Mary

We will be flying from the east coast and arriving at SF Airport on a Wednesday night in early June at 8:00pm. We will be renting a car. The next day,
Thursday, we would like to explore the Marin Coast, ending up in Pt. Reyes area and staying there on Thursday night. I'm wondering whether we should attempt to drive from the airport on Wed night to accommodations somewhere in Marin (Stinson? Muir Beach? possibly Pt Reyes area itself?), or whether that will take too long and we should just stay somewhere in SF on Wednesday night. Any advice and/or specific recommendations on places to stay?

SFSally

It is not a very long drive from SFO airport to Marin. It takes maybe 45 minutes. However I would spend the night in San Francisco. I wouldn't want to be driving in the Pt. Reyes, Muir Beach, etc. area in the dark. Safety is not the concern. It is just that these areas, though close to the city, are actually pretty lonely espeically at night. The roads are narrow and very dark. Save it for the next morning when you can enjoy the drive. You will miss a lot of scenery by driving it at night. The drive through the city, across the Golden Gate bridge, etc. are well worth doing in the daylight.

Accomodatios are pretty limited in the areas that you mentioned. You better have something in mind before setting out. I live in the area so I can't really give you recommendations on accomodations. San Franciso has something in a decent area in almost any price category from $65.00 to $500.00+ per night. Not knowing your budget, I cannot recommend anything. I personally would take a day or two just to explore San Francisco as it is a great city with much to see and do.

cp

Mary,
I'd get a room in one of the Days Inn type places near the airport. Here's why:
Assuming you do get in at 8:00, it will probably take an hour to get your luggage and car. By then it'll be 9:00, but for your bodies it will be midnight. It will take about 30 minutes just to get to the Golden Gate Bridge. From there depending on where you go it can take up to 1.5 hours to get there. The roads are quite twisty in places, are not lit, and there are deer.
The next morning, at 7:00 you'll feel like you've slept until 10:00.

Hope that helps.

Mary Frances

I have to agree with CP about staying near the aiport on your first night. Most (if not all) of the car rentals are not on airport property, and you have to take a shuttle to get to them. When we were there in August it took over an hour at the car rental to get through the line and get everything processed. It will probably be 9:30 before you can get your car, and that is if your plane is on time. And CP is right about the time change: you will be up early the next morning. We were up at 5 for the first few mornings.

Bear

I have stayed at the Pt. Reyes Seashore Lodge and would recommend it. If you make a reservation, request a room facing the backside of the property.

Bear

I have stayed at the Pt. Reyes Seashore Lodge and would recommend it. If you make a reservation, request a room facing the backside of the property.