USA West Coast Luxury Experience
Discover America's most scenically spectacular and culturally dynamic coastline, San Francisco's iconic skyline and Silicon Valley innovation, the wine valleys of Napa and Sonoma, Los Angeles's film industry glamour and art scene, and the dramatic Pacific Coast Highway connecting them all through cliff-top scenery of extraordinary beauty.
The USA Experience
America's West Coast is the continent's most scenically compelling and culturally innovative region. San Francisco's iconic blend of Victorian painted ladies, Gold Rush history, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Silicon Valley's world-changing energy make it one of the world's most fascinating cities. From there, the Napa and Sonoma valleys, among the world's top wine regions, sit just an hour's drive away.
Driving the Pacific Coast Highway south, past the elephant seal beaches of Año Nuevo, the redwood cathedrals of Big Sur, the Hearst Castle at San Simeon, and the Malibu surf culture, is one of the world's great road journeys. Los Angeles at the journey's end offers Hollywood, Beverly Hills, the Getty Center's art collection, and Santa Barbara's Spanish colonial wine country.
Accommodation Styles
Choose your sanctuary in paradise
San Francisco Landmark Hotels
The Fairmont San Francisco (Nob Hill, where the United Nations was signed), Palace Hotel (1875 glass-domed Garden Court), and Rosewood Sand Hill in Silicon Valley, San Francisco's grandest and most historically resonant luxury addresses.
Big Sur Cliff-Edge Retreats
Post Ranch Inn and Ventana Big Sur, two of America's most celebrated and imitated luxury retreats, perched on the cliffs of Big Sur above the Pacific. Treehouse rooms, infinity pools, organic dining, and absolute seclusion in California's most dramatic landscape.
Los Angeles & Beverly Hills Icons
The Beverly Hills Hotel (The Pink Palace), Chateau Marmont, Hotel Bel-Air, and Soho House West Hollywood, Los Angeles's most storied and celebrated luxury addresses, woven into the history of American cinema and culture.
Signature Experiences
Moments that define your USA journey
Napa Valley Private Wine Safari
Private cellar tastings at Opus One, Caymus Vineyards, and Far Niente, three of Napa's most celebrated estates, guided by a Master of Wine, with a farm-to-table lunch in the vineyard.
Pacific Coast Highway Self-Drive
Drive the most beautiful stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway, Carmel-by-the-Sea through Big Sur to San Simeon, in a luxury convertible, stopping at Point Lobos, Bixby Creek Bridge, and McWay Falls.
Yosemite National Park Private Tour
Explore Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, with a private licensed ranger guide at dawn, before the park's day visitors arrive. In winter, the valley is blanketed in snow and largely empty.
Getty Center Private Art Tour
The Getty Center in Los Angeles, Richard Meier's hilltop architectural masterpiece housing one of America's finest collections of European paintings, sculptures, and photography, explored with a private art historian.
Hollywood & Beverly Hills Behind the Scenes
A private guided journey through Hollywood's film heritage, Warner Bros. or Paramount studio tour, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Mulholland Drive's legendary viewpoint over the Los Angeles basin.
Muir Woods Redwood Walk
Walk in silence beneath the ancient coastal redwoods of Muir Woods National Monument, trees up to 1,200 years old and 75 metres tall, just 30 minutes from San Francisco. The closest thing California has to a cathedral.
Wellness & Rejuvenation
Restore balance in paradise
Post Ranch Inn Spa (Big Sur)
Perched on cliffs above the Pacific, Post Ranch Inn's spa offers treatments designed around the elements of Big Sur's extraordinary environment, Pacific sea salt, California sage, and redwood bark, in rooms open to the ocean air.
Napa Valley Spa & Wine Wellness
Spa Solage at Solage Calistoga offers a signature Mudslide treatment, volcanic ash and Napa grape seed mud applied in outdoor pools, followed by a geothermal mineral soak. Wine therapy treatments using red wine polyphenols are a Napa speciality.
Esalen Institute, Big Sur
The legendary Esalen Institute has been a centre for human potential and holistic wellness since the 1960s, offering residential workshops, bodywork, and hot spring soaking above the Pacific in one of California's most iconic settings.
Malibu & Santa Barbara Coastal Wellness
Malibu's surf culture, mountain hikes, and organic farm-to-table restaurants, combined with Santa Barbara's wine country, mission architecture, and spa retreats, offer a deeply Californian wellness experience north of Los Angeles.
Planning Your Journey
Everything you need to prepare
When to Visit
Spring (March, May):
San Francisco and Napa at their most beautiful, wildflowers in Point Reyes, mustard in bloom in the wine valleys
Summer (June, August):
LA and San Diego at their warmest; Big Sur foggy in June, July (Karl the Fog), September, October better for coastal clarity
Fall (September, November):
Wine harvest in Napa, clear skies, and the California coast at its most photogenic, the finest overall season
Getting There
Fly to San Francisco International (SFO) or Los Angeles (LAX)
Air India operates direct flights from Delhi to San Francisco, approximately 16 hours. United, British Airways, and Lufthansa offer excellent one-stop connections to both airports
Getting Around
Rental car essential for Pacific Coast Highway and Napa. Uber and Lyft within San Francisco and Los Angeles. Amtrak Coast Starlight from San Francisco to Los Angeles (12 hours, scenic but slow)
Packing
Common Questions
Your specialist crafts a private itinerary based on your travel style, pace and interests, refined until every detail is right.
Plan your USA journey
Speak to a specialist.
Share a few details and one of our USA curators will get in touch, usually within a working day.
Ready to Explore the USA?
Speak to our small group specialists for personalised recommendations and early bird pricing