San Francisco, Family-friendly hotel

[newfamilyman]

We will be traveling to San Francisco with our two young children (2 and 5) and will be using Starwood points for an award stay in April. I'm leaning toward the St. Francis, which appears as the most family friendly and is a Westin. My other options are the Palace, Meridien (former Park Hyatt), W, or Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf. Anyone have any differing opinions? Thanks.

 

[tinagirl]

The sheraton at fisherman's wharf is nice.

It all depends on what part of the bay area you want to be in, and if you'll have a car, or depend on BART

 

[woody73]

The sheraton at fisherman's wharf is nice.

It all depends on what part of the bay area you want to be in, and if you'll have a car, or depend on BART

I agree, but you'll need a car.

Woody

 

[Disneyjosh229]

Another vote for Sheraton Fishermans Wharf. Redemption is pretty good for what you get. I would advise not renting a car as parking is astronomical (Think we paid $38 p/n at the Marriott) and you can pretty much catch BART anywhere you would want to go or walk. When im in town, I usually take BART from SFO to Embarcadaro and either ride the street car or take a cab to the hotel, although this might be a little harder if you have young children!

 

[wdwprincess03]

Has anyone ever stayed in the Argonaut Hotel? We are thinking of staying there. We'd fly into SFO, and then take the shuttle. We would then rent a car the next day and head to DL! Any suggestions/comments?

 

[jules274]

sorry to be ignorant, but what is BART?..........we are staying in San Francisco for a few days next trip without a car, it will be our very first visit there.

Thank you.

 

[Tiggernut_jadie]

BART stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit and it's the train service that covers the SF bay area.

BART website

 

[Disneyjosh229]

Yes, BART (Bay Area Rapid Trans) has numerious commuter trains that service San Francisco, Oakland, Dublin and much of the bay area. Also, there affiliate CalTrain does long distance rides too....BART is very convienient to most destinations downtown so I often recommend using them. They are well priced and are a very nice feature....

 

[topjars]

We stayed at the Carlton Hotel on Sutter Street. Within easy reach of 24/7 stores and passage to fishys wharf. Theres a picture theatre, laundromat nearby too.
Clean but small rooms.

Gary

 

[newfamilyman]

Thanks for the suggestion. I know that the Sheraton is the only Starwood property at the 7k/night rate, as most of the others are 10k/night. However, from the reading the web page, it seemed more geared for business travelers, while the St. Francis feels like a more fun hotel, for lack of a better word. I was hoping to use mass transit rather than pay the astronomical parking rates, but I heard horror stories from someone who travelled in August and had to wait 90 minutes for a cable car because they were all full. I imagine there will be a lot less foreign tourists, at least, during spring break time in April.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

We have stayed at both the Sheraton Wharf and St. Francis twice. We like the St. Francis better because of the Union Sq. location and the old world elegance of the hotel. I believe it to be not be as kid friendly as the Sheraton though which is at the Wharf (which I personally don't care for but everyone seems to have to go there).

 

[newfamilyman]

Thanks for that information.

 

[TravelingJen24]

We love the St. Francis, but I will warn you. We were there a few months back and it appeared to be much more geared to conventions rather than families. I hope you have a great trip.

 

[newfamilyman]

Thanks. I settled on the Fisherman's Wharf based on everyone's comments. I hope so, too!

 

[woody73]

Thanks. I settled on the Fisherman's Wharf based on everyone's comments. I hope so, too!

Good choice.

Woody

 

[iluvmarin]

Hi,

I know you've already made your choice, but just be aware of how different it is on the wharf vs Union Square. I lived in SF for 5 years, and can tell you it is going to be entirely different based upon where you stay.

Personally, I would not stay by the wharf. I think the best place to stay is near Union Square - but then again, I've seen the wharf many times, and think it's more of a touristy place. It may be fine if you haven't seen it before. Personally, I think the area near Fillmore is pretty cool as well, but it isn't really something for tourists - lot's of locals frequent the area. Good shopping, restaurants, and there's also a cinema - it's quite trendy and diverse there (interesting) - if you plan on seeing Pac Heights stop off at Fillmore street and walk around.

Well, thinking about it - if you are going with kids, Fisherman's Wharf would be a much more kid-friendly place to stay. The thing is with Union Square is that there aren't many things to do with young children there. Mainly lot's of shops - so, if you do have kids, opt for staying around Fisherman's Wharf vs Unio Square.