Two words. Wine Country! 🍷🍷
We went on a bachelorette trip to Napa Valley and Sonoma, California. It was an unforgettable trip with lots of wine options. What was so fantastic is we never ran into another bachelorette trip there. We were the only group celebrating a bride to be. If you are looking for a boujee bachelorette party with elegance, wine, fantastic food, and class, this is the trip for you!
Airport
We flew into the San Francisco airport and rented a car. We drove to Sonoma where we were staying. We even got to ride on the Golden Gate Bridge on the way.
Air Bnb
We stayed at a two story house we rented off Air Bnb. It was in Sonoma area. It was perfect for a bachelorette group. We had our own living room, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a hot tub, an outdoor area, and a driveway to park the rental car.
Sonoma
The food we ate in Sonoma was delicious, unique, and exquisite.
The Girl & the Fig: The dinner was so elegant and the drinks were tasty. I tried an alcoholic drink with fig in it.
Hopmonk Sonoma: This was an eclectic restaurant with more of a beer garden vibe.
Sunflower Cafe: We ate brunch here before our hike. This was downtown Sonoma so it's worth the views and experience.
We then decided to hike the Sonoma Overlook Trail. This was a moderate hike that lasted 2.5 miles roundtrip. We were one with nature on this trek. The view at the top of the overlook made the hike worth every mile.
Hanzell Vineyard
The Hanzell Vineyard overlooks the southern end of the Sonoma Valley. It is situated where you can see the vineyard and stunning views of the valley. We booked a private wine tasting here. It was just our party with us. We sampled wine, got serene views, and learned lots of useful information about the wine and vineyard.
Napa Valley &
Napa Valley Wine Train
This day was a bucket list item. We got to cruise on a train through Napa Valley in an upscale luxurious train car with meals and drinks included.
We booked The Legacy Experience Wine Train. It was an expensive ride, but worth every dollar spent. This is a MUST when visiting Wine Country. 🍷🚞
We boarded the Napa Valley Wine Train and were introduced to our wait staff and director of the tour. Our director was bubbly, energetic, and took care of everyone on the whole trip.
They sat us in booths that had window seat views by the train window. They had welcome champagne for us when we first got on.
Once the train departed, our first course of breakfast was served while we were riding through Napa Valley. The views are a once in a lifetime experience. You are waited on hand and foot in the train car. It is definitely an upscale experience.
Our first stop was at the infamous Napa Valley sign. We stayed in our open air car and the director served us glasses of wine and explained them to us. We also had a view of the Napa Valley sign while we were enjoying the view of the vineyards. Our next course, which was lunch, was served on the train car as we were headed to our first winery.
After that we got back on the train car and we set off to Charles Krug Winery. When we got out we had a chance to get a photo op with the train. When we went inside this exquisite winery they had three glasses of wine waiting for us each. They told us all about their vineyard and the wines we were tasting. They taught us how to swirl the wine, smell, and how it is made. They then took us out to the vineyard and let us get a view of the area. This was in the St. Helena section of Napa Valley. In 1861, Charles Krug, established the winery that started it all. The Mondavi Family purchased this already iconic estate in 1943. It is the oldest winery in the Napa Valley and has been owned and operated by the Peter Mondavi, Sr. family for four generations. After we got on the train again they gave us bread and cheese as our next course.
Our second winery on the stop was V. Sattui Winery. The views were extraordinary at this stop. We could admire our train in all its glory. Once we got into this winery they had our tables set up with wine for us to taste. The guy who narrated us and taught us about the wine at this winery was animated and knowledgeable.
I ended up buying 2 different wines here and they shipped it home to me. I learned how they make red vs white wine. White wine is pressed, fermented, and then aged. Red wine is fermented, pressed, and then aged.
Also I learned that wine legs or ‘tears’ are not an indication of quality of wine but it can tell you key information about the alcohol level in wine. High alcohol wines collect a higher density of droplets on the sides of the glass than low alcohol wines.
After this winery we got back on the wine train. They gave us scrumptious desert for our last course. We then rode the train all the way back to the station. They let us go out on the open air car and dance the whole way back.
After we got off the train we had a dinner reservation at Angels Restaurant and Bar downtown Napa.