If you’re looking for a hotel in San Francisco, don’t just stay at the Hyatt or the Hilton. There are many better places to stay, including boutique and historic hotels that are located in every neighborhood and price range. If you’re visiting, hosting family, or taking a staycation, there’s a place for you in San Francisco.
Book a downtown hotel to be near the most popular attractions. Or book a North Beach hotel to visit the touristy Fisherman’s Wharf. Either way, make sure you check off the best things to do in San Francisco from your comfortable hotel room.
1. Hotel Del Sol
This cheerful Joie de Vivre hotel is perfect for a beachy getaway in the heart of San Francisco’s Marina District. One of the few hotels in the city with a pool, Hotel del Sol offers bright, playful rooms and modern technology, including free high-speed wifi. Guests can park onsite for a fee.
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2. San Remo Hotel
This cute little hotel used to be a colonial home on the waterfront. It’s now a charming and higgledy-piggledy place. It has 64 rooms, most of which have floral wallpaper and chintzy bedspreads. Oriental rugs and Victorian-style furniture are scattered throughout.
The penthouse is totally worth its price tag. But it has no elevator and no televisions. It does have a private bathroom and an incredible view of North Beach. It’s also worth noting that the penthouse is on the third floor and doesn’t have an elevator.
3. The Golden Gate Hotel
This lovely hotel is a unique, towering Edwardian building with some floral touches inside. It’s as charming as it is outside and the interior is very welcoming. There’s an ancient elevator to get you from floor to floor and complimentary breakfast and afternoon tea with cookies.
The Theatre District and Union Square are just a few minutes away. If you forget anything, just say hi to the cat.
4. Staypineapple Union Square
How do you get into a hotel room for free? No one is going to let you steal their shampoo, but there are some hotels that will give you complimentary slippers and robes. Staypineapple does that. They encourage it in fact. If you want to steal something, steal their robes and slippers.
The restaurant’s decor is colorful and playful. The theme is pineapples, and the place is decorated with them. The Pineapple Bistro is temporarily closed because of the pandemic, but the manager can give you Quick Bites & Bevvies (snacks and drinks) such as craft beer made by local producers.
The Pineapple Park Hotel is a pet-friendly hotel that offers special services for pup parents. This includes a dog bed, treats, water bowl, and poop bag dispenser. Additionally, the hotel allows guests to rent bikes to ride in the nearby woods.
5. Inn at the Presidio
The Inn at the Presidio is a National Historic Landmark. It is located in San Francisco’s iconic park, with close distance to the city but also a comfortable location. (There are so many beautiful places to walk!) It is one of the most luxurious hotels in San Francisco, and it has an outstanding golf course and hiking trails. A cozy outside fire pit with views of the Golden Gate Bridge will make you feel like you are on vacation.
The hotel is not only a charming place to stay, but it also offers guests an opportunity to people watch. The red brick facade and white columned porch are an inviting place to relax and socialize.
6. Hotel Bohème
This hotel is a tip of the hat to the Beat Generation and the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, which was the epicenter for Beat Culture. The hotel is a tribute to Allen Ginsberg, who lived in San Francisco in his final years. The hotel has photos, poems, and sheet music that pay homage to the Beat Generation. The Beat Generation is still alive thanks to its friends in the hotel.
In true San Francisco fashion, most rooms are small but stylishly decorated in vintage colors and wrought iron. You won’t find better location than this place among the neighborhood’s many cafes but leave your car at home; parking is hard to come by in North Beach.
7. HI Fisherman’s Wharf
San Francisco’s most beautiful landscapes are its hotels, but the best deal is a room in the city’s most beautiful landscapes. If you don’t mind sharing a bathroom with other people, this hotel is an incredible deal.
This Hostelling International location is located in a historic army barracks. It is surrounded by the excitement of Fisherman’s Wharf to the east, Crissy Field and the Golden Gate Bridge to the west, and the bustle of downtown San Francisco.
Hostels are like hotels, except they don’t have private rooms or baths. They do, however, have a common area with a fireplace and a kitchen. They also have a movie lounge, laundry facilities, and an outdoor patio. Breakfast is included at the cafe.
8. Axiom Hotel
The Axiom offers a chic, modern style at an affordable price. Just steps from Market Street in downtown San Francisco, the hotel is located in a minimalist environment with fiber-optic WiFi, smart TVs, and complimentary iPads and iPod docking stations.
The lobby is on the second floor. It is modern and airy, with a marble-topped bar and a library for guests to relax in. The gym is well-stocked with cardio machines and weights, and there’s a games area with arcade games and a foosball table.
9. Hotel Emblem
The Beat Hotel embraces the Beat Generation, a movement that started in the 1950s. This boutique hotel is inspired by the Beat Generation’s love of words, darkness, and typewriters. The hotel is dark and brooding, and it expresses this in its public spaces, words on the walls and floors, and mid-century modern touches.
Located in the heart of Union Square, the hotel is surrounded by amazing things to do. Guests can enjoy theater, shopping, great food and drink, and even poetry. If they’re looking for a place to go at night, they can go to the lounge where there are live performances almost every night. Unfortunately, due to the crisis, the Obscenity Lounge has been closed until further notice.
10. The Metro Hotel
This centrally located hotel near Alamo Square, Haight-Ashbury and the Panhandle is a good deal for those in need of a private bathroom. It is clean and eco-friendly, but fairly no-frills. There are just 24 small, simple rooms with free wifi.
The location is excellent. You can’t beat it in a highly accessible neighborhood with hip but friendly restaurants, bars and must-see landmarks.