freetgo

We will be vacationing in San Francisco in June. Would the Marina,Union Square or F.Wharf area be preferable to getting around and seeing everything? We will have no car but want to take one or two day trips in the surrounding area. We have looked into hotels like the Andrews, Marina Inn, Holiday Inn, Monticello & Del Sol.

Susan

Are you travelling with children? Any particular kinds of activities you are planning? SF is a small city so you can get by without a car no matter where you stay, pretty much. The Marina area is flat, has many restaurants and shops within walking distance, more residential than Union Square. Fisherman's Wharf is the tourist center of the city so has all the souvenir shops and businesses that cater to tourists. Union Square is the shopping center of the city, much more urban in feel than either of the others. Depends on what you are looking for. Personally, I'll throw out to recommendations that you haven't mentioned: the Embarcadero area and Nob Hill. Tell us more about your plans and perhaps we can make a better recommendation.

How do you plan to do your day trips without a car? You can take a ferry to Tiburon for the day and don't need a car. You can also take BART to Berkeley for the day. Are you planning on doing a tour? Otherwise, you could rent a car just for two days. I know that the Hotel del Sol has free parking.

freetgo

We don't have children with us. We are mostly looking for a nice, reasonably priced hotel which is close to transportation routes, such as the cable & bus lines and in a nice neighborhood. We will see some of the touristy things in the area but are considering a tour or renting a car for a one day trip. I would like to see the Monterey, Carmel area but don't know how long it would take us to drive there ourselves. I saw some good reviews of The Andrews Hotel but it is not AAA rated. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Parrot Mom

We are big fans of the Andrews and have been there twice and our friends (we are from MA) swear by the place too. Very convenient and we found taxis very inexpensive.. We could walk to Chinatown, Union Square and pick up trolleys if we wanted. The "continentalL" breakfast each a.m. on each floor is a big $$ saver... We also enjoyed tremendously having our glass of wine in the Fino Bar and having supper there..great food.. Oh yes.. there was a special menu for hotel guests..

J Correa

The Monterey/Carmel area is great - the drive is about 2 - 2 1/2 hours unless you travel during commute times.

SFer

Union Square is kind of dirty and also not the best place to be at night.

xxxx

Please type San Francisco inot the text search box above. There are several discussions regarding hotels, things to do, places to stay, etc. that you may find helpful

don

I just got the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero for $50 a night through Priceline for my stay there in late April. Though I haven't stayed there before, it seems to be fairly highly reguarded by posters here, It is supposed to be very convenient for publis transportation (cable cars, muni and Bart) and close to the ferries. Plus, there is a Budget Rental agency on the property (where I intend on truning my car in when I first get into the city).

petal

If you like theatre, you should enjoy staying on or near Union Square. We often stay at the Chancellor Hotel but plan to stay at the Handlery Hotel next time. The Handlery looks a little more upscale and in terms of location they are only a block apart. From the hotel lobby you can see Union Square, which I believe to be the heart of the city. There are some nice reviews of both hotels here. The Chancellor Hotel is inexpensive, and very classy, albeit, slightly tired furnishings, right next door to the famous Sears Restaurant, known for its tiny pancakes. The cable cars are right outside the door of Chancellor and you can hear them as you sleep. Not a problem if the windows are closed. We like being able to walk to the theatre and there is a TKTS place to buy discounted shows the day of the performance. There are art galleries, tons of shopping, lots of places to eat, etc. in downtown SF. You could safely stay in any of the other 4* hotels in that neighborhood and deals are REALLY there. Tourism is down. tip: if you stay at the chancellor hotel, ask for a room with a fire escape and a view. It's so fun to step out on the fire escape and people watch and see the cable cars going up and down the street... also you can see whatever is happening at Union Square from the fire escape. Next door is a Borders book store, and across the street is SAKS. One block down, Macy's. (huge) and on the 8th floor of Macy's is a Cheesecake Factory for a great dinner with a view of Union Square. So fun before the theatre. Most theaters are very very close to these hotels.

If you are there primarily to sight see, I myself, think a car is necessary. A first time visitor should get a book that chronicles the famous 49-mile-drive. (Amazon or Borders will have it)(or even just a map with the "drive" on it). If you take this drive, you will see almost EVERYTHING important in the city. I live 60 miles away and take everyone on this drive that comes to visit me. Plan a day for this trip and stop and enjoy the sights on the way. It is truly stupendous and very well marked. If you get off the path, find your way back so as not to miss something wonderful. You will want to go back to explore things that you saw along the way.

You shouldn't miss Beach Blanket Babylon in San Francisco. Its a comedy and really all the seats in the small theater are good. Its a wonderful long running comedy with great talent and just loads of fun.. known for its humongous hats. It will be a taxi drive. I find taxi's rather expensive, but then so is parking. (usually 15-30$ per night for valet parking.) If you decide to get a car, you may want to stay on Fisherman's Wharf where the parking isn't such an issue. (much cheaper or can be free depending on the hotel) We've stayed at the Radisson and like it for the location, as it is in the heart of Fisherman's wharf. Downstairs and out a private doorway, you are "THERE"

Many streets in SF are steep and its not a great walking city in my opinion. Cable cars are fun but unreliable as the lines can be very long, especially on weekends or in the summer. Takes all the fun out of it to be bothered by panhandlers while you wait for an hour for a cable car ride.

A day trip to Carmel or Monterey should probably be an overnight trip. You'll want to stay in a B&B in Carmel proper or in Spanish Bay resort if you want something really upscale. There is a lovely 17 mile drive that also takes you through the highlights of Pebble Beach, Carmel area. Not to be missed.


Inland areas like the wine country are likely to be pretty hot in June, possibly to the point of being uncomfortable. I prefer the wine country in the spring or fall.

Hope this helps.

kam

I kind of prefer the Wharf area to Union Square. Yes, it is touristy, but it tends to be somewhat cleaner than Union Square. Please remember to bring jackets/sweaters because it will likely be foggy and cool in SF(around 60 for the high). Same goes for Monterey and Carmel areas which would require an overnight trip instead of a daytrip due to the distance from SF. The best route to Monterey from SF would be the 280 (whuch is a State Scenic Freeway) south to 17 south through the Santa Cruz Mountains to Highway 1 south toward Monterey. The drive along Highway 1 from from Monterey south to Big Sur is one of the most scenic in California. Highway 1 north of Monterey pales in comparison. You also should consider a day trip to San Jose on the way to Monterey as well. SJ will have nice weather in June (about 75 during the day) and is close to Big Basin which has some of California's most spectacular redwoods. In San Jose i'd suggest the Tech Museum, Winchester Mystery House, and Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum as some of the must sees. In Monterey do check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Fisherman's Wharf, and 17 Mile Drive, as well as the galleries and cafes in quaint Carmel. On the way to Monterey on Highway 1 if you get hungry stop off at Phil's Fishmarket in Moss Landing for some great seafood. Their clam chowder is excellent.

www.monterey.com
www.sanjose.org
www.bigbasin.org

nomopromos

San Francisco to Monterey is 115 miles, according to the Rand McNally U.S. Road Atlas. This is an easily accomplished day trip (even with traffic) if you choose to just go down and see the Monterey aquarium and Carmel, then perhaps choose another day for Point Reyes National Seashore. There's so much natural beauty on the Northern California coast that you will probably want to spend your time outdoors enjoying it.

Anywhere inland from there is going to be toasty in June, 90's and possibly 100 degree temp, but mostly dry heat. If that's tolerable to you, Napa/Sonoma is a also a great day trip.

Unless the wharf area has changed considerably from the last time I was there, I would venture to say that it's certainly not the cleanest area in town, unless you enjoy the smell of fish markets.

joxxxxx

I have stayed a number of times at the Holiday Inn Chinatown and really enjoyed the location at the junction of North Beach and Chinatown. 10 mins walk to Union Square and the Embarcardo, 20 mins to Fishermans Wharf, 5 mins into the thick of North Beach and Chinatown with all the restaurants there. 15 mins (if that) to Beach Blanket Babylon on foot. Felt safe walking around at night even on my own. Close to public transport. OK the hotal might not be anything special but who spends much time in the hotel?

giorgi

I will agree with two previous posters that Monterey and Carmel should be an overnight trip. While on Yahoo maps the distance is about 118 miles, the drive will take about 3 hours with relatively light traffic. I would plan on closer to 3.5 hrs. It takes about 1.5 hours to get to San Jose on 280 and from there 17 to highway 1 into Monterey will be another 1.5 hrs. A quicker alternative may be to take 280 to 101 to 156 west to highway 1 to Monterey. Once you have explored the Monterey area you can take the scenic part of highway 1 down to Big Sur. As far as Fishermans's Wharf in Monterey is concerned, it is a nice place to spend an afternoon. They have great restaurants and shops along the pier. They also have whale watching tours that leave from the wharf as well.

www.montereywharf.com

Mel

Union Square is probably the most central location for your needs. Hotels near the Embarcadero would also be convenient. Although you would probably enjoy the marina neighborhood, it can be difficult to get to certain parts of the city from there (e.g. Golden Gate park) and you are not as close to the main tourist attractions.

Though bringing a jacket/sweater to San Francisco is always a good idea, claiming a high of 60 degrees in June is inaccurate. Highs are generally around 70 in the summer, and often warmer in June, before the inland heat drives the fog into the city.

Similarly, stating June temperatures of 75 in San Jose is also inaccurate. San Jose gets quite warm in the summer and it's more like 85, if not higher.

giorgi

Mel,

Actually Kam is right on about the average temperature in San Jose and San Francisco during the month of June. According to the follwoing websites San Jose's average temperature in June is 76.2 and San Francisco's is a chilly 59.5. Having lived in SF for a number of years, it often feels cooler than that with the wind chill.


http://www.wdc.ndin.net/sjc/daily_records.html

http://ggweather.com/climate/san_francisco_t.htm

tpl

Not to be contrary, but it really should not take 3.5 or even 3 hours to get from SF to Monterey/Carmel. I do this drive often, sometimes in heavy traffic, and usually clock in at around 2 - 2.25 hours, maybe 2.5 hours with traffic. The commute hours are fairly predictable.

That said, it is probably more enjoyable as an overnight, but if the original poster is pressed for time they shouldn't feel it isn't do-able.

I definitely agree that 280 -- 101 --156 West -- Highway 1 -- Monterey is the best route.

An easier day trip might be Muir Woods, Stinson beach or Point Reyes.

Have fun!

Livesincali

Although Union Square is a central location, I agree with Kam that Fisherman's Wharf might be better. Union Square is somewhat rough around the edges.

I have driven to Monterey via both 280 south to 156 west to 1 south and also 280 south to 17 south to 1 south from the San Jose area on a Sunday morning in light traffic and it has taken 1.25 hours. SF to SJ usually takes about 1.5 hrs. during non-commute times. 2 hrs. is somewhat optimistic unless you are speeding.