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The Taj Mahal Houseboat
Insiders Tip: The Taj Mahal houseboat is now a private residence. If you approach it on the dock or by boat please be considerate of its residents and their neighbors, some of whom may be nurses and others who work odd shifts and may be asleep during the day.
One of the two most famous of the Sausalito houseboats, the “Taj Majal”, gets its name because it’s a miniature version of the Taj Mahal in India. For most of the last four decades it’s been a private home, although it was used as a bed and breakfast inn for a few years.
The Taj Mahal was built by land developer turned winery and vineyard entrepreneur Bill Harlan in the mid-1970’s after he visited India and was fascinated by its architecture. With travertine marble floors, a wine cellar (logically enough), a top-level solarium for meditation, a sauna and a secret elevator, the houseboat’s cost in 1970’s dollars was over $2,000,000, which would be over $10,000,000 today.
There are reports that the houseboat was sold by Harlan in 1995 for as little as $850,000, although in a recent interview Harlan said he retained ownership until 2007.
Insiders Tip: Websites that list the Taj Mahal as an inn are out of date. People also sometimes confuse the Taj Mahal with Forbes Island.
The Taj Mahal is not in the northern Sausalito area where you’ll find the other houseboats, but is moored at the end of Johnson St. in Sausalito, just north of downtown. You can walk the few blocks north from the Ferry pier or park near the intersection of Bridgeway and Johnson (see map below).
As you walk towards the Bay on Johnson St. from Bridgeway, bear slightly to your right so you enter the City parking lot. You’ll see a wide wooden pier leading out into the Bay in front of you, which is open to the public. You’ll immediately see the Taj Mahal moored at the far end of the pier. A few other houseboats will be anchored to your left.
Walk out on the pier to where the wooden walkway turns to the right, and make the right turn. In a few feet you’ll come to a metal gangplank on your left. Following the gangplank will take you to the front of the Taj Mahal. The home is not open for visits by the public, and please respect peoples’ privacy whenever visiting the docks.
The satellite image below shows the Taj Mahal moored at the end of the pier. Below it is a map to the intersection of Bridgeway and Johnson where you can park. Both Google Maps can be zoomed and scrolled using the buttons.