Seal Rock Inn, San Francisco

Advantages: Location, value for money, free parking
Disadvantages: Noise

...Having a day to kill in San Francisco (lucky me!) before catching an early morning flight, I needed a hotel, and decided to stay in town rather than near the airport. I searched on Expedia and found the Francisco Bay Inn. One of the features I was looking for was free parking, and the Francisco Bay offers it. There were cheaper options, but not when you add $10-$20 to park your car. Expedia gave me a rate of £39, prepaid, and I took it. Another advantage of the Francisco Bay is its location. This is also a disadvantage. It is on Lombard Street, near the corner of Van Ness, within easy walking distance of Fisherman's Wharf and other attractions. However, Lombard is a major, six-lane thoroughfare, part of Highway 101 as it wends its way to the Golden Gate Bridge. This means constant traffic noise, right through the night. Earplugs... Read review

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Advantages: Good value, comfortable, close to attractions, great location
Disadvantages: Basic, but not necessarily a disadvantage (see review)

...The Castle Inn is a small B&B/motel and one of the best kept accommodation secrets in San Francisco. My wife and I stayed there for our belated honeymoon for just over a week in April this year, encouraged by all the great reviews we had seen on various websites. Whilst it can't compete with the likes of the Sheratons and upper-end Holiday Inns in the luxury stakes, it has plenty of its own plus points setting it apart from the more well known hotels. The first thing you'll notice on arrival at the Castle Inn is its location - on Broadway in the Russian Hill district, it's set away from the main tourist hubs. Instead, you're right in with the locals and treated to a more natural SF, a world away from the city's most famous landmarks. Not that it's miles away from anywhere, mind - Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39... Read review

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Advantages: Friendly, Cosmopolitan, Varied
Disadvantages: Can't think of any

...My wife to be and I were going to get married in Hawaii and decided to go to Los Angeles and Las Vegas beforehand. Our friends told us Los Angeles was not that nice and we should try San Francisco. We were so glad we followed their advice. San Francisco is a very warm and inviting city. You never seem to get that edgy feeling that can be felt in some big American cities. San Francisco is so cosmopolitan you could wear anything down the street and noone would look twice. The hotels all seem to be quite tidy and friendly. The pubs and clubs are superb and the eating is out of this world, especially if you like your seafood. The attractions are varied and on the whole very enjoyable. Alcatraz, or The Rock, as it's known, was interesting and awesome to see close up. Pier 39 was a normal touristy trap with the San Fran seals... Read review

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