San Francisco - Alison Bing [183]
INN ON CASTRO Map $$
415-861-0321; www.innoncastro.com; 321 Castro St; ste $155-185, r $135-165, without bathroom $115-125, breakfast incl; 24, F;
A portal to the Castro’s disco heyday, this Edwardian townhouse is decked out with top-end ’70s-mod furnishings. Rooms are retro-cool and spotlessly kept. Our fave: the patio suite with its flower-festooned deck. Exceptional breakfasts – the owner is a chef.
WILLOWS Map $$
415-431-4770; www.willowssf.com; 710 14th St; r $110-145; 22, F, Church St;
Willows has the homey comforts of a B&B, without any fuss. None of the 12 rooms has a private bathroom, though all have sinks. Shared kitchenette. Rooms on Church St are noisy: book one in the back. The better bathroom is upstairs.
24 HENRY Map $$
415-864-5686, 800-900-5686; www.24henry.com; 24 Henry St; r $149, without bathroom $105-110; F;
A converted Victorian on a quiet side street, 24 Henry’s rooms are simply decorated with cast-off antiques and utilitarian furniture. Great value for no-fuss gay travelers. Ask about the nearby, slightly fancier Village House (4080 18th St; r $149, without bathroom $106-110; ), though it’s not as quiet.
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SLEEPING
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RESERVATIONS
ROOM RATES
EMBARCADERO & THE PIERS
DOWNTOWN
CIVIC CENTER & THE TENDERLOIN
CHINATOWN
NORTH BEACH
RUSSIAN & NOB HILLS
JAPANTOWN & PACIFIC HEIGHTS
THE MARINA & THE PRESIDIO
SOMA
THE MISSION & POTRERO HILL
THE CASTRO & NOE VALLEY
THE HAIGHT
HAYES VALLEY
GOLDEN GATE PARK & THE AVENUES
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Hotels & Hostels
Want more sleeping recommendations than we could ever pack into this little ol’ book? Craving more detail including extended reviews and photographs? Want to read reviews by other travelers and be able to post your own? Just make your way over to lonelyplanet.com/hotels and check out our thorough list of independent reviews, then reserve your room simply and securely.
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top picks
Hotel Bohème
Hotel Vitale
Hotel Triton
Orchard Garden Hotel
Hotel des Arts
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San Francisco has many convention hotels, several good four-stars with predictable comforts, and three palatial five-stars with top-flight luxuries. But it’s the unexpected gems that stand out. This is the birthplace of the boutique hotel, and you’ll find elegant Victorians on neighborhood side streets, artsy hotels with intimate bars, and small inns that smell of freshly baked cookies. The broade*st hotel selection is Downtown, near Union Square, conveniently near all public transportation and within walking distance of many major sights, but the area is densely urban and dedicated to chain-store shopping, theaters and restaurants. At nighttime it’s dead. Union Square also abuts the Tenderloin on its southwest side, a ’hood of drug-addled panhandlers – though it’s also home to artists, who lend an up-and-coming vibe to the grit. (The worst area extends roughly three blocks in all directions from Eddy and Jones Sts.) Staying in other districts provides a glimpse of how the locals live. We particularly like the Cali-chic low-rise Marina, the gay-ghetto Castro and the Latino-meets-hipster Mission.
Tipping housekeepers in US hotels is standard practice; leave a couple of dollars on your pillow each morning, and be guaranteed excellent housekeeping service.
All lodging in San Francisco is by definition gay-friendly, but also check our chapter devoted to GLBT San Francisco.
If you’re planning on staying for a few months, subletting an apartment or room is a good way to go. Scan the classified ads on Craigslist (www.craigslist.org).
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RESERVATIONS
Hotels routinely overbook, especially when there’s a convention in town. ‘City-wide sellouts’ happen several times a year. If you haven’t chosen dates for your trip, check the SF Convention & Visitors Bureau’s convention calendar (www.sfcvb.org/convention/calendar.asp), which shows the expected bed count each