hotels in san francisco

[Schplinky]

We walked past a stunningly long line at Fort Lauderdale to drop of our bags at the web-check-in desk for Air Canada. We recognized many people from our sailing waiting in the slow check-in line.

[GillCC]

we have booked the comfort inn by the bay - is that near the ferry building (sorry my map reading is hopeless lol)

[RSS from SF]

I was also born at the St Francis. (Probably a lot of years earlier than you! LOL)

denims,

 

Small world! It's rare enough to speak to a fellow native, but you're the first I've ever spoken to anywhere online who's also been born at the same hospital I was! Thanks for saying hello! :)

 

 

 

we have booked the comfort inn by the bay - is that near the ferry building (sorry my map reading is hopeless lol)

GillCC,

 

If "Comfort Inn By the Bay" is at 2775 Van Ness Ave (at Lombard Street), you are 2 1/2 miles away from the Ferry Building.

 

BTW, "By the Bay" translates here to being 5 1/2 blocks away from the bay. They're short blocks though -- straight down Van Ness to Aquatic Park (which is next to Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman's Wharf).

 

Whether you drive, take the SF Muni, or walk, the easiest route to the Ferry Building will be by taking streets along the waterfront.

 

The following map shows "A" the Ferry Building to "B" the Comfort Inn By the Bay:

[AirbusPat]

Try the Pacifica Motor Inn, located at Rockaway Beach in Pacifica. They will pick you up at the airport and set you up at their motel that is right on the beach.

 

Nothing fancy but it's a beautiful area with resturants right next door. All this for just $55. I have lot's of fellow employees at my airline stay there and love it. The cab ride to the ship will cost about the same as from the airport.

 

We'll be on the april 12 sailing of the Celebrity Mercury.

 

 

Bon Voyage:D

[TenerifeSharon]

Because the City will Steal your Heart!

 

The reason I live 25 miles south of SF now is because I rode the cable car one night in 1969...down the hill to Fisherman's Wharf, hanging out on the outside right front side. It took me 3 attempts within a 13 year period before I was finally able to "make it" (sort of, and working 3 jobs at times! :eek: ) as a permanent resident.

 

So, if you don't want to eventually wind up being a Californian, for God's sake, stay at the airport. (Don't say I didn't warn you.)

 

Susan

 

Susan,

I love your little story! Hope it's not too hard on you being back in your favorite city -- after our wonderful weeks "down under".

[RSS from SF]

Try the Pacifica Motor Inn, located at Rockaway Beach in Pacifica. They will pick you up at the airport and set you up at their motel that is right on the beach.

 

Nothing fancy but it's a beautiful area with resturants right next door. All this for just $55. I have lot's of fellow employees at my airline stay there and love it. The cab ride to the ship will cost about the same as from the airport.

 

We'll be on the april 12 sailing of the Celebrity Mercury.

 

 

Bon Voyage:D

Enjoy your cruise, AirbusPat! :)

 

 

I love Rockaway Beach. In general, this Pacifica community is good for those who really want to stay close to beaches along the coast, in an out of the way location, and don't mind being outside of the city. Rockaway Beach is especially great for those who really want to explore Highway 1.

 

The distance from Rockaway Beach to the Port of SF is a little more than 18 miles -- about 30 minutes when there's very light traffic.

 

 

Please note that the only 2 reviews on Tripadvisor this year are not good, although earlier reviews from 2007 are good:

Reviews: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g32842-d622515-r13834659-Pacifica_Motor_Inn-Pacifica_California.html#TOPC

Motel's website: http://www.pacificamotorinn.com/map.html

 

 

I also want to caution anyone who wants to stay in San Francisco:

This location is not in San Francisco. This location requires you have a car, take a taxi, or rely on relatively infrequent bus transportation that is part of San Mateo's system (SamTrans' coastside routes) to get to the city.

 

For those of you who don't have much time to see the city and really want to:

If seeing the city is your highest priority, I'd suggest that you pick locations within San Francisco, only.

 

 

Verypoor -

To our OP, you have other alternatives on this thread that are more economical. If you want to make roundtrips to the city, this alternative would probably be out of the price range you'd like to keep within.

 

 

RSS

[Gogetters17]

We are Aussies with 4 nights in S.F. in May pre cruise. Some people yesterday said we MUST eat at Scomas as it is excellent. Is this true and should we do it?

 

The Super Shuttle from the Airport is $16.00 p.p. so if there are two people it's not much cheaper than a cab and will take alot longer.

[Leela]

Well, let's put it this way -- I've been living in San Francisco for over 14 years and I'd never heard of the place until you mentioned it. I Googled it, it's yet another seafood place by the Bay. It seems better than a lot of the other places down there, so I think I'm going to have to try it out sometime to see for myself!

 

Right now my favorite place by the water is The Waterfront Restaurant (http://waterfrontsf.com ). You can look at their menus on the web site. They don't have a massive menu, but what they do have they do very well. It's down by the Ferry Building.

[Coreopsis]

We are Aussies with 4 nights in S.F. in May pre cruise. Some people yesterday said we MUST eat at Scomas as it is excellent. Is this true and should we do it?

 

The Super Shuttle from the Airport is $16.00 p.p. so if there are two people it's not much cheaper than a cab and will take alot longer.

Scoma's is popular with tourists. It isn't one of our better dining experiences and is rather overpriced for what it is. It wouldn't make my list of top restaurants. On the other hand, if your friends that that was great – OMG, you are in for a treat!

 

Check out SFGate dot com - it is the best resource for what to do in the Bay Area and has the most reliable restaurant listings, ratings and pricing. Once you decide which restaurants look good - make your reservations long before you arrive in our fair city. The best places book way in advance. Go to Opentable dot com to reserve your spot - most restaurants can all be booked free online.

 

Airport transportation - I don't care for Super Shuttle. I’ve had some bad experiences waiting for the vans at the curbside – drivers who drive reckless and once, a van that broke down and we had to wait for another to come and rescue us. Never again. And they do their best to fill the vans with at least 2 other stops. So you might have 2 other parties climbing over you and hanging out while they unload and try to find their keys in their luggage – all after a long flight and you just want to get to your destination.

 

Anyway, a cheaper and faster option is BART - if your hotel is near a BART station. The best option if you need luggage assistance and only a tad more expensive than a taxi is ExecuCar (owned by Super Shuttle but so much better) you can reserve online, a clean spacious sedan will be waiting for you so that you can sit in comfort and begin enjoying your vacation. Ahhhhhhh.

 

If cheap is more important - 511.org is terrific site and allows you to figure out which public transit system you want to use to get around (Ferry, buses, light rail, subway, etc.) but really the only luggage friendly public transit is BART. Muni light rail can work with luggage –but not recommended during morning/eve weekday commute times.

 

There are ATMs right in the airport if you want to get US$ - and many taxis, and all other airport transit option take credit cards.

[wvufan]

Gogetters, we are not from SF, but spent several days there precruise a few years ago. We had a great time, and here are a few of the things we did: (as you can tell, we love to walk!)

 

We stayed at the Raddison at Fisherman's wharf.

 

Alcatraz-get reservations on line. We suggest first trip of the day.

 

Walk across Golden Gate Bridge. You can take a local bus to the bridge and it is about a 45 minute walk each way with tourist place and rest rooms at each end.

 

Walk about the downtown area, Chinatown, etc. and then to Coit tower and Lombard Street.

 

Took bus to Golden Gate Park (not the same as the Golden Gate Bridge) and walked through it to the ocean, along that for a while to Cliff House (I think that was the name) and then a short walk to catch the bus back.

 

Went to Giants baseball game-great stadium.

 

Nice Maritime museum at Fisherman's Wharf.

 

We also took the trolley to get to certain areas.

 

Ghirardelli Square/Fisherman's wharf area is a bit touristy, and locals probably aren't too excited about going there, but for us it was fun. Sea lions by the wharf were great.

 

Anyway, just wanted to share our experience and opinions with you. SF is truly one of the great cities, and we are sure you will enjoy yourself.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE:D :D Bob and Phyl

[Leela]

Some more suggestions on what to do:

 

The Asian Art museum is incredible. If you like modern art the SFMOMA is very good.

 

For me the best art museum in town is the DeYoung, which is out in Golden Gate park, which means you can also go for a nice stroll, go to the Japanese Tea Garden, etc. Plus, along 9th Avenue on the south side of the park (the "Sunset" district) there are many great places to get lunch or dinner. The DeYoung has a very cool observation deck that gives incredible views on non-foggy days.

 

If you want to do something a little different, check out the Precita Eyes Project, they offer tours of the incredible murals on various buildings in the Mission District. While you're out in that neighborhood you can also tour the very old Mission Dolores Church (I think this is the original mission in San Francisco). While out that way, there are lots of interesting places to eat on 16th St. between Dolores and Mission streets (particularly around 16th & Valencia).

 

The best view of the City in the City is from the top of Twin Peaks. Bring a windbreaker or sweater because it can get quite wind and cold up there.

 

You can get to all of these places via public transportation.

[aaerobear]

One other suggestion for people with a little time on their hands in our beautiful city...take the "F" line from Fisherman's Wharf all the way to the Castro, you will see a lot of the city and it's different areas, then you will end up in the Castro ( that's right, the center of Gay life in the city) But you will be welcome there (we don't bite) and the feel of a real neighborhood will be overwhelming.

 

There are lots of great places to eat and drink there and shopping is also fun. Then either jump back on the "F" line or go underground on the Muni back downtown and get off at Powell Station and head for the Westfield Center with all it's great shops including Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom's and hundreds of other places to part with your money (before the casino on the ship gets it)

 

Have fun and welcome to San Francisco

 

Aaero

[Leela]

There are so many good places to eat and shop in the Castro, it's awesome! The streetcars are really really cute, too. The City has been buying up historic old cars from other cities and putting them on the "F" line as a sort of rolling museum. It's totally worth the trip.

[bububr]

If its still there.

 

walking distance to almost everything and public transportation. We like it because it has a self parking area as we usually rent a car and drive down the coast from Seattle to Tijuana every couple of years or so. Its clean, inexpensive and the staff has always been friendly to us.

 

Dave:eek:

[GillCC]

GillCC,

 

If "Comfort Inn By the Bay" is at 2775 Van Ness Ave (at Lombard Street), you are 2 1/2 miles away from the Ferry Building.

 

BTW, "By the Bay" translates here to being 5 1/2 blocks away from the bay. They're short blocks though -- straight down Van Ness to Aquatic Park (which is next to Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman's Wharf).

 

Whether you drive, take the SF Muni, or walk, the easiest route to the Ferry Building will be by taking streets along the waterfront.

 

The following map shows "A" the Ferry Building to "B" the Comfort Inn By the Bay:

 

thanks so much for your help - it seems we have made a pretty rubbish choice then lol

 

I am a wheelchair user - are cabs in SF wheelchair accessible? - thanks

[GillCC]

One other suggestion for people with a little time on their hands in our beautiful city...take the "F" line from Fisherman's Wharf all the way to the Castro, you will see a lot of the city and it's different areas, then you will end up in the Castro ( that's right, the center of Gay life in the city) But you will be welcome there (we don't bite) and the feel of a real neighborhood will be overwhelming.

 

There are lots of great places to eat and drink there and shopping is also fun. Then either jump back on the "F" line or go underground on the Muni back downtown and get off at Powell Station and head for the Westfield Center with all it's great shops including Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom's and hundreds of other places to part with your money (before the casino on the ship gets it)

 

Have fun and welcome to San Francisco

 

Aaero

 

thanks for this info Aaero

 

Castro is already on our list and to know that it can be on the same line as the shops is very good news!

[Yahtic]

Gogetters17 ---We are Aussies with 4 nights in S.F. in May pre cruise. Some people yesterday said we MUST eat at Scomas as it is excellent. Is this true and should we do it?

 

Absolutely eat at Scoma's, by far the best restaurant in the tourist area of Fisherman's Wharf. I fly to SFO every February just to take my wife to eat there on her birthday. Was there a week ago. Just order #74 and you will be happy, they have taken the numbers off the menu; however all the waiters still use #74 when turning in the order.

[raffles]

I have always wanted to visit San Francisco but so far have never had the opportunity. We are on a cruise next Feb which ends in San Deigo and I wondered if it would be an option to fly from there to SF. We are travelling from Scotland and I am not sure about distances from San Deigo to San Francisco (it doesn't look far on the map!!:o )or costs but I thought it might be possible.

 

We are spending plenty on this Panama cruise and flights and I am just wondering if the cost of flying to SF and the hotels would be too much. What would be the recommended number of days/nights to see as much as possible?

 

Do you think this would be too much effort for just a couple of days in SF or would it be worth the expense. I have read this discussion on hotels and descriptions of where to visit and it is making me want to visit so much.

 

We have booked air through Celebrity back to London > Edinburgh from San Deigo but I think it would be possible to have them change the flight to fly directly from SF which would only mean a one way flight from SD to SF.

 

I would appreciate any advice

 

Thank you

[BBsails]

Hi Raffles,

 

If you can change your SD to London>Edinburgh segment to SF to London>Edinburgh, then go for it. You should be able to find an inexpensive fare from SD to SF. There are frequent sales. The flight is a little over an hour. Don't miss SF! It's a beautiful city.

[Leela]

It's about 9 or 10 hours to drive from San Diego to San Francisco. However, it's under a 2-hour flight and, depending on how lucky you get, it will cost you between 50 and 100 pounds for a round-trip ticket. San Francisco is totally worth visiting! San Diego is, too!

[Lois R]

Hi,:) if you have the chance to see both, I would definitely

say GO FOR IT:D

2 of the most wonderful cities in the these United States:) (and I live

on the opposite coast;) ).

I will be in both places this fall and on cruise to boot:D.

 

It depends on your timing as San Francisco is northern Calif

and San Diego down south...but oh my goodness I love

both places!!!:)

[Sparkle 123]

Hi

We plan to visit both San Diego and San Francisco this October when we do the Millenium Hawaii repo cruise. We plan to fly into San Diego from the UK for 2 nights pre cruise, then fly from Honolulu where the cruise ends onto San Fran for 3 days before returning home to the UK. We would have liked a little longer to explore the area but work gets in the way I'm afraid!

 

Thanks for all the tips on this thread they are most helpful.

 

We are not planning on renting a car San Fran so which area would be the best to stay in for public transport and ease of walking around and getting to and from the airport?

[raffles]

Hi

We plan to visit both San Diego and San Francisco this October when we do the Millenium Hawaii repo cruise. We plan to fly into San Diego from the UK for 2 nights pre cruise, then fly from Honolulu where the cruise ends onto San Fran for 3 days before returning home to the UK. We would have liked a little longer to explore the area but work gets in the way I'm afraid!

 

Are you doing the flights by yourself or with Celebrity? From the British Airways website I see that there is no direct flight from San Deigo to London (I think it may go via Chicago) but there is a direct flight from San Francisco so perhaps the difference in the price of the flight wouldn't be too bad. I am assuming here that Celebrity use BA. I have never cruised with Celebrity before but will be platinum with RCI - don't know if that lets me do a flight change without paying a fee. I know I will have to pay any difference in air fares. We also have a mandatory hotel stay in Fort Lauderdale the night before the cruise but I can't find out which hotel they will be using. Again I am assuming that it will be FL but I see BA only fly to Miami so it may be a hotel in Miami.

 

I had booked the complete package - flights & cruise - before finding this excellent site or I would have taken most people's advice and made my own flight and hotel arrangements. I understand that cancelling the flight part of the cruise is considered to be a complete cancellation and will cost us 200 GBP each. :eek: Oh well I will know the next time.

 

Being greedy and trying to fit in as much as possible I would also like to spend some time in San Deigo before going to San Francisco but like you we have limited annual leave from work.

 

Whatever happens you have all made up my mind - If it is at all possible to change my flights I will get my dream to see San Francisco - and I will wear some flowers in my hair ;)

[sharpie13]

Try the Pacifica Motor Inn, located at Rockaway Beach in Pacifica. They will pick you up at the airport and set you up at their motel that is right on the beach.

 

Nothing fancy but it's a beautiful area with resturants right next door. All this for just $55. I have lot's of fellow employees at my airline stay there and love it. The cab ride to the ship will cost about the same as from the airport.

 

We'll be on the april 12 sailing of the Celebrity Mercury.

 

 

Bon Voyage:D

 

 

Shhhhh! Pacifica is suppose to be a secret;)

 

If you call he local cab company the night before they can pick you up in a minivan. This may be important depending on how much luggage you're bringing.

 

 

Bon Voyage

 

 

P.S. Pat, we'll be on the Mercury 4/12 also. Remember to sign up for the connections party at least 5 days prior to sailing!

[Sparkle 123]

Raffles

Yes we are arranging our own air. I am looking at flying from Stansted via JFK to San Diego as I'd prefer to avoid Heathrow and Gatwick, another option for us is KLM from Humberside via Amsterdam , just waiting to see if they have a summer sale!

You can get a direct flight to san San Diego on Zoom airlines from Gatwick now.

We always arrange our own flights now so we can be flexible and choose our own flights and dates.

Hope you manage to sort something out with Celebrity and get to see both cities!