THE LODGE AT CAVALLO POINT Golden Gate National Recreation Area 601 Murray Circle Sausalito, CA 94965 415-787-4717 cavallopoint. com
Located on the east side of the north terminus of the Golden Gate Bridge, the former U. S. Army Fort offers 142 upscale guest rooms in a combination of contemporary buildings and historic military quarters.
The complex includes a spa, fitness room, restaurant, bar, gift shop and a cooking school. The grounds and some guest rooms offer excellent views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. Rooms range from $ 790 to $ 1,072 per night. Dinner entrees range from $ 34 to $ 54.
Perhaps the best-known of upscale national park lodges, the Ahwahnee, opened in 1927 as a luxury hotel designed to attract people who could provide political and financial support for America’ s national parks. The Great Lounge highlights the six-story building with a 24-foot beamed ceiling, stained-glass windows and massive stone fireplaces.
The beautiful dining room is unrivaled. The hotel has 99 guest rooms, priced from $ 688 for a Classic King to $ 2,249 for the Presidential Suite. Our first overnight at the Ahwahnee was in 1996 when our room cost $ 225.
AHWAHNEE Yosemite National Park Ahwahnee Drive Yosemite Valley, CA 95389 888-413-8869 travelyosemite. com / lodging / the-ahwahnee
JENNY LAKE LODGE Grand Teton National Park Jenny Lake Road Moose, WY 83012 307-543-3100 gtlc. com
LAKE YELLOWSTONE HOTEL Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone Lake Road Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190 307-344-7311 Yellowstone National Park Lodging yellowstonenationalparklodges. com
Lake Yellowstone Hotel opened in 1891, making it one of the oldest currently-operating lodges. Over the next several decades, the hotel was expanded, with the current Sunroom added in 1924. Guests are entertained in the Sunroom most evenings by a pianist or string quartet— the large windows of both the Sunroom and the dining room offer incredible views of Lake Yellowstone.
The three- and four-story hotel has 153 guest rooms in two wings. The size and cost of the rooms vary greatly. A lakeside room with a king bed begins at $ 577, and the top-of-the-line Presidential Suite with two large bedrooms and two bathrooms starts at $ 1,016.
The lodge’ s story begins in the 1920s as the Danny Ranch with two rental cabins that morphed into what many would consider the National Park Service’ s most expensive lodging facility. Guest rooms are housed in 37 guest cabins, split between free-standing and duplex units. Duplex cabins with two queen beds rent for $ 1,123 plus tax. Free-standing cabins are $ 110 more.
Guests receive a complimentary gourmet breakfast, a five-course dinner and enjoy free horseback riding and use of lodge bicycles. In 2017, cabins for two persons were available for $ 750. Lunches are extra. This is an upscale facility in a quiet and scenic location.
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