Hello all you amazing posters. At the end of September, my 74 yr old DH and I will be travelling with three other friends of similar age on a Trafalgar bus tour which begins and ends in San Francisco. We will have had a few days in SF before the tour to check out some of the Iconic sights. We will leave the bus tour in Monterey, drive to Hearst Castle, spend the night in that area, and drive back to San Francisco. We will then have one more whole day in SF before we all fly off to different corners of the world. Big question, where should we stay for the last two nights? Would like to pay around $150 or so, with breakfast, if possible. Also can't figure out what to do for the last day. Cannot walk up and down steep hills. Would love some input

$150 with breakfast [or even without] in September is going to take some doing. That is one of the most popular times in SF due to the great weather.

TheMosser.com "may" have something for you. No breakfast and small CLEAN rooms but GREAT location. Small, slow elevator but you won't have to climb stairs. The cheapest rooms have use of hall bathroom, but there are rooms with private baths.

A lot depends on what day[s] you need, so take a look.

That is quite a low budget for SF especially in the Fall

Some of the motels along Lombard Street would maybe fit - and have basic 'motel continental' breakfasts.

This one is good (avoid the other Lombard St Travelodge) http://www.travelodgepresidio.com The rates do start below your budget but can go much higher - depending on your specific dates.

Most of the frequently recommended motels in the general area will cost more. And otter (cheaper) motels tend to be dumps.

Or you can try bidding priceline in the Union Sq East or Embarcadero zones or possibly the Fisherman's Wharf zone.

This hotel should meet your needs, and has a decent location.

http://cornellhotel.com/

My best friend stays here when he returns to SF, and speaks very highly of this hotel.

Note that a full American breakfast is included in the price, as is parking.

My friend used to eat most of his dinners there because they offered a good deal for hotel guests. Classic French hotel.

I forgot about the Cornell - good suggestion.

I see from the website that their rates will go up starting July 1 so it may depend on how much they increase . . .

I've driven by the Cornell and made a mental note based on rastaguy's previous posts about it - it looks very decent at least from the outside.

I wonder about noise from the Cable Car going by Cornell??

Do you have the exact dates in late September that you'll need lodging, and are you looking for one room only or are the others in your travel party traveling with you to SF? One of the biggest trade shows/conferences of the year, Oracle OpenWorld, convenes Sept. 22-26 with an estimated 47,000 IT and network professionals in attendance. You should book something asap if you will be in SF during that time as availability with be strained (and prices will be high). You should start looking now on websites like expedia, travelocity, kayak, trivago, hotels dot com, bing travel, priceline, hotwire, etc. For a short visit you will be better off staying central (Union Sq, Financial Dist, Embarcadero). Fisherman's Wharf would be okay too. If possible, dump the car upon arrival and take BART to the airport upon departure.

Are either of you veterans of the US military? There is a very nice-looking hotel we intend to try next time we are in SF, which serves veterans.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...alifornia.html

One thing to do is to start looking at the Grand Hyatt on Union Square for specials. I've gotten great rates under 150.00 with Senior or AARP rates.

Also look at the Westin on Union Square.

Other websites to look at are Room 77, Hipmunk.

>>One thing to do is to start looking at the Grand Hyatt on Union Square for specials. I've gotten great rates under 150.00 with Senior or AARP rates.

janisi

Our experience is as I documented: at the end of September and especialy at Christmas booked at the Grand Hyatt for 150.00 per night with Senior/AARP rates.

Calling the Hyatt hotel directly and negotiating will help the OP.

I realize you live in Northern California however that does not preempt our experience.

1JAR - consider yourself extremely lucky, or....

Thank you all so much for your really great suggestions. Don't know how we ever planned a trip before the internet and FODORS

I don't know the rate, but AAA gives you free breakfast at the Hyatt (the one across the street from the Ferry Building). Hopefully you don't need to park at the hotel ($$$$) but it is near Chinatown, Little Italy, Fisherman's Wharf with a cab ride so you don't have to walk. The new Exploratorium is open at Pier 15 nearby.

The Prescott has some smaller rooms at $170 per night if you stay 2 nights. Free Happy Hour wine!

When looking at SF hotel rates be sure to factor in the 14% hotel tax. So a $150 room will rune at least $171 and a $170 room - $194

If you are on a tight budget that is a consideration.

Dlk3010 - do let us know how you make out. We are always looking for bargains.

My husband and I (your age range) stayed at the Hotel Del Sol last year in early October. Cow Hollow/Lombard area. Walked everywhere, avoiding most steep hills, huge selection of good restaurants in area, excellent help from hotel staff. It's a funky refitted 50's motel, free parking, small but better than usual breakfast buffet. AND within your budget. There were lots of other older motel type places in the area but none looked as good as this place. We were very happy with our choice.

About what to do on your last day. I see a lot of those hop-on hop-off buses around town. I would think that one of those would give you a great overview of the tons of sights in the city. You could get off at something that interests you and stay on for the general tour. And you may be tired after the strenuous trip to Hearst Castle, so the bus could be relaxing. We are the same age as you are; I would be tired. Have fun!