Can anyone recommend a good hotel near the airport? We will be staying in the city the first weekend, then driving north to Mendocino, but need someplace close to the airport for our last night.

I am a light sleeper and am concerned about airplane noise. I checked Trip Advisor, and the Hampton Inn got good reviews but one reviewer mentioned the airplane noise was terible, which scared me off. Bay Landing was ranked #1, but they don't have rooms with 2 queen beds, and our teenage kids don't like being squashed into a double.

www.elranchoinn.com

Be sure to request a room on the quiet side of the hotel. Didn't notice plane noise here but the airport hotels are also close to the train and there is train noise at night. Or bring earplugs.

A few years ago, we needed a room near SFO to catch a very early flight to Europe. I went to www.biddingfortravel.com to see which SFO hotels were available and the going rates. I then bid something like $35.00 and got the Doubletree. No noise at all, warm cookies and a $25.00 meal coupon. We've also stayed at the Hyatt, the Sheraton and The Westin - no plane, ever.

Also, you may want to turn your car in the night before, take a shuttle to the hotel and take a shuttle back to the airport so you won't have the stress of the rental car the next day. Some of the hotels have rental car drop-offs, too.

We stayed at the Westin a couple of years ago, no airplane noise at all.

I did this last year, I believe. I was concerned about the airplane noise but it seemed that the planes do not fly after a certain hour.

Priceline is absolutely brilliant for SFO. Yes - check out biddingfortravel.com for info/advice before bidding . . .

Thanks. I've never used priceline because we need two rooms and more than one bed in one of the rooms, which you can't do with Priceline, if I remember correctly.

Ditto what the other say

Westin, Hyatt, Doubletree and Marriot, all just south of the airport are all good. None of them is along the flight path, either for landing or takeoff, so plane noise isn't a problem.

Flights generally land towards the northwest, coming in over the open water of the bay. Takeoff depends on wind direction, but normally it's to the northeast out over open water, or northwest, which can take it over land just north of the airport.

We stay at the Best Western El Rancho Inn whenever we travel. It is in Millbrae, across the freeway and away from the noise. The actual reason we use it is because they have a fly-drive thing and we often travel for three weeks or so and this saves us parking fees.

However, it is a very nice property, with very efficient shuttles to and from the airport, and a good restaurant, etc.
I recommend it.