Leave Your Heart In San Francisco At Cavallo Point, The Lodge At The Golden Gate

I left my heart in San Francisco, too, Tony. That glorious Golden Gate bridge, the density of the fog, the “ding ding” chime of a cable car still sounding over the crest of a big hill downtown: there’s still nothing like the charm of San Francisco. Every time I go, I do a morning run up and down the Vallejo Stairs to watch the sun come up over the Bay Bridge. Sometimes, I pop into the Ferry building and get a loaf of bread from Acme bakery or an empanada from El Porteno. If I’m really lucky, I’ll spend an hour on one of the floors of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, still one of my favorite art museums in the country after a massive renovation completed in 2016. In short, I have an enduring penchant for the Golden Gate city. And if I want to absolutely soak in my love affair for it, a stay at Cavallo Point, The Lodge at the Golden Gate, is in order.

Cavallo Point rests just over the Golden Gate Bridge, plunked down a windy offramp shrouded in pristine national parkland. Once used as an army base known as Fort Baker, the property unsurprisingly has incredible views of the city and the Golden Gate Bridge as it once guarded the entry of the entire San Francisco Bay Area. Who would have imagined a perfectly perched army post would eventually become the most scenic spot for a luxury resort in San Francisco? The city, National Park Service, and developers clearly had the vision, and the resort opened in 2008.

Cavallo Point remains one of my favorite examples of collaborative development which results in an unmatched, timeless property seeped in history, nature, and design. (The Strand Hotel Yangon and Aman’s Bhutan properties are two of my other standouts worthy of a trip.) Today, Cavallo Point, The Lodge at the Golden Gate, has 142 rooms, including 68 historic accommodations once used as officer’s quarters for Army personnel. The historic rooms are a must-stay, complete with tin ceilings, wooden front porches with rocking chairs, original fireplaces, and shutter style windows.

The Frank House is an excellent booking for families or small groups and features a two-story layout with a beautiful sun room and peeks of the Golden Gate Bridge, the city skyline, and the massive lawn of the resort.

Maintaining the essence of the property’s history continues to be carefully considered. Last year, Cavallo Point, The Lodge at the Golden Gate, debuted three restaurant refreshes: Sula, Sula Lounge, and Farley. All three were designed by the local interior design firm, Wilson Ishihara Design, which used the fort’s original military function as design inspiration. Dark green upholstery, herringbone accents, brass piping, and smart applications of up-cycled wool are a few of touches sprinkled among the three culinary options. I particularly loved Farley, the handsome bar and more casual dining option that features hearty portions of comfort classics such as fall mushroom risotto and an excellent buttermilk fried chicken sandwich.

Across the green field at the center of the resort, the property’s 11,000 square foot Healing Arts Center & Spa awaits under the pines and massive Mayten tree. Though the spa is one of Cavallo Point, The Lodge at the Golden Gate’s modern additions, its forest location conveys a cozy tranquility, matched with outdoor fire pits and a Zen garden. This resort spa is more than facials and massages, although a massage is always a great idea in my book. A Tea Bar is open daily and features a wide array of tonics and healthy dishes which locals seem to love, and a guided evening mediation is led monthly by Stanford University’s local meditation instructor, Tarika Lovegarden, on site. Dr. Brad Jacobs, also trained at Stanford University, oversees a robust integrative medicine program as Cavallo Point’s onsite physician.

My stay wasn’t long enough to take advantage of any of Cavallo’s healing services beyond that of a great massage and a steam in the eucalyptus-infused steam room, but as a frequent traveler to San Francisco, I will certainly make the quick drive over the bridge from the city. As the lyrics say, “When I come home to you, San Francisco, Your golden sun will shine for me.” The sun continues to shine bright at the little outcrop called Cavallo Point.