Hotels in San Francisco

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  • Hotel near UCSF Mission Bay?

    Oct 31, 2024

    Can anyone recommend a hotel in San Francisco, in a decent area, reasonably close to the UCSF Mission Bay campus?

    Someplace that has decent food on site?

    I must have outpatient eye surgery, with a follow-up visit the next day. 

    We live in East Oakland. I am super-uncomfortable with my family members' driving.  The prospect of crossing the Bay Bridge and emerging into the dystopian density of San Francisco, while I will be anxious about the surgery, is a nightmare.

    So I plan to take the ferry over to SF with a family member, Lyft to UCSF.  Emerge from surgery stoned on sedation, get to a hotel, consume a cannabis gummy, and pass out until it is time for breakfast, then go to the follow-up appointment and back on the ferry. 

    I have heard of AirBNB setups in Dogpatch that were noisy, hot, and in scary surroundings. Would like to identify a predictable hotel with easy drop-off and pick-up. 

    Thank you!

    Two you could try are Hotel Abri (https://www.hotelabrisf.com/packages/ucsf) and Luma Hotel. Wishing you an easy surgery and recovery.

    When I delivered my baby at UCSF Mission Bay, we had out of town visitors stay in South San Francisco. Lots of big chain hotels there due to airport proximity, and much easier to get on/off the freeway and travel a few exits than to navigate unfamiliar SF streets.

    I would recommend LUMA hotel. You can easily get to and from Ferry from here. It’s a nice and reliable. Can also hop on train stop right outside to take it two stops down to UCSF Mission Bay

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  • My husband is turning 40 soon and doesn't want a big celebration, but would rather just do something with the family (me and two kids, ages 10 and 12).  I'm thinking of planning a surprise where the kids and I kidnap him after work, take him out to dinner, and then stay for one night at a hotel in San Francisco (we live in the East Bay).  He's an architect and appreciates interesting design, so I'd love to find a place that is really cool or unique that would also not be weird about us bringing kids there.  Bonus if it has a bar that we can slip out to for an hour while the kids watch TV in the room.  Any ideas?  I'm from the area, so I've never thought to look into SF hotels before, but I would love any suggestions.  Thanks in advance :)   

    Any of the Joie de Vivre hotels fit your description! I also recommend the Handlery Hotel (they have an indoor pool!). 

    We have stayed at the Courtyard Marriot at Fisherman's Wharf. Its on Beach Street. We liked it for its location. Its walking distance to all the attractions, which are literally around the corner. Starbucks is nearby. The rooms were clean, staff very friendly. Not sure if it has a bar area however:) Hope that helps!

    The Argonaut in Fishermans Wharf is great for families. Kids under 17 are free and there is complimentary hot chocolate and wine in the afternoon/evening. The architecture is interesting -- it's in an historic warehouse -- and has some nautical touches like round windows in the rooms. The staff are great with kids and pets and the location can't be beat. 

    http://www.familyvacationcritic.com/argonaut-hotel-reviews/hrv/

    We love the Hotel Vitale. Hip great location. They give a discount for local residents. Haven't taken the kids but I think it would be fun. You could go to Slanted Door to eat or other places I the Ferry Building. Great idea. 

    What about the St. Regis San Francisco (on 3rd, next to SFMOMA). They have a pool on their top floor, so kids should love that, and a bar on the ground floor. Extra bonus: if you book this hotel through a travel agent affiliated with Virtuoso, you get some added value amenities:

    • continental breakfast for two daily
    • one lunch for two per stay
    • upgrade if available

     Sheraton Palace the other Montgomery BART stop .

     Has an amazing dining room with super high ceiling chandeliers etc. fun to look at .

     The hotel has a nice indoor pool and a sauna.  I think any place with a pool expects kids and the kids will enjoy the pool . The big question is if you can find a deal on some website or if you have anyway to get a discount sometime state employees discounts etc. available .  One suggestion  anyway. Good luck

    Cavallo Point, just over the Golden Gate Bridge, has views of the bridge and bay. Murray Circle is a nice bar there. Nice little spa there as well. 

Archived Q&A and Reviews


Sept 2008

My cousin will be coming with his family (four kids 15-4 years old) to San Francisco around New Year's and wants to stay in a hotel in the city. Any recommendations for family friendly and reasonably priced accommodations? Nadia


Not sure what their price range was, but the Argonaut in Fisherman's Wharf is about $150/night. We stayed there once and really liked the unique rooms, hotel, and actually had a lot of fun being right in Fisherman's Wharf to walk around and do stuff. There's great places to eat around there. Otherwise if that's too much, I would recommend looking into hostels. Argonaut fan


We have had great luck renting houses and apartments via VRBO.com. Have rented them in Manhattan, Santa Cruz, Tahoe, Monterey and Russian River so far. I am sure there are tons of rentals in SF and since they are homes for rent by the owners...they are usually very family friendly (and easy as there are kitchens, bath tubs, etc). We have even had places well child-proofed (which is good with a 2 and 4 yo). Nikki


August 2008

I am walking in the upcoming Breast Cancer 3-Day 60 Mile in San Francisco. The camp is most likely going to be at Crissy Field in SF. I cannot camp and need a hotel recommendation that is in the general area of Crissy Field. Anybody out there know of a good clean reasonable hotel near Crissy Field?


There are a number of hotels on Lombard Street and in the Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco. Lombard is a bit closer to Crissy Field, but only by about 5 minutes. If you do a Google search on Hotels on Lombard Street SF you get a list of them. A couple that came up are: THE FRANCISCO BAY INN 1501 Lombard Street, San Francisco, California 94123 415-474-3030 | Toll-Free: 1-800-410-7007 and the Heritage Marina Hotel 2550 Van Ness Avenue ? San Francisco, California 94109 (415) 776-7500 | Toll-Free: 1-866-714-6835. There's also Comfort Inn by The Bay 2775 Van Ness Ave. , San Francisco, CA, US, 94109-1497 | Phone: (415) 928-5000 Fax: (415) 441-3990. if you do the Google search, you get the links to their websites and you can check the amenities. Jennifer


June 2007

My two grown sisters are visiting in July for five days and bringing my mother who is blind. I am looking for a convenient and nice hotel(or housesitting) in SF. We usually stay in Union Square but it's a bit overwhelming for my mom so I'm seeking something more off the beaten path. I would be grateful for any suggestions. Thanks. Anne


Check out any of the Kimpton Hotels (new leader in the Boutique Hotel industry): Especially Hotel Monaco....See pictures of each (all quite different) at www.kimptonhotels.com Fun, each different.... enjoy today. Sister


Dec 2006

For Christmas I want to take my husband to a restaurant, the theater and then spent the night in a hotel-- all in San Francisco. The next day we will go to the De Young. The goal is to be tourists--April in San Francisco. Can anyone recommend a good hotel. I am clueless. Janet


I didn't see the Palace hotel mentioned in the archives you linked to your request. The Palace (some people call it the Sheraton Palace) is one of the oldest SF hotels. The rooms are beautiful, and both restaurants are great. The Garden Court is not to be missed during daylight hours (brunch?) with its beautiful paintings and glass ceiling. Maxfield's has a happening bar scene you may want to hit after your show. It's on New Montgomery & Market. You can take the new F-Line trolley, a bus, or a taxi to your dinner/theatre destinations, and, you know, really no hotels are close to the De Young, so you're on your own there. My husband and I did this a couple of years ago for a symphony/dinner date and really had a great time staying at the Palace anon


What kind of experience would you like to have? If you want a small boutique hotel (which I think would be more romantic), you might consider the Campton Place or the Huntington? If you want to stay at one of the grand luxury hotels in the city, there are places like the Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and Mandarin Oriental. There are lots of great choices in SF. I'm a travel consultant in Berkeley - David


We like the Four Seasons, which is on Market St, between 3d and 4th. Very modern and elegant, with a great location for shopping, transportation, etc. We stayed there 2 years ago in September and did the tourist thing--very fun! Tracy


Re: Place for one-night getaway in SF (March 2006)
The Argonaut Hotel in Fisherman's Wharf is my new favorite get- away spot in SF. We went there purely out of just trying to find a reasonable place to stay for an overnight getaway and it ended up being really nice for so many reasons. The architecture and interior design of the hotel and hotel rooms is very cool and the rooms are fun, unique, and made for a romantic kind of setting (dimmers on the lights and things). They give you a CD to play with some nice local artists and we opened a bottle of wine from the minibar. We then got our coats and walked around and found a nice spot to eat. It's also a Kimpton Hotel which means they offer spa services, so we planned ahead and had massages in our room after dinner. The whole night was great. When we booked I thought it would be kind of lame being in a touristy area, but it ended up being fun and we could kind of pretend that we were on a mini-vacation.
Argonaut Hotel fan


Re: Wedding night romantic getaway in the Bay Area (March 2005)
The Majestic Hotel. It worked for us before we moved here. Lovely butterfly collection, great bar, great restuarant..wonderful appointed rooms with four poster bed & fireplace.
Robert


Re: Wedding night romantic getaway in the Bay Area (March 2005)
The Clift Hotel at the bottom of Nob Hill on Geary St. is a lot of fun. I spent my wedding night there. We had a suite which was worth the splurge. The decor is very modern, but the rooms are super nice. They treat newleyweds very well too. We spent the following morning walking around Nob Hill. anon


Re: Wedding night romantic getaway in the Bay Area (March 2005)
My Husband and I were given a one night stay at the Sherman House as a wedding gift. It is a beautiful, small hotel in San Francisco's Pacific Heights area. Our room had a fireplace with a canopy bed. It was warm, cozy, elegant and very romantic.
A perfect gift


Re: Wedding night romantic getaway in the Bay Area (March 2005)
My husband and I love the San Remo Hotel in San Francisco. It's a romantic, European-style building not far from the touristy Pier 39 area. The prices are affordable, and they have a very private ''Penthouse'' on the roof level of the hotel for only $155/night. The website is: http://www.sanremohotel.com/ Hope this helps, good luck finding the perfect getaway for your friend! Jessica


Re: Romantic Getaway for Couples (March 2003)
My husband and I recently spent a weekend in SF at a B and B called the Chateau Tivoli @ 1057 Steiner, between Golden Gate and .....can't remember the other street. It was a lovely place. It's an old restored Victorian with a very interesting history. It has about 13 rooms, all named after famous people (The Enrico Caruso, the Mark Twain, etc.) and decorated very beautifully in that period. The prices start at about $95.00 per night and go up. They have beautiful 2 room suites, or smaller rooms with or without private bath. The breakfasts were yummy and very lovely at a long table for about 12. We went out for dinner on Friday eve (walk to Japan Center so you don't have to look for parking when you get back) and on Saturday we walked all over the city, down to the theatre district, got tickets for a show that night, walked to Yerba Buena Gardens, went into stores, ate, etc. AFter the show we took a cab back. It was a wonderfully romantic weekend (without kids of course) and I can't recommend the Chateau Tivoli more highly. Have fun. anon


I couldn't agree more with the Chateau Tivoli recommendation. My husband and I just spent the weekend there and it was absolutely delightful. The weekend breakfasts were plentiful and the suite (major splurge but well worth it) we stayed in was so cozy and beautiful we spent little time away. We parked our car on Friday night and from there we cabbed to dinner that evening ($6, including tip, to the Civic Center), walked to Japantown the next day and then took the 22 Fillmore to Chestnut for Saturday evening. Because no one was checking into our suite on Sunday night, we got to stay all day. I can't wait to go back. (Thanks to the person from the digest who originally recommended this to us) Shoshana