San Francisco Honeymoon hotel
 

Greetings!
My son and his gf are getting married in June of 08. As the parents of the groom, we would like to send them on a few night honeymoon - for those of you that "know" me - they have a few week old baby - and are on a very limited budget - so it will be a three to four night deal paid for by us.

I had thought of the Casa Madrona <sp> inn - but they indicated they really want to be in the city.

I would like some place nice - but not crazy expensive (maybe 350.00 -400.00 a night tops)with a good location for them to be able to run around et.

Thanks in advance!
Dawn

Awww, how sweet!
My favorite place in SF is Hotel Monaco. Sign up for their eletters to get notification of special deals.

Here's a link to the specials page of the website -
http://www.monaco-sf.com/monmon_specials.html

starsville - that looks exactly like what I am looking for! Thank you so much!!!

The Monaco is great - all the rooms are individually decorated. If there's any way you can swing it, the suites are wonderful. The rooms are nicely decorated, but the suites are just that much better.

Thank you for the feedback dm - I will try to get a suite depending on the costs.

Or for a different location, try the Harbor Court Hotel, right across from the Ferry Building and imo a wonderful location. Was just in SF for 4 days in Sept and we never even got to Union Square. I wasn't interested in shopping in any of the chain stores available at home; much preferred the Ferry Building shopping, the Sat and Tues Farmers Market and the crafts that come as well. From that location there is public transportation everywhere! But the rooms are not large if they are having the baby, but maybe you will babysit as part of the gift! See if you can get a harbor view room, lovely!

I always stayed at the White Swan Inn when on business in SF and thought it was very romantic. Cozy, quaint, fireplaces in room. Only complaint is loud noise of garbage trucks in the early morning hours.

We stayed at the Westin St. Francis last year with our kids. It's still a great old hotel with history and well appointed.

Guess it depends on their style--small vs. large, etc.

Also consider the Joie de Vivre group of hotels. They are boutique-type and very nice, reasonably priced. We stayed at their Hotel Rex a couple of years ago and really liked it. Probably not nice enough for a honeymoon splurge, though, but I think the White Swan might be one of their properties. Or, the St. Francis seems like the quintessential (sp?) San Francisco hotel to me.
:)>-

Thanks for the replies - no, they are not taking the baby with them. We will gladly watch her as will her parents :-)

As far as their style... I am not sure - they are young, hip, more modern then "old" fashion as far as decor - they do want to be in the thick of things.

The St. Francis has a tower that is modern and it is a starwood property - I might be able to use points for part of their stay... what are the thoughts on the location?

Hi dawn, the St. Francis is right in the area known as Union Square. It is just across the street (on the west side) of Union Sqaure.

If they would prefer Union Square the St. Francis in a perfect location.

Having no idea what their interests are it is hard to say which hotel they would enjoy.

I feel that San Francisco is a wonderful city to visit for a Honeymoon. Best wishes to your son and bride to be.

Dawn, the St. Francis is a block closer to Union Square than is the Monaco. Very different hotels, though. The St. Francis is a "grande dame" type hotel - huge opulent lobby. The Monaco is a typical Kimpton Hotel -- smaller, unique, etc. I like both, but you have to know what THEY would like. I certainly wouldn't refer to the St. Francis as "modern/hip"!

Oh, and I know this is slightly OT, but in terms of restaurants, if they're willing to spend a fair amount (not huge, but not inexpensive either), Cortez across the street and up the block from the Monaco is a really great "small plates" restaurant. Very very modern and chic. Reservations required, at least on weekends.

Thanks again - I am not sure exactly what they want to do there - they picked San Fran - both love it there - I took them both there for the day about a year ago interestily enough to take a second look at the Art school that ds was considering going to. Gf was thinking about going to live with her aunt and uncle outside S.F. and taking the BART in everyday to go to hair school.

At that time, obviously she was not pregnant - things sure do change in a year.

I had actually taken gf with us on that trip in Oct to show her that it would be a pain to ride the BART in everyday - (we took the BART from the airport into the city) Did not work..she loved it. LOL

They are "artsy" - he wants to "shoot" (pictures) - skate the hills (skate board) - they are really basic kind of people - not into glamous meals et.

I suggested the Union Square area over the Warf area - having stayed in both I prefer Union Square. DS and I stayed at a Hyatt in the Warf area for our first trip to S.F. to look at the Art school.

I know the W tends to be a more hip/modern place - when I went to a conference at the Moncone <sp> I think the W was right there - any thoughts on that.

Again, I really appreciate the advice et. Dm I am not sure they will be into making reservations and keeping them. LOL They will be 20 and almost 19 -

Thinking of that - are they going to have an issue checking in? I will prepay the room and they have a credit card. I know I will double check with the place when we book.

oh one more thing - they are planning on getting a tatoo on their feet as their wedding gift to each other.

I know.. I know...

I knew a couple from New Zealand that had their wedding "bands" tattooed on their finger (rather than wearing rings). They have been happily married for decades.

starsville,
Have I told you I love you? ;-) Just kidding but seriously - thank you. They are very artsy, different et - certainly not Southern Orange County Rebulicans ;-).

Hugs and kisses back to you, dawn. You've had a rough run of it. It will all sort out. Promise it will. In 3 years you won't be able to even imagine life without the precious grandbaby in it. Dakota, right? (Not sure I remember that correctly). Let them create the life and family they want to create. You get to spoil the grandbaby! :-)

And, kudos to you for the honeymoon gift. My sister had similar struggles with a child's marriage and I was SO proud of her when she gifted them a honeymoon as well. ((*))

Awwhhhh... day by day we all go eh?

Yes, her sweet name is Dakota :-)

Tomorrow is the "baby" shower. Her Dad did not want her to have a shower prior to the baby being born as he felt it was wrong. Dakota is about 7 weeks now.

I got her the sweetest braclet. We already have "given" so much in terms of cribs, stroller, et et - that I wanted something small, more personal for the baby. And we know that $$ wise we have a lot more to give in the next few years.

I have honestly never seen a young couple so in love. Son and gf are stepping up to the plate. They are still struggling with being new parents et.

Anyway - cool on your sis too :-)

And yes, I have to keep stepping back and letting them do what they want. DS came to me as I am slightly anti "tatoo" and said that they would not do it if I was completely against it but that they really wanted to. He knows my feelings about putting "ink" where it will impact your life imo(where it cannot be covered up for job purposes) but said that they will have it on their feet where it could be... what is a Mom to do? He will be almost 20 at that time.

The Hotel Monaco really would be perfect hotel for them. Nice hotel with a funky vibe. It's my favorite hotel anywhere. You can even "borrow" a goldfish to take to your room for a pet for the night. Wine in the lobby in the afternoon. Tarot card readers too. Just a fun vibe.

If it's too pricey, look into one of the other Kimpton Group hotels in SF. They may like the Triton right at Chinatown. LOTS to choose from and all are great IMO (although I haven't stayed at them all).

www.kimptonhotels.com

ps - It sounds like you have a raised a very nice young man. Kudos to you on that too!

Oh too cool on the goldfish - I want to go and stay there now! LOL
My 40th b-day is coming up ;-).

I do not think it is too pricey. It looks like around what I was thinking of. I am sure they will have cash from wedding gifts for their spending money and honestly they just do not spend a lot of money - they are low maintance.

You also may want to take a look at two other Klimpton hotels--the Triton and the Palomar. Nothing against the Monaco--its lovely. But the way you have described the young couple, hip, artsy--the Triton or Palomar seem to be a better fit.

I agree on the Monaco recommendation. They have a Grand Cafe which is in a lovely room, but they also have a Petit Cafe off the bar. The Cortez, previously mentioned, is almost across the street in the Adagio Hotel.

Both the Petit Cafe and the Cortez do "small plates" so that you can order several different ones and share, rather than having to order pricey "dinner" with several courses. The atmosphere at the Cortez sounds right up their alley. Young, hip wait staff which really knows the menu and can make recommendations. Smallish with nice decor.

We have eaten at the Cortez three or four times after we have attended a Saturday matinee at the Geary Theater and did not have reservations. However, we got there around 6 pm.

Keep us posted, and let us know about the honeymoon after they have returned?

just reading over this as I need to book their air soon and get the hotel nailed down.

Yes, I promise to report back... on the wedding and their honeymoon.

I got to watch Dakota for a few hours tonight..always makes my day. She is just talking (gibberih - obviously though I must say she does seem brillant! LOL)

Greetings everyone - I just booked son and future DIL flight - they arrive into Oakland at 12 :18 pm on Monday June 30th.

They are going to take the BART into the city from there. Ryan (son) has taken the BART twice but always with me. When I asked him if he remembered how he just LOL and said no. Future DIL has also taken it once but again was with me.

I would like to give them instructions - I know they go outside and get the bus that takes you to the BART terminal.

They are staying at the JW Marriott
500 Post Street corner of Post and Mason
San Francisco, California 94102 USA

I seem to recall that it was almost right outside of the BART terminal when I stayed in Union Square last spring... but I could be mistaken.

Is anyone fimilar with this?

I am also looking for resturant recommendations for them. A few people have asked me about where they would like to dine etc so they could get them a gift card.

Remember - they are young - and neither are "foodies" They will be almost 20 and almost 19 at time of travel.

Any other tips? They indicated they want to go out to Alcatraz <sp> while they are there -

Thanks so much
Dawn

They might like Michael Mina, which is in the St. Francis near their hotel. It's a foodie kind of restaurant, but it's interesting. We ordered a seasonal menu, and each course comes with 3 tiny exquisite samples.

It costs about $100 per person, but it would be memorable. Also, you can make reservations on opentable.com.

http://www.michaelmina.net/mm/

Also in the area I like Max's Deli which is casual.

Thank you Kailani I will be sure to check those out :-)

Hi dawn! Here is the BART website which should answer all of their questions:

http://www.bart.gov/index.asp

Dawn, what type of food do the soon to be married couple like?

My very best to them as they plan their wedding and honeymoon in SF!
And imagine you will get to keep your little granddaghter! Happy times.

The JW Marriott is a lovely hotel, a good choice. It is about four blocks from the Powell Street BART Station. They need to walk up Powell to Post Street and turn left. The JW Marriott is on the next corner.

They might enjoy eating in the Petit Cafe of the Monaco Hotel. This is in the bar area and serves "small plates" rather than three course meals, so that they can choose two or three plates and share. The cost should be reasonable. They can eat here even if they are under 21, as long as they do not order drinks.

I know it will be a wonderful trip.

LoveItaly - thank you for the link on the Bart and jtrandolph thank you for the feedback on the hotel AND the location. That helps a lot!

The are pretty basic down to earth kids. The big thing they wanted to do was get a tattoo on their foot... My Mom and I explained that was not a great idea to do on the first day of their honeymoon - their feet would hurt etc.

Also - they will be there over the 4th of July... anything special???

The food they like is basic - good steak, good seafood, Italian. Nothing too fancy.

You are sure welcome dawn. Do they like mussels? If so they would probably enjoy going to Plouf's..which is located at Belden Place..just a few blocks from Union Square. Here is the website for all of the restaurants at Belden Place including Plouf's which they might want to review.

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

Fourth of July! The fireworks are seen from the Embarcadero..they no doubt would enjoy seeing the fireworks and although there is always a worry that there is going to be to much fog it usually works out just fine.

Italian..they would no doubt like to go to NorthBeach. The restaurant we had our GTG at last night would no doubt please them and also many people like the MonaLisa, which is just up the block on the left hand side of Columbus from Broadway. Right before where Vallejo crosses Columbus. Lots of outdoor tables if they want to stop and have a coffee or whatever also.

From the SF Chronicle, their list of inexpensive places

http://www.sfgate.com/food/bargains/

and also the website for the SF Chronicle's top 100 restaurants

http://www.sfgate.com/food/bargains/

San Francisco is not lacking in restaurants!

And no doubt they would enjoy checking out the Ferry Building and the plaza behing the building which has a beautiful view of the SF Bay and the SF/Bay Bridge as well as watching the ferries arriving and departing. And if they are interested they could take the Sausalito Ferry to Sausalito, have lunch and ferry back to SF. The Sausalito Ferry docks behind the Ferry Building.

http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/

Good choice of hotel. The location is perfect-one block from Union Square. It's one of my favorites and I usually stay there when I am working in SF. But this trip, I am staying elsewhere as the rate at the JW Marriott was $299 and for example the Grand Hyatt was $199. And of course when you add on tax and parking (I have to have a car for work) that gets really pricey. Their prices have usually been in line with the other business type hotels so don't know why they are so high this coming week.

GREAT information!! Thank you Love Italy and I appreciate the more feedback on the hotel - I am using it because I have a lot of Marriott points but it is good to hear the positive feedback!

I will add a little description to the JW Marriott if you don't mind. The rooms are spacious, with a sitting area as well as a business size desk. The bathrooms are to die for, with a marble soaking tub in addition to a shower and a chrome and mirror vanity wall with a tiny TV.

The lobby soars to the top, with rooms on the floors arranged above it, and there are glass elevators in the middle of the whole thing. There are comfortable places to sit there, with two fireplaces. My favorite hotel in San Francisco. Good job, Mom.

awwhhhhh I am so excited for them... We are started to really getting into planning the wedding -future dil is really doing all of it but because my dh is having about 5 families come from back east we are making a party weekend at our home - with dinner Friday night, barbque Sat and then Sunday the big day everyone will gather here first.

We got them a room at the St. Regis for their"wedding" night and then they leave from Long Beach on Monday morning.

:-)

Thanks for the description - they are really very down to earth and will be thrilled to be on vacation together alone. It will be a first for them :-)

jtrandolph-Good description of the hotel. I love the bathrooms. The first time I stayed there, I was so impressed with the bathroom, I took a picture of it to show my daughters. Of course they thought I was a dork!! I have stayed in several rooms at the JW Marriott and not all of them have the same bathroom. Maybe the corner rooms have bigger bathrooms but I loved them. And the location is perfect.

Paula - I am hoping that the front desk is kind upon check in as they are on their honeymoon. :-)

They do not drink (nor are they old enough) but a friend is sending them chocolate covered strawberries and sparkling cider.

I am thrilled for my son to have a special week with his new bride. Their life together will be "tough" enough. I want them to enjoy this!