I am from Ireland and am going to be staying in San Francisco for 3 nights at the end of July as part of my honeymoon. I have been recommended the Clift Hotel. Does anyone know anything about it or has anyone stayed there? Are there any other hotels you would recommend?

Also, can you advise us on how best to spend out time there. It is the first visit for both myself and my fiance.

Thanks a million.

Grainne

I posted this last week and had loads of really great replies. But for some reason they seem to all have disappeared.... Does anyone know why?

Grainne

Just topping to see if anyone can help out.

Cheers.

Possibly the pro-SF/anti-SF argument got out of hand and the posts were deleted.

I recommended the Kimpton Group Hotels. Small boutique properties with unique themes/decor. Our favorite is Hotel Monaco in Union Square (also liked Hotel Palomar). www.kimptongroup.com.

Thanks, ChefToly, for reminding me. I was wracking my brain trying to remember all the suggestions as I hadn't got round to checking them all out.

Do you think it is worth our while trying through Priceline? I haven't used it before but it seems to be quite popular on this forum.

Grainne

We spent part of our honey moon at the Ritz-Carlton on Stockton Street. It was beautiful and perfect for the 3 days we spent there. We were fortunate to to stay on the Club Level which was a fantastic experience.

I stayed at both the Hotel Monaco and Palomar. The rooms were small and not very clean. The service was subpar, at best.

Grainne-
I would use www.quikbook.com rather than priceline. It has more flexible "rules" such as being able to cancel your reservation usually without penalty, etc. Also, their service and rates are great. They have a list of good hotels in the SFO area. We used it last summer to stay at the Sir Francis Drake and got a rate of about $110. We liked the hotel- clean, good location, and good service but rooms were on the small side. Good luck!

I just used priceline and got the Hyatt Embarcadero for $50 night. If you use priceline read thru biddingfortravel.com first to familiarize yourself with the bidding and the hotels. I use it all the time and have always been happy because I pretty much know what I'm getting.

I suggest you pull up some of J Correa's posts--this poster tends to post some excellent advice about things to do in SF. In terms of hotel, what are you looking for -- price, location, atmosphere? If it's price I would say Wendy's $50 per night at the Hyatt Embarcadero is a very good deal but it is not what I would consider a romantic, honeymoon hotel.

Grainne:

I use to go to SF once a month. I have stayed at many hotels. I used www.hotelres.com Had some great results
The cliff hotel got mixed reviews. I never stayed there, and I know that they have updated it, but I still think there are better hotels and area's to stay.
What price range are you looking at?
JOHN

Thanks for all the info.

We have a budget of up to $200 a night, but only for somewhere really nice. I don't want to pay over the odds.

Union Square would seem to be the area that most people are recommending. I like the idea of a hotel that is a bit different and maybe something modern - which was why the Clift appealed initially. But I have read several bad reviews about the small rooms and snooty staff there, which have put me off.

So if there was a happy medium between contemporary decor, spacious rooms and good service, I would be there like a shot..... What do you think?

Grainne

If $200 a night is your budget for a hotel, you should be able to get a 4**** in Union Square or the Embarcadero area for between $60-70 on Priceline.com. I got the Hilton Towers for $65.00 over Memorial Day weekend, and with tax/fees, it comes to $75.00 per night. Check out biddingfortravel.com to see what people have been getting on priceline and the price that they have paid for a SF 4**** hotel.

Yes, I admit there are a lot of panhandlers in the area at night , so I am told, but I don't plan to walk around the area at night -- I'll pay the few $$ to/from the restaurant/show/entertainment site.

Grainne,

Yes, the rooms at the Clift are rather small and I was not too impressed with the service either. I also would advise against staying in Union Square, despite what some people say. I just don't see paying to stay in a hotel in such a dirty area of SF. The urine soaked sidewalks and the agressive homeless are a big turnoff. It's not only at night that these derelicts are out an about, in fact it is during the day when people are around that they do much of their harassing of passersby for a handout so that they can buy their next drug fix or booze. Try Nob Hill or Cow Hollow areas instead.

Grainne,

Have you looked into the Hotel Triton? It's a very, artsy, modern place. They have a package called Sex in the City that includes parking and is $169 a night.

My company has used that hotel for some of our vendors when there have been conferences here. They seemed pretty happy with it. I think the location is pretty great.

But then again, I'm one who would refute the assertion that Union Square is awash in piss, 'cause well, it isn't.

btw, here is a link for the triton, it has pictures so you can see, it might be too over the top for your taste.

http://www.hoteltriton.com/

Grainne, I live in Los Angeles (originally from London) and go to San Francisco periodically and like the Cow Hollow/Pacific Heights/Marina area the best. North beach is also nice. Everyone thinks the center of everything is Union Square (including me) - it might have been - but it's definitely not anymore. The last time I was there and I couldn't believe the "low life" in the area. I'd advice visiting Union Square but not staying there.
Regards, Veronica

Just in case you actually look into priceline.com, be forewarned that 4 stars on PL is equivalent to 3 stars in most any 'normal' rating system.
PL just inflates the star ratings to try to make the hotels seem like they're a better deal.

Thanks to everyone again for all of the advice.

Priceline certainly looks like a good move. But I'm totally new to it, and I have to say it's pretty confusing. I've read the other site, with all the advice, which has helped somewhat.

Do you think if I bid for a 4 star in Union Square East or Fisherman's Wharf, I would be guaranteed something half decent? What price should I start at? Is $50 too low?

Grainne