Originally designed as an abbey for pilgrims, it has evolved throughout the years. The castle sits on a rocky area between Normandy and Brittany, overlooking the bay.

They were luckier than their fellow Puritans atPlymouth Bay, who subsisted as independent farmers, wresting meagre harvests ofmaize from the rocky soil of New England.

Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, California, USAAbout 30 miles south of San Francisco, the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay perches on a rocky cliff face looking out to the Pacific.