San Francisco: Best area to stay in??

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Jamie123

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I'm going on a trip to California with my girlfriend in late August/early September and am looking at some hotels to stay at. We'll be staying in San Francisco for a couple of days and I'm wondering what area of the city I should look at for hotels.
So my question to you SF residents is this: If you were vistiting SF for a couple of days only, what area would you want to stay at? And please look at it from a tourist perspective.

Thanks in advance everyone!
 
SF is a quite small city, with interconnected bus, streetcar, and subway systems, all of which can be mapped and tracked in real time on your cell phone, so you can plan your connections to the minute, find the nearest stop, etc.. The reason I say this is that it doesn't really matter which part of the city you stay in, you are always have quick access by foot or transit to the entire city. In addition to hotels, you might consider the extensive listings of B&B's throughout the city, at all price levels. You can find what's available online. My preference is to stay at a B&B in a quiet neighborhood (e.g., Cole Valley) with easy bus and streetcar access to more busy parts of the city.
 
If it's your first trip, and/or if you're with older folks, I'd recommend around Union Square, but North of Market.
 
tim_n said:
SF is a quite small city, with interconnected bus, streetcar, and subway systems, all of which can be mapped and tracked in real time on your cell phone, so you can plan your connections to the minute, find the nearest stop, etc.. The reason I say this is that it doesn't really matter which part of the city you stay in, you are always have quick access by foot or transit to the entire city. In addition to hotels, you might consider the extensive listings of B&B's throughout the city, at all price levels. You can find what's available online. My preference is to stay at a B&B in a quiet neighborhood (e.g., Cole Valley) with easy bus and streetcar access to more busy parts of the city.
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I appreciate the advice but I'm really looking for the best areas to stay at, not the cheapest. We're only there for a couple of days so a quiet neighborhood is not what I'm looking for. Like I said, I'm looking at this from a tourist perspective. If I were to stay there for an extended period I'd certainly consider this.
Planning connections with a cell phone is not really an option as the providers in Switzerland (where I'm from) have such high roaming charges that a few minutes of web usage overseas could easily run you $50 or more. Or does SF have free wifi?
 
ampguy said:
If it's your first trip, and/or if you're with older folks, I'd recommend around Union Square, but North of Market.
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Although I sometimes feel like I'm getting old, I suppose at 26 I'm not quite yet considered to be one of the older folks 🙂. My girlfriend's 23 so she's should be fine aswell 🙂

Anyways, Union Square and North Beach, as has been suggested by wilonstott, sound good. I'll have a look at what I can find there. Thanks guys!
 
Hi Jamie,

I stayed in The Chancellor Hotel off Union Sq last August when I was in SF for a few days work. It's neither the most expensive/deluxe nor the cheapest but I found it to be very well situated. A short walk through the Chinese and Italian districts had me down by the waterfront, where some friends live. The travel links seemed pretty impressive to me whilst I was there and it is a small city with all of the joys of a smaller city.

By the way, if you like good beer seek out some of the micro brewery bars. I had the very English assumption that American beer was pretty much only the big names that are exported around the world. This is very much NOT the case. Infact I think the American micro breweries are making some of the best beer I've had in years.
 
Union Square is okay. Great if you need to run to Macy's for something.

I never really have to.

Stay at Hotel Boheme at 444 Columbus.
Right off of Washington Square.
No cooler neighborhood in San Francisco.
Have Breakfast at Mama's. It's around the corner. Get there before 8.
 
Hotel Triton

Hotel Triton

Although I haven't been there in a couple of years, I recommend the Triton, near Union Square and the dragon gate to Chinatown. It's a small hotel, upscale but not extravagant, funky and arty but not weird. (No connection other than being a happy customer.)

http://www.hoteltriton.com
 
I wasn't trying to direct you to cheapest alternatives: there are some quite luxurious B&B's. Rather, if you stay at a tourist hotel near Union Square or North Beach in August or September, you will mostly be in contact with other tourists and travelers, not San Franciscans. At a B&B, you have contact with local residents, with their suggestions about what to do. Likewise, taking transit puts you in contact with residents. About the transit data, most SF bus kiosks have real time info about arrivals, and if you have a WiFi-capable cell phone, most coffee shops have free WiFI that gives you access to the same transit data. No need to turn on the phone roaming. BTW, if you like coffee and coffeeshops, check out this site for coffee in SF:
http://www.coffeeratings.com. You can find best coffee (espresso) by neighborhood.
 
North Beach. Look for one of the smaller, family run hotels, and you'll be right next door to Chinatown. You shouldn't have any trouble finding one. Expect to pay a premium this time of year. This is the area where the night life is happening, and plenty of great restaurants (try the cheese and garlic pizza at North Beach Pizza). During the day head out to the Mission district. Best coffee houses in San Francisco. I never cared for those yuppie/tourist trap places in North Beach.
 
here

here

Homewood Suites by Hilton-SFO/North

2000 Shoreline Court, Brisbane, CA, 94005
Phone: (650) 589-1600

gorgeous view of the bay, the best hotel we stayed in during our entire 25 day CA trip and also the one with the best free breakfast.

the best part-i only payed $85/night through hotwire.

try it out, guarantee u won't regret it.

dan.
 
Nob Hill and/or around Union Square is where I prefer to stay as former resident. A few blocks from Powell St cable cars. The heart of San Francisco. I walk everywhere, except Coit Tower, Twin Peaks, Cliff House and Golden Gate Park where you need private or public transportation. Washington Sq I like too and also close to cable cars.

Much depends on your budget and what days of the week. Make reservations early as possible.
 
ampguy said:
If it's your first trip, and/or if you're with older folks, I'd recommend around Union Square, but North of Market.
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Always north of Market, the farther north the better.

EDIT: Having grown up in S.F. I can tell you most everybody is from somewhere else. Dont expect to meet too many "local folk."
 
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tim_n said:
I wasn't trying to direct you to cheapest alternatives: there are some quite luxurious B&B's. Rather, if you stay at a tourist hotel near Union Square or North Beach in August or September, you will mostly be in contact with other tourists and travelers, not San Franciscans. At a B&B, you have contact with local residents, with their suggestions about what to do. Likewise, taking transit puts you in contact with residents. About the transit data, most SF bus kiosks have real time info about arrivals, and if you have a WiFi-capable cell phone, most coffee shops have free WiFI that gives you access to the same transit data. No need to turn on the phone roaming. BTW, if you like coffee and coffeeshops, check out this site for coffee in SF:
http://www.coffeeratings.com. You can find best coffee (espresso) by neighborhood.
Click to expand...

Understood, but it sounded a little like a New Yorker suggesting to stay in Brooklyn because it's cheaper than touristy Manhattan and has good subway connections 🙂
 
wilonstott said:
Union Square is okay. Great if you need to run to Macy's for something.

I never really have to.

Stay at Hotel Boheme at 444 Columbus.
Right off of Washington Square.
No cooler neighborhood in San Francisco.
Have Breakfast at Mama's. It's around the corner. Get there before 8.
Click to expand...

Sounds good. I'll look into it.
 
ampguy said:
If it's your first trip, and/or if you're with older folks, I'd recommend around Union Square, but North of Market.
Click to expand...

As an S.F. native who occasionally stays overnight in the City (I now live in Sacramento), I tend to agree. I've stayed at the Hotel California on Geary, near Union Square and almost across the street from the American Conservatory Theater, and can recommend it. It's a Best Western property, an older hotel that's been completely renovated, and the decor is charming. The immediate neighborhood is a bit sketch, but you're close to key sites downtown.

My other strong recommendations are the Griffon Hotel or the Harbor Court on Steuart Street (I think) very close to the Embarcadero. Great location, close to the Ferry Building. A terrific restaurant, Boulevard, is on the corner. Rooms at the Griffon are small, but well appointed, and it's a great location for seeing SF's waterfront. Highly recommended.
 
dbarnes said:
Although I haven't been there in a couple of years, I recommend the Triton, near Union Square and the dragon gate to Chinatown. It's a small hotel, upscale but not extravagant, funky and arty but not weird. (No connection other than being a happy customer.)

http://www.hoteltriton.com
Click to expand...

i'll second the triton, it's a safe neighborhood and right around the corner from north beach, chinatown, union square and the embarcadero.
if money isn't an issue check out the marc hopkins, sir francis drake, or the fairmont.
i wouldn't stay anywhere south of market or west of powell, neighborhoods are pretty hit and miss. also, staying in the suburbs will be really dull unless you have a car.

good luck.

bob
 
There are apps you can download if you use a smartphone. If your phone has GPS it's even better. No matter where you stay I'm sure those apps come in handy. Many apps can store data like map, transportation system, etc on the phone so you don't have to use data. I used apps that I can see where to get on/off trains based on the destination and where you are using GPS and built-in map when I went to Paris. If you can tell us what phone you use, probably people here can recommend some apps.

And as someone said, SF is full of wifi spots. All Starbucks, most of independent coffee shops, even the entire Union Square are free wifi enabled.

As for the area to stay, north of market is a safe bet. If you get close to east, close to market is fine, if you go west side, farther north is better. Avoid the are in north of market marked 'Tenderloin' on the map.
 
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