Where to Stay in San Francisco

LoveIsUnity

My anniversary is coming up in September, and I'm planning a trip to San Francisco. I've been there before, and my better half has as well, but we've never been there together. I already have lots of ideas for things to do (though I'm happy to hear suggestions), but I'm not sure where to stay.

My budget is $200 a night, but if I can find a nice place for less that would be awesome and would go to fund other fun stuff. We're driving there, so while access to public transportation is nice, it won't be essential. I'm mainly interested in areas that are nice to stay (since I don't remember the city all that well and am getting conflicting reports online) and hotels that are nice. Thanks in advance H&A.

schuss

What are you doing while you're here? How important are hotel-type amenities to you? The best places in the city (IMO) don't really have many nice hotels around them, so AirBNB is a good bet. One other thing to consider from a romance perspective is going to Sausalito, as it's a bit slower-paced there and you can get a place looking out over the water (I recommend Hotel Sausalito).

witch_ie

Having made a few similar trips years ago and living in the bay area now, I would recommend that if you want to stay in the city, you should stay close to Union Square, which can be a little pricey or somewhere in China Town and keep in mind that a few blocks can make a big difference in the environment around the hotel. In general, I would suggest staying north of Mission Street and not going too far (not more than one block) west of Union Square. We actually changed our hotel on one trip to one just off Union Square (the W or the Westin) after feeling somewhat unsafe walking back to our original hotel (the Carlton) after dark. It was more expensive, but worth it to us even though the other hotel was really nice in and of itself. It really depends on what you're comfortable with. You'll want to keep in mind that parking in San Francisco can be pretty expensive (roughly $30/day depending on where you park), so being close to public transportation may save you a bit of money.

LoveIsUnity

Alright, these are good things to know.

@schuss I'm not super interested in a trip to Sausalito, primarily because we have hit a lot of the slower-paced areas in California before. We've done Santa Barbara and the surrounding wine regions, Monterey, Cozumel, and places like that. We're going to San Francisco specifically for the city rather than for the region.

@witch_ie Thanks for the suggestions. We're from LA by way of NY, so we know all about expensive parking I will check out the Union Square area.

schuss

Also honestly - Union Square sucks. Not a lot of good food around there unless it's super pricy. Immediately west of it is indeed the Tenderloin, but past that is good as it turns into lower pac heights. You can ride the J or N trains to Duboce and Church, which gets you past Civic center and the tenderloin, then go from there.

Fun places in my opinion - Lower Haight/Divis, Upper Mission, Valencia down through Noe/Mission
SOMA is dead after nightfall except for shows in a few places, and I've never really enjoyed North Beach or Nob Hill that much. That said, I've only been here a year, so definitely take some of my advice with a grain of salt.
My personal reco's for the area: Nice Dinner = L'Ardoise Bistro
Fun Dinner: Suppenkuche, with pre-drinks at Two Sisters Bar & Books
Fun packed bar - Magnolia
Fun Dive Bar - The Page

mrt144

Hotel Nikko was great when I stayed there years ago.

Sorry, price range is way too high.

dacount97

We are in the same boat, heading to San Fran in October and looking for a place to stay. We won't have a car, so a little different than the OP, but looking for the same kinda things.

I have been looking in the Nob Hill / North Beach area, but are there any places to NOT look in / around? No one on Airbnb is going to say "Great Place, Location is great if you only go outside in the daytime", you know?

schuss

SF is mostly a safe city, just stay away from Civic Center and Tenderloin/Western Addition. Parts of SOMA and the Mission can also get sketchy, but just look at padmapper.com and use the crimescope view for an easy indicator. Google streetview will probably tell you what you need to know as well.

I'd recommend grabbing a place in hayes valley or around duboce park if you can, as it's central to everything and has easy access to the Muni, while having amenities nearby. I don't recommend Nob Hill, as that hill is really big (same with top of Pac Heights). It's basically a mile straight uphill, and cable cars are either packed or $6. You can take buses, but it's more hassle than it's worth. Views CAN be cool if it's a top floor place though.

Here are some sample places:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/198455
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/400990

Also of note: fog generally starts around Divisadero and gets thicker as you go west.

LoveIsUnity

Can anyone tell me if this is in a sketchy area? http://www.hotels.com/ho230158/cornell-hotel-de-france-san-francisco-united-states/?gclid=CN7Xhru42LECFUkbQgodDgIAPA

schuss

Not great, but not that sketchy. West of there it can be a bit sketchy until around Japantown.

LoveIsUnity

Alright, last time I'll ask, but what about here: http://www.booking.com/hotel/us/carlton-san-francisco.en.html?aid=311088;label=carlton-san-francisco-zucWefZvWh5WTfQ*xhzjzwS9411832923:pl:ta:p1:p2:ac:ap1t3:neg;ws=&gclid=CPHCjK682LECFeUaQgod324Apw

schuss

I would not stay there, personally. It's not terrible, but it's not great, especially if you're not the "city-aware" type of person. It's also not that close to any good transit options, as Civic Center can get a bit sketchy at night. You basically need to go North for "better" areas, and that's away from transit.