San Francisco: SPLURGE

Where to Go: Sausalito, California.

Distance from San Francisco: Three miles north, just across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Where to Stay: Opened on June 23, 2008, with a primo location half a mile north of the Golden Gate Bridge in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Cavallo Point—The Lodge at the Golden Gate has 142 rooms and suites both in modern design and in restored turn-of-the-20th-century Colonial Revival cottages that were once officers’ residences at Fort Baker. The lodge has a Healing Arts Center spa, an organic Tea Bar, a culinary arts program (including “Discovering Artisanal Cheese” and “Olive Oil 101”), creativity and animation classes, triathlon training, many yoga classes, and one of the most dramatic views of that world-famous bridge.

Insider Tip: Like the rest of the lodge’s fare, fruits and juices used in cocktails in the Farley Bar—named for the late Phil Frank’s beloved local comic-strip character (a sometime park ranger) who was featured in the San Francisco Chronicle for 32 years—are fresh and organic.

Price: Doubles from $250.

What to Do: Walk or bike across the red Art Deco bridge that spans the mile-wide Golden Gate for a spectacular view of San Francisco looking like alabaster in late-afternoon light. If heights aren’t your thing, go to sea level and take a kayak tour of Richardson Bay, two miles north. The lodge can arrange for guides and lessons.