Cavallo Point

Description:

• If you haven't heard the buzz of Sausalito's new grand dame, you've been living on another planet these past few years. The Lodge, which occupies Golden Gate National Park's century-old, former Army quarters in Fort Baker, finally opened its doors in the summer of 2008 to much national acclaim and anticipation after nearly a decade in the making. The 17 red-roofed, colonial-style buildings form a horseshoe pattern overlooking the San Francisco skyline at the bay's edge with Adirondack chairs placed throughout the knee-high grassy knolls for lounging. A visit is a bit what I imagine time travel to early-20th-century Williamsburg might be like, only present day and just a mile outside of the San Francisco city limits.

  You have your pick of rooms: Roughly half are the old officers' quarters in the historic lodging, which give off a rustic, nostalgic feel -- prices start a bit lower for these than the more dressed-up rooms -- while the newer buildings have a more contemporary flair. At least that's what the hotel employees will tell you -- if you ask me, there aren't too many discernible differences between the two models. The majority of rooms have unobstructed views of the Golden Gate Bridge, which practically towers over Cavallo's entities. For dinner, you needn't even head into downtown Sausalito, which is just a mile up the road; the on-site restaurant, Murray Circle, combining French, Mediterranean, and California influences in its fare, is about the finest around.

  One of the four properties comprising the high-rolling Passport Resorts, Cavallo Point also offers an interesting mix of classes and activities, spanning a cooking school to sunrise yoga sessions, in its 11,000-square-foot Healing Arts Centers. Check the blackboard in the main lobby daily to see what's on tap for the coming week. There are still some primarily service-oriented kinks the lodge needs to work out -- it's often hard to get someone on the phone or in the lobby when you require assistance, and even then, they seem quite informal -- but the staff is incredibly friendly nevertheless, and the hotel still in its early stages, so we'll cut it some slack until it finds its bearings.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010