SAN FRAN. in December '05
 

Hi everyone – this is my first time posting so hang in there please…

I am going with my girlfriend to San Francisco from Sunday 25th December to 28th (3 nights).

I understand that Union Square East is the place to stay… and hope to do Alcatraz Island & San Francisco Deluxe City Combination Bus Tour – best deal I found was $54!

However, is December too far in advance to get a good hotel deal with Priceline??

Also, I am from London UK, so have to pay in £ as I don’t have a U.S. billing address, will this mean that the prices are higher or just the $/£ equivalent??

Thanks in advance for all your help ;-)

Oh man - Alcatraz in Dec? Be prepared for lots of cold wind and a very choppy ferry ride. But then, being from the UK that might not bother you! That being said, SF is great at that time - the city (especially Union Square) will be decked out. I would try to book early as Christmas is a crowded time in SF - even us Bay Area locals sometimes take a break to the city during the holidays - if it's not too expensive!

howzlife - Actually, there is no set rule as to when you'll get the best deals on priceline. The best advice on that is to book a cancellable backup now. If you are comfortable trying priceline knowing that you can't change or cancel your reservation, there's no harm in trying now. Just don't go too high, as you have plenty of time left to continue trying. Set an upper limit that you're willing to spend on priceline now, and don't go above it. You may want to increase that limit as you get closer to your trip if you're still not having any luck.

I don't understand the previous poster's comment that priceline can be a really uncomfortable experience when traveling abroad. It's simple - you book your room and it's prepaid. Nothing is different when you get to the hotel than if you didn't use priceline. I've used it traveling from the US to London and been extremely satisfied.

As to whether you'll pay more paying in pounds, I have no idea. But, as long as you set a limit that you're comfortable paying (a decent percentage below whatever best rate you can find), the comparison doesn't really matter. You stand to save money over booking direct, and that's the key to priceline!

Have a great time in SF! :)

This is the website for currency conversion:

http://www.oanda.com/

As of today, you get 1.8 US dollars for each British pound

I had to use priceline.CO.UK so I bid £40 for a 4 STAR in USE and got the Hyatt Regency for a total of £142.31 inclusive of taxes etc for 3 nights... I'm very happy with this deal and just thought I'd let you all know... thanx 4 the help!!... next thing is planning each day!