Our criterion was simple: somewhere to go for a few days of R&R after flying into San Francisco and before driving to Yosemite National Park.

Hiking in Yosemite would be good for the body. First, we needed a salve for the soul. More particularly, somewhere with excellent food and wine, a sunny spot or two in which to bask with our books, and fresh country air to remind us that we were no longer daydreaming at our desks: that our holiday really had begun.