San Fransico Lodging/rental car

misse336

Mouseketeer
Joined
Apr 24, 2014
We need a hotel in San Fransico for 2 or 3 nights in June for 5 people (2 adults/3 kids). We are planning to have a rental car and plan on going to all of the touristy type places (bridge, alcatraz, cable cars, wharf, etc).

Question #1 - Any hotel recommendations? Some that we looked at didn't accommodate 5 people. One that we saw that could accommodate us that appears to be close to everything was Mission Inn. Anyone ever stay there or know if it's in a safe area? We don't need super fancy, but we would like clean and safe.

Question #2 - In the other San Fransico thread it mentions the problems SF is currently having with car break-ins. Would it be better to Uber to SF and pick up the rental car after we are done there? Not sure how public transportation is to all of the tourist areas we plan to visit or transportation between the airport and hotel?
 
Not familiar with the hotel that you mentioned. I stayed at Hilton's Financial District a few months ago and loved it so much that I'll try to stay there all the time. We were on the executive floor which had a 24 hour lounge. Hot breakfast in the lounge in the morning, so you can figure a free breakfast in your overall costs. There were only 2 of us, so I don't know about a room for 5.

Having a rental car in San Francisco can be a detriment. It's very difficult to find parking and when you do, the parking fees will very high. We used Lyft for everything. There are so many Lyft drivers in the city that I think the longest we had to wait was about 5 minutes and most of the time, it was around a 2 minute wait.

We are looking at staying next summer and I will rent a car for the day, never overnight. I'm not worried about break ins, but the parking is over the top. If you do a google map search of whatever hotel you choose and the nearby car rental places, you might be able to find a 24 hour car rental place that can use to rent by the day. If the car rental is far, you can always Lyft to it. You'll have to price out everything. For me, it's easier to rent for the days that I need a car (when I will be going too far for Lyft) and not have to figure out overnight parking for the car.

Public transportation is very good. A few years ago, we bought a transportation pass from WalGreens. I can't remember how much it was, but it covered all the buses and the cable car. Everywhere that you mentioned above will be very easy to get to with public transportation. Much easier than trying to park a car in all of those areas. If you do rent a car and decide to park it overnight or at any of those tourist places, don't leave anything inside the car. If a drug addict looks in the car and sees absolutely nothing, they won't have much motivation for breaking into it when the next car probably has something in view.
 
We need a hotel in San Fransico for 2 or 3 nights in June for 5 people (2 adults/3 kids). We are planning to have a rental car and plan on going to all of the touristy type places (bridge, alcatraz, cable cars, wharf, etc).

Question #1 - Any hotel recommendations? Some that we looked at didn't accommodate 5 people. One that we saw that could accommodate us that appears to be close to everything was Mission Inn. Anyone ever stay there or know if it's in a safe area? We don't need super fancy, but we would like clean and safe.

Question #2 - In the other San Fransico thread it mentions the problems SF is currently having with car break-ins. Would it be better to Uber to SF and pick up the rental car after we are done there? Not sure how public transportation is to all of the tourist areas we plan to visit or transportation between the airport and hotel?

Also do you think you will be in the city for the weekend or during the week? If weekend, you could potentially stay out in Burlingame (near the airport) and drive into the city during the day. If you are going to be there on a weekday it won't be worth it as the drive can be a nightmare at commute.

Public transportation in SF is abundant, we have ridden the bus, trolley, cable cars all with ease. Parking at hotels in SF can run you anywhere from $40-100 a night so if you don't HAVE to have a rental car I would skip it and pick up your rental on the way out of town.
 
I've lived here my whole life so here is my insight. I probably wouldn't rent a car at all, and just do Uber/Muni/BART. Parking in SF is both difficult and astronomically expensive. The Mission Inn location should be relatively safe, it's just significantly outside of the heart of SF. I would say it makes more sense to stay somewhere near Union Square (not the Tenderloin) so you're in the heart of the city.

Also I've had my current car for 10 years and not once has it ever been broken into. You just have to make sure you don't leave any items visible in your car. Not a jacket, and especially not a bag.
 


Do not stay at the Mission Inn. I am very familiar with the area and the hotel. it is a marginal neighborhood at best. To say the least, it is not somewhere I would want to stay with my kids. You’re better off staying somewhere outside the city, like South San Francisco or Burlingame by the airport like someone else suggested. It would only be another ten minutes further on the freeway compared to the Mission Inn and without the “grit”.

If you plan on doing everything inside the city I think getting around with a rental car would be more of a hindrance than anything. You’re better off Ubering everywhere in my opinion.
 
Not familiar with the hotel that you mentioned. I stayed at Hilton's Financial District a few months ago and loved it so much that I'll try to stay there all the time. We were on the executive floor which had a 24 hour lounge. Hot breakfast in the lounge in the morning, so you can figure a free breakfast in your overall costs. There were only 2 of us, so I don't know about a room for 5.

My wife and I usually stay at the Hilton Financial District, but it should really be called Hilton Chinatown and great food can be found in any direction from the hotel. We’ve done both the Grand Hyatt on Union Square and the Hyatt Embarcadero and they are just way too pricey.

The worst part of having a rental car in the City is parking. You won’t be using it to go to dinner because you’ll walk, cab it, Uber/Lyft, or public transit. And the hotel fees are insane. Last time we took our car it was $65 a night to park it at the hotel. If you need a rental car to get to your next destination, just rent it when you leave town.
 
We are at the Hyatt Embarcadero for two nights in June. Is this in a good area?
 


We are at the Hyatt Embarcadero for two nights in June. Is this in a good area?

Yes that Hyatt Regency is right across from the Ferry Building in the financial district. You should be fine. Just don't drive there. Traffic will be bad
 
Not familiar with the hotel that you mentioned. I stayed at Hilton's Financial District a few months ago and loved it so much that I'll try to stay there all the time. We were on the executive floor which had a 24 hour lounge. Hot breakfast in the lounge in the morning, so you can figure a free breakfast in your overall costs. There were only 2 of us, so I don't know about a room for 5.

Quite familiar with that hotel. Was the former Holiday Inn Chinatown. When I worked in San Francisco for a college job, I would sometimes get treated to the lunch buffet there. It is a bit different now under Hilton, but it's still a pretty ugly concrete monolith.

I believe the pool on the roof (featured in the opening scene of Dirty Harry) is still there.
 

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