Good SF hotel? Which ambus stop?

[guest]

Any suggestions for a nice but not horribly expensive hotel not too far from one of the ambus stops at the end of the CZ route in San Francisco?

Which bus stop? We'd like to be in a safe and scenic area, touristy is ok. We plan to take a Muir Woods tour for a few hours and would like to be able to walk around our hotel area the remainder of the day. Two females. All suggestions and advice are appreciated.

 

[SarahZ]

I stayed at the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf the last time I was there. It was only a couple blocks from the Ambus stop, and I felt safe walking around by myself after the Alcatraz night tour. There were still quite a few people out and about. I would definitely stay there again.

http://www.sheratonatthewharf.com

When I went with my ex-boyfriend a couple years ago, we sprang for a night at the Queen Anne because I love historic buildings and wouldn't stop pestering him about it:

http://www.queenanne.com

It's not super close to the tourist attractions, but it's a short cab ride (or MUNI/BART ride) to most things. The Queen Anne is in Japantown, which is a pretty, safe area. They also have a lovely (free) breakfast in their beautiful breakfast room, and they have coffee and tea available in the gorgeous parlor 24/7.

The prices for these places are going to vary, depending on the time of year. I paid $90/night at the Sheraton during the first week of March, and the Queen Anne was about $260/night in mid-June. (Hence the reason we only stayed one night.)

 

[Mitch]

I usually stay at the Columbus Motor Inn in North Beach. It's a very comfortable older hotel in a safe for walking neighborhood. It's only a 15 minute walk from the hotel to Chinatown, or the Pier 39 area, and about a block from the northern end of a cable car line. You are in the heart of North Beach, a nice neighborhood to walk around.

A fun way to get there would be to take the Ambus to the S.F. Shopping center, board a cable car right across the street, and ride it to the end of the line, about a block from the Columbus Motor Inn.

Off season, mid-week rates can drop to as low as $98 with parking, a great deal for this location.

 

[caravanman]

A point to keep in mind is that the cable cars are often very busy, with long lines of tourists waiting to board... I think if you tried to board with suitcases, you might be refused. Dunno for sure, but there seems zero luggage storage space?

Ed.

 

[BCL]

A point to keep in mind is that the cable cars are often very busy, with long lines of tourists waiting to board... I think if you tried to board with suitcases, you might be refused. Dunno for sure, but there seems zero luggage storage space?

Ed.

All of MUNI is a pain to transport luggage, although street cars and Metro are a little bit better. Just try the 30 Stockton through Chinatown.

 

[guest]

Thanks, everyone!