The Inn Above Tide

Thirty-one rooms suspended directly over San Francisco Bay in Sausalito, with every room cantilevered out over the water and a private balcony hovering above it. The Inn Above Tide is the rare Bay Area property where the architecture is the entire experience — a contemporary new-build over the tidal flats, with the Bay underneath you, San Francisco's skyline as the wall, and the water level rising and falling under your balcony.

It is the closest thing the Bay has to a Venetian palazzo experience. The Bay is the floor.

The setting

Sausalito sits at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge, fifteen minutes from downtown San Francisco. The Inn Above Tide occupies a pier-built parcel directly on the water, on Bridgeway, with the Sausalito ferry terminal a five-minute walk south. The view from the rooms is east across the Bay — Alcatraz in the middle distance, the San Francisco skyline beyond, the Bay Bridge to the south.

You can take the Sausalito ferry to the Ferry Building in San Francisco; the crossing is thirty minutes.

The building

A new-build contemporary structure, designed and built over the tidal flats with the rooms cantilevered directly over the water. Materials are concrete, glass, and timber, with deep eaves and the kind of stripped-back palette that lets the view do the work. Public rooms include a small lobby, a wine-and-cheese reception room, and a fitness room. The aesthetic is architectural minimalist; nothing distracts from the water.

The rooms

Thirty-one rooms across two floors, all over the water, all with private balconies. Beds are kings; bathrooms are stone and tile, with rain showers and deep soaking tubs in higher categories. Some rooms have gas fireplaces. From-rates open around $895 in season. Wi-Fi is good; cell is normal.

Food & drink

There's no restaurant. A continental breakfast is delivered to rooms or served in the lobby. An evening wine-and-cheese reception is set out daily. For dinner, the Sausalito waterfront is a five-minute walk: Sushi Ran (one of the best sushi restaurants on the West Coast), Le Garage, Salito's Crab House, and Poggio. The hosts will book.

On the property

A small fitness room, a lobby with the wine-and-cheese reception, and the balconies. There's no pool, no spa, no gym in the resort sense. The view is the program.

• Continental breakfast included
• Evening wine-and-cheese reception
• Bicycles to borrow
• Walking distance to Sausalito ferry, restaurants
• Open year-round

Who it's for

• Travelers who want a Bay Area base with a singular view
• Couples on a milestone trip
• Architecture and design readers who'll appreciate the cantilever-over-water build
• Anyone who'd choose Sausalito over downtown SF for a quieter night

Who it's not for

• Travelers needing a full-service resort with restaurant and spa
• Families with young kids — the inn is configured for adults
• Pet owners (no pets allowed)

Nearby

The Sausalito ferry terminal is a five-minute walk for the 30-minute crossing to the San Francisco Ferry Building. Sausalito's Bridgeway has restaurants, galleries, and the houseboat communities at Waldo Point. Muir Woods National Monument is twenty-five minutes north for the redwoods. Mount Tamalpais State Park is twenty minutes north. The Marin Headlands and the Point Bonita Lighthouse are fifteen minutes west. For dinner: Sushi Ran is the destination; Poggio for Italian.