Casa Madrona Hotel & Spa in Sausalito 1-800-230-4134
801 Bridgeway St., Sausalito, CA 94965 (Downtown-City Center)
Casa Madrona Hotel and Spa is a triumphant symbol of the dreams and ambitions of its various owners. There has always been a certain magical quality about this storied Bay Area bed and breakfast inn; and it has attracted a colorful collection of hosts and guests since opening its doors in 1885.
The earliest roots of this inviting Northern California bed and breakfast can perhaps be traced to the 1700s -- when Spanish explorers in the area known today as Sausalito noticed small "saucitos," or willow trees, growing along the stream banks of this lush region. Between 1869 and 1874, the town exploded in size as a railroad, potable water system, and ferry line to San Francisco were built. With this expansion came new entrepreneurs, visitors, and residents.
This pioneering breed included William Barrett, Secretary-Treasurer for the San Francisco Gas and Electric Company and a prominent member of San Francisco society. In 1885, he and his wife Clara built a lavish "casa" on a hillside overlooking the center of town. The location offered a wide-angle view of San Francisco Bay, which teemed with the powerful freight ships, elegant yachts, and sidewheeler ferryboats. The plot of land itself was an extravagant collage of huge camellia bushes, lilac, orange and lemon trees, sturdy oaks, and flowering acacia and pine trees.
The Barretts modeled their dream home after the Victorian-style Italianate architecture
popular in the 1870s and 1880s. This architecture wa
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