San Francisco - Alison Bing [191]
HOTEL TOMO
Map Theme Hotel $$
415-922-3200, 800-333-3333; www.jdvhotels.com/tomo; 1800 Sutter St; r $109-179; 4;
Japanese pop culture informs the look of the Tomo, with big-eyed anime characters blinking on the lobby’s TV screens. The blond minimalist room furniture and fatboy beanbags make it feel a bit like a college dorm, but it’s great fun for families and anime nuts – if not high-heeled sophisticates.
QUEEN ANNE HOTEL
Map Historic Hotel $$
415-441-2828, 800-227-3970; www.queenanne.com; 1590 Sutter St; r $99-179, ste $145-229; 4;
The Queen Anne occupies a lovely 1890 Victorian mansion, formerly a girls’ boarding school. Though the decor borders on frilly and twee (what’s with the compact fluorescents in the brass chandeliers?), we love the stately house. Rooms are comfy (some are tiny) and have a mishmash of antiques; some have romantic wood-burning fireplaces. There’s wi-fi in the lobby.
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top picks
HOTEL BARS
Tonga Room
Top of the Mark
Pied Piper Bar
Redwood Room
Starlight Room
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HOTEL MAJESTIC
Map Historic Hotel $
415-441-1100, 800-869-8966; www.thehotelmajestic.com; 1500 Sutter St; r $95-125; 2, 3, 4;
The 1902 Hotel Majestic holds a torch for traditional elegance – even if its edges are fraying. Rooms are done in dusty-rose and sage-green, with Chinese porcelain lamps beside triple-sheeted beds, and while they’re showing signs of wear, we like the stalwart old-school vibe. Standard rooms are small but better value than comparable Union Square hotels. The lobby has wi-fi, and the clubby lobby bar is ideal for a clandestine meeting with your paramour.
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THE MARINA & THE PRESIDIO
HOTEL DEL SOL
Map Theme Motel $$
415-921-5520, 877-433-5765; www.thehoteldelsol.com; 3100 Webster St; d $149-199; 28, 43;
The kid-friendly del Sol is a riot of color with its tropical-themed decor. A quiet, revamped 1950s motor lodge with a palm-lined central courtyard, it’s also one of the few San Francisco hotels with a heated outdoor pool. Family suites have bunks and board games.
MARINA MOTEL
Map Motel $$
415-921-9406, 800-346-6118; www.marinamotel.com; 2576 Lombard St; r $105-145; 76;
Established in 1939 to accommodate visitors arriving via the new Golden Gate Bridge, the Marina has an inviting, vintage Spanish-Mediterranean look, with a quiet bougainvillea-lined courtyard. Rooms are homey, simple and well maintained (never mind the occasional scuff mark); some have full kitchens (an extra $10). Rooms on Lombard St are loud; request one in back.
COVENTRY MOTOR INN
Map Motel $
415-567-1200; www.coventrymotorinn.com; 1901 Lombard St; r $95-145; 76;
Of the scores of motels lining Lombard St (Hwy 101), the generic Coventry has the highest overall quality-to-value ratio, with spacious, well-maintained (if plain) rooms and extras like air-con (good for quiet sleeps) and covered parking. Parents: there’s plenty of floor space to unpack the kids’ toys, but no pool.
MARINA INN
Map Inn $
415-928-1000, 800-274-1420; www.marinainn.com; 3110 Octavia Blvd; r $69-99; 28, 30;
A good deal in the Marina, this pretty, white turn-of-the-century inn has a little parlor lobby and 40 clean, straightforward and comfortable rooms with cabbage-rose decor, offering a cozier alternative to a generic motel. Rooms facing Lombard St are loud, and there’s no on-site parking, but the inn is close to Union St shopping and bars.
HI SAN FRANCISCO FISHERMAN’S WHARF
Map Hostel $
415-771-7277; www.hihotels.com; Bldg 240, Fort Mason; dm $26-30, r $75-125; 30, 47, 49;
The hostel trades Downtown convenience for a lush-green, parklike setting within spitting distance of the bay. Dorms range from a manageable four beds to