Aloha,
My Husband and I will be staying in San Francisco for 7 days in late June early July. We have never been before (from Hawaii)and taking it onto the tail end of a trip to Vegas. I don't really want to rent a car because I see that parking seems to be a large problem. We intend on making use of public transportation (Trolley (Street Car) ride looks great) or Taxi if need be. We would like to stay someplace that is centrally located so we can get around easy. A nicer Hotel, Possibly with Spa Amenities. We love Antique shopping and Chinatown sounds great too. I look forward to hearing back on some great hotel tips and possibly even some must visit areas. If we need to rent a car for a day or two to get further out of town for something that is a "Must see" we are not opposed to the idea.
Mahalo,
Jeanne

Definitely agree that you do not need a car unless you want to go out to Napa, etc. I would try to stay around Union Square. There are a lot of threads on here if you search by San Francisco.

We just stayed at the JW Marriott on Post, right off of Union Square. It was a very nice hotel with complimentary limo service. We took the limo to dinner and then walked or took a taxi back.

If you'll be in SF for 2-4 days, then I would agree that a car is not necessary. However, for a 7 day stay, I would rent a car for a few days to get to some of the places you really have difficulty (or time consuming) getting to without a car.

Do a search of "Stu Dudley" on the USA forum & you'll find some tips on things to do & see in SF.

Stu Dudley

Further thought.

For 7 days, I would stay in 2 different locations.

1. Downtown Hotel on weekdays to get that "downtown" feel & close to many walkable sites.

2. Lombard St Motel on weekends to get a more neighborhood feel, free parking, minutes from the GG Bridge & points north, Crissy field, & easy access to places best visited with a car.

Stu Dudley

The Westin and Omni are both very centrally located, with lots of amenities, and you definitely don't need a car, probably will run you about $200+/night though

Just curious about the Vegas portion. You have 7 days in SF that are tacked on, so are you staying in Vegas for more that a week? Not sure if you have been before, but I max out on Vegas by the third day.

Anyway, in SF I agree the city has two areas that most people without cars should stay, downtown or Fisherman's Wharf area. Trolly runs between these areas if you stay near Embarcadero area. There is Hyatt quite close to Trolley stops. I walk from Embarcadero to Union Square often (I work in Financial District) and it is easily walkable. Try to get to Fort Point for great views of the Bridge, and to see the Ocean, Cliff House has nice Brunch (and you can go through Golden Gate park too). They have these GPS go-cart things you can rent to tour the city without a car, and I recommend getting up to Sonoma County for some of the Wineries. Rent a car or take a bus. Have fun

Google the SF Muni website, and use their 511 link to figure out how to use their public transporation system. We found it very helpful; you can print out routes, times, etc.

Lee Ann

If you can afford the JW Marriot, stay there. One block from Union Square, lovely hotel with large rooms and marble bathrooms with soaking tubs, separate showers, and tiny TV's to keep you entertained while you do make up or shave.

Aloha,
Thank you so much for all of you input. I have looked into the Marriott on 4th Street and it looks lovely (at this point that is where I am leaning). Does anyone have an opinion on Sir Frances Drake and is it well located?
I do think we will rent a car for a few days and travel outside of the area just to see that sights. The parking runs approx $50 per day at the hotels.
Thank you Stu I will do some searching for your posts on what to do in the area.
Anyone got a good idea of where we might find an area of town that caters to the antique shopper?
Mahalo,
Jeanne

For the last week of June, make reservations ASAP. The last weekend is a huge gay parade, and I mean HUGE: people from all over come to SF.

Street car you mean cable car, right? Don't count on it to use as transportation, it will be packed with a looooooooong waiting line at both ends. After taking it once for fun, you wouldn't want to do it again.

Look at the bus lines, they are dependable and available. The best thing to do is to get a MUNI map (online or when here) with the bus lines in color.

Petaluma, a small town north of SF is concidered "the antique capital". You may want to rent a car for the day and combine it with Muir Woods or wine country.

Aloha, Jeanne!

We were in San Francisco twice last year and stayed both times as at the Serrano, which is a Kimpton Hotel. There are two Kimpton Hotels in the Union Square area. Both are small boutique hotels that are well located. They offer free coffee in the morning and wine and hors doeuvres in the afternoon.

We also liked the Adagio and the St. Francis, but have to say that where we stayed depended on the best deal we could get, as I've found SF hotels in general to be pretty expensive.

For restaurants in the Union Square area, we like Kuleto's and Scala's. Reserve early so that you are not disappointed.

Have a great trip!

For a nice bevy of antiquarian shoppes in ye olde San Francisco go to historic Jackson Square/Strret. Bring bags of cash. http://jacksonsquaresf.com/listofdealers.htm

If you DO end up renting a car, at least for a short while, there are some hotels out on Lombard St. that have free parking - a real plus in San Francisco! A previous poster recommended staying a few nights out towards the Golden Gate Bridge, to get a feel for the western part of the city. I agree totally with that -I always stay on Lombard St. (Cow Hollow Motor Inn - much nicer than it sounds, although certainly not fancy!) Parking is free there, as well as a number of other hotels around there.

Hi secrowmanager, actually there are several Kimpton Hotel's in the Union Square area. Yes parking is quite expensive in SF. Anyway, here is the Kimpton website for your review regarding their hotels in and around the Union Square district.
http://www.kimptonhotels.com/hotels_..._PPC&WT.srch=1

Right across the street from Sir Francis Drake is a wonderful family-owned Chancellor Hotel (please google the name). The location is superb and prices are very reasonable per SF standards.

I would agree with Stu that for a seven-day stay you could use a rental car to explore a little, visit the wine country and have a great lunch (Stu could recommend some awesome places), Sausalito, etc.

Do check with Chancellor Hotel regarding their packages which include parking.

Anna Roz

The old part of the Sir Francis Drake has nice, if sometimes quirky, rooms with beautiful beds and linens. The Tower is less interesting. The location is fabulous.

The Gay Pride Parade is very interesting, but it does fill up the town! Follow the advice to book early.

We like to stay close to Union Square. I love Hotel Monaco on Geary.

I think Akislander is thinking of the St. Francisco Hotel, not the Sir Francis Drake.

The (Westin) St. Francis is right on Union Square and consists of the original building and a newer tower.

The Sir Francis Drake is two blocks up Powell Street and does not have a tower. It does have the Harry Denton's Starlight Roof at the top. I believe it was recently refurbished.

I would like to second the recommendation of the Chancellor. This is almost on Union Square, is a good boutique hotel, recently refurbished, which has an excellent friendly and knowledgeable staff. It gets rave reviews on Trip Advisor.

And, the Marriott I was recommending is not the one on third Street, but the JW Marriott on the corner of Post and Taylor, one block from Union Square.

Could I put a twist on the OP's question?

We will be visiting SF shortly to search for houses on the Peninsula and also have some R&R. Would prefer to stay in the city. Would you all still recommend the Union Square area or are other parts of the city more convenient to public transport down to the peninsula?