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San Francisco

Hotel: Andrews Hotel (on Post between Jones and Taylor) booked via email.
We stayed here on the nights of 21st, 22nd July and again for the 26th and 27th July, given same room both times.
Good location, only a couple of blocks along Post from Union Square, so easy for transport, also close to the Alamo car hire place we used. Close to many theatres and restaurants.
Room: We booked a Petite Suite which has one bedroom, (not huge, just room for a double bed and a sink, and a small TV, but does have good cupboard space), and a separate small sitting room (desk, two armchairs, TV /video) and a bathroom (small, with tiny bath and weak shower). Had a foldaway bed set up in the sitting room, which made it crowded but not impossibly so. Rooms have adequate furnishing, clean and comfortable though not new. We were on the 5th floor but still found the room very very noisy. There is a LOT of traffic and human noise outside this hotel, weird screaming people shouting outside, sometimes till 3am, a lot of traffic, police sirens etc. Perhaps better in a room not facing out onto the street, but I think all the Petite Suites do. This is an old building, and so not very modern, and quite small rooms. Perhaps the non-suite rooms have a little more space.
Breakfast was supposed to be included, though it consisted of pastries, OJ and coffee left on sideboards on each floor. The hotel staff (and room info folder) said they would resupply if notified if anything ran out before the breakfast time ended at 9.30. This proved not to be the case. We called the first morning as there were no mugs, no OJ and no pastries. They said to check on other floors for pastries, (checked above and below, nothing) and there were no mugs or OJ left – too bad. We found this problem every single day we were there and resorted to dashing out as soon as we woke up to grab what we needed before even showering. I was not impressed, either don't provide breakfast at all, or if you say it is included provide enough for all guests.
Desk staff were good, in particular the concierge who was very friendly and helpful.
I would only stay here again for price reasons and only in a quieter back room. However for the situation we were in this was an adequate solution (3 adults, but needing privacy between us so not wanting to share one large room, and finding that 2 rooms in an hotel were just too expensive).

SF Restaurants:

Fino - within the Andrews Hotel building on the Ground Floor. After driving around North Beach for some time looking for parking (my cousin collected us from airport and drove us to the hotel) we gave up and returned to the hotel for dinner. I really enjoyed my Pasta Abruzzi dish, chicken, shrimp and sausage in a creamy sauce, and all the dishes we had were good. Pricey for US (though average for SF). Good service and food and nice atmosphere.

Brandy Ho's - Columbus. Basic Chinese restaurant with no nonsense decor and tasty, fresh and good food. Service pretty good compared with other Chinese restaurants I have previously experienced in SF, very patient and gave advice on dishes without being asked, helped us to choose. We enjoyed the meal and the prices are very good here. You can also watch the chefs at work from some tables.

Steelhead Brewing Company (Brewpub) - Fisherman's Wharf area. Pete and Neeta enjoyed the beer, especially the sampler which gives small glasses of 6 beers. We had basic burgers and pizzas - the menu is regular pub grub. All were pretty good. Reasonable prices (for SF).

I Fratelli's - Hyde Street, near Green - ate here for the Fodorite GTG on the 26th in a group of about 20. Food reasonable though some dishes much better than others. My home-made mushroom ravioli with a ragu and meatball sauce was good, though a little too strong on the tomato puree, my sister's chicken parmigiana (breadcrumbed chicken) was overcooked and dry, my husband's pasta carbonara was so so. On the starters front the bread and bruschetta was good, and my prawn and calamari cerviche was enjoyable. Prices standard SF.

Thai Sticks - Post street on the corner of either Jones or Taylor. My joint favourite dining place in SF (tied with Cheesecake Factory). We had absolutely delicious food at this local Thai diner. Decor plain and functional. Prices very low. Had expected good average food here but found it much better than expected. The Tom Ka soup was the best I have ever had (and I eat Thai food and this soup in particular often). We went for the chicken option, it was creamier than usual, with the spice mix giving it a gently pinkness, and we all thought it was better than we had had before. The larger serving bowl contains about 5 or 6 helpings in the individual bowls we ate from. We also had a “Long Song” rice plate (chicken in a peanut sauce served over wilted spinach, with a pile of steamed rice), an aromatic and delicious pepper and garlic beef rice plate and a tasty chicken fried rice which was as full of flavour as it possibly could be. The rice plate is not a concept I am familiar with. Most main dishes could be ordered a la carte for about $7 or as a rice plate for about $5-6 – the rice plate just meant they were served on the plate with a healthy serving of steamed rice and the dish itself, whereas a la carte would be the whole plate containing just the dish itself. The a la carte would work best for larger groups sharing everything, but the rice plates were perfect for us. Prices very very good. I will definitely return to this innocuous little diner up next time I am in SF.

Thai Ginger - another local Thai on post street, opposite the Andrews hotel. Modern and simple decor, open late. Nice food, very similar prices and similar menu, but food not in the same league as the less elegant Thai Sticks a few hundred yards away.

The CheeseCake Factory - 8th Floor of Macy's, Union Square. My joint favourite dining place in SF (tied with Thai Sticks). We stopped here a couple of times for afternoon refreshments, just a coffee and cake and then again for a long lunch stop on our last day just before getting the shuttle bus to the airport (we had perused the whole menu during the cake stops, and my sister had visted another location a week previously).
We were seated on the protected outdoor patio each time which is a fabulous location. Indoor seating is also available, and because of the wait times we actually went for first table available rather than specifying outdoor or indoor. The view out onto the higher reaches of the tall buildings surrounding the square is wonderful and the glass screen protects from any wind whilst letting huge greedy gulls poke their beaks in begging for tit bits! Umbrellas can provide some shade. It feels like a special little place andis much more elegant than just a department store eatery. (I understand it is a chain with other locations throughout the States).
Expect to wait for tables, even at 10 pm we were told to expect a 50 minute wait and we went elsewhere. It was really heaving with people each time we went. A little better in the afternoons for tea and cake but packed at meal times. When arriving, go straight to the desk to register your party, and be aware that the estimates on how long you will wait are a little off. We were told 15 - 30 mins for lunch, we waited a good 40 minutes.
It was worth it, the food here was so much better than I expected. Be aware that starters are huge - often enough for at least 2 people. The menu is immense, with a great variety. If you can't finish your dishes and haven't picked through the whole thing, please ask to pack the remainder, there are a lot of hungry homeless people in the area who appreciate the leftovers. Pete ordered a slice of chocolate fudge cake one afternoon, the huge piece he received was enough for at least 3 people. It was far far bigger than the cheesecake servings and in all honesty a bit ridiculous. We were pleased we had seen the homeless people waiting outside before we went in so we knew to package it up and the gentleman we gave it to was already diving in by the time we crossed the road past him.
Anyway, for our lunch there I had an absolutely delicious starter (shared) of Firecracker Salmon Wrap, fresh salmon wrapped in spinach then filo, rolled into cracker shapes and deep fried till crispy, served on a salad of crispy cabbage with a fantastic oriental style dressing. For mains I had a scampi shrimp dish, served with pasta, sister had generous and tender rack of ribs and hubby went for one of the chicken sandwiches. All were very good. The onion rings (or strings as they are called) are really good here and all portions are large. We saw other tables sharing mains (obviously been before and know about the portions!) and they don't seem to mind that. Prices very reasonable for SF, less than all our other dining experiences in SF except Chinese/ Thai.
I will definitely return here on future visits to SF.

SF Tips:

Pick up one of the free city maps which includes clear bus and transport routes, including one way information. If your hotel doesnt have one, you can find one at any visitor centre. Many free maps show streetnames but not transport routes.

Buy a Muni pass if you intend to use many buses and cable cars, much easier than fighting for change and worth it if you do more than a couple trips a day, more so if you buy 3 or 7 day passes.

Take the ferry to Sausalito for lunch. You can go from either Fisherman's Wharf, about $7 each way or from the Larkspur ferry terminal about $5 each way. We went from Fisherman's Wharf making sure to buy a single ticket only so we could get whichever boat back was more convenient, and then got the commuter ferry back. Not a huge amount to see there but a pleasant boat trip, and a few nice shops and eateries. Perhaps Tiburon would be a better/ equally nice alternative, same ferry details apply. Before you go be sure to pick up timetables for both the commercial tourist ferries and the commuter ones so you can choose your return time more easily.

If you want to ride the cable car without queuing too long, forget joining along the route, there is seldom more than one or two footboard spaces. Of the cable car termini the Bay Street end up in Fisherman's Wharf has the shortest queue. The termini at Ghirardelli and at Powell are always very busy.

If you need to buy luggage, the shops around union square actually aren't a rip off. We got a Samsonite hard side case to match the one I got in FLA a few years back. It was discounted 40% in Macy's in Santa Rosa, and we later saw the same case in a Union Square luggage shop (actually on Powell street near the cable car stop just down from the square) for another $30 less! Also got a really good small camera bag which I have been looking for months for a very good price.

Don't bother getting a rental car for the time within SF, just for the time you want to spend outside of it (wine country etc). It is very very easy to drive in SF, even in the busy centre, but parking is near impossible, my cousin came in a few times from San Jose to spend time with us and parking was always an issue. We did drive in SF very briefly, when we collected and returned the car, with a city map, it's easy. One ways are well marked on map and street and the whole system is easy to navigate. We only got the car for our Sonoma trip and were glad we didn't keep it within SF.

Expect dining to cost more than many other US cities. We have visited many cities on the East Coast (NY, Boston, and many areas of New England), as well as states such as Utah, Colorado, Dakota, Carolina, Georgia etc. SF prices are a good match for London, and that contrasts a lot with the rest of the States.

Sonoma:

Hotel: Camellia Inn in Healdsburg booked via email. A very charming Inn, in an old building (1876 or something close) only a few minutes walk from the plaza. This Inn is really lovely and very good value, and is run by Lucy Lewand. I looked at a huge number if Inns and hotels in the Sonoma county and this was excellent value in comparison. It's a real family business, Lucy is a partner in the business with her father Ray, who we met, and her mother. Her youngest sister's husband Bruce is in partnership with Ray in the separate business of the Camellia Inn Cellars winery, and you will likely meet him also.
The rooms are all different, decorated with elegant antique furniture and pictures, very comfortable beds and it's like staying in a guest room in a friend's house - they are furnished with such a personal touch. We had the Memento Suite, which included a double bedroom, a large and airy bathroom, and then a second bedroom off the bathroom with a comfortable single bed and lots of space. The bathroom was very elegant, with a claw foot bath and shower and space for cases etc. A thoughtful selection of toiletries were provided and enjoyed. I asked for extra towels the first day and they were provided every day after. The rooms had little AC units and were quiet and comfortable. They also had chairs and dressers with a lovely rocking chair in the single room. The only thing lacking was wardrobe space, so we weren't really able to unpack clothes from the case.
The inn also has a pretty heated pool and sunloungers, which we enjoyed only once. Each afternoon about 5.30 or so, the hosts share their own wine with the guests. About a year ago they turned Camellia Cellars into a professional winery, making wine not just for themselves and guests but to sell, they also provide tastings of this to interested guests. The wine is very good, and though they have only been in the business as professionals for a year, they have won many awards already. Pete and Neeta particularly liked their Sangiovese and the proprietor's blend called Diamo Grazie (we give thanks) which the proprietor Bruce Snyder hopes will become a popular thanksgiving wine. Wednesdays is Chocolate Indulgence day although we missed it, as they didn't tell us, chocolate is available at breakfast (didn't see it) and at afternoon tea, and chocolate port is served in the guest lounge in the evening (didn't know so didn't look for it) and godiva chocolates are left in each guest room (delicious!).
Breakfast is a lovely time, guests come to the dining room in their own time. They have a chance to chat as they help themselves, there is always fresh fruit and cereal, juice and coffee, and also one hot dish each day (sausage/ hash browns, cheese and egg flan, scrambled egg with lots of toppings) as well as pastries.
The Inn provides a tray in the lounge containing menus from many local restaurants, all of which they recommend and have dined at themselves. We found this quite helpful as it allowed us to get a feel for which restaurants to try. The family are also happy to tell you more about the places, which days they are open and to make reservations should you want them.
I would stay here again in a heartbeat and thoroughly recommend it. I can't think of a single negative thing to say about it and being so nitpicky as me, that's quite a compliment.

Restaurants:

General: Healdsburg is a pricey resort town, and we were surprised at how expensive most places were. The choice is great and the quality of food good, but this is not a town for the budget traveller. We were here 3 nights and ate at the following, in this order:

The Bear Republic Brewery and Pub. This is a local microbrewery and the beer is sold in this fun pub/ restaurant but also available in shops in the area. The place is lively and seems popular with locals. The beer and cider is very good and sold in pints, glasses and little tiny sample glasses to allow you to find your favourite. There is a normal bar here so you can also have wine, whisky, gin etc. The food is nothing special but we enjoyed our meal. The prices for food are too high considering it is just your basic burgers, ribs and fries kind of place but not as high as the classy restaurants. We returned here on the last night after dinner elsewhere for a drink at the bar.

Catelli's the Rex. An elegant local Italian dining restaurant with friendly staff and good food. We enjoyed their steaks which were very good, we all ate their daily specials, a New York steak topped with good strong blue cheese, and filet tips with a brandy mushroom sauce and couscous. Expensive, though not the most expensive in the town.

Restaurants:

General: Healdsburg is a pricey resort town, and we were surprised at how expensive most places were. The choice is great and the quality of food good, but this is not a town for the budget traveller. We were here 3 nights and ate at the following, in this order:

The Bear Republic Brewery and Pub. This is a local microbrewery and the beer is sold in this fun pub/ restaurant but also available in shops in the area. The place is lively and seems popular with locals. The beer and cider is very good and sold in pints, glasses and little tiny sample glasses to allow you to find your favourite. There is a normal bar here so you can also have wine, whisky, gin etc. The food is nothing special but we enjoyed our meal. The prices for food are too high considering it is just your basic burgers, ribs and fries kind of place but not as high as the classy restaurants. We returned here on the last night after dinner elsewhere for a drink at the bar.

Catelli's the Rex. An elegant local Italian dining restaurant with friendly staff and good food. We enjoyed their steaks which were very good, we all ate their daily specials, a New York steak topped with good strong blue cheese, and filet tips with a brandy mushroom sauce and couscous. Expensive, though not the most expensive in the town.

The Healdsburg Bar and Grill - A new restaurant and in a different league as far as I am concerned. The menu for this was not in the Camellia Inn tray and it was their lovely helper Susie who told us about it and recommended it. I did bring a menu back for the tray so hopefully other guests will be able to look it through. This was the most reasonably priced and yet the most delicious meal we had in Healdsburg. The food is absolutely terrific, very accomplished. (Actually, the prices were really low, and I wonder if they will remain so low with such great food, although the restaurant was opened on the premise of providing good, lower priced dining in Healdsburg).
The decor is more casual than other restaurants, and you get up and order from the bar when you are ready though drinks are ordered and served at your table. The staff are very friendly and ready to advise on the menu if asked.
I was the only one who had a starter which was a plate of slices of bread topped with an arugula and oil (rocket) pesto, crisply toasted, arranged on the plate around a whole, slow-roasted garlic bulb - ask for tiny forks to help ease out the very sweet and flavoursome garlic, roasted long enough to lose all pungency, best eaten smeared over the toast. Also on the plate was a big oozing slice of local cambazola (sp?) blue cheese, like a strong blue brie or camembert. As you can imagine, the others dipped in but the serving was large enough that I was happy to share.
For the main meal two of us had rosemary lamb chops served with couscous. The chops were marinated and grilled to perfection, the couscous was the much larger israeli variety with a great texture to it ("Israeli" is how I have previously seen this bigger couscous described) and drizzled in more rosemary and olive oil, also served with a selection of beautifully cooked vegetables. For dessert two of us had the strawberry creme brulee, a regular creme brulee drizzled with strawberry coulis, I would have preferred it without the coulis. This was a really good creme brulee, delicate and tasty with a generous layer of the burnt sugar topping. The other dessert was a white and dark chocolate mousse, also good but not as special as the creme brulee.
Crayons are provided to allow you to draw on the paper tablecloth, providing us with an excuse for great fun and silliness. We noticed some scribblings had been taped to a wall by the order hatch, if you see one with lots of birds on it, that will be our masterpiece...

Tips:

We enjoyed the trip to Armstrong Redwood State Park, as well as the drive down the coast to Bodega Bay, foggy though it was. We had a lovely fresh seafood lunch at the Tides restaurant, where the famous film, Birds, was filmed. We drove back inland on the Coleman Valley Road, marked on maps but no signpost at the entrance of the road itself, but we made a guess based on the fact the road began opposite Coleman beach. A pretty drive up through the hills, in and out of the clouds, through to Occidental and then back up towards Healdsburg.

On the second full day we spent quite some time doing basic shopping in Santa Rosa before heading for Robert Louis Stevenson Park and Mount St Helena. The drive itself is through some really pretty forested areas, but unless you want to get hiking you really cant get a view of the mountain itself. In retrospect we wished we had gone North towards Anderson Valley.

Driving is easy but get a decent map. The tourist ones we picked up showed wineries but missed many smaller roads which would have been helpful when navigating. We did pick up a proper map from a bookshop on our last full day but would have benefited from it the previous day!

Much of Californian wine is very good though we thought it was very highly priced when compared with French wine. We felt that for a good quality wine in Sonoma and/ or Napa one expects to pay a good $30 a bottle. These were the prices we encountered in both the wineries themselves and local restaurants. I am sure some cheaper ones are available in the liquor shops but generally the decent ones were at least this much. In France you can buy an equally excellent bottle, even a grand cru for $15 to $20 so we couldn't figure out why the prices were so high. Perhaps manufacture and land prices, perhaps snobbery, perhaps because there are enough people willing to pay it. We enjoyed a few tastings in local wineries but didn't join our fellow Camellia Inn guests, many of whom ordered crates of bottles to be shipped home.

Kavey's Typical Holiday Embarrassments - Both on the same day!

In Macy's in Coddingtown shopping mall in Santa Rosa, heading to the Ground Floor, I started down the escalator followed by Pete. Before Neeta stepped onto it she noticed something, a top or such, that she liked and moved back to have a look. Pete turned and bounded back up and off the escalator and I followed suit. I should point out at this point that Pete is 6'6" with long legs and very agile. I am not. I thundered to the top of the escalator without too much problem but miscalculated the leap off the top step and fell to the ground with a resounding crash - all the louder in an almost silent store. I lay there in a heap at the top of the escalator, stunned, in much pain, in a huge fit of giggles and thankful I hadn't landed on the stairs themselves, so wasn't slowly moving back down the escalator. Other than a dirty trouser knee and big bruises (the worst one has turned a delightful purple today) I was fine though heartily embarrassed. None of us fully stopped giggling for hours. Then only hours later I woke up driving through Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, Pete driving, Neeta navigating. We made a brief stop, and Neeta took over driving, Pete jumped in back and I was given the map. Now, I am actually a very good map reader and navigator, even my husband agrees so this was all the more embarrassing. We decided to head back to Healdsburg. They told me we were in the park which is marked on the map so I knew where we were and said to head back along the same road till we hit the 128 and make a right. About half an hour later we realised that I had been navigating (well, not much, as we hadn't turned off onto the 128 yet) along what was actually a state line! That would explain the dot dash dot and the Sonoma Co/ Lake Co on either side! Luckily the state line ran parallel to the road we were on so my instructions were still valid but it was embarrassing.

How they laughed! (OK, I did too!)

Anyway, please ask me if you have any questions - I would be happy to answer any that I can.

Kavey

Great trip report Kavey!
How DO you get to travel so much? I'm so envious...

Lisa!

I actually only have 24 days a year, which is avergae in the UK, but I know is good compared to the US average.

The holiday year in my company runs 1st May to end April, so I have already used most of my annual allowance this year going to France in May, Africa in June and SF just now in July...

I have just over one week of leave left which I am saving for 1 week in Feb and a couple of days plus Easter days for a trip over Easter...

So nothing at all for months now!

Though I am still thinking about short weekend breaks into Europe, Friday night to Sunday night!

Any questions on SF/ Sonoma?

I guess I probably covered most of it huh?

Kavey

Hi Kavey, great trip report! We did SF before, but next fall we would like to do Sonoma/Redwoods/Yosemite for 2 weeks. I am really interested in your B&B you stayed in Sonoma. We will be living in Florida next year, and will be looking for cooler, differant climes, therefore N. Ca. I think it sounds just splendid! Judy

Jusy, we loved the B&B and felt it was really elegant and comfortable yet homey at the same time.

Check out their website for pictures, I cant recall the exact URL but search on Google for Camellia Inn Healdsburg.

Kavey

DOH

It's www.camelliainn.com !!!

hi kavey--

ur sf restaurant writeups were excellent in their detail--have just forwarded them to my sister now visiting sf and am kicking self for heading to wolfgang puck's in macy's basement last month instead of to cheesecake factory on the 8th floor. now ravenous and heading to kitchen to prepare pseudo-thai dinner thanks to u!