Marci_77

We were out on the left coast for business and decided to mix with a little pleasure. We stayed at the Hotel Bijou the first 3 nights in SF to be near the Moscone center and keep from breaking the bank.

(We couldn't PL b/c we were traveling with others and staying for different dates--didn't want to risk not being at the same hotel)

I felt perfectly safe here walking with my DH. I know that several here have said it was too close to the tenderloin for their comfort. The hotel is located on Mason b/t Ellis and Eddy. The RPark 55 and Hotel Nikko are just up the block. The room was small, but adequate. The bathroom was also small and had a pedestal sink which left me with no where to put my makeup/toiletries. If I couldn't use PL and needed inexpensive accommodations in this area I would stay here again. The room was $99 with a better than average continental breakfast.

While here we ate at Shanghai 1930 down on Stuart St by the Hyatt. It was busy, fun and had good inexpensive ($12-20/entree) food. Seemed to attract a young business type crowd.

The next night we ate at Mooses?s in North Beach. I was disappointed. We had reservations for 8, and at 8:30 when we hadn?t been seated (we hadn?t complained, were just hanging in the bar not drinking) we were offered a undesirable table by the wait stand and kitchen or told we could keep waiting with no time frame. We took the table. The server was very curt, unhelpful, and inattentive. The food was good, but absolutely nothing special. I had expected much better.

The last night we ate at Fino, a ?neighborhood, casual, Italian place,? just a few blocks away, recommended by the hotel. The food exceeded out expectations with hearty portions and a better atmosphere than we expected. Once again prices were in the $15 range. It was on Post between, Taylor and Jones. Just what we were looking for.

After the conference on the 4th day we picked up a car from Enterprise up the block and drove 1 down to Monterey. We stopped in Santa Cruz to check out a few things we heard about at the show. Santa Cruz seemed like a nice place. I wish we would have arrived in the afternoon so we could have had time to shop around in their downtown area. We got lost and ended up driving by the boardwalk area with all sorts of things that looked fun for families in the season.

After much hemming and hawing I finally cancelled our reservations at the Best Western in Carmel and booked an upscale place in Monterey through Travelocity. I?m really glad I did. Hotel Pacific was simply fabulous! It was in a good location near the wharf and downtown. The room was a suite, and had so much atmosphere. It was very romantic and plush. There was a gas fireplace, a small balcony, a small dining area, a sitting area with a fireplace with a half wall separating it from the bedroom. The ceiling had white washed exposed beams, the windows an door were covered with plantation shutters, a four poster bed, stand up shower and separate tub. It was a AAA 4 Diamond and deserved it IMO. Unfortunately there was a mix up with our reservation, which left things a bit ambiguous and me uncomfortable with it. All in all the hotel was very accommodating of the problem and everything was taken care of.

The first night we arrived it was already late, and with the mix up even later when we finally set out to find dinner. The hotel reccomended a small place at the wharf, Café Fina. It was good, but nothing special.

The next day we drove down one to Big Sur. It was something I couldn?t imagine not doing. It was so relaxing to stop and check out the views. We stopped at Point Lobos for some whale watching and photo ops. We followed the advice on this board and had lunch at Nepenthe. It was fantastic! It really was a magical place? We also stopped at Julia Pfeifer Burns state part to see the waterfall and I think I got some great pictures.

We got back that afternoon and walked around the cannery and downtown. Unfortunately it seems most things close b/t 5 and 6 this time of year so there wasn?t much to do.

That night we at Monterey?s Fish House. It was very good. The atmosphere was very causal, comfortable and seemed like a local favorite? Big portions, friendly staff, inexpensive.

The next morning we drove through Pacific Grove which had a very different character than Monterey. I would say it was very cottagey and quaint where Monterey is more suburban and aimed a bit towards visitors. We also did the 17 mile drive which was such a disappointment after driving down to Big Sur the day before. Unless you know that there is something you really want to see here, (like the golf course) I wouldn?t recommend it. Most of the homes are set back off the road so you can?t even gawk.

We spent the rest of the morning and until mid afternoon in Carmel. It was nice but nothing really drew me in. Lots of restaurants. Unlike many reviews I?ve read I didn?t encounter and snobbery at the galleries. We had fun browsing them. We had a nice lunch at Passtesserie (a French place that rhymes with Rotisserie) something or another.

That afternoon we browsed around in Monterey a bit more. We bought some wine to bring home from a new (6 months or so) place called ?Wine from the Heart?. The owner was there and helped us select a few things. They were tasting 3 wines too. We had gone down to Taste of Monterey the day before but didn?t taste there?.

We had a great dinner that night at Fresh Cream. I don?t remember reading about it here, and I have no idea why!? The place was fabulous! We had a good table by the windows, and even though it was dark the lights from the wharf and across the bay made for a wonderful view. Dinner was great, service was great. The cost for the two of us was about $120 and I think my DH had one glass of wine.

I guess I should also mention that we ate calamari every night for an appetizer with our dinner. I was so bummed! We never did find good calamari, which is odd. Don?t they catch it around there?

So before we left we decided to have calamari at one more place at the wharf. It too was a disappointment.

We drove back 101 and it took about 2 hours.

Our last two nights we stayed that the Marriott San Francisco via PL. It was fantastic. The hotel was beautiful, apparently they just finished a $34 million dollar facelift. We weren?t give a ?PL room? nor were we treated badly at check in. There is a nice cocktail bar on the 39th floor appropriately named ?The View?.

We went to Alcatraz, which was nice after our missed boat last year. We spent the rest of the time there just milling around and doing some tourist things we didn?t do last time. We didn?t do much in the way of dinner. We couldn?t find any authentic clean looking Mexican places so we broke down and ate at Chevy?s. HA! The next night we ate at Calzone?s in North Beach. Good casual fair. We had intended to catch some jazz up the road at Pearl?s but it was sold out.
All in all we had a great trip.

Grasshopper

Hi Marci, Everyone keeps talking about whale watching... did you see whales? I hear it's a little too early.

Great report. Glad you had a nice time. Sorry you couldn't find good calamari. It's touch and go with how it's prepared. Most cook it too long and it gets rubbery.

kimamom

Sounds like you had a great trip, Marci! If you are ever in the area of Cambria, The Sea Chest has excellent calamari and salmon. It is sometimes hard to find it prepared "just right."
Glad you enjoyed the Hotel Pacific, I hope to stay there sometime in the near future. Thanks for the report! ***kim***

Marci_77

Actually, Grasshopper we did see whale activity--LOTS of it. It was a real treat! I assume that when people say they "see" whales they just mean the spouting water? which is what we saw.

Thanks for the heads up kimamom! And definately give the Hotel Pacific a try

easytraveler

Hi, Marci!

"the left coast" - good one!

Actually, we are trying very hard to become part of the "right" folks, what with the election of the Gubinator.

Great calamari in SF? Try Cha Cha Cha in the old Haight-Ashbury. It's not Mexican, but more Spanish - tapas and all. Hope you will have a chance to return soon to sample their fare!