Want to visit Healdsburg affordably? It can be done! Below are a few tips to help you fully appreciate wine country without breaking the bank.
· Travel mid-week; lodging will be less than weekend rates, and more businesses (restaurants, wineries, shops) will run specials to encourage people to break away from weekend trips. This also means that it will be less crowded, making a more enjoyable trip for you! The same can be said for traveling off-season. For example, the weekend of March 19th visit downtown Healdsburg for the Healdsburg Sidewalk Sale!
· Mid-week travel will also create more dining options at some of our amazing local restaurants. Sunday thru Thursday Zin Restaurant offers Blue Plate Specials, none over $20. Dry Creek Kitchen offers a Thursday Surf and Turf menu (which I can tell you from experience is quite tasty!). A number of other local restaurants offer local nights, discount nights, etc, that vary through the year. Be sure to check websites of restaurants you are interested in before you arrive, so you know which days will be best to visit each!
· If you’ve been to Napa, you are probably familiar with rather extravagant tasting and tour fees. That is not (usually) the case here in Healdsburg/Sonoma. On www.wineroad.com you can actually search for wineries, and choose the amenity “tasting fee complimentary” to come up with a great list of local wineries that do not charge to taste. Also, your concierge often has passes and connections that will help out! Don’t feel bad about asking! For example, we hand out passes automatically to guests at check-in, but sometimes there are more wineries that offer passes that we may not have on hand. Those wineries will still honor the discount as long as you let them know where you’re staying. Aside from passes for tastings, your concierge may have other connections. We have a couple wineries that will comp a tour or tasting for a guest if we call and make the reservation. But you’ll never know if you don’t ask!
· Tour with some friends! The more of you there are, the less certain things will cost, such as your rental car, or a tour guide. Transportation services generally charge by the hour, not person, so your individual cost will be less. Plus, you’ll have someone handy to take a picture of you and your significant other!
These are just a few ideas to help you visit Healdsburg a little more affordably! Always check www.wineroad.com and www.healdsburg.com event pages to see what else may be happening in the area!
