Question about hotels in San Francisco

My friend and I will be cruising out of San Francisco and are researching hotels. I've seen 2 hotels get the best reviews here on CC ---> the Hyatt Regency at Embarcadero and the Best Western Tuscan Fisherman's Wharf.

She gets points for staying in Hilton and Marriott hotels so she wants to only stay in them, but I haven't seen any positive posts about these in SF. Anyone have any thoughts about them? We'd like to keep the nightly price under about $225. Thx!

The city is small geographically. If you find a hotel near the downtown area you will be taxi ride to the ship, walking distance to a lot of the sites and the best thing is a cheap bus ride almost anywhere in the city. I know there is a Hilton downtown - I don't know about a Marriott. So you will be good with any major hotel chain.

My friend and I will be cruising out of San Francisco and are researching hotels. I've seen 2 hotels get the best reviews here on CC ---> the Hyatt Regency at Embarcadero and the Best Western Tuscan Fisherman's Wharf.

 

She gets points for staying in Hilton and Marriott hotels so she wants to only stay in them, but I haven't seen any positive posts about these in SF. Anyone have any thoughts about them? We'd like to keep the nightly price under about $225. Thx!

Will you have a car with you? Hopefully not...Driving and parking in the City can both be near impossible...So, assuming you have no car, here is my advice...

First of all, getting around is relatively easy--taxis are plentiful and cheap, buses and cable cars and BART can get you a lot of places...BUT, some areas of the City are more convenient than others, depending on what you want to do with your time....Staying in the City? Or traveling up to the Wine Country, Redwoods, etc. or somewhere else?

I'll assume you don't have a lot of time and just want convenience in the City...restaurants, shopping, a few tourist sights...

My preference for cruisers would be to stay in the Fishermans Wharf area...Lots of restaurants and shopping walking distance...some major tourist attractions nearby (Alcatraz and Harbor boat tours, Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square...not far to the twisty part of Lombard Street)...Lots of tours can be picked up right from the Wharf...AND, the cruise pier is very close by...

There is a Sheraton, a Radisson, a Holiday Inn, a Hyatt, a Holiday Inn Express AND Aa MARRIOTT and a MARRIOTT COURTYARD in the area...I would stay in any of them...all are reasonably nice and well-located...

The closest Hilton is on Kearney in the Chinatown/Financial District area...It's a nice hotel...I've stayed there several times...Close to Chinatown restaurants and a short hop from North Beach--where the best Italian Restaurants are--my choice of where to eat in the City...(North Beach also isn't far from the Wharf either...

Have fun...

We prefer the Courtyard over the regular Marriott in the Fisherman's Wharf area.

We've stayed there several times the last few years.

You have so many options.

But I will tell you that the Hyatt at Embarcadero is certainly a nice hotel so no need to worry about staying there.

Keith

A number of folks from our roll call, including us, stayed at the Fisherman's Wharf area Sheraton. Priceline provided an excellent price and while the location was very convenient, the property itself has no "wow" factor.

My favorite San Francisco hotel is the Argonaut, but the Argonaut prices for mid-September were higher than I wanted to pay.

The Hilton is located in a horrible area called the tenderloin. Very uncomfortable at night to walk around. The Marriott is at an xcellent location and 1/2 block from the main shopping area.

The Hilton is located in a horrible area called the tenderloin. Very uncomfortable at night to walk around. The Marriott is at an xcellent location and 1/2 block from the main shopping area.

Actually, there are more than one Hilton...and more than one Marriott.

The Hilton Financial District is on Kearney...a block from the Transamerica Pyramid on the Eastern edge of Chinatown...NOT in the Tenderloin...The other Hilton...Hilton Union Square...is technically just outside the border of the historic Tenderloin...but, yes, not necessarily the safest area...but it is close to the Theater District and other attractions...

So, again, I would recommend one of the Marriott properties in the Fisherman's Wharf area....or, if you go with Hilton, the one on Kearney...which I've stayed in several times...and is a very nice hotel in a good location...

I live in the bay area and work in SF. If I was coming to SF on vacation I would probably stay in the Fisherman's Warf area......a lot of stuff going on. The Marriott is located around Mission and 4th street.....near shopping and convention center but not near Fisherman's Warf. The Hilton is located in Chinatown but not near Fisherman's Warf. Knowing the city well I can get anywhere by BART and/or bus but as a tourist it can be a little bit confusing. For that reason I would recommend staying in the Fisherman's Warf area or the Union Square area which is a shopping district (the Marriott is walking distance from this but a slightly long walk). SF is a relatively small city compared to something like NY or LA and if you are comfortable with taking public transportation or long walks it is pretty easy to get around. The bus drivers are pretty helpful since the city is full of tourists so if you are not sure how to get somewhere you can just poke your head into any bus at a stop and ask the driver. Having said all of this I would recommend checking out Chinatown, Union Square as well as Fisherman's Warf. All of these areas are fun to explore. If you are a big walker you can walk from one to the other but some hills are involved.