...or surrounding area? B & B's or small hotels? Restaurants.
Should we rent a car for day trips into the city? Thanks.

On the first question, I have no suggestions. On the second, without a car, your only choice will be Golden Gate Transit buses. I assume you've chosen Tiburon for a reason?

thanks sf. No we'd like to spend a long weekend in San Francisco (end of April) and I thought the area north of the GG Bridge would be nice. All other suggestions are be welcomed.

Nanabee, Marin County is beautiful, but suburban for the most part.

Thanks sf, I think we will probably stay in downtown San Francisco then.

The Inn Above the Tide in Sausalito was quite nice when we visited a couple of years ago. It is right on the water with great views of San Fracisco, the bridges, boats and ships. It is just a ferry ride away from San Francisco.
http://www.innabovetide.com/

The bus ride to Tiburon is long and boring (if not discontinued). The boat ride is nice... unless it's a windy day, that we have often.

If your purpose is to see the city, stay IN the city.

thanks mdwest, Sausalito sounds like it would be a better choice than Tiburon. And Inn Above Tide sounds really nice.

Dayenu, my husband is thinking the same thing. Any suggestions as to hotels in the city.

We might split our stay (which will be very short anyway) between the two.

If you do decide to stay in Sausalito (or Larkspur), you can take a beautiful ferry trip to SF.

If not, think about a partial day trip to Sausalito via ferry.

You can't get a better view of the Bay and SF than from there.

Yo Nana: Loved living in the City but really loved living in Sausalito. Either would be great - or as you suggest - maybe split it up. Have noted in other posts - used to "commute" to downtown SF by Ferry - and we had a great group riding the ferry - planning parties and everything like that. Nothing like seeing the sun set under the Golden Gate after a day of work and sipping on a glass of Chardonnay or other cool beverage on your way home

I will check out the ferry - price and time to get back and forth. That would be a great idea and we'd probably not need a car right?

We decided to stay at the Marine Memorial in San Francisco for two nights and now we have to decide on the third night. I checked out The Inn at the Tides in Sausalito, but the reviews on TA say it is nice, but shabby. Will check out Casa Madrona Hotel.

Can't believe I forgot about the ferry! Schedule is an issue of course (whether Sausalito or Tiburon) -- just be sure you know when the last ferry leaves (fairly early).

Sorry to hear that Inn Above the Tides is getting poor reviews. It was especially nice when we stayed there. I don't remember which trip it was because we visit the area every year (but stay in different places as a rule). Things can change quickly, I guess.

It is not getting poor reviews.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...alifornia.html

To make your decision more difficult, I loved Tiburon. Sausalito is beautiful, but we really enjoyed the everyday life in Tiburon. As Chicagoans we were very jealous watching the area residents walk to the ferry and commuting to work. A friend recommended a hike around Angel Island, a short ferry ride from Tiburon. It is the Ellis island of the West coast. You go there primarily for the hiking. Water, mountains, city, at every turn. We stayed at the Waters Edge hotel. Quirky, inexpensive little place. It is where the ferries leave from. Loved it. The outdoor bar next door is THE place in town. We parked our car and left it. We loved exploring this little town. We only spent one night there after 2 nights in Half Moon Bay. Assuming the ferry is a good form of transportation to the city and Sausalito, that sounds like heaven to me. (I love boats and water.) The area outside the city is so beautiful, so unless you're just there for the city, this is a perfect happy medium.