There’s a whole new world on the other side of San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge – a laid-back, hedonistic world of wild, untamed Pacific coastline; quiet, isolated beaches; colourful small towns; welcoming inns and giant redwood trees. We sent Chris Coplans off to explore.
You cross the sublimely-beautful Golden Gate Bridge, take a deep breath of bracing Pacific air and admire the intoxicating views far below of sparkling San Francisco Bay, its choppy waters alive with sail boats, cruisers and windsurfers catching the gusts and riding the crests.
Then head for Sausalito, nestled in the Marin County foothills and featuring an almost Mediterranean ambience of waterfront bars, cafés, restaurants and shops. Protected by steep headlands from the notorious Pacific Ocean fogs that frequently engulf San Francisco, it sizzles when San Francisco shivers.
During the 1930s Prohibition era, the town’s relatively-isolated location made it a favoured landing point for rum runners, with a lively nightlife and a famous bordello. And, by the late 1960s, several houseboat communities occupied the waterfront. Sadly, the spirit of the Sixties was not to last and, in the 1970s, the ‘House Boat Wars’ erupted between the bohemian waterfront residents and the posh ‘Hill People’, who still reside in million-dollar redwood mansions balanced precariously on the steep hillsides, while only three houseboat communities survive.
The main street of Sausalito overlooks San Francisco Bay and its namesake city
Along Sausalito’s picturesque waterfront, next to the marina, is the understated but truly North California chic Inn Above Tides. Located right on the water, with each of its 29 rooms and suites offering spectacular views of the bay and the dazzling San Francisco skyline, it is, understandably, a magnet for the beautiful and the tanned.
Living the California Dream
As I relaxed in my oversized bath, entranced as the sun cast its magical golden spell on bay and skyline, it occurred to me that I was living the laid-back Californian dream – albeit without the wife-swapping as I have no wife to swap.
The inn is not only right in the heart of Sausalito’s lively downtown but right next to the pier that launches one of the world’s great ferry rides, which, in 30 minutes, takes you across the Bay to San Francisco, with beautiful views en route of the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island and the former prison island of Alcatraz.
If you take one of the inn’s complimentary bikes with you (you will be joined on the ferry by masses of other cyclists), you can cycle along San Francisco’s picturesque waterfront and then back to Sausalito over the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a spectacular bike ride, with only one hill to climb (most of the Americans push their bikes up, so don’t worry if you are not that fit).
Sausalito is also the perfect base to explore the delights of rural and coastal northern California. Head a few miles north to the Marin Headlands for the best vantage points to view and photograph the bridge with the San Francisco skyline in the background. It’s particularly photogenic in the early morning with the fog rolling in or late afternoon, when the city skyline basks in the golden Californian sunlight.
The Pacific Ocean coastline becomes more rugged as you travel farther north
Continue up winding Route 1 through the hills to Muir Beach Overlook, which has great views up and down the coast, before detouring along the spectacular Panoramic Highway via Mount Tamalpais (where it is said mountain biking was invented) to rejoin Highway 1 close to popular Stinson Beach and clothing-optional Red Rock Beach. Give yourself plenty of time, as you’ll be stopping every few minutes to capture another spectacular view of the ocean crashing on to the rugged and often-deserted beaches.
The scenery and beaches become wilder and more untamed the farther north you head. Once in Sonoma County, you reach the tiny town of Bodega, where Alfred Hitchcock filmed The Birds.The schoolhouse still looks exactly the same as it did in the movie and there’s a fascinating little Hitchcock museum next to the Bodega County Store. You can’t miss it, as a life-size cut-out of Hitch stands guard outside. Don’t leave without treating yourself to a bowl of store owner Mike Fahmie’s smoked clam chowder.
Entering Alfred Hitchcock Country
Continue for five miles on Highway 1 to Bodega Bay, which was merged with Bodega into one town in The Birds. You can see why Hitchcock chose it as it has an undeniably spooky, brooding atmosphere. While there, check out another Birds location, the Inn on the Tides, now completely rebuilt and offering great views of the bay – and of the non-hostile gulls.
Another 20 miles of hairpin bends and scintillating views (if you are a keen photographer, set off early, so you’re not shooting into the sun) and you reach the delightful small seaside resort of Jenner (population 170), which is beautifully-situated where the Russian River spills out into the Pacific Ocean. With its fine food and wine, River’s End restaurant, perched on a high bluff overlooking river and ocean, is the ideal lunch spot.
Highway 1 continues another 140 miles to the Oregon border, but I headed inland instead on Route 116, which hugs the drowsy Russian River under the cover of majestic redwoods towering up to 370 feet. All along the way are stylish campsites, rustic lodges and tempting B&Bs. If time had permitted, I would have spent a night or two there exploring magnificent Armstrong Redwoods State Nature Reserve and the Austin Creek State Recreational Area.
Getting to San Francisco
The following airlines have direct daily flights to San Francisco from the UK: United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways, British Airways, and American Airlines.
Getting around San Francisco
Although a car is essential if you are touring northern California, you don’t need one until you get ready to leave San Francisco, where parking is expensive and many rental agencies have downtown pick-up points close to Union Square. You must pay the Golden Gate Bridge toll back from Marin County to San Francisco online (it’s free leaving the city) or through the rental car company.
However, I was due to overnight in the historic, wine-producing hub of Sonoma, where the elegant, Tuscan-inspired Kenwood Inn and Spa offers luxurious accommodation plus the best of Californian cuisine and wine served al fresco in a delightful courtyard.
The next morning, before heading back to Sausalito, I enjoyed the town’s handsome central square, prosperous but casual vibe and the appearance of its local residents – freshly-minted and effortlessly-chic women and immaculately-groomed boho-cool men, who looked like they have never had to do a day’s work in their counter-culture life. So very north Cal, it’s no wonder they all have the look of the cat that got the cream – except in Sonoma, it’s probably a rather fine Chardonnay.
Where to Stay
The Inn Above Tide is ideally located in downtown Sausalito, but if you want something a little quieter, more spacious and with views of the Golden Gate Bridge (you cannot see the bridge from downtown as views are obscured by the headlands) consider Cavallo Point. It’s located in the shadow of the bridge at Fort Baker, a former US army base, and features the gourmet Murray Circle restaurant overlooking the bay and bridge.
