View Full Version : Hotels in San Francisco
Mrs Miggins
11-04-2006, 12:00
Hi all!
I'm planning a trip to San Francisco and am a bit stumped as to which area to stay in. Anyone got any good/bad hotel stories they'd like to share?
Thanks
Mrs Miggins
11-04-2006, 16:17
Dunno to be honest!
It's our honeymoon so I want somewhere decent. Not top end but definitely not budget.
I want to stay somewhere fairly funky too. Reading my guidebook it seems as if the Lower Haight or the Mission might be good but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and I seeing as it is our honeymoon, I want to try to get it right!
There are no hotels in the Haight or the Mission, really. Unless you want to stay in an SRO crackden, which could be cool and 'authentic'. :D
Depending on budget, try the W. Or you could try a short-term rental - I think that would be much nicer. CHeck craigslist.
I had my honeymoon in San Francisco in 2001.I stayed at the Diva Hotel,Union Square.Funky rooms but we had a smoking room which reeked of stale tobacco which spoilt it,somewhat.
http://www.hoteldiva.com/html/rooms.html
potential
11-04-2006, 21:38
There are no hotels in the Haight or the Mission, really. Unless you want to stay in an SRO crackden, which could be cool and 'authentic'. :D
Depending on budget, try the W. Or you could try a short-term rental - I think that would be much nicer. CHeck craigslist.
you should stay in the big red victorian on haight ashbury...
you cant miss it, each room has a theme white room , peace room
etc think it was quiet cheap alot cheaper than peir 49 or
whatever the tourist bit is called
Mrs Miggins
13-04-2006, 15:00
Thanks guys.
I'll look those up.
Lazy Llama
13-04-2006, 15:31
You could also try Hotwire (http://www.hotwire.com) which does good rates on hotels. We used it in Chicago and Boston (we stayed with family in SF) and it came up with very good deals. It doesn't tell you the name of the hotel until you book it, but it does give a description, facilities and reviews.
Last year I stayed in The Mosser, booked via Expedia and can reccomend it.Excellent value for money!
Johnny Canuck2
15-04-2006, 19:49
I stayed in a place called the New Bedford once, with a friend of mine, a Japanese guy. We went to this bar, he met a girl, and we all headed back to the hotel. They wouldn't let her upstairs, because they thought she was a hooker. She and my friend left for her place.
Next day, he came back and told me that, as it turns out, she was a hooker, but no money changed hands, because she had a thing for Japanese guys.
All well and good, but it was a fucking boring night for me, back at the New Bedford.
Johnny Canuck2
15-04-2006, 19:53
I also stayed in a hotel right down at Columbus and Broadway. The halls were really tall and narrow and there were a few inches between the doors and the floor.
Met this couple; they worked downstairs, doing a live sex show. They gave us free tickets to the show, but we never went.
The bathroom was down the hall, and I met a guy in the bar down the street with a .45 shoved in his pants under his t shirt.
Johnny Canuck2
15-04-2006, 19:54
I stayed in a nice hotel there, called the Hotel Nikko. Don't know if it's still around.
The Clift hilton also looked nice.
you should stay in the big red victorian on haight ashbury...
you cant miss it, each room has a theme white room , peace room
etc think it was quiet cheap alot cheaper than peir 49 or
whatever the tourist bit is called
That's right - down the street from the Red Vic! I totally forgot about that place.
I think it may be a proper B&B.
But, honestly, I think you'd be better off for a honeymoon doing a short-term rental situation and getting a car for part of the time too. There's a woman who rented to my theater company when we hosted some guest artists/master teachers last year and the place was stunning!
It was $1500 for 9/17 through 10/3. There is street parking in that area and, if I recall, she might have a garage space to rent too.. She might still have her stuff on CL.
Johnny Canuck2
18-04-2006, 04:35
You can also rent apartments by the week. We rented one once in a high rise, I think it was on Bush Street. No pun intended.
Mr Retro
21-04-2006, 15:26
You could also try Hotwire (http://www.hotwire.com) which does good rates on hotels. We used it in Chicago and Boston (we stayed with family in SF) and it came up with very good deals. It doesn't tell you the name of the hotel until you book it, but it does give a description, facilities and reviews.
That Hotwire is shit! You don't learn the exact hotel location or the name of your hotel until after you have booked!
Yokohama
21-04-2006, 15:34
We stayed in the Ramada Plaza Down Town last October and it looks really nice on the website but can't really recommend it, it was quite run down and the staff wasn't particularly pleasant!
We used the website www.hotels.com to book all our hotels on our travels in teh US and found it to be alright, didn't have any problems with any bookings
Good luck!
Lazy Llama
21-04-2006, 15:41
That Hotwire is shit! You don't learn the exact hotel location or the name of your hotel until after you have booked!
Which is what I said.
That's why its cheap. Hotels with good reputations don't like having their rooms advertised at low rates, so they sell excess space through Hotwire.
We got the Hyatt in Chicago and the Parker House in Boston (which is a a great historical hotel; Malcolm X and Ho Chi Minh both worked there, though not while we were visiting) for much less than any of the other sites were offering.
The site tells you the area where the hotel is so its not like you want a city centre hotel and get one out at the airport, and the reviews give you an idea of what the places are like.
Worked for us, but your mileage may vary...
Mr Retro
21-04-2006, 21:50
Which is what I said.
That's why its cheap. Hotels with good reputations don't like having their rooms advertised at low rates, so they sell excess space through Hotwire.
We got the Hyatt in Chicago and the Parker House in Boston (which is a a great historical hotel; Malcolm X and Ho Chi Minh both worked there, though not while we were visiting) for much less than any of the other sites were offering.
The site tells you the area where the hotel is so its not like you want a city centre hotel and get one out at the airport, and the reviews give you an idea of what the places are like.
Worked for us, but your mileage may vary...
Why actually read somebodys post when you can jump off the deep end and make an idiot of yourself? Sorry Lazy Llama :o
Mrs Miggins
29-04-2006, 14:19
Is The Hotwire a last minute booking kind of tool? Just looked at prices in Sept/Oct and they seem no better than the hotel published rates I've found.
Lazy Llama
29-04-2006, 14:22
Yeah. mostly last minute deals. We booked 2-3 days ahead.
Mrs Miggins
29-04-2006, 15:06
Ah - thought so - I'm booking up now it's probably not the best tool for me to use. But thanks Lazy Llama.
Think we might be going to the Mosser - thanks 1972! - it looks like our kind of place! Don't think I can cope with the hippies at the Red Victorian :D
Fledgling
29-05-2006, 01:00
A bit off-topic as I very much doubt you'd want a honeymoon staying among bakcpacks and socks and sharing with snoring travellers but I stayed at the excellent YHA in the centre. It was an old hotel and had an amusing old-style cafe for a dining room because they'd never really torn it down from when it was part of the hotel. However it's in Tenderloin, just about the worst part of central San Francisco I've been to. But the hostel was nice and cheap and I met people there who I went for drinks and food with.
A bit off-topic as I very much doubt you'd want a honeymoon staying among bakcpacks and socks and sharing with snoring travellers but I stayed at the excellent YHA in the centre. It was an old hotel and had an amusing old-style cafe for a dining room because they'd never really torn it down from when it was part of the hotel. However it's in Tenderloin, just about the worst part of central San Francisco I've been to. But the hostel was nice and cheap and I met people there who I went for drinks and food with.
The Tenderloin is great! Don't knock it.
It's my home.
:p
Fledgling
29-05-2006, 02:09
The Tenderloin is great! Don't knock it.
It's my home.
:p
I'm sure living there has its good sides. But it was rather intimidating and felt somewhat dangerous after three months in rural ND and a visit to swanky Portland and lovely Monterey. I was only there for 3 days anyway so perhaps shouldn't be overly judgemental. However I could never get over how unequal the city was and how quickly the city changes from one block to the next. One good thing though was the authenticity compared to other parts of the city which were overly gift shop-ised and there wasa good pizza place round the corner.
I'm sure living there has its good sides. But it was rather intimidating and felt somewhat dangerous after three months in rural ND and a visit to swanky Portland and lovely Monterey. I was only there for 3 days anyway so perhaps shouldn't be overly judgemental. However I could never get over how unequal the city was and how quickly the city changes from one block to the next. One good thing though was the authenticity compared to other parts of the city which were overly gift shop-ised and there wasa good pizza place round the corner.
The TL is definitely not the most picturesque, quietest, or most peaceful part of SF. It's got plenty of strife, grime, and craziness; but it's also a great neighborhood in a lot of ways.
potential
29-05-2006, 15:32
The TL is definitely not the most picturesque, quietest, or most peaceful part of SF. It's got plenty of strife, grime, and craziness; but it's also a great neighborhood in a lot of ways.
how did get to be called tenderlion ???
also where is TL in relation to rest of the city ?
TL = cops used to get a bonus for working that beat, therefore they could afford tender loin (or so goes the story)
It's one of the most central areas of the city - easy access to just about everywhere and the east bay/south bay/public transport hubs/etc
near Civic Center
Try Google
;)
MillicentCube
30-05-2006, 20:24
Yeah, the Nikko is still there but it's pretty expensive. Sorry to those who live there but I would also avoid the tenderloin and parts of SoMa.
potential
30-05-2006, 20:53
TL = cops used to get a bonus for working that beat, therefore they could afford tender loin (or so goes the story)
It's one of the most central areas of the city - easy access to just about everywhere and the east bay/south bay/public transport hubs/etc
near Civic Center
Try Google
;)
thank you D
is it where the tram turns around ?
and where that red bar is, everything inside is red ?
there were alot of strip joints there...
but i loved it...........
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/search/hotel_detail.html?propertyID=1153
I stayed at the W last time I was in SF, and it is fabulous. Perfect for a honeymoon, imo. It's adjacent to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, really well placed to explore, I found. The restaurant is also world-class, seafood especially. It's not cheap, but then luxury never is, and you only have one horneymoon!:cool:
PS: I wasn't paying.
Yeah, the Nikko is still there but it's pretty expensive. Sorry to those who live there but I would also avoid the tenderloin and parts of SoMa.
That's rubbish - you may want to stay elsewhere, but the TL and SoMa have some of the best food, nightlife, and community vibe, etc in the city. Plus, the city's so small, there's really no reason to *avoid* anywhere - it's not like a quick visit to the 'loin will take you out of your way.
Best brunch in the TL, one of the most amazing veggie restaurants on the planet in the TL. Trannyshack at the Stud, fantastic restaurants, great cafes in SoMa.
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