San Francisco Hotel Recommendation

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Author Message   jasper Citizen Username: Jasper Post Number: 193 Registered: 7-2001 Posted on Monday, December 27, 2004 - 2:38 pm:        We will be spending one night in San Francisco on our way back from New Zealand in early March and would like a hotel recommendation. We'll be arriving in SF on a Tuesday at 10:45 AM and we'll be departing for home the next morning at 11:25 AM. If we're not too exhausted, it would be nice to find something we can do for the afternoon on Tuesday with our 5-year-old son. Any recommendations on what to do and where to stay without a car? Do we need a car?   Ukealalio Citizen Username: Ukealalio Post Number: 1584 Registered: 6-2003 Posted on Monday, December 27, 2004 - 2:51 pm:        I travel to San Francisco on business quite frequently and one of my favorite hotels is the Galleria Park on Sutter and Kearney. It is a smaller size hotel with very nicely furnished rooms that is centraly located. I stayed there last week and got a room using my AAA discount for $116, which is really good for San Francisco. The Galleria Park is part of a chain of Kimpton hotels who have a lot of hotels in San Fran,so if the Galleria is booked they can help you with another one of their hotels (another good one of theirs is the Triton). You really don't need a car if your going to stay in the City. The public transportation system (BART) is terrific and you can get to see a lot of the city using the cable cars which I'm sure your son will love (We took our then 9 year old 2 years ago and he had a ball). Visit Fishermans Wharf, go see Alcatraz, have a great meal in North Beach and /or Chinatown and visit one of their museums. Plenty to do in San Fran with a 5 year old. Have fun, it's a great city.   drewdix Citizen Username: Drewdix Post Number: 786 Registered: 7-2001 Posted on Monday, December 27, 2004 - 4:42 pm:        BART is actually Bay Area Rapid Transit, and as such runs one main artery through the city (think Metro North vs. the Subway), even though it's more like a subway than a train. It's best for inter city travels. MUNI is SF's version of the subway (buses-mostly electric) and trains. It's $1.25 and works well. Suggestion: do get a hotel in Uke's suggested neighborhood (I like the Beresford or Beresford Arms- $85-$100). The next day walk due north up Mason St. & over Nob Hill and all the way down to Fisherman's Wharf- but don't bother with the touristy stuff, except the Maritime Museum and Alcatraz boat. DO the Museum (free), dodge the schlock and make a bee line for the boat (I think $16), do the prison tour, and than hike up to Coit Tower. Take the elevator to the top ($3). Walk down Union St into North Beach and have an Italian "family style" dinner at Capp's Corner (very reasonable). It's a great walking city.   kws Citizen Username: Kws Post Number: 93 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Monday, December 27, 2004 - 5:55 pm:        Yes it is a great walking city if you don't mind walking up and down! 5 year old you say? Skip the Coit, it's a verticle climb to the base of the tower and the view from the top is not much improved after the wait for the elevator. The tour of Alcatraz is worthwhile but I can't see it being of interest to a 5 year old. Besides it can be bloody cold, wet and windy out there. Do take a cable car, sit up front, he'll love that and maybe jump off at the Cable Car Museum. Otherwise take it over to Fisherman's Wharf. Plenty to do there for someone so young.   LilRedCorvette Citizen Username: Lilredcorvette Post Number: 164 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Monday, December 27, 2004 - 7:43 pm:        HI Jasper. I lived in SF for years, I can give you the lowdown. I suggest the Kensington Park Hotel for a few reasons. It's central, it's a 3 star and it's reasonably priced. You want to stay somewhere central. Don't stay north in or above Pac Heights, Russian Hill or around the Marina, and don't stay in SOMA (south of market). Those two 'hoods are a little too removed for someone with your time constraints. Stay in a nice area of Union Square...but make sure it's within 4 blocks of Union Square proper. Kensingtonparkhotel.com. I had some friends stay there while visiting me and it was great for them. They even had tea/wine/cheese hour at 4 pm daily. Streetcar was a couple of blocks, so was union square and shopping. Actually, everything was close by. The Grand Cafe was one of my favorite restaurants. Best sushi on the planet is Sushi Groove on Hyde in North Beach. PM me if you want suggestions on things to do.   jasper Citizen Username: Jasper Post Number: 194 Registered: 7-2001 Posted on Monday, December 27, 2004 - 9:40 pm:        Thanks, all, for your responses. I was in San Francisco once for just a couple of days many years ago and I don't really have a sense of the lay of the land. I guess it would help for me to dig up an old map or stop by AAA to get a new map of the city. Indeed, we have both serious time constraints as well as the limitations of traveling with a young child, so we may have to table some of the suggestions for a future trip. I'll check out the hotels you've all suggested and see what works out. It also seems clear that we don't need to bother with the expense and hassle of renting a car. Hopefully we can find some kid-friendly food at one of the recommended restaurants. On the other hand, our son doesn't like much of the usual fare that falls into that category, so it almost doesn't matter.   hismom Citizen Username: Hismom Post Number: 187 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Tuesday, December 28, 2004 - 8:34 am:        I would say wait for Alcatraz until he's a little older. As touristy as it is, I like Fisherman's Warf (the carousel & sea lions are great entertainment for kids) The trolley car museum is a lot of fun if your son is into trains as much as mine is. Ghiradelli Chocolate factory is not a far walk from Fisherman's Wharf and yummy too   drewdix Citizen Username: Drewdix Post Number: 787 Registered: 7-2001 Posted on Tuesday, December 28, 2004 - 9:02 am:        yeah didn't pay attention to the age of your son so as kws says lots of walking may be out! One of the Cable Car lines ends up at the Cable Car museum (I think it's 1200 Mason). That may be enough- a great ride through town, a neat museum, a comfortable meal and back to the hotel after flying from NZ   jasper Citizen Username: Jasper Post Number: 195 Registered: 7-2001 Posted on Tuesday, December 28, 2004 - 10:34 am:        Yes, the cable car and museum sound like a good choice. I'm sure my son will also enjoy looking at the sea lions. I remember them from my trip there years ago.   phyllis Citizen Username: Phyllis Post Number: 313 Registered: 6-2001 Posted on Tuesday, December 28, 2004 - 10:41 am:        I used to stay at a best western - the Canturbury Hotel when I went for work. But it's not really a business hotel. It's small, quirky and near Chinatown and the business district. I highly recommend. I miss that really really strong coffee in the morning. Their cafe was set up like a garden, with large kitchen utencils as sculpture among the plants.   greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 3596 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Monday, January 3, 2005 - 7:44 pm:        From a timing point of view, I have a bit of a different suggestion. Stay at a hotel near the airport. It won't be sexy, but odds are that after the flight, you won't care. If your flight arrives at 10:45a, by the time you clear Customs, get bags, etc., it will be close to noon. Depending on traffic, a cab into the neighborhoods suggested (which I agree are quite lovely) can add up to an hour. You may be better off checking into an airport Marriott, resting up, seeing how you feel & then hopping public transit (unencumbered by luggage) or cab into the city. You can walk around, have dinner, etc. and head back to your hotel. If you are up early the next morning & want to do something else, you can leave your luggage and come back for it before your flight. If you stay in the city, you'd be leaving for the hotel around 9ish anyway. I tend to do this when I travel internationally and have a less than 24 hour stay. It beats dragging into a city, exhausted, napping & going back to the airport the next morning.   jasper Citizen Username: Jasper Post Number: 205 Registered: 7-2001 Posted on Monday, January 3, 2005 - 8:03 pm:        Wow, greenetree, that's an angle I hadn't considered, but I'm inclined to agree that it has its definite merits. I'll do a search and see which hotels are near the airport. If anyone has any they can recommend, that would help.   susan1014 Supporter Username: Susan1014 Post Number: 312 Registered: 3-2002 Posted on Monday, January 3, 2005 - 9:07 pm:        I'm with Greentree on this one...stay at the airport hotel cluster and take mass transit to the city if you actually have the energy. Much as I love SF, and am overdue for a visit, I can't picture happily taking my 5 year old and luggage into the city for one night after the trip you describe! (your mileage may differ...) I'd definitely stay near the airport and make the trip into the city optional rather than mandatory.