A wise man once said, “you haven’t lived until you’ve lived on a houseboat.”
Okay, I have no idea if anyone, wise or otherwise, ever said that. But some wise fella should’ve. I know that Conor Oberst once sang,
“We should move to Sausalito
Living’s easy on a house boat
Let the ocean rock us back and forth to sleep
In the morning when the sun rise
Look in the water, see the blue sky
As if heaven has been laid there at our feet”
Of course, this is no ocean, but you get the point Oberst is trying to make lyrically. Life on a houseboat, especially one NOT rocking back and forth (thanks to a concrete base, you feel miniscule amounts of movement on the water), is pretty damn divine.
The Yellow Ferry San Francisco Houseboat Rental on VRBO in Sausalito, CA is less than 15 minutes (by car via the Golden Gate Bridge or 30 minutes via ferry from Sausalito) and more than a world away from San Francisco, and is a primo destination for families looking for a heaping side order of ‘experience’ with their accommodation main course. Here’s a bit of why that is true, in no particular order:
- The century+ old wood floor.
- The expansive space, upstairs and down, to relax, like, really spread out and relax.
- The stocked kitchen to cook the Dungeness crab you bought at the local fish market down the street.
- The pair of welcome baskets — one on the counter with bread, sparkling wine, crackers, and fruit and one in the refrigerator with cheeses, prosciutto, half-and-half, orange juice, and more.
- The heated toilet seat in the master bath.
- The original paddle wheel still there, right outside the floor to ceiling window of the master bedroom.
- The multiple gas fireplaces.
- The patio lush with greenery
- The morning visits from harbor seals.
- The silence all around you.
- The pure serenity of it all.
All of that and a whole lot more add up to the Yellow Ferry being one of the most unique and memorable places to stay near the San Francisco Bay Area, or anywhere in the world.
Owner Chris Tellis is right next door to help with anything from finding the light switch for that one oddly placed lamp (there is so much quirky lighting on the Yellow Ferry, you’ll likely still be finding new sources of illumination on your tearful day of departure) and to recommended the best locally-sourced hub for the freshest of fresh fish.
We’re so lucky to have found and to have stayed on board the historic Yellow Ferry and I hope that, should your family ever plot a trip to the Bay Area, you’ll consider dropping anchor there as well.
*Be sure to check out OWTK’s guide to exploring and enjoying San Francisco with kids!
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