San Francisco - Where to stay night before meeting flight at OAK?

I'm meeting my sister in late October for a trip to wine country. I'm flying CO to SFO on a Thursday, and she's arriving on Allegiant Air at OAK on Friday morning. I'm trying to figure out where to stay on the Thursday to make meeting up with her on Friday morning convenient. She will be renting a car at OAK, but I'll have to rely either on public transit, hotel shuttles or taxis to get to our meeting point.

I'm thinking about flying to SFO early on Thursday and spending the day and night in San Francisco, then taking BART to OAK on Friday morning.

But if instead I fly in on Thursday evening, do you have any suggestions for where I should stay? How easy would it be for her to drive and pick me up at an airport hotel near SFO? Or conversely, how expensive would it be for me either to get to an airport hotel relatively close to OAK, or to take BART from SFO to OAK the next morning?

PS - My preferred hotel chain is Starwood these days, because I'll be a stay short of reaching Gold status for the year. But I also like Marriotts and Hiltons.

Staying near Oakland Airport would be convenient. The Courtyard Marriott and Hilton Oakland both offer free shuttles to/from OAK Airport. Though if you have the time and extra money to stay in San Francisco I would do so. Starwood has some good properties in the city. From there OAK is about 30 minutes on BART and costs under $4.

I'd stay in SF and just grab Bart over to the Oakland airport on Friday morning. It requires a change to a shuttle at the Oakland airport Bart station - if your sister is OK with driving on city streets in the area (it's not the nicest neighborhood), you might want to arrange to meet at the Bart station. Otherwise, getting from downtown SF to the Oakland airport is not difficult using Bart.

I personally would not want to stay in the hotels around Oakland unless I truly planned on doing nothing but sleeping. There's nothing do do over there, particularly without a car. Staying in downtown SF will be easy, since Bart goes directly from the SF airport downtown, and then you can easily grab Bart to OAK the next morning.

I'd stay in SF and meet your friend on Friday in the East Bay. Instead of taking BART and the shuttle bus to OAK, you might take BART to the El Cerrito del Norte station and have your friend pick you up there. This station is just off of I-80, which is what you would take to get to wine country from OAK. El Cerrito del Norte (one stop after El Cerrito Plaza) is on the Richmond line. It's about 35 minutes from Powell St. station in SF to El Cerrito del Norte.

Your friend could call you while her plane is taxiing to the gate at OAK. The time it will take her to go through OAK, get her rental car and drive to El Cerrito del Norte station is pretty close to what it would take you to walk to a BART station in SF (assuming you're within a few blocks), get a ticket and ride to El Cerrito del Norte.

Unless you are arriving the evening prior, I don't recommend staying by the OAK airport.

Unless your sister is familiar with the area, I don't recommend the advice of dhuey, which otherwise makes a lot of sense. The odds of one of the two of you ending up at El Cerrito Plaza and the odds of getting "meeting point" at the station confused is over 50%. (And yes, I have had "intelligent" relatives get off at the wrong station despite clear and concise instruction.) Besides, the last thing she needs after a flight is worried about meeting up with you.

So, stay in SF somewhere near the BART line - the Westin Market St. and the Palace are extremely convenient (if you want your SPG stays) and the St. Francis and Le Meridien are very, but not as extremely, convenient. Then, take BART plus the AirBart Bus to OAK in the AM.

So, stay in SF somewhere near the BART line - the Westin Market St. and the Palace are extremely convenient (if you want your SPG stays) and the St. Francis and Le Meridien are very, but not as extremely, convenient. Then, take BART plus the AirBart Bus to OAK in the AM.

One thing to consider, though, is that there is also a potential for a mixup with this approach, which involves both rail and shuttle bus. I don't know that this risk is any lower than the El Cerrito del Norte approach.

If she's an experienced city and highway driver; if she has a decent sense of direction (I don't, for example) ; if you are both good at detailing where to meet in a large mall or need to fix what part of the airport you'll meet in etc. I definitely echo the posts about staying in SF - but if your sister is OK w/ it, meeting at the North Berkeley or El Cerrito Del Norte station makes a of of sense. But oif she's nervous, then the BART/AirBart plan for you to go to the airport makes more sense.

If she's an experienced city and highway driver; if she has a decent sense of direction (I don't, for example).

Here's the route for the driver: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=oakland+airport&daddr=37.922196,-122.31748+to:El+Cerrito+Del+Norte+BART,+El+Cerrito ,+CA&hl=en&geocode=FclyPwId0TC3-Cm7QSfdBIWPgDGUvh-X_bxtzw%3BFZSlQgIdWJW1-Cmf8QhNUXiFgDHjdRzoYo_b8Q%3BFROzQgIdXZa1-CnDVrWRUXiFgDFqIDFojcYF5w&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=15&via=1&sll=37.920808,-122.311649&sspn=0.023698,0.044117&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=15

It's really simple, both off and on I-80. The OP's BART trip is also very simple -- one of the SF BART stations to El Cerrito del Norte via the Richmond line. Just remember that El Cerrito del Norte is one stop after El Cerrito Plaza. This is in some ways less complicated than going to the Oakland Airport station and taking the shuttle bus.

It's really simple, both off and on I-80. The OP's BART trip is also very simple -- one of the SF BART stations to El Cerrito del Norte via the Richmond line. Just remember that El Cerrito del Norte is one stop after El Cerrito Plaza. This is in some ways less complicated than going to the Oakland Airport station and taking the shuttle bus.

This, from someone who didn't know where MUNI leaves the tunnel :p

I spent a lot of time meeting people at North Berkeley and actually grew up a few blocks from the plaza in El Cerrito (dad worked at Capwell's, remember that one guys? :) ) . As an adult and, driving and needing to pay attention to the various things one does while driving, I discovered I preferred North Berkeley as a pick up place. It just felt easier to be where they would emerge, parked and waiting. That however is merely my own impression. In terms of maximizing travel time the El Cerrito del Norte station works very well.

The other consideration against the OAK hotel option is that if an NFL season happens the weekends in that area will be higher priced than other areas due to a captive audience of hotel guests going to the game. Of the Marriott's in the area the Fairfield is my favorite and I stay there frequently during the season. That said, as has been mentioned upthread, unless there for a game or just to sleep, it is not a premium neighborhood.

I spent a lot of time meeting people at North Berkeley and actually grew up a few blocks from the plaza in El Cerrito (dad worked at Capwell's, remember that one guys? :) ) . As an adult and, driving and needing to pay attention to the various things one does while driving, I discovered I preferred North Berkeley as a pick up place. It just felt easier to be where they would emerge, parked and waiting. That however is merely my own impression. In terms of maximizing travel time the El Cerrito del Norte station works very well.

The other consideration against the OAK hotel option is that if an NFL season happens the weekends in that area will be higher priced than other areas due to a captive audience of hotel guests going to the game. Of the Marriott's in the area the Fairfield is my favorite and I stay there frequently during the season. That said, as has been mentioned upthread, unless there for a game or just to sleep, it is not a premium neighborhood.

Hotels filled with Raiders fans? That alone is probably enough to avoid staying near OAK. :D

Hotels filled with Raiders fans? That alone is probably enough to avoid staying near OAK. :D

Ouch. Just for that I am going to suggest you (pl.) accompany me to Los Gatos for fine dining when I am next in town. :-)

I spent a lot of time meeting people at North Berkeley and actually grew up a few blocks from the plaza in El Cerrito (dad worked at Capwell's, remember that one guys? :) ) . As an adult and, driving and needing to pay attention to the various things one does while driving, I discovered I preferred North Berkeley as a pick up place. It just felt easier to be where they would emerge, parked and waiting. That however is merely my own impression. In terms of maximizing travel time the El Cerrito del Norte station works very well.


Why yes, I remember it :) - even the bulldozers :eek: I agree about North Berkeley being easier for pick up once at the station, but for an easy on/off the freeway, either El Cerrito station is a lot better.

Hotels filled with Raiders fans? That alone is probably enough to avoid staying near OAK. :D

As if staying in that area weren't already unappealing. If you're lucky, you're bored; if unlucky, you're scared.

This, from someone who didn't know where MUNI leaves the tunnel :p

I've been weeping all morning thanks to you. Happy now? HAPPY?!

Ouch. Just for that I am going to suggest you (pl.) accompany me to Los Gatos for fine dining when I am next in town. :-)

Gladly! That was one of my top three meals ever.

Gladly! That was one of my top three meals ever.

And your report has had me wanting to go for ages now. Will mail in the Fall when I will be in town to check schedules etc. :-)

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I'm still debating whether to fly in the night before or arrive earlier in the day and spend some time in the city. Hotels in the city centre are rather expensive for the night of my arrival, so that might affect my decision.