San Francisco’s cosmopolitan pleasures and Napa Valley’s bucolic diversions both beckon the sophisticated traveler
It’s also one of the most urbane, progressive cities in the US – a magnet for international tourists and tech entrepreneurs (as well as down-on-their-luck Americans), all attracted to its benign climate and a diverse, cosmopolitan population that has given rise to a thriving arts and culture scene.
The morning I arrive the sun is blazing and there’s not a wisp of fog in the air. My accommodation is lofty both in geographic terms – standing near the top of the steep but stylish Nob Hill district – and in its position within the upper echelons of the hospitality sector. The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco is the city’s only AAA Five Diamond-rated hotel, housed in a gorgeous neoclassical edifice built in 1909. Looking down California Street, a sliver of glittering water and a slice of the Bay Bridge can be seen between the skyscrapers.
The Ritz-Carlton’s interior was renovated a couple of years ago, refurbished with a palette of steel blues and grays representing a weather theme for this city with its own unique microclimate. Lunch at the hotel’s Parallel 37 restaurant is a stomach bulging affair in the private dining room – Chef Michael Rotondo knows how to craft contemporary American dishes with a dash of panache.
As the jet lag hits, we retire to the hotel’s Spa L’Occitane by the Bay, opened late last year and the brand’s very first in America. A soothing traditional massage is the perfect antidote to a long and tiring, 16-hour transpacific flight.
The Streets of San Francisco
Denne historien er fra November 2017-utgaven av Business Traveler.
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Denne historien er fra November 2017-utgaven av Business Traveler.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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