If you're planning a wine trip to the Douro Valley, odds are good one of the earliest questions will be about where to stay.
The good news is that the Douro Valley has numerous options for all budgets and interests. The bad news is that the Douro Valley is, in a word, massive, and driving around the steep patamares can be quite challenging and, just as important, time consuming.
So in this one, we want to take a look at some considerations for choosing where to stay in the Douro Valley!
When it comes to planning a wine trip to Napa and Sonoma, you'll naturally come across one very important question- where do you stay?
The good news is that these two counties have no shortage of options, most of which are easily accessible to just about any winery in either county in 30 to 75 minutes (or a bit more). The bad news is, that may make figuring out where to stay harder, not easier, as you can almost stay just about anywhere and have a great time.
So in this one, let's break down more details on what you should consider when planning on where to stay in Napa and Sonoma for a wine trip, and share why keeping the drive times and hotel prices in mind may be the most important factors!
To call the Finger Lakes region sprawling is an understatement. The twelve lakes in the region span a length of about 60 miles as the crow flies, and the rural back roads that loop each lake can make for some considerable driving time when exploring.
It is due to this reason that being strategic in where you stay can make or break a trip as drive times can add up before you know it.
Thankfully, for those who are visiting for wine, odds are good you'll be clustering your visit to the 100+ wineries located on just three lakes, Cayuga, Seneca, and Keuka. While this helps with planning to some degree, the simple truth is that between driving to (and around) these lakes can still mean a lot of car time.
So, how do you plan where to stay in order to get the most out of your visit? We have some thoughts!
If you're planning a trip to Sicily, you must allocate some time to go wine tasting. The island is home to some of the world's best wines, and, as a wine blog, we'd be remiss if we didn't advocate for visiting wineries as much as your time allows.
So, where do you stay in Sicily if you want to go wine tasting?
Well, we have good news, more good news, and a bit of bad news. The first good news? There are wineries all over Sicily. The better news? They're often easily accessible from most major tourist towns and cities via a rental car. The bad news? The wine is so good, particularly around Mount Etna, that you also should plan to spend a bit of time in the heart of it all (so, we suppose, it is only bad news for those who may be short on time, like I was on my first trip).
So in this one, we thought we'd take a dive into where you may want to stay when exploring Sicily's wine scene and take a more focused look at the logistics of exploring the Etna region in earnest.
There really is something special about Sicily. This Italian island in the Mediterranean has just about everything- beautiful landscapes, incredible food, and, of course, even better wine.
It is because of this (and more) that Sicily draws us back again and again. I've visited the country on immersive visits twice, and am already planning a third because no matter how much time you spend on the island, it never seems to be enough.
So let's dive down into how to plan a trip for wine tasting in Sicily- what you can try, where you should go, where you should stay, and what else there is to do outside of tasting wine!
If you're like us, your first thoughts when it comes to booking a wine tour in Piedmont is all about Barolo. Arguably one of the most famous wines in the world, and the most acclaimed Nebbiolo on the planet, Barolo has lifted Piedmont's reputation as a fine wine producing region to the likes of Burgundy and Napa in recent decades.
But Piedmont wineries offer far more than fine, ageable Barolo and produce numerous grapes, styles of wine, and in many regions spread throughout Piedmont as a whole.
So in this Piedmont wine region guide we wanted to take a look at the wine region overall, the grapes and wines produced, give tips for planning a visit, share highly rated wineries you may want to visit, and more!
If you're planning a trip to Piedmont to go wine tasting, this guide is for you!
If you are considering visiting Piedmont on an upcoming trip to go wine tasting, the odds are good you may be wondering where to stay.
Not only are there several great wine regions to explore, Barolo, Barbaresco, Dogliani, Asti, and more, but there are also several villages within each you may want to consider as a possible base.
While we cannot tell you what wine region is the best to stay in as that may depend heavily on your ideal itinerary (we were Barolo heavy ourselves), we can give some broad thoughts on where to stay in Piedmont in several categories based on your interests.
The Finger Lakes is a stunning wine region in upstate New York that grows many cool climate grapes like Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc to name a few.
Throw on native US grapes, fruit wines, a growing beer scene, and impressive opportunities to get out in nature to hike to gorgeous waterfalls, and the region has something for everyone who may be visiting for a Finger Lakes wine tour!
The Douro Valley of Portugal is one of the most famous wine regions in the world for its stellar fortified wine, views, and proximity to the city of Porto in northern Portugal.
All of these elements come together to make the region a must-see destination for many travelers to the country. We personally have visited the Douro Valley and consider it to be one of, if not our very favorite, wine region we have ever been to (and we don't make that distinction lightly).
That being said, planning a visit to the Douro Valley can be tricky and there are many important things in mind. So in this Douro Valley wine tour guide we thought we'd share key details that will help you visit the Douro Valley and get the most out of your stay!
This article first appeared on our travel blog, Living the Dream.
I am a frequent traveler to the Finger Lakes– in recent years at least.
Part of this is because I now live within a manageable five hour drive, and the other part is that I've developed a love for many of the exceptional vineyards that call the region home (notably Boundary Breaks, Hermann J Wiemer, and Heron Hill to name a few- must visit Finger Lakes wineries in my opinion).
But one problem I've always had when visiting is figuring out where to stay.
The reason for this is because the area known as the Finger Lakes is large. It is so large, in fact, that to drive from the furthest west lake to the furthest east lake in one direction you're looking at a two hour drive time (not to mention bypassing every lake in between). Or if you want to stay in larger cities like Rochester, Syracuse, or Corning (for the Corning Museum of Glass) you're looking at 30-60 minutes of driving before you even begin to see water.
Going even further, if you pick any lake (especially larger ones like Seneca or Cayuga) you will have an hour driving just to go from tip to tip as well- all before stopping at all the vineyards, breweries, and distilleries along the way.
It is because of this that picking a good hotel location is so important when visiting. After my stay at Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel as a guest of the property, I can safely say that I've found my spot for the foreseeable future.