Safe Vacation Rentals in SF Area (San Francisco, Oakland: rental car, vacation home, neighborhood)

[janny]

My husband, young son, and I, are contemplating a family vacation in the San Francisco area. My elderly mother and older sister, who live in Idaho and who don't like to fly, would be driving out to meet us there. We like to rent vacation homes whenever we can because of how roomy they are, how cost-effective, and we don't mind cooking some of our own meals while on vacation.

That said, one popular vacation rental website we use often lists numerous towns in the SF Bay area that offer vacation rentals by the owner. We don't mind being within a half-hour's drive or BART ride from downtown SF. So, with all this in mind, safety being a high priority, convenience and relative attractiveness being tied for #2, which towns below would be good choices for us to focus our search? As you can see, there are a LOT. If we had to choose, we'd prefer the water over the mountains.

My husband has been to Mountain View for business, but that seems like it would be pretty far south. He has colleagues who live in Walnut Creek and Orinda who say they are nice towns and not that far into SF, but Mapquest seems to say differently. Thoughts?

Thanks!

Alameda
Belmont
Belvedere
Berkeley
Corte Madera
Daly City
El Cerrito
Emeryville
Hillsborough
Kensington
Kentfield
Lafayette
Larkspur
Mill Valley
Montara
Moss Beach
Mountain View
Muir Beach
Novato, Bel Marin Keys
Novato
Oakland
Orinda
Pacifica
Palo Alto
Piedmont
Point Richmond
Redwood City
Ross
San Anselmo
San Francisco
San Leandro
San Mateo
San Rafael
Sausalito
South San Francisco
Tiburon
Walnut Creek

[Bulldogdad]

Dillon Beach just North of San Francisco on Tomales Bay.

If it peaks your interest after you research it you can ask me more questions.

My Family has been renting houses there since the 1960's

[tetka_grunya]

I like Moss Beach (ocean) and Sausalito (nice ferry ride to SF)

[jaypee]

How long will you be in SF for? What is your budget?
Generally, if you are only staying for a few days, you might be better off staying in SF proper and save money on a rental car and parking.

[California Vagabond]

Unless you're more attracted to the Marin wilds than to the S.F. sights for vacation sightseeing, I'd vote against the Marin nominees on your list: Belvedere, Corte Madera, Kentfield, Larkspur, Mill Valley, Muir Beach, Novato, Bel Marin Keys, Ross, San Anselmo, San Mateo, Sausalito and Tiburon. There's no BART to Marin, and dealing with the sometimes horrendous bottleneck crossing the Golden Gate Bridge can get old very, very fast.

(OTOH: Marin is mostly beautiful, and generally pretty safe. But for a vacation with a San Francisco emphasis, I'd look elsewhere.)

Depending on the neighborhood the homes are in and their proximity to BART, I'd vote for Lafayette, South San Francisco, San Mateo or Walnut Creek. If you can walk to the BART station from the vacation home, better still. (I believe that some BART parking lots do fill up on weekdays.)

[tetka_grunya]

Originally Posted by California Vagabond

Unless you're more attracted to the Marin wilds than to the S.F. sights for vacation sightseeing, I'd vote against the Marin nominees on your list: Belvedere, Corte Madera, Kentfield, Larkspur, Mill Valley, Muir Beach, Novato, Bel Marin Keys, Ross, San Anselmo, San Mateo, Sausalito and Tiburon. There's no BART to Marin, and dealing with the sometimes horrendous bottleneck crossing the Golden Gate Bridge can get old very, very fast.

(OTOH: Marin is mostly beautiful, and generally pretty safe. But for a vacation with a San Francisco emphasis, I'd look elsewhere.)

Depending on the neighborhood the homes are in and their proximity to BART, I'd vote for Lafayette, South San Francisco, San Mateo or Walnut Creek. If you can walk to the BART station from the vacation home, better still. (I believe that some BART parking lots do fill up on weekdays.)

Thank you for moving San Mateo to Marin! I'd love that

BART on weekends - not very good idea (long wait for a train and generally pretty costly for family), it's much better to get around by car and parking is not bad on Saturdays/Sundays.

Walnut Creek and Lafayette - both do not have much California feeling, South San Francisco - wouldn't stay there as well.
Best vacation places for me - close to ocean beach (Moss Beach, Pacifica) or waterfront Marin places.

For family vacation, I'd spend one day in SF, one day in Monterey/Carmel and 17-miles drive, one day in Muir Wood (much better than Golden Gate Park), one day - Santa Cruz and Mistery Spot.

[quixotic59]

Originally Posted by janny

My husband, young son, and I, are contemplating a family vacation in the San Francisco area. My elderly mother and older sister, who live in Idaho and who don't like to fly, would be driving out to meet us there. We like to rent vacation homes whenever we can because of how roomy they are, how cost-effective, and we don't mind cooking some of our own meals while on vacation.

That said, one popular vacation rental website we use often lists numerous towns in the SF Bay area that offer vacation rentals by the owner. We don't mind being within a half-hour's drive or BART ride from downtown SF. So, with all this in mind, safety being a high priority, convenience and relative attractiveness being tied for #2, which towns below would be good choices for us to focus our search? As you can see, there are a LOT. If we had to choose, we'd prefer the water over the mountains.

My husband has been to Mountain View for business, but that seems like it would be pretty far south. He has colleagues who live in Walnut Creek and Orinda who say they are nice towns and not that far into SF, but Mapquest seems to say differently. Thoughts?

Thanks!

Alameda
Belmont
Belvedere
Berkeley
Corte Madera
Daly City
El Cerrito
Emeryville
Hillsborough
Kensington
Kentfield
Lafayette
Larkspur
Mill Valley
Montara
Moss Beach
Mountain View
Muir Beach
Novato, Bel Marin Keys
Novato
Oakland
Orinda
Pacifica
Palo Alto
Piedmont
Point Richmond
Redwood City
Ross
San Anselmo
San Francisco
San Leandro
San Mateo
San Rafael
Sausalito
South San Francisco
Tiburon
Walnut Creek

We were recommended to stay in Noe Valley for a quiet retreat from the hustle of the city that is still within an easy drive or commute. See VRBO.com.

[California Vagabond]

San Mateo definitely isn't in Marin, but it seems to be too late to edit the post. Sorry for the error.

I'll stand by the rest of what I wrote. I don't find the wait for weekend BART trains to be objectionable. I'd hate to deal with a car in the touristy areas of San Francisco: Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Park, Union Square, etc. Stress, stress and more stress. (But traveling outside of San Francisco is a different matter.)

The original poster emphasized safety, which is one reason I nominated the towns that I did.

It's a trade-off, though. If you value the scenery and aren't planning to travel in and out of the city often, Marin could be an option.

[sonarrat]

For vacationing purposes, it's hard to beat Marin's natural beauty and mild climate. If you can rent close to the ferry to SF, all the better. I can't imagine anything more romantic.

[janny]

Thanks, everyone! This is very helpful.

Are particular towns in Marin more convenient to the ferry than others?