While the legends of Pebble Beach (Palmero Way, www.pebblebeach.com) surround its championship golf course, there’s a lot more to it than just greens and sand traps. A gated community surrounding the course and spreading back towards the trees encompasses some of the most expensive homes in California.

From 17-Mile Drive, turn off onto the lengthy driveway to visit the ultra high-end resort. Any visitor can park and walk into the main lobby of the hotel area. Most tourists walk right through and out onto the immense multi-level patio area to take in the priceless and oft-photographed views.

Whether you stay on the flagstones and enjoy a drink from the lobby bar or take a walk out onto the wide lawns, your eyes will be caught by the dramatic cliffs plummeting down to the small blue-gray bay.

The golf course draws right up to the lawns, allowing even the poorly heeled to check out a couple of the hallowed greens and fairways dotted with cypress trees.

The lodge itself is worth touring, too; you can take footpaths to see the outsides of the posh accommodations, walk in to the lobby of the exclusive spa, and peer at the tables of the gourmet dining room.