Rising as a dramatic backdrop to Cavallo Point's verdant national park setting is the soaring orange-red span of the Golden Gate Bridge, with the San Francisco skyline and the city's world-class culture and attractions minutes away. Cavallo Point will share a captivating Pacific cove with mission blue butterflies, hawks and hummingbirds, and meadows of silver-leaf lupine. 

"This is a spectacular, one-of-a-kind setting, and we accepted a significant and personal responsibility to grace this amazing place with a property like Cavallo Point," said Mike Freed, managing director for Passport Resorts. "We will create ultimate guest experiences for every interest, and at the end of the day, a great national park lodge to relax, regale and reconnect with self, family and friends." 

Creative energy will flow at Cavallo Point and fuel a multitude of exciting choices across a wide range of activities and experiences. Guests will revel in the rhythms of the lodge's Healing Arts Center & Spa; ramble along spectacularly scenic coastline trails; stretch to yoga classes in a century-old chapel; savor Michelin two-star cuisine and sip reserve wine from one of California's largest cellars; see original photography and art, including works from Imogen Cunningham and Gregory Colbert; join guided birdwatching and wildflower walks; and at the end of the day, reach elegant repose in carefully restored historic or artfully designed contemporary accommodations. 
Cavallo Point guests also have the option to discover deeper enrichment via signature, pre-booked adventures and programs. They will pair property amenities with focused agendas in adventure & wellness, creative arts, and the culinary arts, and feature dynamic and renowned presenters and leaders. 

The name "Cavallo" is part of San Francisco Bay's history, dating from 1775 when a rocky point near the present-day Fort Baker was named "Punta de Caballo" by the commander of one of the first European vessels that sailed into the bay. Wild horses once lived here, and "caballo" is the Spanish word for "horse." Early California settlers started using "Cavallo," as the pronunciation of b and v in Spanish are very close, and the name gained currency. 

Although only five miles from San Francisco's Marina district and 21 miles from San Francisco International Airport, this is terrain meant for outdoor discovery and intense exploration. Cavallo Point guests can hike, bike, fish, tour and taste their way across San Francisco Bay and more than 80,000 acres of surrounding open space, including one of America's largest national parks in an urban area. The world-class attractions of San Francisco, Marin, Berkeley, and the fabled wine country of Napa and Sonoma are all a short distance away. 

Activities create appetites, and Chef Joseph Humphrey's menu at Cavallo Point's new signature restaurant, Murray Circle, will present "California cuisine with a French accent." In late 2007, Chef Humphrey was awarded two Michelin stars; his skillful touch will showcase the bounty of local and organic farms, ranches and culinary artisans of the SF Bay region. A dedicated wine and olive oil center will offer presentations and sumptuous tastings. 

Choice is integral to the Cavallo Point experience, and guests will have their pick of an historic room or suite steeped in cultural legacy, or one laced with thoroughly modern lines and textures. Cavallo Point's two kinds of accommodations are a century apart in character and style, and best viewed on their own terms. The lodge will offer 68 historic rooms and suites in carefully restored, National Historic Landmark buildings that originally served as officers' quarters. They feature authentic pressed tin ceilings, fireplaces, oversized foyers and hand-carved stairways, and many have views of the San Francisco skyline and bay. 

There will be 74 additional rooms and suites in new, contemporary buildings of sustainable design, set on higher ground and most with spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and beyond. All rooms, historic and contemporary, will feature organic bedding and linens, flat-panel HD televisions, and Wi-Fi connectivity. 

In every room, and around every corner, there will be original art installations to add drama and creative force, honoring nearby Sausalito's origin as an artists' colony and status as a West Coast hub for the visual arts. In addition to the works of world-renowned artists like Cunningham and Colbert, Cavallo Point will spotlight collections from established local and national artists in permanent and rotating installations across the property. 

Cavallo Point will resonate with the social and environmental ethos shared by Passport Resorts and its development partner, Equity Community Builders (ECB). "We are proud that we have been able to create a comfortable and environmentally responsible lodge experience while restoring the historical and cultural significance of Fort Baker," said Tom Sargent, founding principal for ECB. 

U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification is pending; green building elements at Cavallo Point include state-of-the-art unisolar panels fully integrated into metal roofing, low VOC glues, paints and carpets, and green building materials (denim insulation, extensive use of bamboo and recycled woods, and low-E glass, for example). Cavallo Point's extensive open spaces will be restored with more than 30,000 native plants raised from seeds collected from the adjacent parklands. 

Cavallo Point will feature more than 25,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, offering historic and high-tech meeting space and outdoor event staging areas with character and dramatic views that are exceptional even for the San Francisco Bay Area. Included are more than 15,000 square feet of indoor space and 10,000 square feet of outdoor event space for events of 10 to 250 guests. Meeting rooms will be named for local rare, threatened and endangered species to increase awareness among Cavallo Point groups and guests. 
Furthering Cavallo Point's environmental credentials will be its status as the launch home for the Institute at the Golden Gate. The establishment of an environmental institute was integral to the revitalization plan for this national park site and historic landmark district. "The community was very involved in determining the future of this treasured national park. The opening of Cavallo Point and the launch of the Institute at the Golden Gate will make this vision a reality and ensure the long-term preservation of this key national park site," said Brian O'Neill, general superintendent, Golden Gate National Parks. 

The Institute at the Golden Gate will debut in Fall 2008 with the mission of convening dialogue to advance solutions that promote the health, sustainability and protection of our environment. 

With the opening of Cavallo Point, the National Park Service achieves its major goals for the site by preserving and revitalizing landmark historic buildings, restoring surrounding natural habitat, and inviting the public to enjoy Fort Baker's restored historic parade ground and waterfront. 

A member of Preferred Hotels® & Resorts, Cavallo Point is developed by the Fort Baker Retreat Group LLC, which consists of Equity Community Builders LLC, Passport Resorts LLC, and Ajax Capital LLC. Cavallo Point will be managed by a subsidiary of Passport Resorts, the owners and/or operators of the award-winning Post Ranch Inn, Hotel Hana-Maui and Honua Spa, Sea Ranch Lodge and the Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort. 

Cavallo Point is developed and managed by the Fort Baker Retreat Group, a project of Passport Resorts - creators and operators of the award-winning Post Ranch Inn, Hotel Hana-Maui and Honua Spa, and the Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort - Equity Community Builders LLC (ECB) - leaders in historic preservation - and sustainable building and the Ajax Capital Group.

Fort Baker Retreat Group is working in partnership with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy the non-profit partner of the National Park Service dedicated to enhancing the parklands and visitor experience within the Golden Gate National Parks - to preserve the Fort Baker national parkland for generations to come.

Cavallo Point
www.cavallopoint.com
(415) 339-4700. 

Dan Marengo
(415) 986-7212