We are going to visit my cousin in Santa Rosa for a weekend and then spend a few nights in San Francisco. He recommended the White Swan Inn in SF but some of the comments haven't been great. Any suggestions for a non-chain hotel or inn near Union Square?

We are planning to bring some wine back with us so we want to take a shuttle back to the airport. All the shuttles seem to be the same price ($17) but is there one that is recommended for reliability?

Also we are booked on a red eye on the way back. Are hotels reasonable about holding baggage?

Any suggestions for restaurants are always appreciated.

TIA.

Have your wine sent home parcel post or FedEx since it will not make it through airport security. I hate to see how much valuable liquids get pitched in the airports.
If you are just looking for a place to sleep cheap, there are 3 HI Hostels in San Francisco.

If you're checking luggage, you can put the wine in your luggage. If you're carry-on only, you'll have to send it home first.

Since there seem to be at least two of you, don't bother with a shuttle, just take a taxi which will run you about $40 (but a shuttle, which will stop to pick up other passengers, will be $34 for two)

What kind of restaurants and what price level? Check out Belden Alley, since it's near the White Swan.

http://www.belden-place.com/view/restaurants/

Look at the Hotel Rex, a Joie de Vivre property. It is a very cute boutique hotel.

For transportation to the airport, BART is reliable.

My old standby, The Mosser is a great location and has small but clean and cozy [ha ha] rooms. Be sure to get one with private bathroom. It is on 4th just a block down from Market, right across from the Marriott.

When are you going? San Francisco is a big convention town, so room can be expensive.

What price range? You can also use betterbidding.com to hotwire a room.

Not knowing your price range it is a bit tough but I can recommend some charming boutique type hoels in the City:
Palomar, Galleria, Serrano, Parc 55 and the Harbor Court which is actually just off the Embarcadero and very clso to the wonderful Farmers Market at the Ferry Building. Good luck......

Having the wine shipped home is a great idea. Check into the shipping costs, tho. They can vary wildly, from free to astronomical.

If you want to check the wine through (assuming you're flying Southwest or some airline that is not going to charge you for checked luggage), then have the winery pack the wine in a shipping box. There are special divider-protectors that will make sure the bottles arrive home unbroken.

Best, however, is to let the winery do the shipping for you.

Can wine be shipped to any state?

There are several states that wine cannot be shipped to and wineries may have their own rules about which states they ship to.

When we were in Somona last Sept, we went to a shipping store in Healdsburg and bought a wine shipping box, put the wine (and olive oil) in it, taped it shut and checked it with our airline (hubby has status with them so checking it didn't cost us anything extra.)

All bottles arrived safely.

Thanks for the advice about shipping. Of course Massachusetts is one of the few states that does not allow for it. Friends have checked the wine through as their luggage so I am hopeful that will work. We will pack appropriately.

The room at the White Swan is $150 per night but I am willing to go higher to get something special. I will check out the places mentioned. Since we are staying a few nights with my cousin we can splurge on our two nights in SF.

Seconding DebitNM.

San Francisco is one of the great Priceline cities. There are masses of hotel rooms, and unless big conferences are in town, there are empty rooms which you can occupy for a relative song.

I love the Monaco.
Okay, I REALLY love the Monaco. It's a Kimpton boutique hotel and I love their hotels, but the Monaco SF is my very favorite hotel anywhere. I just love the vibe of the place.

I agree that Priceline or Hotwire are good options too. Use betterbidding.com to check their hotel lists and to get a good idea of what you will end up with based on matching up the icons shown with the amenities on the list. I'd be comfortable bidding on a 4* in SF.

But check the rates on the Monaco's website
Join the Kimpton In Touch program too.

Most nice hotels are good at holding bags.
I usually take a cab but the SuperShuttle was waiting outside by hotel and I grabbed it and enjoyed the ride - and the price.

I'll agree with Ackislander that Priceline will offer you great rates in San Francisco.

If you haven't used Priceline before, check into biddingfortravel.com first. It has more information than betterbidding.com.

Right now, according to BFT, you can get a 4* hotel in the Embarcadero for $95, in Union Square EAST for $90, and a 3 1/2* at Fisherman's Wharf for $75.

Be sure to bid Union Square EAST.