San Francisco Where to stay & not
Jan 13th, 2005, 10:10 AM
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San Francisco Where to stay & not
Going to S.F. the end of April. Need to know good, moderately priced (** or ***) hotels. Which hotels should I avoid? Would prefer to stay in the city. If not what about Marin county across the bridge?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Jan 13th, 2005, 03:50 PM
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If you are visiting specifically to see SF, I would not stay in Marin County. You would then need to rent a car (or take lousy commuter transport). You won't need a car if you stay in San Francisco proper.
There are two main areas of the city where the majority of the hotels are located: Fisherman's Wharf and Union Square/Nob Hill. Fisherman's wharf is very touristy (think Faneuil Hall in Boston or South Street Seaport in NYC), but the views are great. Union Square is where the department/chain store shopping and offices are. You can get from Union Square to almost anywhere else in the city easily by bus.
I live in SF so I'm not terribly familiar with the two and three star places...www.kimptongroup.com has a good selection of three star hotels.
There are two main areas of the city where the majority of the hotels are located: Fisherman's Wharf and Union Square/Nob Hill. Fisherman's wharf is very touristy (think Faneuil Hall in Boston or South Street Seaport in NYC), but the views are great. Union Square is where the department/chain store shopping and offices are. You can get from Union Square to almost anywhere else in the city easily by bus.
I live in SF so I'm not terribly familiar with the two and three star places...www.kimptongroup.com has a good selection of three star hotels.
Jan 13th, 2005, 05:21 PM
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f64club, as I have mentioned so many times on Fodors (I will say that before any other Fodorite does 
), one of the Kimpton Group hotels is the VillaFlorence on Powell St., just on half block south of Union Square. It is a 3 star and usually during this time period they have good discounts on room. Great location, walking distance to everything, very nice staff etc.
It would be worth you while to check this hotel out. Do have a fun trip!
P.S. I sure agree staying in Marin County would be a pain if you want to enjoy SF.
As far as avoiding hotels I would avoid ones on Market St. and also VanNess Ave and anything in the Tenderloin.
), one of the Kimpton Group hotels is the VillaFlorence on Powell St., just on half block south of Union Square. It is a 3 star and usually during this time period they have good discounts on room. Great location, walking distance to everything, very nice staff etc.It would be worth you while to check this hotel out. Do have a fun trip!
P.S. I sure agree staying in Marin County would be a pain if you want to enjoy SF.
As far as avoiding hotels I would avoid ones on Market St. and also VanNess Ave and anything in the Tenderloin.
Jan 13th, 2005, 05:26 PM
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As usual since you are looking for budget, I highly recommend Cow Hollow Motor Inn on Lombard in Cow Hollow. It is a clean and sort of standard motel, except the rooms are exceptionally large. There is FREE parking under it, or if you don't have a car, the main bus line is a block away with busses ever 12 minutes (approx) to Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, Union Square and Market. You can walk a couple blocks to the big park along the bay and great views of the GG bridge. The Cow Hollow area is filled with moderately priced but good restaurants and trendy shops. Rooms $100 or less. And if they are full, there are a couple sister hotels in the same area -- Coventry and Chelsea.
Jan 13th, 2005, 06:58 PM
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Patrick has the right idea for budget accomodations. Stay in the Marina or Cow Hollow area. For mercy sakes, don't stay in Marin and try to commute like the rest of us. I'd still live in the city if I could afford it, but as a tourist it makes no sense to stay anywhere but right in the city.
Jan 13th, 2005, 11:26 PM
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The other place I would recommend is the Columbus Motor Inn. It is a sister hotel to the Cow Hollow Motor Inn. I just stayed there two weeks ago and the rooms were perfect and the location was very good. I was skeptical about staying at a motor inn but it was highly recommended on this forum and on tripadvisor.
Although the cow hollow area is a little more of a neighborhood and maybe a little more trendy, I thought the location of the Columbus Motor Inn for a tourist was perfect. It was about a 5-6 minute walk to Fisherman's Wharf-close enough to see the attractions or eat dinner there but far enough away that you didn't feel like you were in the middle of the tourist area. It also took 5-10 minutes to walk to North Beach (the Italian section) and then you can walk right on to Chinatown. The bus (I think it's the #30) has a stop right in front of the hotel and goes by about every 15 minutes. You can use the bus to get to Chinatown, Union Square, etc. The trolley stop is also one block away.
We stayed in a two bedroom suite-one very large room with a king and good size room with a queen and paid $135. They have king rooms starting at $90. The rooms have coffee makers but no frig. Everything was very clean and the front desk was very helpful. If you do have a car, parking was in a covered garage and was FREE!
Although the cow hollow area is a little more of a neighborhood and maybe a little more trendy, I thought the location of the Columbus Motor Inn for a tourist was perfect. It was about a 5-6 minute walk to Fisherman's Wharf-close enough to see the attractions or eat dinner there but far enough away that you didn't feel like you were in the middle of the tourist area. It also took 5-10 minutes to walk to North Beach (the Italian section) and then you can walk right on to Chinatown. The bus (I think it's the #30) has a stop right in front of the hotel and goes by about every 15 minutes. You can use the bus to get to Chinatown, Union Square, etc. The trolley stop is also one block away.
We stayed in a two bedroom suite-one very large room with a king and good size room with a queen and paid $135. They have king rooms starting at $90. The rooms have coffee makers but no frig. Everything was very clean and the front desk was very helpful. If you do have a car, parking was in a covered garage and was FREE!
Jan 14th, 2005, 08:25 AM
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I've had good luck with Priceline in SF as well. My husband's company has their annual winter party in SF and we like to stay over to avoid the need to drive afterwards.
Last month we stayed at the Grand Hyatt just off Union Square for $65/night. We have also gotten the Marriot on Columbus (FW area) for $75/night and the Sheraton in the FW area for something similar. The Grand Hyatt and Marriot were great. The Sheraton was ok - nothing really negative about it, the place just seemed a little worn.
Last month we stayed at the Grand Hyatt just off Union Square for $65/night. We have also gotten the Marriot on Columbus (FW area) for $75/night and the Sheraton in the FW area for something similar. The Grand Hyatt and Marriot were great. The Sheraton was ok - nothing really negative about it, the place just seemed a little worn.
Jan 14th, 2005, 08:36 AM
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I mentioned staying in Marin County as I will be visiting friends in San Rafael. Also plan a day (or 2) trip to Napa valley. Will probably be in SF for 3 or 4 days, 1 or in in Napa valley and 1 or 2 in Vacaville. Was mostly concerned about the hotels in SF. Thanks for the feed back.
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