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Old 09-29-2010, 12:51 PM
 
5 posts, read 7,856 times
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My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to San Francisco in January 2011. We have never been and will be driving from Tucson, Az.

I want to find an affordable hotel in a good area. We will have a car so we can drive to atractions if need be. Also a hotel with a kitchenette and or lite breakfast is a plus!

Should we stay in San Fran or in a nearby town?

What are some "can't miss" attractions?

ANY information is appreciated!!!
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Old 09-29-2010, 01:26 PM
 
Location: South Korea
5,242 posts, read 13,084,969 times
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Read this topic for some ideas of stuff to do:

//www.city-data.com/forum/san-f...francisco.html

As for hotels, most places in SF will charge you quite a bit to keep your car. You might want to look at hotels near the San Francisco airport, they are cheaper than in SF and I would imagine you could park for free at most places. You could then drive to SF or take BART from Millbrae.

Within SF, I usually recommend the Best Western in Japantown. It's a nice hotel and isn't horribly expensive (from $100 to $140 a night) and is centrally located in the city.

Most hotels are in the Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf area, a lot of them are pretty expensive. When my parents come to SF they like the Japantown Best Western because it's not too expensive, it's near grocery stores, it's a pretty quiet area, and they can eat Japanese food at Japantown or go up Fillmore to Lower Pac Heights for a lot of other places to eat at the end of the day.
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Old 09-29-2010, 09:21 PM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
858 posts, read 2,237,644 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nikki677 View Post
My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to San Francisco in January 2011. We have never been and will be driving from Tucson, Az.

I want to find an affordable hotel in a good area. We will have a car so we can drive to atractions if need be. Also a hotel with a kitchenette and or lite breakfast is a plus!

Should we stay in San Fran or in a nearby town?

What are some "can't miss" attractions?

ANY information is appreciated!!!
Tell us what kind of attractions are you into. Local experience, beauty, nature, wine country, etc?
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Old 09-29-2010, 10:52 PM
 
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We once stayed at the Marina Motel on Lombard Street. They are relatively affordable, have rooms with kitchenettes (not all, though), free parking, and the location is excellent. You can hop on a bus to bring you to Golden Gate Park, the GOlden Gate itself, downtown, Fisherman's Wharf, etc. etc., plus it's right by Chestnut Street and all its many, many restaurants. Lombard itself has a ton of stuff, too, as do many other areas around there. I'd generally stick with taking public transportation rather than driving (although a car could be nice for some things), but since you'll be driving and will have a car, might as well stay somewhere where you don't have to pay to park it!

I wouldn't bother staying near the airport. Might as well stay in the city where you can get the full SF experience.
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Old 09-30-2010, 12:52 AM
 
Location: South Korea
5,242 posts, read 13,084,969 times
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Obviously it's nicer to stay in SF but hotel prices are ridiculous here and not everyone can afford them or the overnight parking fees. And even if you can afford them, you can pay the same amount and stay at a much nicer hotel by the airport. From what I've seen, a hotel room that would be around $150 in a central area of SF would be like $80 by the airport.

Driving or taking BART from near the airport to SF is definitely not convenient though, so it's a tradeoff for the money you're saving. It just depends on your budget and what your priorities are.

Last edited by mayorhaggar; 09-30-2010 at 01:01 AM..
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Old 09-30-2010, 05:52 AM
 
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You may want to try airbnb.com for an affordable option. I booked there this time (will be taking my third trip to SF in November) and found a great deal. A friend and I will be renting a 2-bed apartment in The Mission for nearly a week and we're paying under $500 for the place. May be worth looking into.
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Old 09-30-2010, 10:54 AM
 
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This is all great info!! I am looking into airport hotels as well as how much others in the city charge for parking. I didn't realize that parking would cost so much.

Attractions we are intersted in are those that will show us the highlites of the city. We have never been and want to see the "staples" of San Fran!
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Old 09-30-2010, 11:13 AM
 
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The Marina motel is about $79.00 a nigh t- free parking - and a kitchen. Not bad!!!
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Old 09-30-2010, 11:19 AM
 
Location: Northern California
3,722 posts, read 14,730,898 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nikki677 View Post
This is all great info!! I am looking into airport hotels as well as how much others in the city charge for parking. I didn't realize that parking would cost so much.

Attractions we are intersted in are those that will show us the highlites of the city. We have never been and want to see the "staples" of San Fran!
San Francisco Underground Travel - Brutally Honest Reviews of Hotels, Rental Cars, Activities, and Shuttles has a list of hotels and a list of activities and places to sightsee. I suggest staying near the airport and taking BART into the city (parking in SF is very limited and/or expensive).
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Old 09-30-2010, 11:57 AM
 
Location: South Korea
5,242 posts, read 13,084,969 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nikki677 View Post
The Marina motel is about $79.00 a nigh t- free parking - and a kitchen. Not bad!!!
That is a pretty good price for SF! How did you get that rate, their website says they do mid-week specials for $105? Which is still pretty good.

Let us know how it is if you stay there, I might have to recommend it to people when they come to stay here if it's a good place.
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