CASA MADRONA HOTEL AND SPA

You can see why its 19th-century owner chose to build Casa Madrona where he did. This hilltop setting above the curve of Sausalito Bay with the San Francisco skyline in the distance has been a decades-long magnet for actors and rock stars seeking California calm. Now a refined boutique hotel the interiors are inspired by the seascape outside. In fact stepping inside feels a little like boarding one of the luxury yachts moored below in the harbour. From the bedrooms to the spa the decor is fresh white and deep navy polished chrome and rich wood. Reserve a four-poster King bed in the spacious apartment-style Hillside Cottage Guest House for city views or a Hillside Cottage Suite if you like the idea of your own sunroom. Bayside Rooms face either the water or the pretty courtyard depending on which side of Casa Madrona Hotel and Spa you are. Rooms in the Mansion come with elegant lounges plus period features echoing its grand past. Guests planning an event will love the Alexandrite Suite. It has indoor and outdoor celebration space lower deck with fire pit and loungers hot tub private bar and BBQ. For a thoroughly modern stay everything from the lighting to the fire can be controlled via touch screens. But Casa Madrona is a luxury retreat ideal for two as well. Spend time in the spa where therapies are inspired by the natural setting - think mineral salt scrubs and algae facials. Then dine on Italian gastronomy at Poggia Trattoria next door. That leaves plenty of time for California dreaming - whether tomorrow means wine tasting painting or learning to sail.