San Francisco

Ooh Campton Place looks lovely. We've stayed in the W in NY which sounds similar funky wise.

How was your holiday? Have you been there before?

We stayed at the Hotel Vitale which was lovely: http://www.hotelvitale.com/ . It's at the top of the Embarcadero so lovely views across the bay bridge - easy to walk to most places and a train station right next to it if you want to go further afield. I would think anywhere in that area or around Union square would be nice - I wouldn't choose to stay around Fisherman's Wharf area unless you like a busy Blackpool type atmosphere. Definitely go on the Alcatraz evening tour by the way - book before you get there though because it gets booked well in advance!

I'd definitely love some tips. I'll PM you thanks ?

Oh dear, that's where we're staying in September. Oh well, I am originally from Blackpool so I should be used to it I suppose.

Oops - didn't mean to be rude about your home town (or holiday destination)! It's just a bit more commercial and loud than we were after but it's good fun and the plus side is that there are loads of places to eat and there are great views of the bay ?

Thanks Marla, will definitely have a look at that too

No offence taken! I'm normally the first to slag off Blackpool ?

I will not recommend our hotel even though the location was great, the rooms were absolutely tiny.

I second the Alcatraz evening tour, it was one of the best things we did in San Francisco! We also took a bus (and ferry) city tour with San Francisco Shuttle Tours and they were great.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun it was going to baseball as well, we went to se the Giants play at home.

We really liked Neptunes Palace, a seafood restaurant by Pier 39 and of course the Cheesecake Factory. ?

Sea lions at Pier 39:

the canadians have been culling them with bats?

We stayed at Fisherman's Wharf-It wasn't too tacky. I didn't like Union Square of an evening (too many drunks and beggars) so I was glad we weren't staying there.

Alcatraz-a must

Clam Chowder at The Fransiscan Restaurant at Pier 39

Haight Street

Cheesecake Factory

China Town

Italian Quarter (a couple of lovely restaurants)

We went last year and stayed at the Kimpton Sir Francis Drake Hotel.

Going again in October and will be staying there again.

Make sure you take a tram ride - such fun ?

No that would be seals.

These are mahosive, it would take chainsaws.

Ah, I shall watch this thread with interest. We're off to San Francisco at the end of September and I'm supposed to be sorting out the hotel this week.

The Vitale is one of the hotels I'm considering, so it's good to get a recommendation!

Can i recommend a restaurant? - House of Nanking. Hubby and i went there on a friends recommendationa few years back and it was fab

Mr MF proposed to me on the way to SFO so it is very special to me, I love it so much (we'd gone before he proposed too and I loved it then as well, but it is extra special now, we got my engagement ring there too)

Anyway, the last hotel we stayed at was the Westin St Francis http://www.westinstfrancis.com/

The room was huge and gorgeous, we had a corner suite and it was one of the best I have ever stayed in. It's quite a historical building too and stood strong through the massive earth quake, whenever that was
.

We stayed at The Mark Twain Hotel, which was nice. It was just off Union Square which was fine during the day but I felt a bit uneasy there at night.

Fishermans Wharf is fab, Pier 39, Alcatraz was my favourite thing.

You must go on a tram ride. I was hanging off the edge at the front only to discover later on that day I was 6 weeks pregnant!!!

We cycled over the Golden Gate Bridge which I loved doing too.

And can we just discuss the shopping opportunities here? It's got THE biggest Abercrombie and Fitch on Market Street, Macy's is fabulous - (don't forget the Cheesecake Factory on the top floor) and there's a Bloomingdales inside the huge mall (also on Market Street).

We took a Tram to Fisherman's Wharf - there are some fabulous seafood restaurants there - and from there, we walked to the Golden Gate Bridge. It's a bit of a trek but it's definitely worth it.

I can't recommend the hotel we stayed in - it was off Union Square so great location but the rooms were cramped and we only stayed there because it was cheap! ?

OH and I went there as part of our HM back in 2005 - we stayed in The Maxwell on Geary, just off Union Square, next to the Westin.

The hotel was nice - quite small, and the rooms were a little small and a bit tired, but it was still fine. And they had Aveda toiletries in the bathroom!

I can recommend, highly, the following places to eat: The Maxwell's restaurant - Max's on the Square - gorgeous food, but gets busy.

Sears on Union Square - you must have breakfast there.

And Pompei's along the waterfront, near to the chocolate place, Giradelli's? Very nice seafood - had dungress crab pasta and was lovely.

We also did several tours - Alcatraz, obviously. A bay cruise which was nice cos you got to go under the Golden Gate Bridge; a trip out to Sausilto and Muir Woods (redwood forest), and a tour road SF taking you all over the place including up to Twin Peaks.

We got a CityPass i think which was well worth the money.

We stayed at the Adagio - part of the same group (joie de vivre) as the Vitale - would definitely recommend it.

Breakfasts were a big thing for us ? . We went to Mama's on Washington Square - get there early or be prepared to queue. It's worth the wait. We also did Sears on Union Square for their stack of little pancakes - again, you'll queue there at the weekend.

We stayed there on our honeymoon and had to ask to be moved to another suite because the first room was right by the elevators and they were incredibly noisy. Otherwise the hotel was fine.

Ooooh yes - Giardelli's! Definitely worth going to the large "factory" down at the Wharf and having a sundae - or even two! The mint choc one is fabulous. ❤️

I can't even remember the name of the hotel we stayed in. However do have some recommendations for things to do.

We had a wine tasting tour of napa valley which was fab, hired bikes for the day and biked over th golden gate bride to Sausalito and got the ferry back, the tour of alcatraz by night, we walked up to coit tower (note don't do this in high heels.....), eat at china town and there is a french place that does fab crepes.

We stayed at the Manderin Oriental which is in the financial district. Was a bit different and very quiet at the weekend but a great building, fab room and easy to get anywhere from.

Yak Sing has fantastic dim sum - definitaly try their soup dumplings and I also reccomend Chapeau! on clement street. My friend who's from San fran reccomended it and we would never have spotted it otherwise. I think al my other must do's haev been covered.

We stayed at the Palomar Hotel when we went in 2002, above the Old Navy store near union. I would recomend the hotel to anyone.

I would also recomend the alcatraz tour, the dim-sum and the clam chowder in bread bowls which i couldn't get enough of.

Just to add to the great shops, a nice size Tiffanys and a huge Levis place that will even do made to measure jeans.