Maureen

We're going to San Francisco with the kids the end of March. Would like a hotel with a kid friendly indoor pool (i.e. not a "fitness club" pool) in the city.

Right now we are booked at the downtown Courtyard by Marriott. Is this in a good neighborhood? Any other recommendations?
I'd love to stay on Fisherman's wharf, but all the hotels I can find there have outdoor pools!

tom

the vast majority of SF hotels do not have pools at all, so be happy with what you have. It is much like Seattle or NYC, some fitness clubs but not many pools. (Most people don't go to San Francisco to swim, they go to see San Francisco.)

Maureen

Gees, I kind of thought we could do both swimming and sightseeing. I didn't think they were mutually exclusive!

Susan

Maureen, of course you can do both! My kids love a pool at the hotel as well, and if it's outdoors in SF it's iffy if they will even put a big toe in. The downtown area is fine, not familiar with the location of that particular hotel. Some will tell you that downtown "shuts down" at night, that is partly true, but there are many great restaurants popping up in the downtown/Embarcadero area that might be walking distance, otherwise hail a cab to get around in the evening. If you are in town on a Saturday be sure to check out the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, some of SF's best restaurants set up booths to serve breakfast and you'll be able to buy lots of Northern California's great food staples for souvenirs.

Other indoor pools: I believe the Palace Hotel in the Union Square area has one too. Also, the new Four Seasons does but that will be pricey. Enjoy!

earl

Maureen,
If there is a hotel in San Francisco with an indoor pool, it will be only the 5 star properties. I lived in SF for several years, and I can honestly say that the weather was terrible. It rarely got above 70 degress in the summer and it was fogged in for all but maybe 3 or 4 hrs. of sunshine per day. Just think what March will be like. Better bring your ski jackets. Not my idea of a great vacation destination with children, given the recent increase in crime and the panhandling population. Bottom line, if your looking for a vacation destination where you can swim, scratch San Francisco off your list.

Maureen

Thanks for the responses. Guess we'll stick with the Courtyard.

Susan, the farmer's market sounds great. Where is it?

Susan

Maureen, it's at the corner of Embarcadero and Green Street, on the waterfront. There's a website: ferryplazafarmersmarket.com. Be sure to get yourselves some Acme bread there! Enjoy!

Maureen

Susan, you sound like my kind of tourist. Any other slightly unusual recommendations of good things to do with the kids? (We've already got the usual - museums, street cars, Alcatraz, zoo, Golden Gate park...)

a.s.

hi,
the Hotel Nikko has a great pool indoors. Plenty of kids playing there when we stayed. It is a nice hotel, and often has good deals. It also is in a good Union Square Location. My kids enjoyed the club level too! !

Susan

Maureen, how old are your kids? You have a good list there, I'd recommend the Exploratorium in the Palace of Fine Arts for fun. The kids will probably love Alcatraz. And you can also take a ferry to Angel Island and rent bikes and ride around. The view of the city and the bridge from there is wonderful.

That weekend there are exhibition games going on in PacBell Park, the Giants vs. the Oakland A's. If you can't get tickets you can have a peek through the "knothole" where they'll let you watch for three innings and then the make people rotate and give others a turn!

They might also enjoy the Museum of Modern Art, especially the top floor with all the "weird" stuff. Across the street is the Yerba Buena Gardens with a fun playground, small bowling alley, merry-go-round and indoor ice skating rink.

I hope we have good weather for you! Enjoy!

loves sf

Maureen, I live here and have also stayed at many of the hotels for an in-city vacation. I don't know the location of the Courtyard by marriott. If it's in Fisherman's Wharf, I would not stay there, nor any where near Union Square that is not directly on the Square. I think safety is a factor to consider when walking at night. See my comments below.

I would highly recommend the Ritz Carlton: great location, near a cable car line, beautiful hotel, lovely service, complimentary upgrades, and a great indoor pool. See if you can get a good rate through Expedia.com or some othe discount website.

Also, Susan's recommendation of the Ferry Plaza farmer's market is a great one: it's my favorite place to go. It may not be too exciting for the kids, but as a home cook I highly recommend it to cooks everywhere.

The weather can be quite good the last week in March. We just finished a fabulous week here, warm and balmy, but the rain is back. Chances are you won't have fog at the end of March, and that's good.

Be sure to explore the China town shops also. My kids usually love this. Try to get to Golden Gate Park and the planetarium and acquarium there. Also the japanese tea garden nearby is fun for the kids to run around.

Another thing my nine year olds loves is doing a "transporation day" where we take cable cars, the Market Street "F" line cars, BART, and the muni underground to get from place to place. It really can be a lot of fun.

Thanks for coming here. I know that so many readers at this site think San Francisco is a dump, and in a lot of ways it is. That's why I am discouraging you from staying off Union Square and near Fisherman's wharf. There are a lot of homeless people, and the streets are not kept very clean. But please come and enjoy our city. There are many nice things about it.

Thanks!! and enjoy...

Maureen

Thanks for all the ideas. I have a 10 year old and an almost 2 year old (if that helps) The age gap makes planning more challenging.

The Courtyard is at 2nd and Folsom, a couple blocks from the Convention Center. I'll definitely look into the Ritz Carlton, but it'll be hard to match the Courtyard's prices.

We have been to SF several times, but the most recent time was about 10 years ago. We have loved it. I sincerely hope we don't think it's a dump this time! (Hey, I'm originally from Chicago, how could I ever think SF was a dump?!)

karen

hi maureen, i am going to sf this week with my teenaged daughters. we found a great deal at the hotel nikko; 199 per night on the Club/concierge floor (food served in lounge and pool/health club fee which is 6.00 per peson per day is included). it has a starbucks in the lobby and is a 4+/5 star type of place. it is in union square area. i will report back about any cool things i do that would appeal to kids , though i think you have the basics lined up. just make sure to order your alcatraz tickets BEFORE you go - you can order them by phone.

Daisy

Maureen,

Just a word of caution in SF about letting your children play in any public playgrounds. The last time I was there on vacation, walking through Yerba Beuna Gardens was quite an experience with all the street people hounding us for money and using public areas for a restroom. I personally would not let my children play in such an area due to what they might find (ie: hypodermic needles, etc), especially with a 2 year old. You never know what they can get into.