[Tips]
- Plan ahead for your meals in case you want to cook onsite. Each tent comes with it’s own full size picnic table, firepit and there’s 3 communal gas grills to use. We brought a butane gas stove with a pot for hot pot. Everything else we were planning to use the grill.
- If you’re planning to cook, make sure you bring utensils – tongs, forks, plates, bowls, etc. They have a communal sink and dish soap to use.
- Things to pack:
- Flashlight and any portable light sources (there’s no light when you’re outside your tent)
- Flip flops for the shower
- Umbrella & waterproof jacket if you’re going in the Fall like I did
- Regular toiletries like shampoo, toothpaste, body wash, etc. They only provide towels and hand soap.
- They provide both a heater and fan in the tent. The heater was plenty warm during the night and I didn’t need an extra blanket!
- The campsite is off the main road. No matter where your tent is, you’ll still hear cars all throughout the night. I wouldn’t recommend coming if you’re a light sleeper.
[Day 1]
Morning: Packed everything into the car and were on our way to get out of Bay Area traffic!
Afternoon: Lunch at Bird & the Bottle in Santa Rosa, Wine Tasting at Kokomo Winery
- The pastrami taco was dry and didn’t really stand out with all the flavors they promised. The fried chicken sandwich was decent and pretty juicy but a little bit bland. The stars of the lunch dishes were the smoked cod (my personal fav) with some parmesan-y crackers, and the everything greens which was really good with the miso butter! I was pleasantly surprised with the flavor profile because I wasn’t extremely excited about the veggies in the first place.
- Had some time to kill before wine tasting so we stopped by Downtown Healdsburg just to walk around
- At Kokomo Winery, you need to reserve in advance and they only take 6 people each time slot which is very nice for social distancing.
- Their wines were unique and nothing like I tasted before, but definitely not something in my regular palate. I originally came here because they were known for a couple of their sweet wines, but I wasn’t a big fan of them.
Evening: Check-in to Wildhaven, Hot pot dinner
- Upon entering the campground, we were greeted by someone in a little kiosk directing us to tent 18! We drove around and were able to park right next to our tent. After unloading everything, we took a nap!
- The tents were spacious, as big as a master bedroom! It had a queen size bed, lamps, a heater, fan, hooks for our towels and jackets and plenty of space to put our stuff around.
- It got dark pretty fast, so we got started on our fire and ate hot pot (we brought all the food in a cooler) and just chilled for a couple hours.
- We ended the night with showers and watched Squid Game. Quiet hours were at 10pm
[Day 2]
Morning: Breakfast at Costeaux French Bakery & Cafe, Coffee at Black Oak Coffee Roasters, Explore Guerneville
- Breakfast was delicious and filling – Got the eggs benedict which came with 2 runny poached eggs, black forest ham, spinach, smokey bacon, avocado and they didn’t skimp on the hollandaise sauce which I appreciated! The side of potatoes were perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside – try it with their habanero sauce!
- Because we had time and wanted to explore other places, we hit up another cafe to get coffee. I got the lavender latte which was creamy and smooth, with a hint of lavender. I loved hanging out for a little bit inside with the bright windows and high ceilings.
- It was time to head West towards our hike and first stop was Guerneville! Interesting place with some eclectic art, lots of consignment shops, and an old bridge we walked across that ended at a park near the water.
Afternoon: Lunch at Cafe Aquatica, Hike at Sonoma Coast State Park (Kortum Trail), Cider tasting at Golden State Cider
- Grabbed a quick bite at Cafe Aquatica in Jenner before heading off to hike. It was drizzling but the view was still pretty nice from eating out their counter looking out into the river. Shared the smoked salmon sandwich on brioche which I recommend, but don’t recommend their clam chowder because you can barely even call it soup.
- On our hike, we started at Shell beach, and took a detour down the cliff to see some tidepools – the water was extremely clear and we saw some clams, anemones, and barnacles. The hike itself was pretty much a walk and was super easy. There’s a dirt path to follow with some occasional wooden platforms to walk across – not too much elevation changes, but the gorgeous view of the water stays constant!
- Rewarded ourselves after with cider tasting in Sebastopol. Got 2 flights and truffle fries which was much needed from all the drinking (yeah, i’m a lightweight). In order of the ciders I liked: Mighty Dry, Jamaica, Crimson. The other ones I personally wouldn’t get again.
Evening: Dinner at Ramen Gaijin, Chilled by the fire & grilled pineapples
- Ramen Gaijin had a huge wait (about 1.5 hours) so we walked around The Barlow and the little downtown, stopped by a couple shops and bookshops, but there honestly wasn’t too much to see and do unless we’re going to a brewery.
- Finally got a space on the patio which had some nice heated lamps and got the spicy tan tan men. The spicy pork and chicken broth were pretty flavorful and the garnishes in the bowl – pork belly, ground pork, charred cabbage, woodear and egg – were all delicious with the broth! The only thing I didn’t like was the noodles which tasted extremely starchy and ruined the whole dish.
- Wrapped up the night with buying firewood at Home Depot and building another fire to bbq some pineapple skewers, sat out in the light rain, and just chilled for a couple hours before taking a shower and going to bed.
[Day 3]
Morning: Breakfast at Plank, Walk around Calistoga, Drive to Napa
- Came across this cute cafe with pages of drinks, hot breakfast, and pastries. Tried the quiche, avocado toast and a pumpkin spice latte. Everything was really fresh and flavorful and the vinaigrettes on the side salad and on top of the avocado toast was bright and fresh – definitely the highlight of the meal!
- Had some time to kill so we walked around Calistoga which had some cute cafes and shops, but there was hardly anyone out! A good place for a bathroom and stretch break before heading over to Napa.
Afternoon: Lunch at Farmstead, Dessert at Bouchon Bakery, Oxbow Public Market
- I suggest making a reservation at Farmstead in advance since the place was packed! I loved the rustic interior and ambiance, and the food was amazing! Got the sole with carrot puree, sautéed kale, and lemon brown butter and another plate of grilled idaho trout with mushrooms and a bacon vinaigrette. I preferred the sole since it was light and bright, both both fish dishes were fresh, flavorful, but I felt they were just on the tad overcooked side.
- After lunch, we walked to the side of the restaurant where they had a pumpkin exhibit above their herb garden which was pretty cool.
- Couldn’t head back to the Bay without stopping by Bouchon for dessert! Got the Epi Baguette to go which was fun to eat picking off the individual breads. Also got the chocolate chunk cookie and the chocolate almond croissant – both must gets!
- Wanted to get coffee at Oxbow before going home, but they only had one shop so we just walked around after eating all day, checked out what they had in the market and left.
Evening: Drive back to the Bay
- End of trip – I honestly fell asleep on the drive back 🙂
