San Francisco - Alison Bing [190]
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NORTH BEACH
WASHINGTON SQUARE INN
Map Inn $$$
415-981-4220, 800-388-0220; www.wsisf.com; 1660 Stockton St; r $179-329 incl breakfast; 30, 45;
On leafy, sun-dappled Washington Square, the inn looks decidedly European and caters to the over-40 set, with tasteful rooms and a few choice antiques, including carved-wooden armoires. The least expensive rooms are tiny, but what a stellar address. Wine and cheese each evening, and optional breakfast in bed sweeten the deal.
HOTEL BOHèME
Map Boutique Hotel $$
415-433-9111; www.hotelboheme.com; 444 Columbus Ave; r $174-194; 30, 45;
Our favorite boutique hotel is a love letter to the jazz era, with moody orange, black and sage-green color schemes that nod to the 1950s. Inverted Chinese umbrellas hang from the ceiling, and photos from the Beat years decorate the walls. Rooms are smallish, and some front on noisy Columbus Ave (the quietest are in back), but the hotel is smack in the middle of North Beach’s vibrant street scene.
SAN REMO HOTEL
Map Hotel $
415-776-8688, 800-352-7366; www.sanremohotel.com; 2237 Mason St; d $55-85; 30, 45;
One of the city’s best values, the San Remo dates to 1906 and is long on old-fashioned charm. Rooms are simply done, with mismatched turn-of-the-century furnishings, and all share bathrooms. Think reputable, vintage boarding house. Note: the least-expensive rooms have windows onto the corridor, not the outdoors.
GREEN TORTOISE HOSTEL
Map Hostel $
415-834-1000; www.greentortoise.com; 494 Broadway; dm/d $29/70 incl breakfast; 15;
An international crowd of young party-scene backpackers flocks to the Green Tortoise. It’s on Broadway, North Beach’s seedy (though safe) strip-joint strip. If you’re into rowdy hostels, look no further. Bars, restaurants and cafes are right around the corner. No curfew.
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RUSSIAN & NOB HILLS
FAIRMONT SAN FRANCISCO
Map Historic Hotel $$$
415-772-5000, 800-441-1414; www.fairmont.com; 950 Mason St; r $199-329; California;
One of the city’s most storied hotels, the Fairmont’s enormous lobby is decked out with crystal chandeliers, marble floors and towering yellow-marble columns. Rooms sport traditional business-class furnishings, but lack the finer details of a top-end luxury hotel. For maximum character, book a room in the original 1906 building. Tower rooms have stupendous views, but look generic.
MARK HOPKINS INTERCONTINENTAL
Map Historic Hotel $$
415-392-3434, 800-327-0200; www.markhopkins.net; 999 California St; r $169-319; California;
Glistening marble floors reflect glowing crystal chandeliers in the lobby of the 1926 Mark Hopkins, a San Francisco landmark. Detractors call it staid, but its timeless elegance is precisely why others love it. Rooms are done with tasteful furnishings and fabulous beds with Frette linens. The top-floor Top of the Mark lounge has knockout views and live jazz.
NOB HILL INN
Map Inn $$
415-673-6080; www.nobhillinn.com; 1000 Pine St; r $125-165, ste $195-275; California;
Situated in a genteel old Edwardian house one block below the top of Nob Hill, the 21 rooms at this inn are classically decorated with antiques, armoires and (some) four-poster beds. It’s predominantly a timeshare-hotel, popular with an older crowd (read: quiet). Web specials drop rates as low as $99. Suites sleep four to six and have kitchenettes.
NOB HILL HOTEL
Map Hotel $
415-885-2987; www.nobhillhotel.com; 835 Hyde St; r $95-135; 2, 3, 4;
Rooms in this 1906 hotel have been dressed up in Victorian style, with brass beds and floral-print carpet. The look borders on grandma-lives-here, but it’s definitely not cookie cutter and service is warm and personable. Rooms on Hyde St are loud; book in back. Wi-fi in lobby.
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JAPANTOWN & PACIFIC HEIGHTS
KABUKI HOTEL
Map Theme Hotel $$
415-922-3200, 800-333-3333; www.jdvhotels.com/hotels/kabuki; 1625 Post St; r $129-249; 4;
The Kabuki nods