We are planning to go to SF beginning of April with our 6 year old boy and have been shopping for a hotel. We read a lot of good reviews about The Westin San Francisco Market street especially it's location, which sounds to us would be good location for someone not renting a car but taking the public transit to get anywhere. A family member has visited SF recently told us to stay away from any hotels east of Market Street. From checking the map, Westin San Francisco is east of Market street. Also read from the Fodor's review that Union square is also close to Tenderloin which is not a good neighborhood. Where is Tenderloin on the map?

Any recommendation for hotels? we prefer to be close to shopping malls, restaurants, public transits.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Cica, I don't understand. Market St. runs east to west through much of SF. East at the start of Market St. is the Ferry Bldg. and than continues west until it curves around to Upper Market.

Union Square is the heart of downtown SF. West of Union Sq. brings you into the Tenderloin.

You will no doubt want to stay in the Union Sq. area. Have you checked out the St. Francis hotel on Powell, right across from Union Sq? Actually there are many hotels in the Union Sq. area. And you will have a variety of public transportation from that area.

Click on this website for maps of SF.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/maps/google/main

while Market Street does sort of go diagonal from NE to SW - we refer to "south of Market" - not "east of Market". That hotel is really right at 3rd and Market. It is a very nice hotel - but really not an area I'd choose for a family stay w/ a small child.

Union Square is not close to the Tenderloin - Union Square is one of the main hotel/shopping areas in the city.

If it were me (and lots of locals will hate this) I'd choose a hotel near Fisherman's Wharf if I had a little one w/ me. Being near the water, seeing the sea lions and boats would be so much fun.

Otherwise I'd choose either along the Embarcadero or around Union Square.

Are you confused about the Westin St. Francis across from Union Square amd the Westin on Market street?

I would stay at the St. Francis, not at Fisherman's Wharf and then take your son there to see the sea lions, etc.

>>Union Square is not close to the Tenderloin <<

A couple of blocks south & a couple of blocks west & it gets a little seedy. Some people might feel a little uncomfortable walking west of Powell on O'Farrell.

Stu Dudley

We stayed at the Hotel Rex last year and found it very handy to everything. The cable stop is very close, good restaurants and near to Union Square. The hotel was very good, staff friendly and helpful, clean and well priced.

Have a look at it and see what you think. We got the recommendation from this board and were not disappointed.
Schnauzer

I work in San Francisco but live in the East Bay, and we occasionally bring our kids into the city for long weekends where we pretend to be tourists (okay, we are tourists) and we usually stay at the W across from Yerba Buena Center, next door to SF MOMA. It's a great base for a family because of the big grassy park across the street, the movie theaters, ice rink, ZEUM, and so forth. Plus lots of family-friendly, if not very adventurous, restaurants (Chevys, Mels, etc.) When you are pooped from treking around the city, one of you can mind the kiddies while the other one gets a massage from Bliss in W, then trade places. All within two easy blocks of BART/MUNI (the Montgomery Street Station). The St. Regis is next door if you want another option.

If you do decide to stay at Fisherman's Wharf look at the Argonaut Hotel. It's a nice hotel and a little bit away from the tackiest part of Fisherman's Wharf.

The Union Square area is probably the most convenient and there are many good hotels in the area. I usually stay at the JW Marriott but check on www.tripadvisor.com to see reviews of hotels and their price range.

I live in the city and would choose one of the hotels down by Embarcadero for a most pleasant but convenient visit if it were me. The Vitale is nice, but there is also the Harbor Court, the Hyatt Embarcadero and probably some others.

That said, I hosted Christmas at my pad this year and some family members stayed at the Argonaut, mentioned upthread, and liked it a lot, said it was "cute," whatever that means. It's a dog-friendly hotel; that's why they chose it. The location might be good with a 6 year old. It might help if you say what you want to see and do while you're here.

I think the Westin at Third and...is it Howard? would be great too. The W, also mentioned above, is "south" (or southeast) of Market, and in a fine location. So is the St. Regis and it's pretty luxe! I wouldn't worry about that area. Keep asking questions--and enjoy your visit.

I have spent many nights in SF (when I was a flight attendant.) I have stayed at both the St. Francis and the W...both are awesome hotels. Since the St. Francis is a vintage property, some rooms are small, think NYC. But then, those just might be the "crew accommodations." Location wise, the St. Francis is great. Near the hotel, there are car rental agencies, so if you want to venture out of the city (see the sequoias, wine country, etc.) they are very convenient. The W is near the SFMOMA. The hotel has a great vibe. Some rooms have sliding doors out to the pool deck.


I have also stayed at the Holiday Inn Gateway. It's a nice enough hotel, but I prefer the locale of the other two.

Like most big cities, SF can seem seedy at night, but I was never hassled more than just by homeless looking for a buck or two. Standard big city defenses must be employed: be aware, be sober, don't flash your valuables.

You'll have a great time! There is a reason why the SF trips always went to the senior crews: it's a great town with so many offerings that you can return again and again and still want to go back!

Stu,

O'Farrell west of Powell has both the Nikko and Hilton Hotels. These are not "seedy".

It's true that the Hilton itself isn't "seedy", but the neighborhood it borders on is not a nice one.

Uncomfortable is different from seedy. The seedy section, as I remember (don't spend a lot of time wandering through this area) starts west of Taylor & south of Ellis.

Stu Dudley

Well, the Hilton is between O'Farrell and Ellis, 1/2 a block from Taylor, So I'd say the neighborhood is borders is on the seedy AND uncomfortable side.

Would recommend the Clift over the St. Regis.

Would NOT recommend the W...that and the W Waikiki are the ONLY W's I would never stay in again in the entire U.S.

Terrible service with attitude who have no interest in making your stay enjoyable.