I was in SF not long ago and stayed at The Adante Hotel 2 blocks away from Union Square and loved the hotel. There is a continental breakfast, a nice lobby with a wine bar and the room was very nicely appointed. It is an older hotel, which was rennovated and is quite nice for the price. You can get a suite there for around $100 a night.

Several restaurants in the area, close to theatres and shopping.

Also try www.hotels.com for more suggestions.

www.andrewshotel.com

have stayed there twice. free continental breakfast in the hallway on each floor. free wine in the afternoon in the lobby bar. don't know about parking. lately has gotten mixed reviews but my experiences were both very good. it is a historic building, a couple blocks off Union Square.

Luvs2travel, I understand what you are saying about being overwhelmed by copious amounts of info when you try to research. I've been the target for criticisms of &quot;not doing my research&quot; even when I had several pages of notes I had taken sitting before me. Sometimes, especially when you don't know anything about the area/neighborhoods, the amount of information available is <i><b>so confusing</b></i>.It is surprising how hurtful it is when people jump you for asking! :'( I think sometimes people assume things (like you are being lazy when you are really just confused), and don't realize how harsh they sound in their censure. [-X

My husband and I have stayed at the Beresford Arms http://www.beresford.com/arms/default.htm when we would visit our daughter (her apt was <i>tiny</i> and we didn't want to spend bunches of $$. It is kind of a funky place, but nice and clean, and reminiscent of old San Francisco. I think you have to pay for parking but, if memory serves me, the parking rates are surprisingly reasonable for SF.

Good luck in your search. If you find a hidden jewel, let us know. %%-

Hi 'NeverMind'

Thanks for understanding my confusion over choices, rather than reprimanding me for not being prepared enough to post a question &gt;:-{

Now that y'all have provided such great feedback, my research will continue in a much more productive way - thanks!

Okay, Okay. I vow to never again suggest someone do research by searching on this board and reading before asking a wide open question.

Never again.

One last comment. What's the phrase about teaching someone to fish vs. feeding them fish? Anyway, the OP said she/he learned by the suggestion on this thread (mine, but it could have been anyone's) to enter specific keywords in the search box to find more information already available on this board.

Just a random thought, but perhaps that MAY help her/him get more out of this travel forum in the future. Perhaps not. (A glance at OP's previous posts would indicate it may help, but that's JMO.)

Strangely enough, I'm of the mindset that you learn more, are better prepared and enjoy a trip more when you research and read instead of ONLY using the input of Fodorites who happen to be posting at the time a question hits the forum. Works for me. Evidently doesn't work for others.

So, again. I vow never to suggest someone utilize the search feature on this board and remind them of all the info the editors have provided (which by the way, reflects information gleaned by Fodorites on this forum).

Well put starrsville. Maybe you should suggest they put a lil blurb like that at the top of the site to inform newbies of how to go about things!!
Have a great Saturday night!Relax

Starrsville,

I'm glad to hear that you won't chastise future posters for not doing their homework before soliciting opinions (but never say never :-)

Just so ya know, I did quite a bit of research beforehand - sifted thru endless hotel lists/reviews before I posted my question. But with all that, I still didn't have a good sense of the type of accommodations in neighborhoods that fit my preferences - hence, my post.

I've used this site many times before and found traveler feedback invaluable in planning trips. Though I fully appreciate editor content, I have had negative experiences when taking this info at face value. (I'm in the business of T&amp;L marketing/promo, and it's not uncommon for a business like Fodor's to have symbiotic relationships with properties recommended herein.)

My BEST experiences came about because of the extremely helpful/insightful suggestions from fellow travelers. Ex: though armed with GOBS of info on Greek islands, I ventured onto this site for the 1st time a few years ago and I was astounded by the quality feedback I rec'd about lodging. As a result, I stayed at none of the places recommended by the professionals and instead, enjoyed truly wonderful accommodations based solely on Fodorite suggestions!

Recommendation to YOU for future reference - the time you spent making me look 'foolish' could've been better utilized by simply being helpful to a fellow traveler. Isn't that what this forum is all about?

No hard feelings - and thanks for teaching me a new trick with adding specific words to my search.

Have a good weekend!

I don't usually jump into the fray, but starrsville was not suggesting that you accept editorial comments over real Fodorite replies. She was pointing out correctly that the exact question you asked has been asked and answered by real Fodorites in the past. It is usually quite simple to read the on-point posts,and then ask more specific questions if you need more info. I think starrsville was being helpful to you by pointing this out.

I just wanted to add, that some of the Union Square hotels will have parking packages sometimes, where parking is included with the room rate at just a little higher than the room only rate.

OK - Based on feedback so far (and add'l research), Adante Hotel seems to
best meet my initial criteria. Any other thoughts or recommendations?

Added ideas would be welcomed!

Thanks in advance

&gt;&gt;&gt; Recommendation to YOU for future reference - the time you spent making me look 'foolish' could've been better utilized by simply being helpful to a fellow traveler. Isn't that what this forum is all about?
&lt;&lt;&lt;

Well, I can assure you that indeed I was doing that - being helpful to other fellow travelers by posting on other threads as well. My intent was not to make you &quot;look foolish&quot; but to &quot;be helpful&quot; to you. First, you thank me for my input. Now, you say I tried to make you look foolish. All righty then. Duly noted.

Thanks Suki and irecommend.

I just used Priceline to book a Saturday night stay in Sept at the Hilton Financial District - $79 per night plus tax.

I googled &quot;Adante&quot; it's on Geary @ Jones, not sure if this area is safe in the evenings. Rate starts from $113, add tax, add tips... Have you noticed, it's not free parking, it's &quot;valet parking&quot;.

Sorry, but I'd keep looking.

Sorry, just scrolled down - special seasonal rates from $89 - this hotel looks better and better by the minute :)

For this rate, I'd stay there!

Just booked the Adante - hotel matched rate from Hotels.com at $72/night incl. b'fast - IMO unbeatable for a decent property in a major city! A search on tripadvisor.com provided very consistent, positive feedback so I think we're good to go - thanks to all who provided helpful hints! I'll be sure to offer feedback on the return..

I'm glad you chose the Adante. I loved it when I was there, and ask for an upgrade when you get there, if rooms are available they might upgrade you.

The hotel is older as I said in an earlier post, but most of it has been or is being rennovated, and the lobby area, is nice, not huge but nice and the staff there I thought was extremely helpful.

On a side note the hotel is owned by a retired SF baseball player and he is often in the hotel meeting guests. I thought that was a nice bonus.

The wine bar attached to the hotel has several nice wines for tasting and internet access and does GREAT sandwiches.

Please tell them Gail from NYC said HELLO. I was there doing interviewing for a client in SF and had 40 people come by for interviews and the hotel was VERY helpful in setting that up for me.

I stayed at Hotel Adiagio which is very close (1/2 block I think) to the Hotel Adante. It is safe at night as long as you don't walk farther than the hotel away from Union Square. I also conferred with friends who live in the city about this area before I stayed there.

My own two cents:

We are all on here to help one another. It can be frustrating, though, when someone posts that he/she is too busy to search through existing posts on a topic, and instead asks those posters to re-post the same information again. It's as if the requester is saying their time is more important than the replying person's time.

I'm sure Luvs didn't intend that, but it was the impression I received when I read the &quot;too busy to search through posts&quot; line.

Last comments on this subject...

My initial question related more to the neighborhoods that would best suit my preferences, along with recommendations on specific budget hotels therein.

I did not say I was 'too busy' to search thru posts, but rather that the info that turned up (with just a reference to SF) was overwhelming and didn't address my needs/preferences.

My question was posted to drill down to what I really needed to know - and I hoped to receive current feedback in return. (I didn't just post a 'where to stay in SF' question - I was much more specific)

While I rec'd many helpful suggestions, I was rather taken aback by the suggestion that I hadn't done any research at all! And I was a bit offended when someone took the time to search the site more efficiently and chose only to point this out, rather than sharing more helpful specifics. (I wasn't the only one who recognized this - see Nevermind's post.)

Perhaps I'm not the most experienced poster on this site - forgive me (and those like me) who are naive. But sometimes our research begins at a more basic level = and from there, the suggestions y'all provide allow for more productive searches (or cont'd queries)

Rest assured - the feedback you offer (previous and current) is most appreciated! My only suggestion is that those 'in the know' be more tolerant of those less experienced.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who replied to my post - and to Wantsomesun, I will definitely send your regards to staff at the Adante!

Happy travels to all!