San Francisco Romance
 

My wife and I will be visiting San Francisco in July to celebrate an anniversary. Any recommendations for a very nice hotel with a romantic setting? Restaurants sugesstions welcome!

Need to know your budget.<BR>Rates will range from $100-$600 for hotels, $20-$400 for restaurants.

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At the top end of the scale, Gary Danko for dinner. Ana Mandara is Vietnamese but the decor is very impressive, little less expensive, but not much. The Archbishop's Mansion and the Sherman House are both great romantic settings. Little less expensive is White Swan Inn or Petite Auberge or one of the traditional SF hotels like the Fairmont, Mark Hopkins, St. Francis. A nice brunch at the Garden Court of the Palace is very romantic too.

I second the Garden Court at the Palace Hotel! The setting was spectacular, and so was the food.

Having stayed at numerous hotels in the city, I love coming back to the Archbishop's Mansion for special occasions. It's a huge, old house that's now converted into a small hotel with about 20 rooms. So much more comfy and personal than the austere/sleek hotels in Union Square that cater to business folks. It's also very romantic and in an old-fashioned way.<BR><BR>Each room is decorated differently with antique furniture and huge (mostly four-posted) beds with luxury linens. Whichever room you ask for (I really enjoyed the Gypsy Baron suite), be sure to get a room with a fireplace since they provide duraflame logs. You can wake up early, light the fireplace to warm up the room, and have breakfast by the fire (the hotel provides breakfast delivered to your room). The service is really professional, and the location (in Alamo Square) is just wonderful. Nice and quiet, which can be good if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the main SF areas. Only bad side is you'll either need to drive or take taxis everywhere, as walking to and from Alamo Square to the major attractions is too long. <BR><BR>They have a website: www.thearchbishopsmansion.com<BR><BR>

kam,<BR>just fyi... gary danko is closed right now for renovations. have not yet heard when it will be opening.<BR><BR>as usual, your suggestions are right on the mark with my sentiments as well!<BR><BR>sharon

Mike, I've been waiting for an excuse to stay at the Huntington Hotel on Nob Hill in SF, so I'll recommend it to you and live vicariously. It has a great location and a wonderful history as a place were movie stars stayed while visiting SF. It used to be apartments, so the room size is generous by SF standards, and many rooms have fireplaces. You can't beat the view from Nob Hill. They also have a spa on the top floor with an indoor pool and floor-to-ceiling windows. <BR><BR>You've got some great restaurant recommendations here. Nothing new to add by me.

Went to a very romantic and pricey restaurant - and I think the name was Charles on Nob Hill. Loved it! Maybe they are reviewed somewhere so you can learn more details, but I highly recommend it for an anninversary dinner.

Thanks for all the info, I'm leaning toward the Nob Hill Recommendation. This is a resccheduled trip to replace a surprise trip for our 15th anniversary that I had cancelled because our travel date was September 12 last year. I am trying to make it as perfect as possible. Any thoughts on dinner at the Top of the Mark?

Top of the Mark is a great place to go for drinks before or after dinner, but the dinners at the Top of the Mark are not that great. I would recommend Masa's or Campton Place for the PERFECT romantic dinner.

Any info on how early tables at these sort of romantic places need to be reserved? I'm over in SF for my honeymoon but only for 4 days - would prior reservations (i.e. before even flying over) be necessary for these places if we wanted to go there?

Sharon, My son had dinner last night at Gary Danko's so the renovations must be completed.

Agree with drinks at the Top of the Mark or even at Farallon, but dinner somewhere else. Masa's is good as Sharon suggests, but Gary Danko is up and running again as well.There's also the Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton, a place we tend to forget to recommend, but it is lovely and good food.

Chris,<BR>No need to make reservations before you get here. Restaurants are really hurting right now, so you should not have any trouble getting a table even if you reserve the day of your dinner. This will allow you to scope out the scene before booking if you like. <BR><BR>BTW, my favorite means of making reservations is with opentable.com<BR><BR>Ah, and one more romantic spot... Jardiniere. The new executive chef is great and the service is still wonderful.<BR><BR>Sharon