Suggestions for California wine country in March?

• I've booked tickets to San Francisco for a 4-day trip in mid-March. I am looking for advice on: (1) what Northern California area would be best to visit for a good mix of interesting activities and romantic/luxurious atmosphere (wine country? coast? city?); (2) good places to stay in $200-500 per night range; and (3) interesting things to do or places to visit. My 30th birthday is coming up in March and based on a recommendation from my sister in law, I decided that a visit to California wine country would be the perfect mix of interesting activities for that time of year (wineries, biking, hiking/visiting redwoods), plus expensive/luxury enough that doing it for my 30th birthday felt like a treat. I booked the flight to SanFran and--based on many previous Mefi threads--was just about to drop a chunk of change on a very nice hotel in Healdsburg in the Russian River Valley area. Then, to my horror, I discovered that March 9-11 is http://www.wineroad.com/events/barrel_tasting/3 in the Russian River, Alexander, and Dry Creek valleys--for $30, you get a glass and wristband and can visit dozens of wineries to drink for free. Yelp seems to confirm that this turns the area into a madhouse of drunk fun-seekers in bachelorette limos--the exact opposite atmosphere from what I was so attracted to before. So. Tickets are non-refundable, so I will be going *somewhere* in Northern California from March 7th through 11th. I'm looking for recommendations of where that should be. I've budgeted about $3,500 for two people for the weekend (after plane tix) so I'm feeling like I should be able to plan something awesome--I just don't know what! Can you help me figure out: 1. Where should we go? Am I right in thinking that the Russian River Valley area is going to be a cluster*#$ during this weekend? Is Sonoma or Napa a better bet? Or some other area entirely? I really want to avoid the mass-crowd tour-bus feeling for whatever we do. I'm also open to heading further north (Mendocino?), or to the coast (Carmel?), or somewhere else entirely. 2. Good recommendations for places to stay? I'm not going to turn my nose up at an AMAZING place to stay for $100, but I'm assuming the sort of nice hotel I'd like for a special vacation is going to run more like $200-500 per night. More than that might be a stretch if I want to rent a car and eat every day! I'm not opposed to b&bs but don't love fussy Victorian decorating and the sort of place where you can hear every bed creak. (Ahem.) 3. What sort of things should we do? If you were putting together an awesome set of activities for a couple in their early 30s who were only going to be visiting Northern California once in their lives, what would be on that list? (Keep in mind it's March!) I love adventurous outdoorsy things, great scenery, good food, good booze (craft beer, good wine and especially interesting cocktails), and cultural stuff. Festivals and big crowds are less my thing.

• Answer:

  Of course -- sorry. I love it so much, I just assume everyone knows all the wonderful things about it. The coastline around the Monterey Bay is gorgeous. Rocky, beautiful beaches with neat tidepools. Monterey itself was settled by Spanish missionaries and was originally part of Mexico, so a lot of the architecture (and history) is really interesting. There's kitschy tourist stuff -- Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf -- but there's also a really fabulous coastal trail that runs from the town of Seaside (about 3 miles away) through Monterey and all the way down to Asilomar state beach. (The Asilomar Conference Center there was designed by Julia Morgan, architect of Hearst Castle.) The Monterey Bay Aquarium is world class and sits in a beautiful setting -- an old Cannery Building right on the bay. (Pro tip: If you buy aquarium tickets from a major hotel, they cost the same, but they're good for two consecutive days' admission. You can leave if it gets too crowded and return the next morning.) There are a lot of wineries in the area, especially in Carmel Valley. The town of Carmel is about 10 minutes away, unless you take the scenic 17-Mile Drive (there's a toll) that winds down the coast, through the mansions, and past Pebble Beach Golf Course. If you want a swanky location, you can sit in the lounge at Pebble Beach and have a drink overlooking the links and the ocean. They'll refund the entrance to 17-Mile Drive if you make a minimum purchase. Carmel is full of little shops and galleries, along with lots of quaint little restaurants. It's a shopper's town. If you're not into shopping, you might not love it, but it's still fun to wander around. Another 10 minutes down the coast is the fabulous, fabulous http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=571 State Park. Gorgeous views, beach walks, tide pools, and hiking. Another 30 minutes or so down the coast and you're in glorious Big Sur and its redwood forests. There are a few more great state parks there, so you can get your hiking fix. There are too many well-regarded restaurants in Monterey and Carmel to list here. You'd have some decisions to make. To sum up, you can go swanky (spas, shopping, wine tasting) or touristy (Cannery Row) or natural (state parks and lots of other hiking), or funky (take a 45-minute drive up to Santa Cruz for an equally gorgeous setting but a completely different atmosphere). It's all beautiful. And I have intentionally neglected to mention sea otters up until now because, come on, FUCKING SEA OTTERS! (Sea lions and harbor seals, too. Lots of them.) Best sea otter viewing is in the little fishing town of Moss Landing, 20 or 25 minutes north of Monterey. MeMail me if you want to know where to find them.