We will be traveling to San Francisco in mid March with our three children, aged 10, 9, and 3 (and all boys). We are thinking of staying in San Francisco for three days. Any suggestions for child friendly hotels? restaurants (we enjoy eating nice meals)? attractions?

Also we will spend the remainder of our time traveling outside of the city- where do you recommend we go? If we head up to Napa, will our boys be completely bored?

Thanks.
Jeanne

The St. Francis has special packages for kids via their Westin status.

Tons of restaurant suggestions are on the boards. Do a search by typing "San Francisco." Any particular cuisine?

Yes, they'll be completely bored in Napa.

In SF I'd visit the Exploritorium if the weather turns nasty. Kids will love visiting Alcratraz and Pier 39. Golden Gate park, and the Zoo (its OK to visit) are great for kids. Ride the cable cars, its free.
Across the Bay you could visit Muir Woods to see Redwoods...or drive South 2 hrs to Monterrey and visit the Aquarium which is Fantastic.

Rather than Napa (city or county) why not consider Healdsburg in Sonoma County? We have a nice plaza where you can picnic.. or picnic at wineries... if the Governor has not yet closed Armstrong Woods State park in Guerneville, you could go there to see Redwoods instead of Muir woods. Kids would love it. Healdsburg is 1.5 hrs North of the Golden Gate bridge, in Sonoma County. I'd avoid a trip to Mendicino since the road is very curvy and kids (and you) could get quite car sick.

We took our sons to Healdsburg, and had a picnic on the plaza. We all had fun. Your kids will be bored in Napa.
Another suggestion that has not been made is to drive down to Monterey, and visit the aquarium. We rented bikes in Monterey and rode along the coast. I also recall spending some time at a local playground there.

There is a special place in heaven for the moms of 3 boys.

LOL. Sorry, aside from that I have no advice.

I don't know your budget, but look at the Columbus Motor Inn or the Cow Hollow Motor Inn for good rooms at reasonable prices

The Marina Motel on Lombard has "family rooms" - two adjoining rooms with a queen bed in each. We stayed here a couple of years ago, and it was a good choice for us. The rate included a two-for-one breakfast coupon for Judy's, which is down a block or so on Chestnut. The portions were huge - two of your kids could easily share one meal.

Lee Ann

Our 2 boys enjoyed Fort Point National Historic Sight and the SF National Maritime museum (historic ships) in addition to other ideas mentioned

thanks for the suggestions. is there anything in carmel for children?

The Castle Inn in the Russian Hill neighborhood is urban motel style and has a suite that may be right for you. The suite is large with a seperate bedroom that has good privacy. The living room has a good sized sofa bed and they will also supply a very comfortable roll away that is more like a twin bed on wheels. My kids were very comfortable. You also get a microwave and small fridge.
The hotel has free parking. The suite was clean and there was a free sort of breakfast - packaged pastries and such.

We liked the Russian Hill neighborhood. The is a cable car stop a block and a half away and buses right outside. you can walk to Fisherman's Wharf in about 20 minutes or take the cable car.

jeanned - anything to do in Carmel for kids? We live here and my kids say NOOOOOO! OK, since you don't live here, I'd say - take those boys on a looooong hike through Pt. Lobos, on the south end of town. Search Google for info on it. Then, take them to the aquarium in Monterey - fantastic! Of course, our beach, at the bottom of Ocean Ave., is pretty darn terrific. You're coming in March, you may see a whale or baby seals at Pebble Beach.

If it's not raining, while you're at Cannery Row to visit the aquarium, you could rent a riksha and ride up and down the ocean path. Stop for ice cream, calamari at Abalenetti (best calamari on the wharf). The boys will love the pelicans and sea lions at the wharf. The sea otters are adorable. If you see a fisherman cleaning fish, ask for some scraps for your boys to throw into the bay. You'll find pelicans and sea lions fighting with each other, along with sea gulls. They can get a sugar high on the wharf, at the taffy store, too.

I don't know where you live but if they haven't experienced a beach bon fire, you can start one on our beach, south of 12th street. Just buy some fire gear at Bruno's Market on Junipero & 5th. You can roast marshmallows and make smores.

Despite what my kids say, there is so much to do here, it's amazing.

Where in Carmel should we stay? Also can you recommend good restaurants for us to go to? My boys are fairly well behaved.
Thanks.

Go to search. Enter "Carmel Inns." After you find places you like, come back and ask for some fine-tuning advice.

I just wrote a lenghty trip report about our Dec trip to Northern Cal with our 2 boys 8 & 5. Search the site for MiamiBeachMomma and Northern California Trip Report. We had a FANTASTIC time and so did the kids!

If you search on my screen name and "trip report", you can see what we did 3 years ago with our 8 and 10 year old. The LOVED SF.

To clarify, the cable cars are not free and are actually very expensive. $5 each way. I would suggest getting a day pass so you can make the most of your trips.

Some definites with the kids in SF:
Alcatraz
Cable Cars and the CC Museum (which is free)
Tonga Room
Chinatown
Lombard Street
Filbert St. off Hyde (REALLY steep)
The Greenwich St. steps

Have fun. I can't help with Carmel/Monterey. We went to Yosemite and Sequoia.

has anyone mentioned buying the citypass? we did this trip in june of last year, and bear with me, we had a 16(b),13(g),11(g),3(g)and 1(g). yes, it's true. anyway, the citypass saved us a fortune and it got us out doing different things. we're pretty adventurous anyway, but this really helped us do things we wouldn't normally do. and if you are a costco member, they might have a booklet. enjoy it no matter what. always a big hit with our family, the seals on the pier.

Great suggestions.

Cou[ple of more questions:

1. where should we stay in SF? We are considering the Fairmont, Westin St. Francis or the Ritz-- is one better located, nicer, etc. than the others? (remember we have 3 boys so we also want a kid friendly hotel which I think all three of these should be).

2. Does anyone have an opinion on La Playa in Carmel?

3. Where is the best place to have dim sum in SF? Other recommended restaurants which are good and child friendly?

Thanks.

we have 3 boys so we also want a kid friendly hotel which I think all three of these should be

I'm wondering what your definition of "kid friendly" is -- all the hotels you listed are very nice, but none of them would immediately jump to my mind as kid friendly. Kid friendly to me means Embassy Suites, where they have their own room with their own TV and the room has a kitchen, and breakfast is served for free. Or a hotel with an indoor pool to blow off steam. The St. Francis, Ritz-Carlton and Fairmont are all quite upscale hotels -- not that kids can't stay in upscale hotels, just that nothing in them qualifies them as kid friendly (IMHO).

If you do decide to stay at one of those three, you should be aware that the Ritz and the Fairmont are "up the hill", meaning it's a trek or a cab ride to anyplace you want to go, whereas the St. Francis is right on Union Square, the heart of the nice shopping district in San Francisco.

Kid friendly hotels: has a child's menu, hopefully a swimming pool, is in a touristy location (vs financial district)and has other extras for children (games, etc.). Do these hotels NOT have an indoor swimming pool? With three children, we usually get a suite or two connecting rooms.

Is the Embassy Suites in a better location? I think that the price was very similar to the Fairmont and the Westin...

When we traveled with our kids we stayed at the Westin St. Francis and thought it was a good choice. Got a three night stay for the price of two, good sized room, view of Union Square and accessible to a lot. Did not eat in the hotel restaurant given the many choices just outside our door (had breakfast at Sears each morning). Don't think they had a pool (we would have used it, I'm sure, if they did).

This year, I was able to stay at the Ritz Carlton with my hubby on business. They do have an indoor pool. Not huge but just fine and attached to the health club. It's a little less convenient to things but only by a couple of blocks so not a big deal. I liked the Ritz, the bathroom was much bigger than Westin St. Francis'.....but I wasn't blown away by the service, etc. And the cost of breakfast in their restaurant was exhorbitant and we found the service lacking.

If they were the same price, I might pick the Ritz for the more luxurious feel. But I'm not sure that with kids it's worth the extra money.