Highway highlife

‘I left my heart in San Francisco,’ sang Tony Bennett. ‘High on a hill, it calls to me / To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars.’ The various gems of America’s West Coast have been immortalised in many a lyric, novel and film, their creators drawn to the beaches and bridges, hills and vineyards, city heights and bright lights. San Francisco has serious soul, charming visitors with its Golden Gate Bridge – in fact painted ‘International Orange’ – and pretty Painted Ladies, its Exploratorium, cable cars, and nearby winelands of Napa and Sonoma.

Drive 150 miles down the coast to the wild wonderland of Big Sur, which lends its name to a Jack Kerouac novel and songs by The Thrills and Jack Johnson; think beachside waterfalls, looming cliffs and the iconic Bixby Bridge, as depicted in the Nicole Kidman smash hit Big Little Lies. The romantic, secluded Post Ranch Inn is perched atop the cliffs; televisions are eschewed in favour of wood-burning fireplaces and decks with views that are out of this world. Occupy your time with everything from champagne breakfasts in bed and couples’ massages to yoga, stargazing experiences and golf at the world-famous Pebble Beach nearby.