B&B or nice little hotel in San Francisco?

March 6, 2006 12:56 PM

Can you recommend a bed and breakfast or some other non-chain hotel in San Francisco? I'd like to take a weekend to spoil my wife there soon.

I've run through these threads, but I'm looking for some more personal experiences. We'll stay two nights, and less than $150/night would be nice but $200/night is doable. Our preferences would lean more towards something like The Inn San Francisco rather than Hotel Diva (just judging on the atmosphere of the room). Thank you!

posted by DakotaPaul to travel & transportation (17 comments total)

Stay away from Hotel Diva -- the rooms are just as awful as they look!

I've always thought the penthouse at Hotel San Remo sounded nice, for the views and the neighborhood (it's in North Beach).

You can also almost always find deals on Hotels.com for the bigger hotels. My father just stayed at Hotel Palomar, which was really really nice (and has a fantastic French Restaurant on the premises).
posted by occhiblu at 1:08 PM on March 6, 2006

We stayed at the Queen Anne on our honeymoon and loved every moment of it. It's an exquisitely preserved Victorian building--it was built as a finishing school for young ladies--located in a quiet but accessible neighborhood. It's part of the terrific Victorian Home Walk tour.
posted by arco at 1:09 PM on March 6, 2006

I have also heard the Queen Anne is really great.
posted by symphonik at 1:18 PM on March 6, 2006

I've heard good things about the Stanyan Park hotel, which is just across the street from Golden Gate Park. It's right by my Chinese hand laundry, too. It's not monstrously expensive.

The Mark Hopkins, in addition to being right atop Nob Hill, makes 100 kinds of martinis in their "Top of the Mark" bar, and the Fairmont across the street has the fabulous Tonga Room. As it happens I've been in rooms in each; they're quite luxurious, but in a "My Presidential Suite has hosted every U.S. President all the way back to King George III" kind of way.
posted by ikkyu2 at 2:10 PM on March 6, 2006

Neighborhood is really important in San Francisco.

Stay away from the Inn you reference. It's a beautiful building in a pretty bad neighborhood. We've had relatives who stayed at the Washington Square Inn and enjoyed it. I second the recommendation for the Stanyan Park hotel.
posted by jasper411 at 3:14 PM on March 6, 2006

Please see this link to the W Hotel in San Francisco. It's cool, not expensive and well located: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/search hotel_-detail.htmlarrivalDate=&departure-Date=&lengthOfStay=&numberOfRooms=&numberOfAdults=&requestedChainCode=&requestedAffiliationCode=&promotionCode=&iATANumber=&ratePlanName=&starwoodPreferredGuest=&rcdi=&propertyID=1153&fromSearch=44FF
posted by Toolshed at 3:46 PM on March 6, 2006

I stayed at Hotel del Sol in the Marina recently and it was a nice experience. It is part of a chain, but it's a boutique chain and you'd probably only notice that from the brochures in the lobby. Great neighborhood, comfy bed, reasonable price. (Make sure to take advantage of their price match offer. Another non-awful chain worth checking out is Kimpton. I have only stayed at their Hotel Cypress in the South Bay, but I'd definitely be interested in checking out their other locations after my experience there. (I recall looking at their "Argonaut" in SF before settling on del Sol).
posted by idontlikewords at 4:04 PM on March 6, 2006

Thanks jasper411. Someone in one of the other threads said the east end of GG Park was dice, so I had wondered about the location.
posted by DakotaPaul at 4:04 PM on March 6, 2006

idontlikewords: I've been looking at the JVD hotels, and they all seem pretty nice. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get a reservation for any of the weekends I'm looking at. :-(

Anyone been to or heard about The Queen Anne Hotel? What's the neighborhood like around there?
posted by DakotaPaul at 4:29 PM on March 6, 2006

The Queen Anne Hotel is beautiful. There's a few nice hotels on California St, specifically from Jones to Powell (Mark Hopkins is one of them, I believe. Also on Union Square there are several nice-looking hotels.
posted by charmston at 4:36 PM on March 6, 2006

You might try the Griffon or the Harbor Court, but insist on a bay view room. Small hotels, gorgeous views of the Bay Bridge.

The Triton is fun - every room different, all decorated by famous people.

Campton Place is supposed to be the ultimate... intimate, understated, elegant with superb service. And a fabulous restaurant.
posted by shifafa at 6:41 PM on March 6, 2006

Mark Hopkins is nice, if you don't want any sleep. At all.

I hate staying in San Francisco simply because it's so fucking noisy - the cable cars, the taxis, and the bellhops blowing whistles to hail the taxi cabs. Ugh. The ex & I stayed there one night and it was the most expensive sleepless night ever.

If you really love San Francisco, then maybe the Golden Gate Hotel will do.

But for the money you'll spend for the "San Francisco Experience" you might also consider one of travelocity's last minute deals and fly her off to Portland, OR for a weekend. ;)
posted by drstein at 8:31 PM on March 6, 2006

I can recommend Inn 1890. I booked a room there for my parents a couple of years ago after a friend recommended it. They thoroughly enjoyed their stay and spoke highly of the staff.
posted by cobrien at 11:16 PM on March 6, 2006

Seconding Inn 1890 as an attractive, friendly, professionally run place with a decent breakfast. Not really romantic, though, if that's what you're looking for, plus you'd be stuck out in the Haight a wee bit. (I was in town for a conference at USF, hence the choice of location, but your priorities may differ.)
posted by Sonny Jim at 12:02 AM on March 7, 2006

I highly recommend the Cartwight Hotel on Sutter St. Clean, Affordable, close to Chinatown, Union Square + downtown.
posted by adamvasco at 5:40 AM on March 7, 2006

Cool, the Cartwright is easy walking distance from three of the places we want to visit while there. Thanks, adamvasco!
posted by DakotaPaul at 4:47 PM on March 7, 2006

Fitzgerald's is a non-chain hotel that's a little below your price range. Breakfast was a typical continental deal, but I still feel a little spoiled every time I stay there because of the rooms - the interiors are in keeping with a loosely-defined romantic Victorian theme, in my opinion.
posted by PY at 6:43 PM on June 27, 2006