San Francisco - Alison Bing [188]
Renovated in 2008, the Hotel Union Square looks sharp, with swank design touches complementing the original brick walls. The main drawbacks are lack of sunlight and small rooms, but designers compensated with cleverly concealed lighting, mirrored walls and plush fabrics. The location is convenient and near major public transport – never mind the panhandlers outside.
HOTEL CALIFORNIA
Map Boutique Hotel $$
415-441-2700, 800-227-4223; www.thesavoyhotel.com; 580 Geary St; r $149-169; 38;
Alas, no pink champagne on ice, but it does provide frosted tequila shots upon check-in. This bay-windowed vintage-1920s mainstay of the theater district has fresh-looking rooms with cheery yellow walls, hardwood floors, flat-screen TVs, fluffy beds, and double-pane windows that are great for blocking street noise (request a quiet room). Wine and cheese each evening.
GOLDEN GATE HOTEL
Map Hotel $$
415-392-3702, 800-835-1118; www.goldengatehotel.com; 775 Bush St; r with/without bathroom $165/105; 2, 3, 4; Powell St
Like an old-fashioned pensione, the Golden Gate has kindly owners and simple rooms with mismatched furniture, inside a 1913 Edwardian hotel safely up the hill from the Tenderloin. Rooms are small, clean and comfortable, and most have private bathrooms (some with antique claw-foot tubs). Enormous croissants, homemade cookies and a resident kitty-cat provide TLC after a long day’s sightseeing.
METROPOLIS HOTEL
Map Hotel $
415-775-4600, 800-553-1900; www.hotelmetropolis.com; 25 Mason St; r $89-125; & Powell St;
Never mind the streetwalkers outside, the Metropolis has fresh-looking rooms with standard-issue Ikea-like furniture, cushioned windowsills, and good amenities in the tiny bathrooms. If you’re timid, you’ll hate the neighborhood, but if you’re an intrepid traveler, these are good digs at great prices.
HOTEL DES ARTS
Map Art Hotel $$
415-956-3232, 800-956-4322; www.sfhoteldesarts.com; 447 Bush St; r $139-199, without bathroom $99-149; & Montgomery St;
Finally a mid-budget hotel for art freaks. Specialty rooms are painted with jaw-dropping murals by underground street artists. The linens are thin and some sinks have separate hot and cold taps (ask when you book), but the art is incredible – it’s like sleeping inside a painting. Standard rooms are less exciting but are clean and great value, with a few smart design touches.
DAKOTA HOTEL
Map Hotel $
415-931-7475; 606 Post St; dm $30-35, r $98-110; 2, 3, 4; & Powell St;
Upgrade from hostel to hotel at this 42-room, vintage-1920s, sunlight-filled property that has clean, basic rooms and claw-foot bathtubs. The carpeting is relatively new, as is the mass-market furniture, and there’s a microwave and fridge in every room. Alas, street noise is loud (bring earplugs) and the elevator temperamental. Still, it’s great value. There are also unisex dorms with six to eight beds.
STRATFORD HOTEL
Map Hotel $
415-397-7080, 888-504-6835; www.ctwohotels.com; 242 Powell St; r incl breakfast $89-149; & Powell St;
A great value at Union Square, the eight-story Stratford has clean, simple and smallish rooms. Bathrooms are gleaming and have thirsty towels and rainfall showerheads, but no tubs. Rooms on Powell St are loud; book a room in back.
ADELAIDE HOSTEL
Map Hostel $
415-359-1915, 877-359-1915; www.adelaidehostel.com; 5 Isadora Duncan Lane; dm $31, r $55-90, incl breakfast; 38;
Down a mysterious little alley, the 18-room Adelaide sets the standard for San Francisco hostels, with personal service, surprisingly well-done decor, thick carpeting, up-to-date furnishings and sparkling bathrooms with shiny chrome fixtures. The big kitchen even has granite countertops. And the place is blissfully quiet. Dinner costs a mere $5.
USA HOSTELS
Map Hostel $
415-440-5600, 877-483-2950; www.usahostels.com; 711 Post St; dm $30-34, r $73-83; 2, 3, 4; Powell St;
Built in 1909, this former hotel was recently converted into a spiffy hostel that draws an international crowd. Private rooms sleep three or four, and you can usually save a few bucks by reserving through the website.