Sausalito, California
Cavallo Point
Stay Golden
What it is
A five-star hideaway at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin, perhaps America’s most idyllic county.
What it isn't
A faceless glass tech-boom skyscraper. Guests can book rooms housed in Fort Baker, a onetime U.S. Army post dating from 1915.
What we think
If you want to wake up to a view James Stewart would recognize from filming Vertigo—a sunlit, postcard-worthy overlook of the Golden Gate Bridge—this is your spot. That rooms are cinematic in other ways (gas fireplaces, windows that open to let curtains sway in salty gales off the Bay) is a mere bonus. And who doesn’t love a hotel whose activities make vacation-planning easier? The lodge proffers guided hikes, morning yoga courses and live music most weeknights in the Farley Bar, which couldn’t be cozier (fireplaces flicker; the bar itself was hewn from a fallen tree). Did we mention the hotel maintains one of the top cooking schools in the country, a fleet of loaner Lexus’s, gratis wine hour each night and a spa replete with a meditation pool and tea bar for goji-lime coladas?
You're here because
You want a resort-like stay in the Bay Area that provides equal access to dining and sightseeing in the city and to activities like hikes in the Muir Woods. Oh… and those views!
The Moment
This being a wine town, you opt for the Grape Glow Top-to-Toe treatment in the spa: You’re exfoliated with grapes pulled from a wine barrel, have a facial that contains grape stem cells, and sip hot cabernet. It’s not the alcohol talking—you’ve never felt better.
Restaurants & Bars
- Murray Circle Restaurant - refined modern Northern California cuisine. Meals prepared with local ingredients. Views of Golden Gate Bridge.
- Farley Bar - a bay area favorite for small plates and cocktails
Location
Within Golden Gate National Park, a brief ferry, car or bus ride from downtown San Francisco. The lodge is about 40 minutes from San Francisco International Airport itself.