Help me decide...which of these 2 San Francisco Hotels would you prefer?
 

I'm in the early research stages of a possible trip to San Francisco in July. I'm a Priority Club member with Intercontinental Hotels and have found reasonable rates (only a $10 difference between the two) at both the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins in the Nob Hill area or the Intercontinental Hotel in the SOMA area (I believe this is a fairly new hotel).

It has been over 15 years since I was last in San Francisco, and don't have a good recollection of the various neighborhoods. Although I do seem to remember Nob Hill being a posh neighborhood (maybe that has changed).

I'll be going with my mom and I'd like to be in a location where we have good public transportation access, or within walking distance of lively, interesting areas. I do have memories of very steep streets and if I can jump on a bus or tram to easily get back to our hotel that is what I'm looking for.

We definately like to experience different restauarants and would be doing mostly tourist oriented activities such as Golden Gate Park (flower conservatory & Japanese Tea Garden are very appealing), the Ferry Building, maybe a few museums...I'm still researching our activity options.

So, I'm looking for any information you can share about either or both of these hotels. On a map, to me, it looks like the Intercontinental in SOMA may be slightly more "out of the way" then the Mark Hopkins...but I'd like to hear what others have to say!

Thanks so much!

Oddly enough, we were just in the Intercon in SOMA last week. A friend was staying there. He had originally booked the Mark Hopkins, but there was a complication with his booking so he switched.
He had been upgraded to a "junior suite" which was essentially a HUGE room. The bathroom was gorgeous too. WAY nicer than the Sheraton we were in. The only problem was that even though he was on the 11th floor, his view was obstructed by buildings. He got himself moved to a higher floor the next day and said it was fantastic.
As for location, it's only 2 blks south of Market and there are bus stops right there.

I looked up the new hotel - on Howard @ 5th, this is across from Burlington Coat Factory. May be a good location, definitely safe at daytime. Dunno about evenings - haven't been late in that area. Bus #27 stops are right there, and others are within a few blocks.

The "old" hotel is on a steep hill, and yes, there is a cable car and bus line #1.

Location-wise and transportation-wise I would stay at the new hotel.

Thanks for the quick responses!

Looks like it's 2 votes for the new hotel. :-)

I'm not an SF expert, but based on my last trip, I much prefer staying in SOMA.

3 votes for the new hotel. If I were a visitor, I would NEVER want to be staying on Nob Hill. Yes, it's a posh neighborhood, but the hotels are at the TOP of very steep hills, you can't walk out your door and just walk to anything, not even coffee. SOMA is a much better choice.

Thank you so much!

sf7307...just the kind of information I was looking for! :-)

Thanks everyone...just booked the Intercontinental...now the restaurant planning can begin! :-D

Haven't been there, but the "slanted door" is very popular, and may be difficult to get into. Try OpenTable reservations.

Will you have a car? Check out if you can drive up, or take a ferry to Sausalito for Spinnaker, if this is within walking distance for your mom, if you like good food with a view.

You can also take bus # 38 to 48th Ave (same number has 2 or 3 different routes) to Cliff house if you want the feeling of "being on a ship" it's so close to the ocean!

The hotel is right by the Yerba Buena Center, the Sony Metreon, the Museum of Modern Art, the new Jewish Museum, and not too far from Giant's Stadium.

Your mom might enjoy renting "The Parrots of Telegraph Hill," which is a charming true story of a man who cares for a flock of wild parrots. http://www.markbittner.net/parrot_pa...ldparrots.html

There is a movie tour, which has been recommended here on Fodor's which showcases places where movies have been filmed. http://www.sanfranciscomovietours.com/

There is a nice park with several restaurants on South Park. I like The Butler and the Chef, for bistro French. There is an interesting shop on the corner of South Park and 2nd street called Jeremy's, and there are some other small designer clothing shops.

I stayed at the Intercontinental SOMA, and we were upgraded to an amazing 1 bedroom suite, with floor to ceiling windows on two walls of a corner room. Later, we thought we would repeat the experience for New Year's Eve, and got a room that seemed so disappointing by comparison, so we got spoiled by our first experience. I hope your priority club membership will get you something special.

There is a new San Francisco Culture Bus which will take you from Yerba Buena Center to Golden Gate Park, and Union Square. http://www.sfculturebus.org/

I believe a shuttle bus will take you from the DeYoung Museum to the California Legion of Honor, which in addition to being a beautiful building, has incredible views. http://www.famsf.org/legion/index.asp (One admission will get you into both museums on the same day.)

Near the DeYoung is a new Academy of Sciences, which might be interesting if not too crowded. http://www.calacademy.org/

We went to a good "Peruvian fusion" restaurant near the Intercontinental, and I wore a fun blanket-like poncho that I bought for $12 at Burlington Coat Factory across the street.
http://www.opentable.com/rest_profil...203964029&t=fr

You could try to get $25 tickets to see Wicked. http://www.shnsf.com/shows/show.asp?key=18&subkey=885

The Exploratorium is pretty interesting. http://www.exploratorium.edu/

Just trying to think what my mom would like to do!

There is a nice tea lounge on the upper level of Yerba Buena Gardens, with indoor and outdoor seating. A great place to rest & rejuvenate, esp if the sun is out!

http://samovarlife.com/tea-lounge/

Thank you...Thank you! for all the great suggestions...you guys must be psychic because everything that you've suggested sounds right up our alley! The Peruvian fusion place sounds really interesting and I definitely like the tea lounge at Yerba Buena Gardens idea!

Just wanted to give an update and let you all know I got back from my 4 day trip to San Francisco last night and the Intercontinental in the SOMA neighborhood was a perfect location for us.

A couple blocks from the Powell Street Station with BART and MUNI connections. Didn't get an upgrade, but stayed on the 14th floor and the room was very comfortable and the staff was just terrific.

I promise a trip report soon.

Thanks!

I look forward to your trip report, LCI!