Cavallo Point Lodge

Rooms

Roughly half of the 142 rooms and suites are in the attractive ('historic') white buildings with red roofs, which form a semi-circle around the Parade Ground and look out towards the Bay.

These former officers' residences were painstakingly restored to preserve original features such as doors, coving and front porches, which now now have rocking chairs. The larger suites have separate sitting areas with sofabeds, armchairs and gas fireplaces.

The other rooms are in new eco-friendly buildings, usually with 4-6 units per building, on the hillsides. Nearly all of these 'contemporary' rooms have Golden Gate Bridge or Bay views - ours was amazing. Most have a balcony or patio and gas fireplaces.

Larger suites, such as the Contemporary King Junior Suite in which we stayed, have separate sitting areas with window sofas and armchairs. All have a private balcony or patio with Adirondack chairs, wet bars and fireplaces.

The decor in both historic and contemporary rooms is similar - think soft sage and mustard colours - but you get walnut in the old and bamboo in the new. All have original artwork, usually photography (our room had B&W pictures on a water theme). Floors are carpeted in the bedrooms, bathrooms have heated slate floors.

Bathrooms are shiny-white immaculate, all with a rain shower over the deep soaking tub, except in the top suites where you get a separate bath and shower. Make sure you slide your doors shut overnight to avoid light pouring through the windows in the morning.

Beds are supremely comfortable, dressed in organic linens. Amenities include flatscreen TVs, mini fridges, ceiling fan, complimentary toiletries, robes and slippers, alarm clock with plug-in iPod dock, desk with reading lights, shaving mirror, and useful in-room directories.

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• Complimentary WiFi
• DVD player (on request)
• Extra beds
• Family friendly
• Fan
• Fireplace
• Hairdryer
• Ipod dock
• Iron
• Mini fridges
• Phone
• Radio
• Safe box
• Satellite TV
• Terrace
• Toiletries

Eating

Food and drink is, some say, what NorCal is all about. All meals are taken in the restaurant, Murray Circle, which has original pressed metal ceilings, contemporary chandeliers and soft gold velvet curtains, which can create private dining spaces.

Executive Chef Justin Everett procures local and responsible ingredients, which change seasonally, and the restaurant earned a Michelin Star just 3 months after opening. The relationship with local suppliers is writ large on the menu - source farms are named for each dish.

For breakfast you have a choice: continental, southern (cheese grits, eggs any style, sausage, ham or bacon), New Yorker (bagel, smoked salmon, herbed creme fraiche) or Californian (garden omelette with spinach and mushrooms, organic yoghurt and granola). Or you can go a la carte, which was our preferred option: my Dungeness Crab Benedict was divine, washed down with a fresh fruit smoothie. We sat on the terrace at the front, gazing at the Golden Gate Bridge and passing marine traffic.

For weekday lunches, you choose from oysters, salads, salmon carpaccio, burgers, sole, black cod, omelettes, quiche, pasta and BLT sandwiches. The Sunday brunch menu combines both the a la carte breakfast options and lunch dishes. For picnics and excursions, pick up some snacks, drinks and fruit in the shop.

Dinner is a highlight. We went for baby beets roasted in coals accompanied by whipped ricotta and green beet tortellini, followed by an exquisite oyster bisque, then rabbit wrapped in prosciutto on smoked dates and mushrooms. Somehow room was made for a strawberry pannacotta parfait afterwards. Since our visit the menu has changed, but still sounds sublime: think oysters with shallot fondue and grass-fed beef pavé with roasted fingerling potato.

Ask the sommelier which wine he recommends for the main courses, choose your own bottle from the 5,000-bottle wine cellar, or BYO for a corkage fee. Adjacent is Farley Bar, which often has live music in the evenings. Here you can order small plates if you prefer something less formal.

The acclaimed cooking school has events on several times a week, so book yourself in on one of their day courses.

If you want to dine out, head to Sausalito which has several nice waterfront restaurants. We were told that Spinnaker, Poggio or The Fish Restaurant were good choices.

Features include:

• Children's meals
• Coffee / tea making
• Coffee maker
• Family friendly
• Organic produce
• Restaurant
• Room service
• Vegetarian options
• Wine cellar

Activities

• At the lodge: start your day with complimentary yoga, then check out the Healing Arts Center & Spa with 11 treatment rooms, meditation pool, firepit and hot tubs, plus a full menu of massage, treatments, wraps, soaks, facials, shaman rituals; enjoy a healthy snack or drink in the Tea Bar, then tour the art gallery; alternatively, take a day course in the popular Cooking School
  
  
• Take the complimentary shuttle to Sausalito: go shopping in boutiques, book your sailing/kayaking trip round the Bay, take a ferry over to San Francisco and visit the Farmer's Market, go out for lunch or dinner
  
  
• Explore Marin Headlands. Drive up to Hawk Hill (named for the largest known migration of raptors in the US every autumn, kids will enjoy visiting the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory) and look back at the amazing cityscape and Bay below. On a clear day the colour contrast between the Golden Gate Bridge and the sea and sky is terrific. Scramble about on old army batteries and bunkers; walk down to the Point Bonita lighthouse looking out for cormorant, brown pelican, western grebe, common murre, surf scoter and northern harrier; potter down to Black Sand Beach and Rodeo Lagoon for some beachcombing (no swimming as the riptide is too strong). In the winter look out for migrating Gray Whale, all year you can see Harbor Seals
  
  
• Drive up Highway 101 and take a left to Muir Woods and Muir Beach: Tennessee Valley is great for hiking and mountain biking (invented in Marin); Muir Woods National Monument preserves an ancient stand of redwoods, boardwalks make it suitable walking for all ages (get there early to avoid crowds and get into the car park); head to Muir Beach for lunch at the Pelican Inn pub, swim, surf and look for starfish and crabs on the sandy beach
  
  
• Visit San Francisco: the concierge can arrange bicycles for you to rent and cycle over the bridge and Crissy Field or explore the Presidio; check out the Exploratorium, Golden Gate Park (including the de Young, Academy of Sciences and Botanical Garden) or take a ferry to Alcatraz from the city side; go out on the razzle, take in a show or visit a club
  
  
• Travel to Napa and Sonoma (just up the road): here you can go wine tasting, have lunch in fancy restaurants, canoe down the Russian River or take a hot air balloon over the wineries

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Art tour
• Birdwatching
• Boat trips
• Cooking classes
• Cycling
• Fishing
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Horse riding
• Hot air ballooning
• Kayaking
• Kitesurfing
• Mountain biking
• Museums / galleries
• Nightlife
• Plantlife / flora
• Pool table
• Private guided tours
• Sailing
• Shopping / markets
• Surfing
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Whale watching
• Wildlife
• Wine tasting
• Yoga

Kids

Children are very welcome at Cavallo Point Lodge, and stay for free up to 18 years of age, sharing their parents' room, either in a baby cot or on an air mattress. The spa meditation pool is only for adults, but 16 and 17 year olds can visit with parents. There's plenty to do, it's well located for San Fran and has babysitting so you can visit the spa.

Best for:

Children (4-12 years), Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

Contemporary 2 Queens, Historic 2 Bedroom Suites and the various other suites (accommodating 3-6 adults) are the best for families. Check the full descriptions on rates. Note that there is no lift and most rooms are on the first or second floor.

Distances:

• Airport: 50 minutes
• Hospital: 25 minutes
• Nearest shop: onsite

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Cavallo Point Lodge is set at the foot of the Marin Headlands, just over the Golden Gate Bridge, overlooking San Francisco Bay on the west coast of America.

By Air:
Fly to San Francisco or Oakland. Click on the links below for a list of airlines which serve these airports.

From the Airport
You can take a taxi - around US$65 from SFO and US$95 from OAK - or the lodge can arrange a transfer, see Rates. The journey time is around 40-50 minutes respectively.

By Bus:
The Marin Transporter bus goes to Sausalito from San Fran airport. Cavallo Point provides complimentary pick-up from the bus stop. When the bus begins to cross the Golden Gate Bridge, call the Front Desk so that the shuttle can be ready for pick up at the Marin Airporter stop. Plan to depart the Marin Airporter at Spencer Avenue. This is the exit after the Golden Gate Bridge and through a tunnel. The first exit after the tunnel is Spencer Avenue.

By Ferry:
There are ferries across the bay to Sausalito, which is a mile down the road. Again, the complimentary shuttle can collect you, but you should let the front desk know 24 hours in advance as the shuttle has set times.

By Car:
Most guests chose to hire a car and there is valet parking on property. See our car rental recommendations.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com

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