“Nice hotel, great value in a nice neighborhood”
If you are looking for a fancy hotel with all the amenities, this place is not for you. However, if you are looking for a nice, clean hotel on a budget then this is your place! The neighborhood is partly residential, nice and quiet. Our room was very clean and we were glad to see an iron & ironing board. The bed was comfy! There is a fridge but you have to rent it ($3/day).The staff are very nice. and they can arrange tours for you or a shuttle to the airport ($15/person). In the morning there is coffee, tea, juice, fruit and pastries at the front desk but because the area is very small you have to take your breakfast back to your room. No prob. There is no restaurant but there are plenty of eateries within walking distance. There are several buses in the area to take you downtown or to Fisherman's Wharf. There's also a Walgreen's drugstore 2 blocks away in case you forgot anything. I would stay here again.
Area recommendations
Definitely would recommend Fisherman's Wharf. It is very touristy, but has a lot to offer and is easily accessible by one of the many city buses. FW is where you would buy tickets for various boat rides, incl. the one to Alcatraz, buy bus tour tickets, rent a bike, shop, eat, see the sea lions. Or you can just find a bench and listen to one of the many street musicians as you sip your coffee or eat the famous clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Some of the free things there are: Musee Mechanique (a sort of arcade museum), tours of WWII submarines, viewing the sea lions. You can also take a lovely walk along the shoreline and view the many sailboats out in the bay. If you choose to take a boat ride, bus tour, etc, look for coupons online first.
Golden Gate Park is another lovely area which has a Japanese Tea Garden, The De Young Art Museum and the California Academy of Sciences museum. It is also just lovely to stroll around. It is easily accessible by city bus.
Another must see is Yosemite National Park. ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS but about 20 degrees warmer than San Francisco, so dress in layers. Definitely some beautiful photo ops--giant sequoias, waterfalls, Half Dome, El Capitan, plus those crazy rock climbers!
Getting around
Getting around is SO EASY! There is a very good bus system. The buses are $2.00 for adults, $0.75 for seniors, children and handicapped. All buses are wheelchair accessible and even have a bike rack on the front where you can secure your bike. Take a transfer even if you don't think you'll need it. It is good for about 3 hours from the time you board the 1st bus, even if it is on a return trip on the same bus. Each bus stop has an electronic sign which constantly updates the arrival time of the next bus(es), so you're not left wondering.
I WOULD NOT advise taking the subway (BART) from SFO airport downtown to get to your hotel, unless your hotel is downtown. We didn't realize how far our hotel was from downtown and had to pay $15 for a taxi to take us from the nearest subway (BART) station to our hotel. Try to get a shared-ride van instead. Forget the taxi to/from the airport unless you want to spend about $40 one way.
What to pack
A medium-weight jacket or sweater is a must! We were there in early September and it was chilly and breezy, hardly reaching 70 degrees.
Must see
YOSEMITE!!!!! It's about 3 1/2 hour drive from San Francisco, but hopefully you booked a tour so someone else is doing the driving. GORGEOUS< GORGEOUS< GORGEOUS!
A bus tour around the city is also very nice. There are open-top as well as closed-top double decker buses which provide little machines with headsets so you can listen to a narrated tour. The narrations are available in several languages.
Family-friendly activities
Family-friendly activities abound: Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz , Yosemite, Exploratorium, Golden Gate Park, California Academy of Science Museum, bike rentals, kite flying along the waterfront.
