Must-see hotels in San Francisco

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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 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…

  • 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…

  • Hotel del Sol

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    The kid-friendly Marina District Hotel del Sol is a riot of color, with tropical-themed decor. This quiet, revamped 1950s motor lodge with a palm-lined…

  • Hotel Zoe

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Drawing inspiration from luxury yachts for its $16 million redesign, this little sister to the Argonaut Hotel was reborn in 2017 to parent Noble House…

  • Lodge at the Presidio

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    During the Spanish-American war, officers living within these former barracks did not sleep on the custom-made pillow-top mattresses that today's guests…

  • Red Victorian

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    For the complete Haight experience, stay in a historic commune. This rambling 1904 Victorian houses a dozen quasi-resident idealists plus guests who share…

  • Inn San Francisco

    The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill

    An elegant 1872 Italianate-Victorian mansion has become a stately Mission District inn, impeccably maintained and packed with antiques. All rooms have…

  • Beck's Motor Lodge

    San Francisco

    Back when it opened in 1958, Beck's rooms cost $5 a night – but after recent upgrades, this mid-century motel is good as new, clean, sharp, even a tad…

  • San Remo Hotel

    North Beach & Chinatown

    One of the city's best-value stays, the San Remo was built in 1906, right after the Great Earthquake. More than a century later, this upstanding North…

  • Sleep Over Sauce

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    At this eight-room inn above a tempting Hayes Valley bar, you're down the block from great restaurants and world-class entertainment at SFJAZZ, SF Opera,…

  • Mark Hopkins Intercontinental

    San Francisco

    Moods lift and everyone glows under the crystal lobby chandeliers of this 1926 San Francisco landmark. Mark Hopkins' gilded-age style is clearly…

  • Washington Square Inn

    North Beach & Chinatown

    On sunny Washington Sq, this restored 1910 inn offers European style, complete with wine-and-cheese receptions and continental breakfasts in bed. The…

  • Metro Hotel

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Trendy Divisadero St is lined with boutiques and restaurants, and Metro Hotel has a prime position – some rooms overlook the patio of top-notch Ragazza…

  • Hayes Valley Inn

    The Haight & Hayes Valley

    Like a European pension, this amazingly reasonable find has simple, small rooms with shared bathrooms, a napping doggie in the parlor, and welcoming staff…

  • Inn on Castro

    San Francisco

    A portal to the Castro's disco heyday, this Edwardian townhouse is decked out with '70s-mod furnishings, trippy artwork and a jungle's worth of exotic…

  • Marina Motel

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Established in 1939 to accommodate visitors arriving via the new Golden Gate Bridge, the Marina has an inviting Spanish-Mediterranean look, with a quiet…

  • Coventry Motor Inn

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Of the many motels lining Lombard St (Hwy 101), the generic Coventry has the highest quality-to-value ratio, with spacious, well-maintained (if plain)…

  • Qinghai Lake in the near distance on the Qinghai-Tibet train

    Marina Inn

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    Good value in the Marina, this vintage 1920s hotel has small, clean rooms with outdated decor, but it's a cozier alternative to a cheap motel. Single-pane…

  • SW Hotel

    North Beach & Chinatown

    After a major overhaul, Chinatown's former Sam Wong motel now offers good-value rooms heavy on the beige and air freshener. Its main selling point is…

  • Seal Rock Inn

    San Francisco

    Far from downtown, this vintage 1950s ocean-side motel has big rooms, where Hunter S Thompson holed up in to write in the '70s. Today it's a mellow,…

  • Willows Inn

    San Francisco

    Whether you're traveling solo, paired, or with your posse, Willows welcomes you with no-fuss homey comforts. The 12 guestrooms have shared bathrooms, but…

  • Wharf Inn

    The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers

    This standard-issue, two-story motor lodge at the Wharf has clean, nothing-special rooms, ideal for kids who make messes. Some rooms are loud; bring…

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