Casa Madrona

An 1885 Victorian on the cliffs above Sausalito harbor, plus a contemporary cliff-side expansion built into the hillside below — 64 rooms total, a Bay-view restaurant (Poggio), and a small spa. Casa Madrona is the Bay-view boutique you can see from across the water in San Francisco. The historic Victorian on the bluff and the modern cottages climbing down the hill are the property's two-part architecture.

In a Sausalito lodging market that's mostly small inns and the larger Inn Above Tide, Casa Madrona is the largest of the Sausalito waterfront independents.

The setting

The hotel sits on Bridgeway, Sausalito's harbor-front main street, at the base of the cliff. The Victorian main house is up the hillside — accessible by an interior funicular — with the pool deck and most rooms on the upper levels. Walking distance to all of Sausalito — the Spinnaker, the Trident, the Sausalito Houseboats, and the Bridgeway shopping. The Sausalito ferry terminal (with the Larkspur and SF Ferry Building runs) is two minutes' walk south.

The drive in from San Francisco is 15 minutes via the Golden Gate; the ferry from SF is 30 minutes.

The building

Two parts: the original 1885 Victorian on the cliff (clapboard, dormered, with the wraparound porch and bay views) and the contemporary cliff-side cottages built into the hillside below it (concrete, glass, timber, with terraces facing the bay). Materials are clapboard and brass on the historic side; concrete, glass, and timber on the contemporary side. The aesthetic shifts between the two.

Independently owned and operated.

The rooms

Sixty-four rooms across the historic main house and the cliff-side cottages. From around $595 in shoulder seasons; peak weekend and view-room rates run higher. Layouts include classic Victorian rooms in the main house, contemporary cliff-side cottages with private terraces and bay views, and a few suites. Bathrooms have been updated; the contemporary rooms are larger and more designed.

Food & drink

Poggio is the on-property restaurant — Italian, dinner most nights, plus breakfast and lunch, with a Bay-view dining room and outdoor terrace. Open to non-guests. The bar runs cocktails through the evening. The food program is one of Sausalito's stronger restaurants.

On the property

A small but well-considered amenity stack:

• Heated outdoor pool with bay views
• Spa
• Poggio restaurant and bar
• Cliff-side terraces and gardens
• Concierge for ferries and Marin tours
• Open year-round

Who it's for

• Couples doing an SF-area weekend with a cross-bay base
• Travelers who'd rather have a Sausalito stay than an in-SF hotel
• Architecture-aware guests reading "1885 Victorian + contemporary cliff cottages" as a feature
• Anniversary trips with the bay-view program

Who it's not for

• Travelers wanting a downtown SF location
• Anyone needing a beach — Sausalito is harbor, not ocean
• Light-amenity guests on a tight budget

Nearby

Sausalito's downtown — Bridgeway's restaurants and shops — is at the front door. The Sausalito ferry terminal is two minutes' walk south. The Sausalito Houseboats community is 10 minutes' walk north. Mill Valley (with the Mill Valley Lumber Yard, the Pelican Inn at Muir Beach) is 10 minutes north. Muir Woods (the redwood national monument) is 25 minutes north. Stinson Beach is 35 minutes north. The Marin Headlands and the Point Bonita Lighthouse are 15 minutes west — the Battery Spencer overlook of the Golden Gate is the photograph spot. Tiburon's Main Street is 20 minutes north.