San Francisco - Alison Bing [186]
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SIR FRANCIS DRAKE HOTEL
Map Historic Hotel $$$
415-392-7755, 800-795-7129; www.sirfrancisdrake.com; 450 Powell St; r $199-279; & Powell St; Powell-Mason, Powell-Hyde;
The city’s most famous doormen, clad like clownish Beefeaters, stand sentinel at this vintage-1920s classic. Rooms have less flair and their intentionally mismatched colors feel forced, but 16th-to-20th-floor rooms have expansive city views. All have great beds. Ask about the secret room, between elevator platforms, where during Prohibition the hotel operated a speakeasy. Pop into the top-floor touristy-swank Starlight Room for cocktails.
WESTIN ST FRANCIS HOTEL
Map HIstoric Hotel $$$
415-397-7000, 800-228-3000; www.westin.com; 335 Powell St; r $209-369; & Powell St; Powell-Mason & Powell-Hyde;
This is one of SF’s most storied hotels – Gerald Ford was shot right outside. Tower rooms have stellar views, but feel generic. We prefer the original building’s old-fashioned charm, with its high ceilings and crown moldings. Though Westin beds set the industry standard for comfort, service is decidedly business-class, not first. Don’t miss the glass elevators, even if you’re not staying here.
HOTEL ADAGIO
Map Boutique Hotel $$
415-775-5000, 800-228-8830; www.thehoteladagio.com; 550 Geary St; r $149-229; 38;
Huge rooms and a super-snappy aesthetic set the Adagio apart. The hotel’s designers placed a premium on style, blending chocolate-brown and off-white leather furnishings with bright-orange splashes. Beds are sumptuous, with Egyptian-cotton sheets and feather pillows, but bathrooms are disappointing. Still, it’s a hot address for a reasonable-ish price. Great bar downstairs.
ORCHARD GARDEN HOTEL
Map Eco Hotel $$
415-399-9807, 888-717-2881; www.theorchardgardenhotel.com; 466 Bush St; r $179-249; 2, 3, 4, 30, 45;
San Francisco’s first all-green-practices hotel opened in 2006, and uses sustainably grown wood, chemical-free cleaning products and recycled fabrics in its soothingly quiet rooms. Don’t think you’ll be trading comfort for conscience: rooms have unexpectedly luxe touches like flat-screen TVs, iPod docking stations, high-end down pillows and Egyptian-cotton sheets. The rooftop terrace is open to the public – an ideal spot for a Downtown tryst.
WHITE SWAN INN
Map Inn $$
415-775-1755, 800-999-9570; www.jdvhotels.com; 845 Bush St; r $159-199; 27;
In the tradition of English country inns, the romantic White Swan is styled with cabbage-rose wallpaper, red-plaid flannel bedspreads and polished Colonial-style furniture. Each oversized room has a gas fireplace – a cozy touch on a foggy night. Hipsters may find it stifling, but if you love Tudor style, you’ll feel right at home.
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top picks
HOTEL VIEWS
Hotel Vitale
Seal Rock Inn
Sir Francis Drake Hotel (opposite)
Westin St Francis Hotel (opposite)
W Hotel
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HOTEL FRANK
Map Boutique Hotel $$
415-986-2000, 800-553-1900; www.hotelfranksf.com; 386 Geary St; r $169-269; 38;
Redone in 2008, the Frank (formerly the Maxwell) has a snappy, vaguely Austin Powers black-and-white design aesthetic, with big houndstooth checks and faux-aligator headboards. The bathrooms are tight and few have tubs (request one, if it matters), but extras like plasma-screen TVs and the just-off Union Square location compensate.
HOTEL REX
Map Boutique Hotel $$
415-433-4434, 800-433-4434; www.jdvhospitality.com; 562 Sutter St; r $149-279; 2, 3, 4; Powell St;
Strains of French gramophone music fill the intimate lobby and the adjoining dimly lit lounge, intended to conjure New York’s Algonquin in the 1920s. The Rex exudes a sexy broodiness: rooms are done in chocolate-brown and brick-red, with antique rotary telephones, hand-painted lampshades, and works by local artists. Great beds,