Fodor's Expert Review Cavallo Point

With a striking setting almost at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, this refined, upscale destination is truly the closest countryside getaway to San Francisco. The lodge is rich with history, residing on what originally was Fort Baker, an Army base founded in the 1900s that continued to have military members on-site until the end of the 20th century. The rooms in the old Army buildings are decidedly swankier and green-focused than during their military days (most have fireplaces), while the separate contemporary rooms are downright posh with radiant heat floors and massive windows for viewing the bridge or nearby forest.