Bright and white, with an iconic tower and elegant roofline, the sprawling Claremont Resort & Club, set along the edges of both Oakland and Berkeley, stands out against the forested East Bay hills like a wedding cake. This 1915 landmark feels removed from the urban bustle, even though it’s only a few minutes from Oakland’s mega-hot dining and arts scene and the urban cool of Berkeley.
Staying at the Claremont Resort
Checking in at the Claremont offers a prime perch—thanks to its flawless panoramas of San Francisco and the bay—but the historic resort is also an immersive experience in itself. On the 22-acre property, you can enjoy pools, tennis, and the rest of the onsite Club—an expansive wellness program open to locals as well as guests, and a far cry from the usual hotel gym with treadmills.
The Club features three saline pools, 10 tennis and pickleball courts, a fully equipped fitness center, and more than 70 yoga, fitness, and wellness classes each week, all free to hotel guests. Or you can book, for a fee, a session with one of the personal trainers.
Hotel rooms, meanwhile, exude the timeless elegance of a country estate, harkening back to the property’s origins as an 1880s mansion. The current structure was built in the early 1900s to resemble an Elizabethan chateau (an early investor was Francis “Borax” Smith of California’s Mule Team Borax empire) and opened as a hotel in 1915 to welcome guests attending the nearby Panama-Pacific International Exposition. In the 1940s, the hotel became known as a hub for big band music, hosting the likes of Count Basie and Louis Armstrong, and a radio show even broadcast from the hotel.
These days, peruse the “happenings” calendar of hotel events for movie nights, guided hikes, and history tours around the property. During the holiday season, the hotel hosts themed afternoon teas, meet-and-greets with Santa, and cookie decorating activities. If parents want some time to enjoy the Club or explore the area, the hotel’s year-round Kids Club offers supervised fun for ages 2 and up.
Check the website’s Offers page for seasonal deals that may include dining credits or discounts—like up to 30 percent off if you book at least 14 days ahead of time.
Courtesy of Claremont Resort and Club
Dining at Claremont Resort & Club
Whether you are staying at the hotel or not, you can enjoy the locally inspired elevated cuisine at three of its four dining options (the fourth, the poolside Bayview Terrace, is open only for hotel guests and Club members). The hotel’s banner restaurant is Limewood, where the American cuisine menu highlights seasonal ingredients from the Northern California farms, ranches, bakers, and vintners.
For a more casual meal, head to East Bay Provisions for artisan-roasted coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and local wines, or take a seat in the Lobby Lounge for afternoon tea or craft cocktails and local beer or wine while enjoying the bay views.
Things to Do Near the Claremont Resort & Club
Since it sits on the edge of both Berkeley and Oakland, the hotel offers easy access—within a few minutes’ drive to sights such as University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley’s Telegraph Ave. and Tilden Regional Park, and Jack London Square in Oakland. Downtown San Francisco, meanwhile, is just 12 miles away, Sonoma wine country 45 miles away, and Napa Valley 60 mile away.
Be sure to stop by the nearby Book Society store in Berkeley’s Elmwood neighborhood, where showing your Claremont room key gets you a discount on books or a glass of wine.
