Uncork the romance in Lake County this Valentine’s Day weekend

February 1, 2016

With Valentine’s Day falling on a long weekend this year, a getaway with your sweetheart is the obvious choice. Northern California’s wine country beckons as an ideal romantic getaway, but savvy, romantic wine-country lovers will set their sights just to the north, to idyllic Lake County.
About 100 miles north of San Francisco and west of Sacramento, California’s fastest-growing wine region, Lake County, is the part of wine country with the least traffic, the clearest skies and value that will make your weekend-getaway budget go furthest. The high-altitude wine region of Lake County offers spectacular mountain views and intimate settings far from the busier wine-country destinations, coupled with clear California evenings perfect for a romantic night of stargazing.
There’s plenty to explore in Lake County, from wine tasting to horseback riding to an array of romantic and distinctive restaurants. But when it comes to finding romantic places to stay on Valentine’s Day weekend, you can’t beat these lovely wineries with overnight accommodations and bed-and-breakfasts.
Wineries with overnight accommodations
Lake County wineries with lodging provide premium hospitality at prices appreciably lower than overnight stays at wineries in Napa and Sonoma.

lajour estate winery
Laujor Estate

An unforgettable, panoramic view of Clear Lake (the oldest lake in North America) awaits at the Gregory Graham Wines guesthouse. This three-bedroom guesthouse is dog-friendly and offers a romantic hot tub with a remarkable view of Lower Lake. Over in Kelseyville, the esteemed Laujor Estate has a breathtaking private winery loft that’s perfect for two with a 360-degree view and a full kitchen. And while the Ceago Vinegarden in Lucerne has closed its tasting rooms, its magnificent Lakeside Casitas property still offers intimate, luxury accommodations and views of both the mountain and the northern shores of Clear Lake.
Bed-and-breakfasts
Lake County’s romantic spirit and vast scenery can be enjoyed at one of its many charming wine-country bed-and-breakfasts. Lush, pastoral settings and beautiful vintage decor provide a cozy romantic escape for just the two of you.

Lakeport English Inn
Lakeport English Inn

The elegant and historic Lakeport English Inn was built in 1875, and its vintage Victorian decor preserves the spirit of an old-country England bed-and-breakfast with a “tea thyme” service of tea and scones every day at 4 p.m. California’s natural treasures are magnificently on display at Middletown’s Backyard Garden Oasis, a nature-retreat-themed bed-and-breakfast with waterfalls, forest trails and an outdoor hot tub that lets you soak under the stars. And no discussion of wine-country bed-and-breakfasts is complete without a mention of Nice’s Featherbed Railroad, a quirky “only in Lake County” bed-and-breakfast that accommodates couples in restored vintage railroad cabooses, each elaborately decorated with its own theme. Just as the name implies, each of the beds at the Featherbed Railroad is a genuine goose-down featherbed.
Wine-country weekends offer loved ones a storybook romantic getaway, and Lake County has rewritten its vows on wine-country hospitality with a fairytale-like flair. Go hot and heavy with a unique wine-country tour or warm and intimate at one of Lake County’s restaurants with views for a weekend getaway sure to kindle a spark between lovebirds. And you never know when the magic of a romantic wine-country weekend might lead to the sound of wedding bells.
Romance in Lake County is indeed alive and well!