Anyone stayed at the Fairmont San Francisco?
 

I am booked to stay at the Fairmont San Francisco in a Fairmont room,(can't afford the Premier or Deluxe rooms). It is overlooking the city, "high atop Nob Hill". <BR>Has anyone ever stayed here, and is it close to many sites? Is it a nicer area to stay in than Fishermans's Wharf? How long would it take to get to Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf from Nob Hill? I understand the cable cars stop right outside the front door.

**Location is prime, but atop the hill, so climbing up on foot requires a bit of conditioning. <BR>**Location is much better than FW. You'll get much more of a non-touristy flavor of SF there IMO. <BR>**If you got a good rate, the hotel's OK. It's not really a luxury place in my book, though I'm very picky. It's certainly well above the Holiday Inn in terms of quality. Public areas are very nice and old-world elegance reigns there. Many of the rooms are quite dated though, dark with poor lighting and old fixtures. But as I say, if you get a good rate, it's a nice place to base yourself.

Jane: We stayed at the Mark Hopkins on Nob Hill a couple of years ago. The area is very clean and upscale, and definetly on a HILL. You can easily walk down to Chinatown and Union Square, walking up is more difficult. We generally relied on the Cable Cars and Taxis on the way back up to the hotel. The Cable Car stops right in front of the Fairmont. <BR> <BR>Haven't stayed at the Fairmont, but the old historic building was completely closed for renovation in 1999. I understand it was fully restored to it's original splendor. The new tower looks non-descript but you can enter and exit through the historic building. Check out the Tonga Room in the hotel, it sounds like an old throwback, similar to Trader Vic's. I think you made a great choice so enjoy your stay in San Francisco.

My parents and I stayed at the Fairmont wayyyy back in 1991, before the renovation. But even then, we really liked it due to its great location. The staff, at least then, were very helpful when my father became ill with kidney stones and needed to find a nearby doctor. <BR> <BR>Walking DOWN the hill can be a little tough on the shins, though. Fortunately, the cable cars are right there.

Jane, I have not stayed at the Fairmont but as I mentioned in an earlier thread - which has since been 'removed' - we recently stayed at the St. Francis in Union Square and found that area to be most unpleasant. <BR>Apart from the construction work there were homeless people on every corner and it was impossible to walk anywhere in the area without being hassled. <BR>Therefore I would think the area of Nob Hill would be a vast improvement, and I wish we had stayed there.

Stayed at "The Mark" right across the street about four months ago. While there we visited the Fairmont to see how it looked after all the renovations: I must say it looked pretty damn good (didn't see the rooms though)! Nob Hill is a good central location and as others have stated, there are cable cars that run very close by. That said, however, you should still be prepared to do a fair bit of walking. <BR> <BR>Depending on when you're going, the cable cars can be inundated with tourists and can take a while to get on. I have been there when 6-7 cars passed me by without stopping (because they were too full) and I have been there when every car stopped: it just depends on how busy the city is when you go. <BR> <BR>Bring comfortable walking shoes!

We stayed at the Fairmont last spring (we live in the Bay area, but this was a weekend event and we splurged). You can easily walk downhill to Chinatown or North Beach. Also downhill is Union Square. The trick is getting back up the hill.There are actually two cable car lines that go to Nob Hill--the California Street line goes down through Chinatown to the Embarcadero Center or over to Van Ness Ave. and the Powell/ Mason/ Hyde go over to Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiardelli. The Powell/Mason/Hyde is the one that most tourists ride and so is quite congested sometimes. The rooms were very nice, but I don't know what grade of room we had. The public rooms have been renovated and are lovely (also stayed there about 10 years ago, so remember the old). Nob Hill is IMO a nicer area than Fisherman's Wharf, just because it's quieter and not as many tourists. It's also more expensive, however. A very nice restaurant within an easy walk from the Fairmont is Venticello if you don't want to pay the high prices of Charles Nob Hill. Yes, SF does have a lot of homeless people, especially if you're coming from Australia as Prue was, but remember, they are generally just a nuisance and not a threat and the more tourists in any given area, the more homeless trying to get a dollar. I think you will like the Fairmont or that you probably would like the Mark Hopkins (across the street) or the St. Francis (at Union Square). If the homeless will make you miserable, rethink whether you should come to San Francisco. Otherwise, have a drink at the Top of the Mark--across the street from you and see Grace Cathedral's doors.

Hi jane, I stayed at the Fairmont during the renovations to the public areas. I can imagine, as previous readers have posted, the grandeur and opulence which presides in these parts of the hotel. However, I second another reader's opinion that this luxury and opulence does not extend to the guest rooms. We stayed in the deluxe category and found nothing duluxe about the accomodation whatsoever. This apart, we did enjoy our stay but would try the Ritz Carlton on our next visit. (p.s. the public rooms at The Fairmont do give you a real feel of the 'old' San Francisco!)

Have stayed at Fairmont in 1997 and 1998 during conventions. Room in 1997 was in Tower Section- very nice, with terry robes. Room in 1998 was in regular section of hotel- room seemed older, but was certainly adequate. The public spaces, especially since they've been refurbished, should be quite nice. You'll enjoy tea & pastries in the lobby lounge in the afternoon, and as another poster notes, have a drink in the Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar for a Trader Vic kick. Also, have a drink in the Crown Room for a wonderful view. I bought a MUNI pass in the pharmacy below the hospital, and rode the cable car to all the tourist spots with no problem. My husband took in the sights while I worked- and he walked over to Chinatown several times. Definitely bring comfortable shoes! I was pleased the hotel's location- definitely handy if you're in town on a sightseeing trip.

Terry robes make a hotel room nice?