San Francisco in Feb. 2007

Four of us are planning a trip to SFO in Feb. '07 (10th to 14th)

Is it long enough to go for 4 nights?
What is there to do?
Is the best place to stay Union Square?

And why are United Vacations giving us a better deal than VH!?
We may well pick to go with United because its a few hundred pounds cheaper (flights) compared to VS.

any info is aprpeciated

thanks

4 nights[:?] - personally I think the effects of jet lag would not make this the most fun trip ever - depends on what you are going to do when you are there. Just remember that at 7am in the morning in the UK when you are getting up its 11pm in San Francisco!!

Like I said - depends on what you plan to do but there's plenty to keep you occupied for 4 days with some excellent places to visit and some good tours!

[ChuckC]

Hi Tommy,
Any time spent in SF is bound to be enjoyable. February is the "winter" there, however, and could be rainy (so nothing new, right?!).

As for places to stay you might take a tour of the Search feature above. There have been numerous posts on various V-Flyer recommendations in downtown, at the Wharf, even near the airport (maximum deals there as it is a ways from downtown, but by no means inaccessible due to convenience of the BART train going right to SFO). Union Square is a major downtown shopping/dining/people watching area with numerous boutique hotels as well as the majors -- Starwood, Hyatt. The Wharf is more touristy than just about any part of the City; hotels generally speaking tend to be less well maintained there and the crowds can be more heavy than elsewhere.

No matter what tourist attractions you visit for a fuller appreciation of San Francisco a great 4-day visit to the City should include walking tours of some of the neighborhoods (Chinatown, Union Street, Nob Hill, Pacific Heights as examples).

Regards,
Chuck-

I'll echo Chuck, SF is a great place for 4 days, 8 days or a lifetime!

Union Square has the advantage of centrality, and the Powell cable car over the hill to the Troc runs right by it (though you may need to go down the hill a few hundred metres to be able to get on it!). Hotels are pricey but generally good, try the The Hotel Vitale.

However if you want views and are prepared to pay then the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins has it all. Though apparently intermediate service but THE bes rooftop cocktail bar.

Personally I'd avoid the St Francis on Union Sq.

Enjoy.

[Bazz]

We did a four day trip: LHR-SFO-LAS(2 nights)-SFO(2 nights)-LHR. It was hard going but perfectly do-able. Admittedly premium travel sweetens the pill. We just wanted the change of scene, some good food, a nice hotel experience and nothing too demanding... this worked out fine. [y] Oh, and VS across the pond (of course) and America West for the internals.

Originally posted by tommy212


Is it long enough to go for 4 nights?

Not really - it will be quite frustrating as you will be trying to fit everything in. Plus there is the issue of jetlag. I would say ideally 7 nights, but minimum 5.

What is there to do?

Loads - Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, Yosemite (day trip), Sausalito, Napa/wine country (day trip), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, shopping..Fishermans Wharf (if you are interested in purchasing tacky souvenirs!), the beaches, Haight Ashbury..

Is the best place to stay Union Square?

I would say this area is preferable to Fishermans Wharf, which is just dire. It depends on your budget. I've stayed in the Grosvenor Suites twice, which are great value - big rooms, kitchen, living room..good if you want to self-cater to an extent. You get a double bed and also a huge sofabed.

You could also consider renting an apartment or house - try
http://www.vrbo.com
This works out good value.

Have fun!

I did SFO in four nights once and it was no problem, so long as you don't let jet lag get the better of you.

tommy212

A great place for local hotel deals is http://www.hotelres.com.

It is a discount search engine so looking this far out may not yield many deals but it lets you pick neighbourhoods to look in and a price-range that you're comfortable with so try some combo's to find the best deal. (Bear in mind that after NY, SF is the most expensive city in the US so prices on hotels are always on the high-side!)

Re: whether 4 days is enough I may be a bit biased (I came out here from the UK for a short-term job and ended up moving here permanently!) but I'd say try to wrangle a few more days.

4 days would be enough to see the major attractions (Alcatraz, G G Bridge, Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf) but I think you would feel rushed and not getting the chance to go up to the Wine Country or other places further away would be a shame

Feel free to hit me with more specific questions...

SFO-Marc

Re: whether 4 days is enough I may be a bit biased (I came out here from the UK for a short-term job and ended up moving here permanently!) but I'd say try to wrangle a few more days.

SFO-Marc

You lucky sod! [8D]

Alcatraz is a must see, and a cable car ride a must do.

For the Rock you may need to book in advance, though I can't for the life of me suggest how. We got stung on our first visit and could only get tickets if we booked - and took - a coach tour that we didn't particularly want.

Originally posted by SFO-Marc
tommy212

A great place for local hotel deals is http://www.hotelres.com.

It is a discount search engine so looking this far out may not yield many deals but it lets you pick neighbourhoods to look in and a price-range that you're comfortable with so try some combo's to find the best deal. (Bear in mind that after NY, SF is the most expensive city in the US so prices on hotels are always on the high-side!)

Re: whether 4 days is enough I may be a bit biased (I came out here from the UK for a short-term job and ended up moving here permanently!) but I'd say try to wrangle a few more days.

4 days would be enough to see the major attractions (Alcatraz, G G Bridge, Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf) but I think you would feel rushed and not getting the chance to go up to the Wine Country or other places further away would be a shame

Feel free to hit me with more specific questions...

SFO-Marc

well with our current quote (UA Vacations) 5 nts is the maximum we can afford.

last year we went to LA for 10nts and did quite a few of the further afield california stuff, so this would be more of just a city break to SFO.

thanks for the website- will take a good look at that.

and is SFO quieter in feb. compared to most of the time?

thanks

I live just 10 miles from SF.

Feb. will be quiet, very few tourists that time of year. And it may be rainy. Shouldn't be cooler than 45F.

My favorite place to stay for a night out in SF around Union Square is the Mandarian Oriental or Ritz Carlton. The Inn at Union Square is centrally located and cozy (6th floor honeymoon suite was our wedding night). Avoid St. Francis if you can, but the restaurant there, Michael Mina, is top notch!

Four days. You can do a lot:
- Golden Gate Park. Lunch at micro-brewery at the far West side (near the giant windmill) has the BEST view of the ocean, with good food too. Also see the newly renovated musuem and oldest Japanese tea-garden. Rent bikes from nearby Haight neighborhood to the East.

- Cable car. Avoid the touristy spot at Powell and hop on at Embarcadero/California. Take it up California for a specatular view back towards the Bay Bridge. It peaks at Nob Hill (Fairmont Hotel as a fabulous 50s kitch Tiki bar) and goes down into Polk St. area with a cool vibe with neat shops and stores.

- Golden Gate Bridge. Do it. Either side of the bridge should be fine. Unfortunately, you'll miss the fog at that time of the year, which adds a wonderful effect to the walk across.

- Ferry Building. Newly rennovated, at the Embarcadero/Market St. BART stop, underneath the Bay Bridge. Inside you'll find food heaven with all sorts of neat shops and restaurants. Slanted Door is one of the tops spots with fantastic Vietnamese food.

- Just last night I took 10 people out to dinner at a SOMA (South of Market Area) restaurant across from Pier 38 called "Town's End". Really enjoyable, very accomodating staff. Not crowded. Best of all were the $18 prix fixe menu which is REALLY INEXPENSIVE for SF. Get the house Zinfandel from Paso Robles. We had 3 bottles.

- Other favorite restaurants: One Market, Silks, Ozumo

Originally posted by slinky09

Re: whether 4 days is enough I may be a bit biased (I came out here from the UK for a short-term job and ended up moving here permanently!) but I'd say try to wrangle a few more days.

SFO-Marc

You lucky sod! [8D]

What can I say - sometimes an opprtunity lands in your lap and it seems crazy not to take it... Seriously though I do feel lucky to live here, although the mortgage is a little steep!!![:0]

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Originally posted by tommy212

well with our current quote (UA Vacations) 5 nts is the maximum we can afford.

last year we went to LA for 10nts and did quite a few of the further afield california stuff, so this would be more of just a city break to SFO.

thanks for the website- will take a good look at that.

and is SFO quieter in feb. compared to most of the time?

thanks

Glad to help - hope you enjoy "the city" as they call it - never San Fran - never Frisco!:D