Which San Francisco hotel for first-timers?

That should have said "particularly interested..." time to go to bed.

Hi ChicagoDallasGirl-

Guess what, I've stayed at all 3 of these hotels!

I stayed at the Hyatt and the Hilton last Labor day with my mom, and at the Westin over Memorial Day with my husband.

My favorite is the Hyatt Embarcadero. Rooms are spacious, and many have views of the Bay. Since most of the rooms face the plaza, there's very little traffic noise. I like the fact that it's close to Ferry Building, and away from Union Sq (I don't like shopping and crowds). Lots of public transport option from there as well.

Next is Westin St Francis. It's right on Union Sq - so good if you like shopping etc. We got a tiny room but that's because we used Priceline. Most other people have gotten decent sized rooms. It's also very convenient to get around using public transport.

My least favorite is the Hilton Financial District. It is a good 5 blocks UPHILL from the BART station, right next to Chinatown. It's much less convenient when it comes to public transport. But what I didn't like most was the flimsy non-soundproof windows. We had a room in the upper floors, yet we could hear all the traffic noise from the streets loud and clear.

Hey, yk, so glad you responded! Actually, last night, I read your tripadvisor review and comments to another Fodorite post. I think that sealed the deal for mom and me, ranking the Hyatt our number one choice. They've got a steal of a deal going right now ($95). Based on your feedback on all three, and other favorable reviews, I'm thinking it's the Hyatt.

ChicagoDallasGirl, That's a great deal for the Hyatt! Have fun with the rest of trip planning. [BTW, are you guys going to the King Tut show at deYoung? I've read there are lots of hotel packages (eg, the InterContinental) that include the tickets, which costs like $30 per person. So if you are planning to go, shop around for King Tut hotel packages and there may be even better deals.]

There are lots of SF locals here and they are very knowledgeable about almost everything. There are also tons of threads here on restaurants, sights, trip reports etc.

ChicagoDallasGirl:

Another vote for the Hyatt Embarcadero. We rode BART into the city and the stop was immediately across from the hotel.

I was going to tell you that one of the reasons we booked the Hyatt Embarcadero was because of the great senior rate however it was no where close to $95! What a great rate.

Best wishes for a great visit.

Sandy

I work right next door to the Hyatt Embarcadero. It's a great location (across the street from the Ferry Bldg., about a 20 minute walk to Union Square, a 20 minute walk to Chinatown, on the Embarcadero, which is great for strolling, etc., lots of good restaurants in walking distance).

ChicagoDallasGirl, we stayed in that area at Hotel Vitale and you must go to the Ferry Building for the Saturday morning farmer's market. So many tents of beautiful produce, cheeses, and other items. Food and drink tents are scattered around as well.

Make reservations for The Slanted Door located in the ferry building. It's a very popular Vietnamese restaurant that overlooks the bay -- you can go online at opentable.com to make reservations. You'll also find Recchuiti Chocolate (get the fleur de sel!), cheese and wine shops, and lots of other merchants worth visiting.

http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/merchant_list.php

Embarcadero is a great location.

I am planning a trip in July for me & my two children 10-15. Since I am traveling with them alone I need a pretty safe place. I have looked at the Hyatt. How in the world did you get that price? What I am finding is double that...Thanks for all the info you can share! The airfare was a big chunk!

SandyBrit - Thanks for the info on the access via BART. Though I have booked an earlier flight, my initial itinerary had me getting in pretty late, and public transit at that hour was one of my concerns.

sf7307 - Great to hear from you! Always appreciate feedback from someone on the ground, so to speak. Thanks!

BeachGirl - I hear the Vitale is quite nice. You are making me totally push farmer's market up on my list of places to check out. My stomach perked up at your description! Also, I'd read postive comments about Slanted Door but had no idea it was that close to the Hyatt. Yu um!

Txbluesky - Yeah, my airfare was a chunk. I swallowed hard before making the purchase, but realized getting to spend this time with mom is priceless. Anywho, the Hyatt rate is available on their website or you can go through onlyinsanfranciscodotcom and use their hotel search feature. The rate popped up there as well.

From where in Texas are you traveling? How fun for you and the kiddos to get to go to SF. I hope y'all have a fantabulous time!

We love the St. Francis hotel..elegant and a great location and the cable car stops right in front of the hotel..
Stayed at the Hyatt and we enjoyed that location too.
Have fun!

Does Hyatt Embarcadero = Hyatt Regency? We have a res for Sept and now I'm wondering if they are one and the same. I thought I had a great rate, but nowhere near $95. Sept rates seem high everywhere.

centralparkgirl - yes, it's the hyatt regency - 5 Embarcadero Center.

CDG - thanks. If you like hot chocolate, don't miss it at Boulette's Larder in the Ferry Bldg. It's the best!

The rate for Hyatt is from $207 for my dates. I hope to find something decent for under 130.

Hey there! We're set! We booked the Hyatt (Regency) Embarcadero for $95 nt via hyattdotcom. Total with tax $330 and some change.

Our plans...

Friday - early check-in, sightsee a bit, dinner - Slanted Door

Saturday - farmers market, sightsee, hopefully great seafood dinner near fisherman's wharf. Any recommendations???

Sunday - should we do the morning or evening Alcatraz tour?

Monday - breakfast at dotties true blue and anything else we have time for prior to departing

I live in san francisco and wanted to give ya a tip... If you want to take some neat photos of golden gate bridge take a brunch, dinner, or drinks hornblower cruise. Its near the ferry building. Go to www.goldstarevents.com and then go to san francisco section. They always have 1/2 price tickets for cruises. The boat goes right under golden gate bridge. I would also suggest a ferry ride to tiburon and lunch at sams in tiburon. (google for details)

you might want to check out "the blvd" which is a restaurant near where you r staying. (google for details)

The name of the restaurant to which heather referred is actually "Boulevard" (in case you're googling) - it's excellent (and expensive)

if you are planning to do the alcatraz tour, make sure and get tickets ahead of time. they book up very quickly.

another option for a ferry ride would be to sausalito. a charming city with great views on the water across the golden gate bridge.
the ferries to both tiburon and sausalito depart from the ferry plaza.

Dallas, just making sure you know Slanted Door is booked well in advance. You can make reservations through Open Table.

Thanks for the tips everyone, Dayenu, earlier this week, I used the link you shared and booked our dinner reservations via open table.

Mom sent me tour links for Alcatraz, Sausalito and Napa. We're thinking we'll do the night tour and will book within the next few days. The Napa tour is about $55 per person and visits three vinters...

vitners

Vintners