Half Moon Bay State Beach
Less than 20 miles farther north, busy Half Moon Bay is defined by seductive, 4-mile-long Half Moon Bay State Beach, offering Spartan campsites.
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Motel Inverness
This upmarket motel has wonderful service and spiffy rooms with good beds. Alas, it was built backwards: rooms face the parking lot, but behind there’s gorgeous wetlands.
Smiley's Schooner Saloon & Hotel
This is a crusty old place dating back to 1851, with simple but decent rooms. The bar has live bands on weekends and is frequented by plenty of salty dogs and grizzled deadheads.
Village House
Digs for gay travelers that are slightly fancier than the nearby 24 Henry, though not as quiet.
Kirby Cove Campground
Kirby Cove Campground occupies a spectacular shady dell on the Golden Gate’s west side, near the mouth of the bay; there’s a small beach.
Hotel California
Two blocks from the California Ave train station, this hotel has 20 rooms and free DSL.
Sw Hotel
The legendary Sam Wong flophouse underwent a late '90s overhaul that included earthquake retrofitting and updated decor. Now it's simple and respectable, with bland pastel decor.
Half Moon Bay State Beach
Just west of town on Kelly Ave is this cheap overnight option, with spartan campsites available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Costanoa
Four miles south of Pigeon Point, Costanoa is part ecolodge, part campground, tucked between three state parks.
Dakota Hotel
Vintage 1920s hotel with clean, basic rooms and clawfoot bathtubs; the elevator is temperamental. Parking costs $16.
Seal Rock Inn
Hunter S Thompson used to stay at this vintage-1950s, ocean-side motel to listen to the seals, which have since migrated to Fisherman's Wharf. Rooms need updating (think 1970s rumpus-room style), but they're big and most sleep up to four.
Travelodge Fisherman's Wharf North
This hotel offers basic convenience, a prime location between Fisherman's Wharf and North Beach, and cheap parking.
Inn On Castro
A portal to the Castro's disco heyday, this Edwardian townhouse is decked out with top-end '70s-mod furnishings. Rooms are retro-cool and spotlessly kept. Exceptional breakfasts – the owner is a chef. Also rents out several nearby apartments.
Fireside Motel
A decent older property with tons of roadside character. Just off Hwy 101, you can't miss the big signs.
Sanborn Park Hostel
This is a HI hostel in an amazingly beautiful 1908 log building among dense redwoods in 3600-acre Sanborn County Park, 12 miles west of San Jose. The setting is incredible, and few locals even know it exists.
Hidden Villa
This is a HI hostel tucked away in a calm, pastoral setting in Los Altos Hills, 2 miles west of I-280. It is the country's oldest hostel (it opened in 1937), and is part of an organic farm and environmental educational center.
Pescadero Creekside Barn
Three miles east of Hwy 1 Pescadero is a small crossroads on the way to the interior and a collection of mountainous parks and forest preserves. Pescadero Creekside Barn is just that, a barn by the creek.
Chateau Tivoli
This imposing, glorious chateau on a secondary thoroughfare near Alamo Square has somewhat faded since the time when Isadora Duncan and Mark Twain were guests.
24 Henry
A converted Victorian on a beautiful, quiet side street, 24 Henry's rooms are simply decorated with cast-off ersatz antiques and utilitarian furniture. Best for no-fuss gay travelers. No elevator.
Rose Garden Inn
This charmer is quaint and just a few blocks down from the Telegraph Ave action. Two old houses are surrounded by pretty gardens. Breakfast and afternoon tea are included in the rates.
City Center Motel
Within stumbling distance of the SOFA district is this slightly run-down choice. Rooms are acceptable for the price.
French Hotel
Right in the Gourmet Ghetto. The modern brick building has 18 very straightforward rooms. Downstairs is a popular café.
China Camp State Park
This park has 30 walk-in campsites.
Mountain Home Inn
Set atop a ridgeline amid redwood, spruce and pines, Mountain Home is perfect for a romantic, woodsy retreat. All 10 rooms face east and most have balconies and fireplaces. Some are tiny, but cozy nonetheless. No TVs. Full breakfast.
Downtown Berkeley Inn
A 27-room budget boutique-style motel with good-sized rooms and correspondingly ample flat-screen TVs.
Hotel Griffon
A brick wall runs the length of the lobby at this understated five-story boutique hotel, once a boarding house for sailors. Since it's right at the edge of San Francisco bay, the water views from some rooms are mesmerizing.
York Hotel
If this sharp 96-room hotel looks familiar, you might be thinking of scenes from Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo that were shot here - though nobody actually fell out any windows.
Mosser Hotel
A tourist-class hotel with stylish details, the Mosser has tiny rooms and tinier baths, but rates are (usually) a bargain.