Frommer's San Francisco 2012 - Matthew Poole [60]
Edward II Inn & Suites ★ This three-story “English country” inn has a room for almost anyone’s budget, ranging from pensione units with shared bathrooms to luxuriously appointed suites and cottages with whirlpool bathtubs and fireplaces. Originally built to house guests who attended the 1915 Pan Pacific Exposition, it’s still a good place to stay in spotless and comfortably appointed rooms with cozy antique furnishings. They’ve recently added a small fitness center and there’s a decent seafood restaurant next door, as well as a seasonal English pub. Room prices even include a full continental breakfast. Nearby Chestnut and Union streets offer some of the best shopping and dining in the city. The only caveat is that the hotel’s Lombard Street location is usually congested with traffic.
3155 Scott St. (at Lombard St.), San Francisco, CA 94123. www.edwardii.com. 800/473-2846 or 415/922-3000. Fax 415/931-5784. 31 units, 21 with bathroom. $69 double with shared bathroom; $99–$139 double with private bathroom; $150–$200 junior suite. Extra person $25. Rates include continental breakfast and evening sherry. AE, DISC, MC, V. Self-parking $12 1 block away. Bus: 28, 30, 43, or 76. Amenities: Pub; fitness center ($10 per day); computer station (for nominal fee). In room: TV, hair dryer available on request, free Wi-Fi.
Hostelling International San Francisco—Fisherman’s Wharf Unbelievable but true—you can get front-row bay views for a mere $24 a night. This hostel, on a prime piece of national park property in Fort Mason, provides dorm-style accommodations and offers easy access to the Marina’s shops and restaurants. Rooms sleep 2 to 12 people and there are 10 private rooms available; communal space includes a fireplace, kitchen, dining room, coffee bar, pool table, and foosball. The breakfast alone practically makes it worth the price. Make reservations well in advance.
Fort Mason, Building 240, San Francisco, CA 94123. www.sfhostels.com. 415/771-7277. Fax 415/771-1468. 150 beds. $24 per person per night; $65 private rooms. Rates include breakfast. MC, V. Free limited parking. Bus: 28, 30, 47, or 49. Amenities: Computer kiosks for small fee; free Wi-Fi.
Marina Inn ★ Marina Inn is one of the best low-priced hotels in San Francisco. How it offers so much for so little is mystifying. Each guest room in the 1924 four-story Victorian looks like something from a country furnishings catalog, complete with rustic pinewood furniture, a four-poster bed with silky-soft comforter, pretty wallpaper, and soothing tones of rose, hunter green, and pale yellow. You also get remote-control televisions discreetly hidden in pine cabinetry—all for as little as $60 a night. Combined with continental breakfast, friendly service, free Wi-Fi, and an armada of shops and restaurants within easy walking distance, it is one of my top choices for best overall value. Note: Traffic can be a bit noisy here, so the hotel added double panes on windows facing the street.
3110 Octavia St. (at Lombard St.), San Francisco, CA 94123. www.marinainn.com. 800/274-1420 or 415/928-1000. Fax 415/928-5909. 40 units. $59–$69 double. Rates include continental breakfast. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Bus: 28, 30, 43, or 76. In room: TV, hair dryer (upon request), free Wi-Fi.
Marina Motel Established in 1939, the Marina Motel is one of San Francisco’s first motels, built for the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge. The same family has owned this peach-colored, Spanish-style stucco building for three generations, and they’ve taken exquisite care of it. All rooms look out onto an inner courtyard, which is awash with beautiful flowering plants and wall paintings by local artists. Though the rooms show minor signs of wear and tear, they’re all quite clean, bright, quiet, and pleasantly decorated with framed lithographs of old San Francisco. Two-bedroom suites come with fully equipped kitchens. The Presidio and