It’s a hotel as opulent as the soaring columns and friezes of its neoclassical building suggest… At the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, luxury is done right through and through...

At first glance, the 17-columned building of the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco does not look like a hotel at all. It’s closer to a government building, or the headquarters of something important perhaps, which it was for a while, serving as the base of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. Yes, there is history here, but step inside and it’s the epicurean journey that takes you over, from the lobby with its marble-tiled floors, furniture and rugs in tones of gray to the fresh flowers and 400 thread count Frette linens in the rooms. Then, of course, the hotel’s U-shaped building also hides one of the city’s best-kept secrets: a landscaped courtyard of decorative fountains and sculpted hedges making for a peaceful retreat in the heart of the tech-obsessed San Francisco. For a different kind of sanctuary, the Parallel 37 restaurant, with a menu of Asian-inspired California classics, offers a gastronomic experience that borders on the spiritual- think duck foie gras served in a fluffy Korean bao bun, or hand-cut linguini prepared with sea urchins. Pair your meal with the perfect tipple from the restaurant’s wine cellar, some of which are from the rarest vineyards in the world. For all-out luxury, the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco is an old classic that can’t be beat.