Must-see hotels in The Bay Area

  • HI Point Montara Lighthouse

    The Peninsula

    Starting life as a fog station in 1875, Point Montara Lighthouse Hostel is adjacent to the current lighthouse and has ramshackle yet beautiful Victorian…

  • Yotel San Francisco

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Newly situated within the long-standing Grant building, this chic downtown hotel is a West Coast first for parent company Yotel, a chain of compact,…

  • Mountain Home Inn

    Marin County

    Hikers rejoice! Set amid redwood, spruce and pine trees on a ridge of Mt Tamalpais with trails spreading in all directions, this retreat is both modern…

  • HI San Francisco City Center

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    The seven-story, 1920s Atherton Hotel was remodeled in 2001 into a much-better-than-average hostel, with private baths in all rooms, including dorms. And…

  • Argonaut Hotel

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Fisherman's Wharf's top hotel was built as a cannery in 1908 and has century-old wooden beams and exposed-brick walls. Rooms sport an over-the-top…

  • Orchard Garden Hotel

    North Beach & Chinatown

    San Francisco's original LEED-certified, all-green-practices hotel uses sustainably grown wood, chemical-free cleaning products and recycled fabrics in…

  • Hotel Kabuki

    Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights

    Welcome to the Steve Jobs of SF hotels – minimalist and austere outside, but inside sneaky psychedelic touches make you wonder who's been microdosing…

  • Fairmont San Francisco

    San Francisco

    Heads of state choose the Fairmont for its grand hotel swagger – magnificent marble lobby, opulent mosaic penthouse suite, bacchanalian brunches – plus…

  • White Swan Inn

    San Francisco

    Imagine a Nob Hill socialite had a fling with English gentry: there you have romantic White Swan. Each room has its own eccentric English character –…

  • Inn at the Presidio

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Built in 1903 as bachelor quarters for army officers, this three-story, redbrick building in the Presidio was transformed in 2012 into a smart national…

  • Axiom

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Of all the downtown SF hotels aiming for high-tech appeal, this one gets it right. The lobby is razzle-dazzle LED, marble and riveted steel, but the games…

  • Hotel Bohème

    North Beach & Chinatown

    Eclectic, historic and unabashedly romantic, this quintessential North Beach boutique hotel has jazz-era color schemes, wrought-iron beds, paper-umbrella…

  • Parsonage

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    With rooms named for San Francisco's grand dames, this 23-room 1883 Italianate Victorian retains gorgeous original details, including rose-brass…

  • The Kimpton Buchanan

    Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights

    Roll out of bed and find shopping, spas and shabu-shabu dining at your doorstep. Mid-century modern luxe city-view rooms offer views of Japantown's Peace…

  • HI San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Trading downtown convenience for a glorious parklike setting with million-dollar waterfront views, this hostel occupies a former army-hospital building,…

  • Chateau Tivoli

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    The source of neighborhood gossip since 1892, this gilded and turreted mansion graciously hosted Isadora Duncan, Mark Twain and (rumor has it) the ghost…

  • Parker Guest House

    San Francisco

    Make your gay getaway in grand style at this Edwardian estate, covering two sunny yellow mansions linked by secret gardens. Guest rooms hit the swanky…

  • Claremont Resort & Spa

    Oakland

    The East Bay's classy crème de la crème, this Fairmont-owned historic hotel is a glamorous white 1915 building with elegant restaurants, a fitness center,…

  • HI Pigeon Point Lighthouse

    The Peninsula

    Not your workaday hostel, this highly coveted coastside lodging is all about its absolutely stunning location. Book ahead and check in early to snag a…

  • Steep Ravine

    Marin County

    Just off Hwy 1, about 1 mile south of Stinson Beach, this jewel has seven primitive beachfront tent sites and nine rustic five-person cabins with…

  • Dancing Coyote Beach Cottages

    Marin County

    Serene and comfortable, these four modern cottages back right onto Tomales Bay, with skylights and decks extending the views in all directions. Full…

  • Loews Regency

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    On the top 11 floors of SF's third-tallest building, Loews offers sweeping bird's-eye views from every room. There's nothing earth-shattering about the…

  • East Brother Light Station

    East Bay

    Most Bay Area residents have never heard of this speck of an island off the East Bay city of Richmond, and even fewer know that the East Brother Light…

  • Hotel Union Square

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Cleverly stylish Hotel Union Square adds soft touches like tufted headboards and down comforters to complement the original brick walls. The main…

  • Pacific Tradewinds Hostel

    North Beach & Chinatown

    San Francisco's smartest all-dorm hostel has a blue-and-white nautical theme, a fully equipped kitchen (free coffee, tea, and peanut butter and jelly…

  • Hotel Zeppelin

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    A block west of Union Sq and a half-century back in time, this trippy boutique stay is replete with throw-back details. A Gothic fireplace and mod…

  • Marker

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Snazzy Marker gets details right, with guest-room decor in bold colors – lipstick-red lacquer, navy-blue velvet and shiny purple silk – and thoughtful…

  • Hotel Vitale

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    When your love interest or executive recruiter books you into the waterfront Vitale, you know it's serious. The office-tower exterior disguises a snazzy…

  • Palace Hotel

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    The 1906 landmark Palace remains a monument to turn-of-the-century grandeur, with 100-year-old Austrian-crystal chandeliers and Maxfield Parrish paintings…

  • Galleria Park

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    Exuberant staff greet your arrival at this certified-green, recently renovated boutique, a 1911 hotel restyled with contemporary art and handsome…

  • Queen Anne Hotel

    Japantown, Fillmore & Pacific Heights

    Call the 1890 pink Victorian mansion of your San Francisco dreams home for the night. This exemplary Queen Anne was once a girls' boarding school and the…

  • Hotel Carlton

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    World travelers feel right at home at the Carlton amid Moroccan tea tables, Indian bedspreads, West African wax-print throw pillows and carbon-offsetting…

  • Cavallo Point

    Marin County

    Spread over 45 acres of the Bay Area’s most scenic parkland, Cavallo Point lodge flaunts an eco-conscious focus with a full-service spa, restaurant and…

  • Hotel Drisco

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    One of the few hotels in Pacific Heights, this stately 1903 apartment-hotel tucked between mansions stands high on the ridgeline. It's notable for its…

  • Golden Gate Hotel

    San Francisco

    Like an old-fashioned pension, the Golden Gate has kindly owners and simple rooms with eclectic furniture, in a 1913 Edwardian hotel perched above the…

  • Hotel Mayflower

    San Francisco

    Location, comfort and character at half the cost of places down the block. Built in 1926, Hotel Mayflower has a Spanish Mission–style cloister lobby and…

  • Hotel Zephyr

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Completely revamped in 2015, this vintage 1960s hotel surrounds a vast courtyard with fire pits and lounge chairs, modern art from nautical junk, and…

  • Phoenix Hotel

    Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa

    This rocker crash pad lures revelers to a 1950s motor lodge with mod paint jobs and hipster amenities (hello, Pendleton blankets). There's a courtyard…

  • Petite Auberge

    San Francisco

    Gracing the slope of Nob Hill is this unexpected French country inn – all sunshine yellow and floral prints, with vintage books flanking cozy gas…

  • Graduate Berkeley

    Berkeley

    Located a block from campus, this classic 1928 hotel has been cheekily renovated to highlight the connection to the university. The lobby is adorned with…