Pops' California Travel Guide, Silverado Country Club

In June we did a 3 day weekend trip to the wine country in Napa and Sonoma. For those of you that have been there during the summer you know that it can get pretty crowded and traffic is congested. We planned this trip where we could get to the wineries in Napa and Sonoma but afterward get away from the crowds and traffic to relax.  

The Silverado Country Club is located off the Silverado Trail on the eastern side of Napa. They offer accommodations ranging from rooms to condominiums with both offering packages that include the spa, golf or tennis. What I like about staying there is you have the benefits of staying in a hotel (restaurants, lounge, pool, etc) but with the feel of staying in a resort. The property is spread out and not centrally located in one building with long hallways. There are a lot of open areas with a nice peaceful and relaxing atmosphere. If you just want to relax you can spend the entire stay there playing golf or tennis, having a spa treatment or sitting by the pool. If you are going with another couple I would also suggest staying in one of their condominiums. We had separate rooms this time and at night would sit outside and drink wine we purchased during wine tasting that day.

If you want to get out, Napa is right there. We went to dinner one night at a wonderful restaurant, Pear, along the Napa River. The downtown area of Napa is along the Napa River and offers many eating options as well as shopping. For wine tasting there is the Silverado Trail which offers many wineries prominent in California wine history. You can also cut across Napa and head north up the Napa Valley or drive over to Sonoma. On Sunday we had a great lunch at Chandon. Chandon is still one of my favorite places to eat in Napa Valley. We also took a drive to Sonoma for a day of shopping and wine tasting. Sonoma is less than an hour away.

Napa along the Napa River

Etoile Restaurant at Chandon

    

Staying in Yountville, St. Helena or Calistoga is nice but can get pretty crowded during the summer. This offers you a relaxing option. The Silverado Trail doesn’t get the traffic that you get on the other side of the valley. However, you are close to Napa and Sonoma.  

Pops' Travel Guide, Airport Parking Options

I have a trip to Europe booked in September where I will be flying out of San Francisco (SFO). When I travel I like to do my research and pick options that are not only cheaper but also convenient. I won’t sacrifice comfort for cost. However, doing your research on the little things can save you money that you can use on the trip.

Here is an example where doing a little research saved me some money. I live in Sacramento and will be flying out of San Francisco. The drive is about 1.5 to 2 hours. I picked San Francisco because it offered me more options on flights. One thing you might overlook is parking options. During my research I had these options.

·         Long term parking at SFO                     14 days @ $18/day                          $252

·         Off airport parking                                 14 days @ $11/day                          $154

·         Park/Sleep/Fly                                       14 days                                            $189

·         Rental car there and rental car back                                                                $129

I choose the rental car option. I will pick up the car the night before and drive it to the airport where I will drop it off and catch the shuttle to my terminal. To get back home I have another car rented to drive home and drop it off the next morning.

I save $123 over SFO long term parking, $25 over off airport parking and $60 over the park/sleep/fly option. I will also save the wear and tear on my car by not driving it to San Francisco and back. This research took me less than an hour and ended up saving me some money.

The length of your trip makes a big difference. For a trip of 1 week the off airport parking would have been the cheapest.

So next time you are planning a vacation don’t forget to look at every aspect. You could end up saving a lot of money.

(Park/Sleep/Fly is an option where you stay one night at a hotel by the airport and then leave your car there. They have different packages designed for the length of your trip. In some cases this could be a cheaper option. Also, if you have an early morning flight staying the night before at the airport means you don’t have to get up as early.)