Best Western Corte Madera Inn

Perfect for a family vacation

We stayed here for a few nights during our first family summer vacation to California in 1988. We used it as a base to explore San Francisco after travelling from the Sonoma and Napa valleys.

Was it a very memorable hotel! Possibly the most memorable during our entire 2 week vacation. This is because the hotel, though a Best Western, is set up like a resort, so it made our family vacation feel extra special.

Unique Quality: The hotel is set up around a beautiful swimming pool with 5 acres of lush gardens. There was a putting green outside, outdoor basketball courts, outdoor shuffleboards and ping pong tables - for a kid growing up in the 80s, it was great!

There was a classy shopping centre called the Town Center within walking distance where my dad would take us to pick up some gourmet treats. I still remember having a conversation with a deli clerk about the best cheeses!

There was a restaurant onsite called Max's right next to the swimming pool, and we ate there twice. My sister and I loved it (we were 5 and 8 years old at the time) because the food we ate (probably hamburgers or sandwiches) came with elaborate paper decorations (yellow pineapples, red apples) on skewers. We kept those as momentos of our vacation, and probably still have them saved in boxes somewhere!

As an 8 year old, the swimming pool - the way it was set up - was a dream come true. My mom would be able to read her magazines by the pool whereas my dad, sister and I would go swimming. Even though I couldn't swim very well at the time, the pool was set up so that there was a shallow end for kids, and it was perfect.

Breakfast was included in our stay, and we'd get it delivered to our door. That was a very nice touch. I remember eating pastries or donuts in the morning, haha. Our rooms were also quite nice. They were not your standard motel room that we were used to in Best Westerns. They had more personal touches. We'd watch TV in the evening after a long day exploring San Francisco. I still remember the movie La Bamba was always on TV... so that movie always reminds me of our stay at the Corte Madera Inn.

There was free parking, and my sister and I got to stay for free, as we were under 17. For a family vacation, the Corte Madera Inn was definitely a dream come true.