ragdoll

We will have two days in San Francisco after the holidays. We will eventually need a rental car to drive to LA. Should we pick up the rental car when we arrive at SFO and keep the car in San Francisco for two days? Or take public transportation into town, visit for two days by foot, cable car and taxi and then return to SFO for our rental car? This will reduce the number of days we'll need a car and avoid parking fees at the hotel $32/day. We can't pick up the rental car at a city location because we are returning the car to LAX (one-way rental).

Is White Swan Inn a good choice? My husband is a bit of a hotel snob and any sign of a seedy neighborhood or "questionable characters" will turn him off.

DebitNM

I wouldn't rent the car until you need it - paying for parking is a needless expense. Public transit and walking is the way we do it. You will also pay extra to rent a car at SFO [airport fees].

I don't know why you can't rent in the city and do a one way - we do that. There is a drop off fee, but by the time you factor in transit fare to get back to SFO to rent a car and airport rental fees for a car picked up there the cost will be higher. Getting a car at SFO and returning to LAX is the same thing.

If you want a hotel in a great location and reasonable price, try The Mosser. It is close to Union Square. The rooms are small, but very clean. They have some rooms with private bathrooms, other have hall bath. Make sure you choose the option you want. We like their queen deluxe, room # 621 is nice.

sf7307

With only two days in the city, I'd personally take BART into the city and back to SFO --- no need for a car in the city. Have you checked the dropoff cost for a one-way rental if you rent at a city location?

I don't know the hotel itself. The location is okay -- not fantastic, but nothing bad about it either. It's a little of a stretch (a 2-block stretch) for the hotel to call itself "atop Nob Hill", but it's close! It's in-between Union Square and Nob Hill.

When you say your husband is a "hotel snob", not sure what you mean --- the White Swan is a 3* hotel, which to me doesn't sound like a place for a self-professed hotel snob (?)

DebitNM

Dollar is showing a $400 drop off fee, no matter where you pick up car.

Alamo is showing no drop off fee, and allowing me to "pick" up on O'Farrell St and drop next day at LAX at very good price. I picked random mid week dates in Jan.

Jeff801

There is a Hertz office in the garage of the Fairmont Hotel at the northwest corner of Powell and California. We've picked up cars there twice to return at San Jose airport and LAX respectively. There was no drop charge.

ragdoll

Thanks everyone. I was able to find a pretty good deal picking up at Avis in Union Square and returning to LAX.

What I meant by "hotel snob" was that he wants 5-star accomodations at 3-star prices. He is more comfortable at a large, corporate-owned hotel like Marriott, Sheraton, etc. than a small boutique hotel (which is what I prefer). Now with the money I'm saving on 2-days car rental and city parking ...

sf7307

Are you comfortable using Hotwire or Priceline, because there are often very good deals in San Francisco. Many people have reported getting the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero for around $100 a night.