San Francisco - Alison Bing [193]
* * *
Return to beginning of chapter
THE MISSION & POTRERO HILL
INN SAN FRANCISCO
Map Inn $$
415-641-0188, 800-359-0913; www.innsf.com; 943 S Van Ness Ave; r $175-285, with shared bathroom $120-145, cottage $335, all incl breakfast; 49;
The stately Inn San Francisco occupies an elegant 1872 Italianate Victorian mansion, impeccably maintained and packed with period antiques. All rooms have fresh-cut flowers and sumptuous beds with fluffy featherbeds; some have Jacuzzi tubs. There’s also a freestanding garden cottage that sleeps up to six. Outside there’s an English garden and redwood hot tub open 24 hours (a rarity). Full breakfast.
SAN FRANCISCO ELEMENTS
Map Hostel $
415-647-4100, 866-327-8407; www.elementssf.com; 2524 Mission St; dm/d $29/60; 14;
If you’re 21 to 30 and love to party, the Mission is your ‘hood. At the heart of the nightlife scene, Elements has clean, up-to-date, good-looking (if institutional) rooms with noise-blocking double-pane windows. Dorms are coed or segregated, and all have in-room baths. The rooftop bar, Medjool Sky Terrace, is a happening weekend hangout. Other extras include comfy lounges, movie nights and rooftop barbecues.
Return to beginning of chapter
THE CASTRO & NOE VALLEY
BELVEDERE HOUSE
off Map B&B $$
415-731-6654, 877-226-3273; www.belvederehouse.com; 598 Belvedere St; r incl breakfast $130-190; 6, 33, 37, N;
Its location on a leafy residential street, up a steep hill from the Castro, makes this B&B one of the city’s best-kept secrets. Six cozy rooms have eclectic art and vintage chandeliers, and the living room is packed with treasures from the owner’s world travels. Though primarily for gay guests, all are welcome – kids get child-sized bathrobes. For other gay-friendly digs, Click here.
BECK’S MOTOR LODGE
Map Motel $
415-621-8212, 800-227-4360; www.becksmotorlodgesf.com; 2222 Market St; r $95-135; Castro St;
Though technically not gay, its placement at the center of the Castro makes it the defacto gay favorite for a bang-the-headboard romp. We don’t recommend bringing the kids, especially during big gay events, when rooms reserve months ahead. Book a rear-facing unit for quiet, a room in front to cruise with your blinds open.
Return to beginning of chapter
THE HAIGHT
STANYAN PARK HOTEL
Map Historic Hotel $$
415-751-1000; www.stanyanpark.com; 750 Stanyan St; r $135-225, ste $275-350, incl breakfast; 71;
On the eastern edge of Golden Gate Park, a block from Haight St, this stately Victorian hotel is completely up-to-date, with nary a drafty window or creaky floor. There’s nothing risky about the traditional American decor – Queen Anne and Chippendale-style chairs, floral-print wallpaper and dusty-green and pale-pink color schemes – but that’s also its charm: soothing familiarity and timelessness. Though junkies congregate at the nearby McDonald’s at nighttime, fret not: the ‘hood is generally safe and the hotel secure.
RED VICTORIAN BED, BREAKFAST & ART
Map B&B $$
415-864-1978; www.redvic.net; 1665 Haight St; r $149-229, without bathroom $89-129, incl breakfast; 43;
The year 1968 lives on at the tripped-out Red Vic. Each individually decorated room in the 1904 landmark building pays tribute to peace, ecology and global friendship, with themes like Sunshine, Flower Children and, of course, the Summer of Love. Only four of the 18 rooms have bathrooms; all come with breakfast in the (naturally) organic Peace Café. Reduced rates available for longer stays. There’s wi-fi in the lobby.
CHATEAU TIVOLI
Map Historic Inn $$
415-776-5462; www.chateautivoli.com; 1057 Steiner St; r $140-170, r without bathroom $100-130, ste $250-290; 5, 22;
This imposing, glorious chateau on a secondary thoroughfare near Alamo Sq has somewhat faded since the time when Isadora Duncan and Mark Twain were guests. Still, you can’t pass by without gawking at the two-toned gabled roofs, domed turrets and cornices – all painted maroon and blue with gold accents. The guestrooms are more modest, with no TVs, but the place is full of soul, character and, rumor has it, the ghost of a Victorian