Upcoming San Francisco Trip
 

We're finally heading to San Francisco for 4 nights the end of October. We arrive on Thursday afternoon departing on Monday around noon. We've narrowed our search down and Union Square seems to fit our wants/needs. Hotels: The Campton Place, Hotel Monaco. But saw this hotel in Embarcadero, too: Hotel Vitale. Looking to stay around $400/night. Had planned on using Amex properties with points but sold out at Clift and the Ritz. Sooo, we would like to be in a lively area (not the warf) that has fun wine bars, fun stores and a restaurant or two. (We're always willing to travel around by cab for the best meals!)

Do these hotels fit this criteria?? I'm sure all three are fantastic but I'm struggling trying to make the "perfect" decision for our first trip to San Francisco. We are so looking forward to it. Also, I've bookmarked StuDudley's thread for sightseeing.

We will have no car. So my other question besides a hotel recommendation is transportation between San Francisco and Berkeley on Friday night. We are attending the Tom Petty concert at The Globe. The concert starts at 7pm and not sure what time it will be over but would expect before midnight. However, the BART stops running at midnight accourding to the guide book. If I plan on leaving before midnight, do I buy a ticket for a specific time or is it a round-trip anytime ticket for that day? (On the BART)

If the BART can't be done for the return, what other options do we have (one-way or roundtrip? Never been to Berkeley so would you go out early in the day to roam around/sightsee or spend it in San Francisco and go out just in time for the concert at 7pm??

Just received my Wine Spectator featuring San Francisco restaurants and wine bars so more reading !!


Thanks for you imput.
Sheila

......pardon the typo...meant to say Thanks for YOUR imput! No more vino for me tonight. ;)

Tom Petty is at the Greek not the Globe. The Greek on the UC Berkeley campus and is about 10 blocks from BART. I doubt that the concert will last 4 hours so you should be able to catch a late BART train--last train is around 12:30am.

Campton Place! Nicer hotel, right at the edge of Union Square (nicer area than Monaco). Wonderful restaurant, near all the great shopping, fantastic, pampering staff - known to be superior. Larger rooms, too.

Sigh...I miss the Sherman House days.

I've stayed at both the Campton Place and Hotel Vitale. Both are great. Campton is more central but the Vitale has fantastic views. I'll link my report on the Vitale.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34832385

I'd choose the Vitale if it was me. Make sure to get one of the rooms with the bay view.

The Ferry building right across the street has a farmers market on Saturday morning. Several great restaurants are nearby inlcuding the hotel restaurant Americano. Boulevard (newly given 1 Michelin star) is across the street and is one of my favorite restaurants.

BART tickets do not have set times. They are cash vouchers. You put them in the turnstile and wherever you get out it deducts the fare from the card as you exit. You can use them whenever you want.

An alternative to BART is the bus system called "ACE transit". They have local buses connecting to BART and buses to San Francisco Mission @ 1st transit station. Can't recommend this area at midnight though.

FYI My paralegal went to see Tom Petty at the Greek on Saturday and the concert which started at 8:00 ended at 10:30--all concerts at the Greek must end by 11 pm. So there shouldn't be any problem getting BART back to the City, especially if the concert on 10/27 starts earlier.

Saps, what can we expect to be around The Vitale? From what I've read there are restaurants, wine bars and shopping near Union Square. What is there around Vitale?

Also, will the BART be safe for us in the late hours of Friday night? I'm guessing BART is the most convenient way to get there, just curious, what would it be to take a car with a driver? Too far and too expensive?

Thanks!

The Vitale is at the east end of Mission one block away from the end of Market Street directly on the bay. Next door you have the Ferry Building and Justin Herman Plaza (usually filled with street vendors), and several restaurants (including those I mentioned earlier) are within a block or two.

In terms of central location the Campton is much more central with much more right outside the door but the Vitale is just a 15 minute walk to Union Square. Just depends on what you want I guess. The Campton is very nice as well.

BART is safe as far as I'm concerned. There will probably be a good number of riders after the concert so I would not be overly concerned. It is pretty rare to hear about BART crime.

I don't have any idea about taxi or limo.

Thanks SAPS. Sounds like the BART will be just fine.

I'm torn between Vitale and Campton. Just have to sleep on it I guess. I love the idea of the view at Vitale and the convenience of the Campton.

Where would be a great place to enjoy the view of the bay for coctails and sunset? I assume it will be too chilly for a patio but is there a wine bar or something that would be nice to do?

Anyone else want to chime in on Campton vs. Vitale? I'm on the fence with this one.

Thanks
Sheila

Last spring we spent a night at Hotel Vitale and loved it. I would expect the rates to be more reasonable than Campton Place, and it is fun being on the Embarcadero. Ferry Market Plaza is just across the street, where you will find The Slanted Door, which is an excellent restaurant. Hotel Vitale has a restaurant and bar, which looked great, and you can also hang out on their roof decks which have views of the bay. Boulevard, another great restaurant, is in the vicinity, and your idea of hopping in a cab will work out perfectly should you decide to dine/sightsee in other parts of SF.

Also, Bart is a great choice for getting to your concert.

Thanks. BART does sound like the perfect answer to our Berkeley concert.

I have a question about staying in Embarcadero area/Hotel Vitale. Is the cable line very close to the hotel so we could go back and forth from Union Square area and Chinatown? Or is this a cab trip every time?

You can take MUNI Metro from the Embarcadero to Powell or catch the F streetcar to get to Union Square. You could take the California cable car at the foot of Market to Chinatown.

Public transportation in SF is pretty good, so you shouldn't need a cab very much. The cable cars are fun, but buses and lightrail are more convinient for getting around. The California cable car line isn't generally very crowded, but on the cable car line that runs from Market down to the Fisherman's Wharf area, it is often so crowded that people can only get on at the ends of the line.

For nice views and drinks, we enjoy the classic, Top of the Mark at the Mark Hopkins Hotel. http://www.topofthemark.com/

We also enjoy Equinox at the top of the Hyatt Regency: http://sanfranciscoregency.hyatt.com...ants/index.jsp

SAB and J Correa, thanks for the transportation help. I bought a travel guide with the transportation map and looks to be pretty easy.

TTess, those two look like great views for a cocktail. Thanks.

Cliff House, I know its touristy, but the views look pretty inviting. Recommend? or no way?

Also, I was reading comments on trip advisor about Campton Place and mixed reviews regarding the staff and old carpet (can't stand dirty carpets!!). and basically overpriced for what you get. But rave reviews for The Vitale.

Anyone want to voice their opinion on Campton? It is more expensive than Vitale -- 4 nights $2000 vs. $1600. This is for a king bed in both. But is it worth the extra money to be in the middle of things for a first-time visitor to the city?

Thanks for the help.
Sheila

Also, forgot to mention another one.

Hotel Donatello? Says it has terraces on the 5th floor. The pictures look fine. But would you recommend this hotel to your friends??

Thanks

Have you thought about the Ritz Carlton? Four Seasons? Fairmont Hotel? Mark Hopkins? Huntington Place?

Yes, I have. Four Seasons only has an executive suite left at $659/night, Ritz is sold out, Fairmont isn't in the neighborhood I'm looking for, and Huntington looks great but not in Union Sq area.

Thanks.

For B.A.R.T. schedules, go to www.bart.org
For public transportation, go to www.transit.511.org
You must go to the Redwood Room for drinks inside of the Clift Hotel.
Great looking people, awesome decor and delicious cocktails!
Also, the Cliff House is newly renovated ala Miami Beach influence with floor to high ceiling windows.
Try Sunday Brunch. Advance reservations are a must!

If I was choosing I would choose the Embarcadero over Union Square. There is nothing wrong with Union Square, but I like the Embarcadero better.

Wow! 400 bucks a night? with that budget why not stay at the Fairmont?

Yes, we're splurging with $400/night and unfortunately The Fairmont isn't what we're looking for. Its a little out of the way and more of a corporate hotel for us after what we have read about. Initially, it was one we were looking at using amex points but then the more we read we didn't want it. Yes, the entrance is beautiful but its not what we want.

We would love to go a little cheaper but San Francisco is not a cheap city and we want to splurge on this trip.

We're still on the fence for Campton and The Vitale.

Please someone, push us to one side or the other!!:)

hi
from reading this it really really sounds like you are asking someone to tell you to stay at campton. i say this because everything i have read indicates hotel vitale is a nicer property, but that because it is not right in union square, you are not ready to bite the bullet.

i am only being helpful when i say you should re-read your own posts to see what i'm saying. i think you really want to stay IN union square. so, maybe you should look into the union square hotels again, or ask people to suggest other union square alternatives, since you truly don;t seem to want to stay elsewhere?

will it help to tell you that the area where vitale is is the cooler, newer part of town?

is there someplace in union square you think you might be visiting again and again? what is it you are expecting from union square?

honestly, after dark i would be much more comfortable walking around hotel vitale and the whole waterfront path than i would in union square.

if the weather is nice, it's about a 15 minute walk to get from hotel vitale to union square.

perhaps you should look up the ferry building and see what the area looks like by the water, because from reading your posts and everyone's answers, a neutral party would have selected vitale by now.

i think you want us to say campton place!

have fun!
kerikeri :)

I find Union Square to be dirty and a little depressing - more homeless people in the area - and it's adjacent to the Tenderloin, which you really want to avoid for safety reasons. It is a good location for shopping, but there are plenty of other shopping areas in SF that I prefer. On the Embarcadero, most everything seems fresher, newer, a more hip crowd...and being on the Bay so close to the Bay Bridge and all of the activity on the water is fantastic! You will be able to walk around at night with fewer worries than you would in Union Square.

Finally. The push over the fence. Thank for your post KeriKeri and Meo. Yes, I wanted to hear about the area of Embarcadero as my Frommer's guide doesn't tell me how much fun and 'cooler' that area is. And I think we will really enjoy staying by the bay to enjoy the views from our room -- however small it may be!

Now that this hotel issue is resolved, I can move on to more important issues like FOOD! :-D

Thanks everybody!!!!
Sheila