possibly traveling to Napa in October (Yountville: rentals, hotels, earthquakes)

[mrFlaBound]

Wife and I were thinking of a 5 day trip to Napa Valley/SF in October. First off, I hope everyone is ok after the earthquake!
Next, my wife is terribly afraid of earthquakes and wonders if we should think about doing Napa at a later date for either safety, or if the region won't be as great for a tourist in Mid October.

Assuming there is no issue, some other questions regarding logistics or cost savings.
1. Any tips on hotels (not b&b's) in the Napa area that offer spa treatments on site that also have easy access to good wineries while not breaking the bank too much.
2. Car from SF, or some sort of taxi/service?
3. We're looking to spend thur-fri night in Napa , then sat night through monday afternoon in SF. Same question on hotels there and restaurants, etc.

I hope this is the right place for this, as I'd imagine this is the closest forum to Napa?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[ServoMiff]

Originally Posted by mrFlaBound

Wife and I were thinking of a 5 day trip to Napa Valley/SF in October. First off, I hope everyone is ok after the earthquake!
Next, my wife is terribly afraid of earthquakes and wonders if we should think about doing Napa at a later date for either safety, or if the region won't be as great for a tourist in Mid October.

Assuming there is no issue, some other questions regarding logistics or cost savings.
1. Any tips on hotels (not b&b's) in the Napa area that offer spa treatments on site that also have easy access to good wineries while not breaking the bank too much.

No such thing. If a hotel offers services like that, they're typically going to be on the more expensive side. My wife and I stayed at the Westin Napa Verasa before we moved here and enjoyed it quite a bit. You do need to drive a bit to get to most wineries, as they're usually further north of Napa proper where most of the hotels are. Best restaurants in the Napa Valley area, in my opinion, are in the town of Yountville.

2. Car from SF, or some sort of taxi/service?

Rent a car from the airport. Anything else will be incredibly expensive that I know of. You may be able to return it to a hotel in SF instead of having to return it at the airport, but make sure they don't charge you an arm and 3 legs to do so. Many rental companies like to jack the rates up with what they call one-way rentals.

3. We're looking to spend thur-fri night in Napa , then sat night through monday afternoon in SF. Same question on hotels there and restaurants, etc.

Hotels in the city are going to be expensive if you want more than an entry level (like Holiday inn or Marriott) and in a decent area of the city. I use Hotels.com or Hipmunk.com to search for hotels, and if it seems too good to be true, price-wise, it's probably either not in a good area, or not a great facility.

You can find excellent food anywhere in the city. It really depends on what you like. Yelp.com is your friend in the city.