San Francisco Hotel Recommendations?

Carrigman

The Missus and myself are going to SF in September. Any good reasonably priced hotel recommendations for some place near the city centre?

Many thanks.

Carrigman

mjbo

We had a short stay in San Francisco last August (2 nights) and stayed at this hotel.
http://www.cartwrighthotel.com/

Small and basic but we found the location fine.

Ponster

I stayed at Chancellor Hotel last September for 4 nights.

It was a wonderful place, with the most friendly people I've come across working in a hotel in a long time. It's pretty cheap and just off Union Square. I couldn't imagine going anywhere else the next time I visit.


Take a look at the reviews from TripAdvisor and note that the general manager replies to almost every visitor that wasn't happy.

joeblogg1

My wife and I stayed at fishermans wharf for a week in October 2005. Good bit from Union Sq (centre) but this is not an issue as it is nice to travel between fishermans wharf and centre by tram (15 minutes ride or about an hour to walk, we walked back one day and it was nice as you pass Coit Tower and the winding street etc on the way back)

Hotels are all of a good standard as are motels and all reasonably priced but dearer than other areas of California in general.

Wharf has lots of restaurants and the sea lions!!!!

envelope

One hotel to avoid is the Dakota. Terrible. Met the owner as well (he is from Kerry) i would not admit to owning that place.

Padraig Mor

I stayed in two hotels there in October:

1. Mayflower Hotel. Great location (5 - 10 min from Union Sq). Amazingly low prices (particularly in this very expensive city). Nice staff. NOT the Hilton though - very basic. However, it's clean and you get a little kitchen in your room. Ask for a room at the back though - windows are only single glazed so traffic noise may be a problem street side.

2. Carlton Hotel. Relatively cheap (not as cheap as Mayflower though. Good location (about 5 min further than the Mayflower). Nicer rooms than Mayflower - good three star standard. Desk staff arseholes though. Good restaurant next door too.

Someone mentioned the Chancellor Hotel. We tried to book there but it was full. Haven't been in there but its location is great - pretty much on Union Sq. Cheap as well AFAIK.

mazzyk

I've stayed at the Renaissance Parc 55 hotel http://www.parc55hotel.com/ - was very nice and just on/beside Union Square. Bit of a corporate modern hotel though but had a nice stay there. Just a note: I had booked a Hertz car and arranged to pick it up at another hotel (when I booked with Hertz site my hotel wasn't offered as a pick-up spot) - but the Parc 55 does actually have a Hertz desk. So if you need a car (not necessary in SF, IMO, but we were driving down to LA), it's best to phone Hertz and get them to arrange a pick-up from your hotel.

As mentioned earlier by another, I also use Trip Advisor to check reviews. I tend to use Travel Supermarket http://www.travelsupermarket.com/ or Octopus Travel http://www.octopustravel.com/IntlHome.jsp and have managed to get good deals with them in the past. I always check the hotel's own rate too as sometimes it's the same as the cheapest one offered elsewhere and you can get a bit more flexibility regarding cancellations etc.

We also booked ahead for the Alcatraz tour http://www.blueandgoldfleet.com/ as it can get booked out. I then booked a city bus tour http://www.guideyou.com/featured.php

Enjoy SF!

toilet_ducks

I've been to SF with work quite a lot so haven't really looked at the prices but the Adagio (http://www.jdvhospitality.com/hotels/hotel/15) and the Clift (http://www.clifthotel.com/) are 2 really nice hotels 2 blocks from Union Square. As I have never paid for both but if you are looking for a nice hotel close to downton SF these are great options.

One piece of advice that I would have is to rent a car! SF is relatively small and you can get a lot done in a short period of time. Also there is so much to see outside of SF. It would be shame to not see it when you are in the area.

ChuckProphet

Ponster wrote:

I stayed at Chancellor Hotel last September for 4 nights.

It was a wonderful place, with the most friendly people I've come across working in a hotel in a long time. It's pretty cheap and just off Union Square. I couldn't imagine going anywhere else the next time I visit.


Take a look at the reviews from TripAdvisor and note that the general manager replies to almost every visitor that wasn't happy.

I second that

matt25

Lucky you!

We stayed in the Taylor Hotel last January. Good location and good value. Hotel's basic but very clean, and it is America, so service is fantastic. There is no breakfast though.

Hotelwise, it depends how much you want to spend. Do you care about views, breakfast etc? Hotel standars in general are high in USA. We went into The Westin St. Francis to have a look around. It is a skyscraper hotel. Worth going into for the lifts alone. They cling onto the side of the building, and lift you right up above the city, giving great views of the Golden Gate Bridge, bay and city.

We found Fishermans Warf a bit touristy/tacky. I'd imagine more it'd be more an expesive area for a hotel. Depends what you want. Union square area is a bit more classy (just an opinion).

San Francisco is a real compact city, about the same size as Dublin, so no matter where you are you won't be too far. Public transport is very efficient (and fun!). Get a bus pass for the relevant number of days - they are excellent value and you can ride the cable cars as much as you like. You won't need a car to get around the city. However I definitely would recommend renting a car to travel and take a trip out of the city.

We went to Yosemite National Park, about a 4 hour drive east. It was spectular (meant to be even better in autumn). We there stayed at the Yoesmite Bug Hostle for two nights. It is called a hostle but it is more a luxury hotel. We had a private room, with double bed. Real cosy, great food and fantastic value. They even made us a packed lunch for our day in the park. The national park is great for hiking at all levels, if you like that, or you can drive everywhere also. Check out the giant sequoia trees.

So much to do in California... You could also check out the wine district. Or the coast road south towards LA through Big Sur is meant to be amazing. If you are there for a few weeks, then check our flights for Las Vegas now, and you could spend some time there and check out the Grand Canyon.

Have a great time!

ELLIEJ

Try the Savoy Hotel , its just off Union Square.

Carrigman

Thanks to all for the tips. Greatly appreciated.