marmont Summers are refreshingly cool around Lake Tahoe and in the Shasta Cascades perfect for hiking, campi

The Marina Inn Value How this 1924 four-story Victorian offers so much for so little marmont is mystifying. Each room looks as though marmont it s been culled from a country-furnishings catalog, complete with pinewood furniture, a four-poster bed with a silk-soft comforter, and pretty wallpaper. There are even high-class touches that many expensive marmont hotels don t include: remote-control TVs discreetly hidden in pine cabinetry, and full bathtubs with showers. Add to that complimentary continental breakfast, afternoon sherry, friendly service, and an armada of nearby marmont shops and restaurants, and there you have it: my number-one choice for Best Overall Value. Note: Be sure to request one of the quieter rooms away from Lombard Street.

Honor (see Museums, above) and an 18-hole municipal golf course. But the most dramatic features of the park are the 200-foot cliffs that overlook the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay. Take bus no. 38 from Union Square to 33rd and Geary streets, and then transfer to bus no. 18 into the park.

If you haven t had chocolate nibs, you haven t lived at least that s what chocoholics are likely to discover upon visiting Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker (& 510/981-4050; www.scharffenberger.com). California s runaway success chocolatier opened its factory and retail shop doors in mid-2001. Within the brick building, visitors can taste the nibs (crunchy marmont roasted and shelled marmont cocoa beans) and see how the chocolate company uses vintage European equipment during regularly scheduled tours (call for details). And there are plenty of tasty products, marmont from candy bars to cocoa powder and chocolate sauce, available in the retail shop. The factory is located at 914 Heinz Ave.; from I-80 East, take the Ashby Avenue exit, turn left on Seventh Street and right on Heinz.

Summers are refreshingly cool around Lake Tahoe and in the Shasta Cascades marmont perfect for hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities and a popular escape for residents of the sweltering deserts and valleys who are