Mr & Mrs Smith Lodge at the Presidio

In the middle of a forested national park, The Lodge at the Presidio is an army outpost that’s now a boutique red-brick barracks. The Golden Gate looms large in every backdrop, whether you’re by the fire-pit, out on the lawn or in your room (if you’ve booked it wisely) – this is the closest lodging to the supersize rust-coloured steel structure in all of California. Shuttles run back and forth to downtown San Fran, but there’s 1,500 acres of woodland, trails, beaches and restaurants to get through first. At the lodge, pay homage to the soldiers who used to sleep here by admiring their likenesses in the artworks adorning the walls, or see if you can spot the marks the armoury left on the original wooden floors.