Woh, thanks.

Great list Perigrinator! Do you have a similar one for Napa Valley? Many thanks.

Nevermind - I just looked at some of your previous posts. Thanks for sharing!

topping for GinnyJo

Thanks so much letting me benefit from your experience - do you know of The Piper Street Inn B & B in Healdsburg? I read all good reviews on TA, but there were only 4 of them.

We are now thinking of 4 nights in Healdsburg and making day trips to 'wherever is within an hour or so', then leaving wine country to go to ??, perhaps Monteray/Carmel for 1 or 2 nights/2 or 3 days, then heading up to SF for two days, flying out on the 3rd morning. Too ambitious? Don't want to spend the trip just running helter skelter.

Any recommendations on where to stay in SF? Planning on ditching the wheels when we get into the City.

Thanks for your help...

I sure wouldn't go all the way from Healdsburg to Carmel & stay only 1 night !!!. That could easily be a 4 1/2-5 hr trip if you hit commute traffic in Santa Rosa, San Rafael, SF, South Bay, etc.

Stu Dudley

Wow! Thanks Stu - so, as of now we're staying 4 nights in Healdsburg and making day trips to 'wherever'. Any suggestions for a day or two in between the four day wine country check in Sunday/check out Thursday AM) trip and the last two or so days in SF? Or, should I just make it a wine country/sf trip and nothing in between?

Any suggestions on what area of SF to stay in so that we would be in a safe and convenient location (close to mass transit or cabs). I am thinking we don't need a car while we are there. I will be so glad to finally get this booked!

Thanks for all the help!

Sue

If you do a day trip to the coast from Healdsburg, I would just stay in Healdsburg & SF. Two days in SF isn't much time at all - in fact, 4 days isn't much time there either.

Stu Dudley

That's kind of what I'm thinking as I look further into this thing. I finally booked the time in Healdsburg, so now am concentrating on SF. Stu, more importantly than where I do stay in SF, what areas should I avoid?

If you're ever planning a trip to NYC, I will help you out as much as you are helping me!

Thanks!

Only areas I would try to avoid:
1. West of Taylor, to Van Ness, north of Market, south of Bush. This is the Tenderloin.

2. South of Market & west of 5th.

3. Not around Civic Center either (which is in the first area).

- There are other areas to avoid, but you probably won't encounter any hotels there.

- I would not recommend Fisherman's Wharf to friends, relatives, and other people I want to "show off" San Francisco to, unless they had kids in tow. This area is perfectly safe, however.

Five main hotel areas are:

1. Around Union Sq.
2. Foot of Market, near the Embarcadero (Financial District & SOMA)
3. Lombard St, west of Van Ness - Cow Hollow/Marina
4. Fisherman's Wharf.
5. Nob Hill, if you like to walk up & down steep hills and have lots of money to spend.

Stu Dudley

We live in Sonoma County and think your decision to stay in Healdsburg is a great one.
When we go to San Francisco for fun and shopping we love to stay at Parc 55. You just can't beat the location to great shopping and great restaurants. You will not need the car at all.
Have a wonderful trip.

Unfortunately I don't know the Piper Street Inn. But I agree with Stu's recommendations (and others) on just staying in Healdsburg and then going to SF - the other itinerary is just too industrious! You'll have to make another trip!

But I can recommend a few hotels in the City - one hotel I have always loved is "Hotel Drisco." It is a beautiful hotel in the Pacific Heights area of SF - and while it is removed from the downtown, busy area - it is absolutely beautiful. They have always given me A-1 service. Having said that, many people who go to visit SF say that it is "too far away" from the main city. Of course, I lived in the City several years and knew how to get around, so the Drisco was perfect. The hotel is pricey depending upon your budget - it is about $300-$450 a night for a nice suite and probably $250 a night for a room. Marti is the "go to" person there and knows everything about the area...

Also, in the semi-budget category (if there is any such thing in San Francisco - even in the current economy, Wine Country and SF still are expensive so what is cheap in SF will sound exorbitant elsewhere), is the "Courtyard Marriott Downtown." It's in the South of Market (SOMA) area and is a normal, nice hotel in an OK area - I was able to book a nice room there and was upgraded to a suite for $189 a night. And while the hotel is older, it was remodeled recently - still looks like an hotel and still seems a little rundown, but I don't mean this in a bad way - just want you to fully aware of what you would get! Also a nice restaurant down the street called "Anchor and Hope."

Also, in the pricey category, the Ritz Carlton and the Four Seasons are what you would expect - nice and up to the standard. The St. Regis, however, is not a St. Regis by any standard of the St. Regis brand - it is sort of upscale Ikea and very modern and while it's beautiful, I had horrible service there.

In the bit more moderate category are the Hotel Vitale, The Palomar, and Le Meridian - all very different, but nice hotels - Vitale is sort of upscale chic on the Embaracdero; Palomar is an odd assortment of pseudo-chic, downright weird decor, but very nice; and Le Meridian is just a nice hotel near the Embarcadero (I believe it used to be a Hyatt and was bought out by Starwood). All good if you can get a good rate.

And in the bit cheaper category is the Cow Hollow Motor Inn and Suites on Lombard - I have no experience of their regular rooms, but the suites are first class for the price - you get a nice sitting room w/hardwood floors, a kitchen, a bedroom, and a "normal" bath... I recall that I got a special rate here of about $130 a night! But it was low season...

PS: Since you've settled on Healdsburg, there are some great restaurants there - in the "all out" and "very expensive" category is Cyrus - it is superb. Also Charcuterie, Ravenous, and Willie's Seafood are great. In the "if you want to drive a bit" category, Santi in Geyserville (just north of Healdsburg) is incredible and just south of Healdsburg in Forestville is The Farmhouse Inn Restaurant...

Peregrinator has given you a great list and description, but since you'll only be here for two days, I would not stay at either the Drisco or the Courtyard. The Drisco is in a nice neighborhood, but not "near" the typical tourist stuff. And the Courtyard, while "downtown", is in a business area - a 10 minute walk at least from anything else other than office buildings.

Stu's list of areas is great, too. Do you want to be near shopping and dining (Union Square)? Kitschy tourist area (Fisherman's Wharf)? Financial district, but on the Embarcadero (Ferry Building, walk along the bay, AT&T Park) (Foot of Market, near the Embarcadero), or motel row, not a downtown vibe, but an urban vibe once you get onto either Uhion or Chestnut Streets (Lombard Street motels)?

Oops, I left out Nob Hill. There are some very nice hotels on Nob Hill. Personally, I would never stay there. You have to walk down a very steep hill (San Francisco hills are more like small mountains anywhere else - they make the "hills" in Texas' hill country look like little bumps in the landscape), and consequently back up, or you have to take a cab, bus or cable car. None of these are places where you can just walk outside your door for a cup of coffee and a croissant.

My husband and I were just in S.F. in mid-August and stayed two nights at the Marriott on Union Square. It was very nice. Just newly became a Marriott in April 09 so everything is nice and new and "clean". As my husband is 62 we got a seniors rate of $127 per night. We also had a rental car and instead of paying the Marriott's valet cost of $52 a day we just parked ourselves in a lot not even a block away for $26 a day.

It's true you can park outside your hotel much cheaper. But you DO NOT need a car for two days in San Francisco!

I think we will stay 4 days or so in SF and take all of the advice we've been given to limit the trip to Healdsburg and SF. Although I've been to SF years ago, (and absolutely loved it, I might add)my husband has never been, so I'm sure we will find plenty to do while we are there. I remember Fisherman's Wharf, reminds me of the 'boardwalks' in Atlantic City, or many other seaside towns in NJ that have that commercial vibe. So now I will continue my search for a place to stay in SF - I found a great place in Pacific Heights, thru vrbo, but unfortunately, not for the dates I needed! I will check out the above listed suggestions, and I thank you all for helping me out. I will be glad to finally get this put to bed...

We love the Hotel Rex in the Union Square neighborhood!

If you want lots of info on hotels, just type San Francisco hotels into the "Search the Forums" box at the top of this thread.

What about the Wyndham Canterbury at 750 Sutter Street. Or, the Hotel Diva?

I just came upon a private rental condo on Polk and Van Ness that sounds lovely. Can you tell me if this is a safe and convenient to mass transit area? Thanks!