservations are required for both: for Henzell, get more res. info here (tastings are $65 per person) and for Canihan, more info is here (tastings are $30 per person).

I have long wanted to visit Scribes Winery, but the hours can be tricky. Certainly check them out, along with Beuna Vista Winery. Both are fairly close to town (~10 minutes).

Hiking

At the time, many of the hikes that we wanted to do were closed because of fires, though we enjoyed the 3-Bridges Vista Point via Causeway and East Ridge Trail. The scenery was beautiful and the trail was a quick 25 minute drive from our Airbnb. Also checkout North Slope Sonoma Mountain Trail, a ~6M, out and back trail, or Sonoma Overlook Trail for a mild 2.5M stroll.

DINNER

Sonoma has many options for dinner and there’s an abundance of world-class, high-end farm-to-table within a ~30 minute radius of Sonoma, e.g., The French Laundry is a ~30 minute drive. We opted to eat close to downtown Sonoma and enjoyed our dinners at the below two spots, where we took advantage of the beautiful weather and ate outside.

Wit & Wisdom 

As one of Michelin star’s Michael Mina’s restaurants, Wit & Wisdom’s California fare is very solid. We enjoyed the tasty cocktails and recommend the Roasted Mushroom Toast, Savory ‘Pop-Tart,’ Brussels & Fontina Pizza, and Porcini Rotolo Pasta. I would skip the Roasted Cauliflower dish. The atmosphere was lovely. AD’s Review: 4.4.

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Valley Bar & Bottle 

I was the most excited to eat here. Given the small menu, we ordered almost everything. While the menu changes often, we loved the XO Eggs, Burrata with Fennel and Radish, whatever peanut tofu was featured, Mortadella, Tuna Poke with Fermented Chile, Half Chicken, and Braised Pork, Crispy Rice, and some sort of Carrot dish. This is fresh, California style food (and vibes) at its finest, and the first restaurant I’d revisit immediately if in Sonoma again. Ordering is at counter, which is standard for this style of dining, but is notable given the higher price point. AD’s Review: 4.8.

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I’d also check out the Sausage Emporium, which serves elevated “bar food” and brunch and Enotecca Della Santina, a traditional Italian joint and wine bar.

DRINKS

SIGH. Champagne & Sparkling

We enjoyed this fun, sparkling wine serving, trendy af spot. BTW, SIGH. was also named one of the Top 25 wine Bars in the Country by Travel & Leisure. The spot serves small plates, charcuterie, and of course, caviar.

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Also check out Starling Bar for craft cocktails and bar eats, Bennett Valley Cellars for more wine and Pomme Cider Shop and Taproom for cute vibes. All of these options are walkable and in the downtown area.