San Francisco Travel Forum

As a surprise for my wife's 60th birthday I'm taking her on a mystery trip to San Francisco in February where our 3 adult children will meet us. I haven't been there for many years and am not sure whether to stay in the Union Square area (JW Marriott, Grand Hyatt, Hotel Monaco, etc) or on Nob Hill(Stanford Court, Fairmont, etc). I'm not committed to these areas or hotels so any suggestions are appreciated.

I would definitely recommend Nob Hill. Union Square is crowded with tourists and has little to offer. Nob Hill is peaceful and a much more pleasant area in which to stay. Union Square is a short cable car ride away from Nob Hill. Don't forget The Top of The Mark in the "etc" hotel.

a couple years ago i stay at hotel nikko in Union Square and it was fantastic, recommended. Here is the link
http://www.hotelnikkosf.com/AboutUs.html

For a really romantic hotel, try the Palace.

You might wish to take a look at the Washington Square Inn: www.wsisf.com. Gary

If you want to be able to walk to tourist attractions (Moma, Ferry Building, Yerba Buena) or take public transportation, stay in Union Square. There's a nice hotel just not far from US called the Prescott. My husband works with a lot of business travelers and he says it's the hotel that gets the fewest complaints. The restaurant, Spago, is very good, and the staff is helpful.

I live on Nob Hill and believe me you can't beat it for a restful nights sleep in any of the hotels (Fairmont, Mark Hopkins, Stanford Court, Huntington. I have friends who stay at the Huntington when in town and they say it's second to none. Also, the Big 4 restaurant in the Huntington is superb. Top of the Mark for cocktails at dusk can't be beaten. Huntington Park across from the Huntington Hotel is a great place to "take a load off" when the weather is good. Don't miss Grace Cathedral (How could you, it's right there as well). Union Square is only a few walkable blocks down from Nob Hill. Best to cab it back uphill as cable car lines (both Powell Street and Calif. Street lines cross at Powell/Calif. but soak tourists 5 bucks a ride (no transfers) so if more than two of you take a cab unless you MUST ride the cable cars. Enjoy your visit and remember...DON'T CALL IT FRISCO!

Thanks for all the advice. I guess right now I'm leaning toward either the J.W. Marriott, the Palace or the Huntington. Any thoughts?

Hi, As I said in my previous post I am partial to the Huntington. Not only for its quieter location on Nob Hill but because of the intimacy of the hotel and area itself. Most of the celebrities who come to town choose the Huntington bacause of this. (and no I do not work for or have any financial connections to the Huntington). The Marriot is located just south of Market Street (the busiest street in San Francisco) and is a huge, sterile building. I have been the rooms of the Marriot and they are your typical Vegas style rooms. The Palace, one of our grandest hotels is right on Market Street and conveniently located to shopping. Haven't been in any of the rooms so can't comment on that. I'm sure you have checked out the websites for all three of these hotels...if not, do so before booking any of them. Whichever you choose enjoy your visit to our city and again...DON"T CALL IT FRISCO!!! We cringe when we hear that.

I don't mind Frisco nearly as much as SanFran

I don't like SanFran either but Frisco is so red neckish and God knows if San Franciscans are anything (and we are everything) it's not red-neck.

Califtraveler, thanks for your input. I'm not sure that we're talking about the same Marriott. I'm not interested in the one on Fourth Street. I'm talking about the J.W. Marriott on Post which used to be the Pan Pacific.