San Francisco - Visiting SF but staying in Berkeley or Daly City (near a BART stop) an OK idea?

Since hotels & parking (we're driving in from Reno area) are cheaper, and more readily available, in the outlying towns/cities (usually) does this plan make sense: Hop on the Bart in the morning, spend the day in the city and return to hotel after dinner? We're both 65 so BART rates are cheap. One negative I see is we are limiting ourselves to what we see & do by not having our car.

We'll be using either Hilton, PC, Marriott or SPG points. We don't have a TON of pts in any of the programs so using them judiciously. :)

We've been to SF once, about 25 years ago. We visited Alcatraz and Fisherman's Wharf but not much else. We'll be staying 2 or 3 nights and then heading to Sonoma & Napa.

TIA

Sure but knowing what exactly you want to go see would be helpful. Sf is quite spread out so if you wanted to see GG Bridge, Palace of Fine Arts, etc, it's tougher to do without a car. Also, my recommendation would be Berkeley vs. Daly City. Nicer area, closer to Napa too.

Sure but knowing what exactly you want to go see would be helpful. Sf is quite spread out so if you wanted to see GG Bridge, Palace of Fine Arts, etc, it's tougher to do without a car. Also, my recommendation would be Berkeley vs. Daly City. Nicer area, closer to Napa too.

Good suggestion on Berkeley. We haven't make plans yet on what to see and do except for seeing the GG Bridge. Maybe one or two museums. Will be firming up exact plans in the next couple weeks.

Is visiting during Labor Day weekend (Sat.>Tue) a good or bad idea? Hotel rooms seem to be plentiful.

only one hotel (Doubletree at the Berkeley Marina) is in a decent area - there's a Homewood Suites at Jack London Sq In Oakland which would be OK but looking at all the options for all the places you have points in, none are near BART and a number of them are in Richmond, Emeryville or Airports, which would be no better than near Daly City.

My bad - there is a HI Express on University Ave in Berkeley but I don't care for HI Express. YMMV. Still not super close to BART.

I am wondering what your budget is. I visit SF at least once/year and usually get a 4* hotel in downtown SF for <~$100/night via Priceline. There are many things within close walking distance downtown and public transit in SF is decent, if you want to see things a bit further out.

Since you've got Marriott Points, you might want to think about the Marriott Courtyard in Larkspur. It's right across from the Larkspur Ferry & a 1/2hr from SF driving or on the boat. There's good restaurants nearby, it's in a real safe area, & the last ferry comes back from SF around 9:30-10 pm. Marin's pretty, close to beaches, and Sonoma. I haven't stayed there, but I live close by. I can't imagine that they charge for parking since there's so much free right next door. Check Trip Advisor 1st though & make sure it's not a dump. wj

I am wondering what your budget is. I visit SF at least once/year and usually get a 4* hotel in downtown SF for <~$100/night via Priceline. There are many things within close walking distance downtown and public transit in SF is decent, if you want to see things a bit further out.

Since you've got Marriott Points, you might want to think about the Marriott Courtyard in Larkspur. It's right across from the Larkspur Ferry & a 1/2hr from SF driving or on the boat. There's good restaurants nearby, it's in a real safe area, & the last ferry comes back from SF around 9:30-10 pm.

its a courtyard which means cheap construction + lots of room to room noise but it is very convenient to SF and Sonoma.And it does have free parking.

...none are near BART....

The Embassy Suites in Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill is adjacent to BART. Very convenient.

The Embassy Suites in Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill is adjacent to BART. Very convenient.

Convenient to BART, but a long trip to SF.

Emeryville is better, as you have some "there" there (i.e., some places to eat, and a bunch of mid-range hotel options) plus the Emery Go Round free shuttle that takes you to/from MacArthur BART station. Also, don't sell the AC Transit express buses to SF short if you are staying on one of the routes. Limited to/from SF hours, but super convenient.

only one hotel (Doubletree at the Berkeley Marina) is in a decent area - there's a Homewood Suites at Jack London Sq In Oakland which would be OK but looking at all the options for all the places you have points in, none are near BART and a number of them are in Richmond, Emeryville or Airports, which would be no better than near Daly City.

My bad - there is a HI Express on University Ave in Berkeley but I don't care for HI Express. YMMV. Still not super close to BART.

Not super close, but if the OP has good walking legs, it's sort of halfway between the North Berkeley and (Downtown) Berkeley BART stations. (Haven't stayed at that HI Express, yet, so no comment on it.) EDITED TO ADD: No, I realized from looking at a map that it is not really "between" the two BART stations, it is actually a lot closer to North Berkeley BART; looks like about a half-mile or less walk. It also happens to be about an equal distance to the Berkeley Amtrak station, if one were planning to ride the train somewhere. ;)

I agree that (aside from the hotel issue) Berkeley would be FAR preferable to staying in Daly City. Of course, be sure to check the points rates for hotels in San Francisco itself -- they may or may not be as costly as imagined. And some of the outside-SF hotel options may be a relatively bad deal on points (vs. cash prices).

Not super close, but if the OP has good walking legs, it's sort of halfway between the North Berkeley and (Downtown) Berkeley BART stations. (Haven't stayed at that HI Express, yet, so no comment on it.)

I agree that (aside from the hotel issue) Berkeley would be FAR preferable to staying in Daly City. Of course, be sure to check the points rates for hotels in San Francisco itself -- they may or may not be as costly as imagined. And some of the outside-SF hotel options may be a relatively bad deal on points (vs. cash prices).

The Berkeley HI Express is in an aesthetically unpleasing area, and I believe was an old dumpy place upgraded to the HIX brand. However, there is fair amount of good eats not too far away. It also tends to be quite expensive for what it is, given the dire lack of name brand lodging in Berkeley.

The Berkeley HI Express is in an aesthetically unpleasing area, and I believe was an old dumpy place upgraded to the HIX brand. However, there is fair amount of good eats not too far away. It also tends to be quite expensive for what it is, given the dire lack of name brand lodging in Berkeley.

Yes, I'm somewhat familiar with that area, but it's still Berkeley. ;) (I have stayed in a different "dumpy" hotel in that general neck of the woods on University Ave, but it was near good restaurants and close enough to where I wanted to be.)

Also, don't forget that the OP seems to be committed to redeeming hotel points for this trip (HHonors, PC, Marriott, and SPG), so that really limits the hotel options.

Grew up in Berkeley, love it dearly, but it is one of the worst hotel option areas in the entire Bay Area. Far better is the Pleasant Hill station (called Walnut Creek area) and stay at either Embassy Suites or the Renaissance. The BART station is across the street from both and the area is fine. Berkeley BART has turned into a dive, skipping it is missing nothing. The BART ride to the City from Pleasant Hill is easy and takes a very short time really. When I visit the area I either stay there or stay by the airport and use BART.

Heading to Napa from Pleasant Hill means you have a big chunk of the traffic already beat. I do it often and from there it would take n more than 45 mins.

...Far better is the Pleasant Hill station (called Walnut Creek area) and stay at either Embassy Suites or the Renaissance. The BART station is across the street from both and the area is fine.

Agreed (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18936536-post9.html).

The BART ride to the City from Pleasant Hill is easy and takes a very short time really.

Yes, it's a short and interesting trip.

Heading to Napa from Pleasant Hill means you have a big chunk of the traffic already beat

Excellent point.

I would keep in mind that if you stay in Pleasant Hill (or anyplace that far out), your commute into and out of S.F. -- accounting for trip time, waiting for the BART train (or bus) if you have not timed it, getting to and from the BART platform, etc. -- could be nearly an hour each way. And it's not exactly an exciting time on BART trains or in and around BART stations. I, for one, would not look forward to that trip home after a day of sightseeing.

I second the suggestion of looking hard at hotel options in the City. You might be surprised. If you want to avoid parking charges, you can even ditch your car at a City rental car location when you arrive from Reno, then rent a new car before leaving for Wine Country. You can also use the new car to see the Golden Gate Bridge & Sausalito on your way to Wine Country, saving a trip over and back. And you don't really need a car while inside the City; Muni or taxis should suffice. You might even consider a sightseeing tour on one of those double-decker London buses. Very touristy, but they do get you around.

Grew up in Berkeley, love it dearly, but it is one of the worst hotel option areas in the entire Bay Area. Far better is the Pleasant Hill station (called Walnut Creek area) and stay at either Embassy Suites or the Renaissance. The BART station is across the street from both and the area is fine. Berkeley BART has turned into a dive, skipping it is missing nothing. The BART ride to the City from Pleasant Hill is easy and takes a very short time really. When I visit the area I either stay there or stay by the airport and use BART.

Heading to Napa from Pleasant Hill means you have a big chunk of the traffic already beat. I do it often and from there it would take n more than 45 mins.
I agree. It's a problem finding acceptable hotels in Berkeley. The Marina was also mentioned, but it's far from BART. Note also that it's not easy to find a taxi in Berkeley. Berkeley and Oakland have some sketchy areas.

Convenient to BART, but a long trip to SF.

Emeryville is better, as you have some "there" there (i.e., some places to eat, and a bunch of mid-range hotel options) plus the Emery Go Round free shuttle that takes you to/from MacArthur BART station. Also, don't sell the AC Transit express buses to SF short if you are staying on one of the routes. Limited to/from SF hours, but super convenient.

I agree with this. I lived in both Walnut Creek, a block away from BART, and close to Emeryville. You are spoiled for choice in Emeryville as you have a HGI, Hyatt and Four Points (the last 2 are near a shopping arcade) and much closer than Pleasant Hill BUT you have to time your commute correctly. Otherwise, the proximity of staying in those areas will negate any time saved from travelling from Pleasant Hill.

By the way, it's a bit of a process to get to the GG bridge from downtown SF. No BART nearby so you'll have to do some commuting.

Good suggestion on Berkeley. We haven't make plans yet on what to see and do except for seeing the GG Bridge. Maybe one or two museums. Will be firming up exact plans in the next couple weeks.

Is visiting during Labor Day weekend (Sat.>Tue) a good or bad idea? Hotel rooms seem to be plentiful.

Also, Labor Day will be busy. We will be hitting our Indian Summer thereabouts so you may luck out on weather but be prepared for crowds.

Also, Labor Day will be busy. We will be hitting our Indian Summer thereabouts so you may luck out on weather but be prepared for crowds.

And often during tourist holiday weekends, better hotels have great prices (due to lack of business travelers). You can stay in SF at better hotels for not much more than the mid-range places in Emeryville. If you find this to be the case, you might consider a hotel within a few blocks of one of the City parking garages, such as 5th and Mission garage, where parking will be $32/day (no in/out privileges), which is a lot less than the near $60 you'll pay at the hotels (+ tax/tips), and it will save you time and BART fares.

And often during tourist holiday weekends, better hotels have great prices (due to lack of business travelers). You can stay in SF at better hotels for not much more than the mid-range places in Emeryville. If you find this to be the case, you might consider a hotel within a few blocks of one of the City parking garages, such as 5th and Mission garage, where parking will be $32/day (no in/out privileges), which is a lot less than the near $60 you'll pay at the hotels (+ tax/tips), and it will save you time and BART fares.

Thanks for the tip on the city garages. I refuse to pay $60 for a days parking but $30-$45 is tolerable if I score a good rate on a downtown hotel.

I'm not opposed to using cash if the deal fits (under $175 + taxes). There are a number of choices under $175 now. One is the Hilton Fin. District for $151, non-refundable, plus $45 for in-out parking or the city garage. With Hh Gold status I should get some kind of u/g.

I'll also look at PL as someone suggested above.

Thanks all the suggestions. I do appreciate them. :) With the timing of the trains, and not having a car in the City, I'm now leaning towards staying in the City.

Thanks for the tip on the city garages. I refuse to pay $60 for a days parking but $30-$45 is tolerable if I score a good rate on a downtown hotel.

I'm not opposed to using cash if the deal fits (under $175 + taxes). There are a number of choices under $175 now. One is the Hilton Fin. District for $151, non-refundable, plus $45 for in-out parking or the city garage. With Hh Gold status I should get some kind of u/g.

I'll also look at PL as someone suggested above.

Thanks all the suggestions. I do appreciate them. :) With the timing of the trains, and not having a car in the City, I'm now leaning towards staying in the City.
The Hilton on Kearney is a frequent outcome of a **** downtown Priceline Bid. Look at better Bidding or Bidding for Travel so see what hotels you get with different parameters and who paid what where. St Mary's City Garage is across the street and fairly cheap (for SF) So stick it in there during the day. You can park overnight downtown for free on 1 side of the street starting at 6pm. Around 10 am you'll get a ticket. wj

The Hilton on Kearney is a frequent outcome of a **** downtown Priceline Bid. Look at better Bidding or Bidding for Travel so see what hotels you get with different parameters and who paid what where. St Mary's City Garage is across the street and fairly cheap (for SF) So stick it in there during the day. You can park overnight downtown for free on 1 side of the street starting at 6pm. Around 10 am you'll get a ticket. wj

Thanks for the tip. However, there's no guarantee with PL. I want to be sure of a Hilton property (if I stay in the City) because of Gold benies (free wi-fi, breakfast & possible u/g). Now, if I could get it, or a similar property, for ~ $85 I could buy my own breakfast, pay for wi-fi & still have $$ left over. :)

Thanks for the parking info. Didn't know about free parking after 6PM. I'm guessing those spots are hard to find?

Around 6 they aren't. Street cleaning is after 2 am usually, so if it's now Mon - it'll be Tues when they clean. The signs can be confusing. You can leave your car all day at Marina Green too, if you're out that way. They do ticket over-nighters though. wj

Thanks for the parking info. Didn't know about free parking after 6PM. I'm guessing those spots are hard to find?


If you're interested in paying $$ up to a certain amount, I'd check out the BB or BFT sites - not Hilton downtown, but other 4 stars are often available at the $85-90 price point.

MORE IMPORTANT - if you are in Union Sq, or anywhere, and its free parking after 6 PM READ THE SIGNS CAREFULLY for street cleaning times and days!

My suggestions.....

For Marriott...you can stay at a Marriott or Courtyard in downtown Oakland both a block from the BART and thus 10 min to SF.

What Id suggest doing is staying at the hotel careless for the first few days then rent a car and drive to the farther places in SF then go over the GG briddge then off to Sonoma/Napa.

Not sure how much points you have but many of the Chain Hotels like Marriott are CAT 5 hotels in SF and the other chain hotels are also going to be high categoy thus costing more points.

there are another option for hotels...there are many boutique style hotels in the city. Some options are the Kimpton Hotels or Orchard hotel.

If you want to still rent a car then you should stay at a hotel near the bart line where the hotel has a bart shuttle so you dont have to pay to park.

Walnut Creek or Pleasnton/Dublin you can find some hotels near BART.

The other option is staying at Sf hotels that have a shuttle to the BART line...or to the airport then you can take the airport tram to the BART station.

The issue is for a couple of days you are looking to stay in the city and pay the rental car fee ($50/day...plus parking fee $30/day )

Much of San Fran you can get around using taxi/Muni/tourist buses

so it's not an issue of renting a car, which makes the parking charges more crucial

Thanks for the tip. However, there's no guarantee with PL. I want to be sure of a Hilton property (if I stay in the City) because of Gold benies (free wi-fi, breakfast & possible u/g). Now, if I could get it, or a similar property, for ~ $85 I could buy my own breakfast, pay for wi-fi & still have $$ left over. :)

Thanks for the parking info. Didn't know about free parking after 6PM. I'm guessing those spots are hard to find?
True, but if PL sends you somewhere else, 90% chance you'll be getting a better hotel. The Hilton Financial District is still the Holiday Inn Chinatown to me. Who cares about breakfast ? Wifi ? It's ubiquitous in SF. The fun of visiting somewhere is eating out at new places. Your $85 quote might not be possible Labor Day Weekend though. Throw out some bids - what do you have to lose ? wj

True, but if PL sends you somewhere else, 90% chance you'll be getting a better hotel. The Hilton Financial District is still the Holiday Inn Chinatown to me. Who cares about breakfast ? Wifi ? It's ubiquitous in SF. The fun of visiting somewhere is eating out at new places. Your $85 quote might not be possible Labor Day Weekend though. Throw out some bids - what do you have to lose ? wj

Personally, I very much like the Hilton Financial District. It has its drawbacks (single-pane windows & street noise), but if you're on the "good" (north) side of the hotel, you have great views. Also, I love the room furnishings and the way they make good use of the space. When you say, "Who cares about breakfast?" Well, just because YOU don't care, that doesn't mean others (like the OP) don't care!!! It's the convenience of being able to grab some breakfast on site, quickly and without of lot of fuss, before venturing out for a full day of sightseeing, that makes the breakfast an attractive perk. The "fun of eating out," IMO, is best enjoyed at other meals -- lunch, dinner, snacks. And as for wi-fi, for some people it's practically imperative to be able to use it in one's hotel room, not just at random places in the city. @:-) (Maybe you don't use the internet as much, and therefore assume that it's not important to other people???)

....By the way, it's a bit of a process to get to the GG bridge from downtown SF. No BART nearby so you'll have to do some commuting.

To get to the GG Bridge, one of the Golden Gate Transit buses (the system that serves Marin County) would be a good choice to get from downtown & financial district SF to the Bridge in one hop. They run along streets in SoMa, then north on Van Ness Ave, and then west to the Bridge:

http://goldengatetransit.org/services/documents/Map_SF.pdf

Note that the GG Transit bus lines shown in blue have daily service, while those shown in red are commuter lines and don't run on weekends or holidays.

Muni (SF's local transit system) would work also. The bus line 76 runs from the Caltrain station, to Van Ness and west to the Bridge and beyond, BUT it only runs on Sundays and some holidays. An alternative would be to take Muni line 30 from downtown, north to the Marina district, then transfer to line 28:

http://transit.511.org/static/providers/maps/SF_1222201020400.gif

BART is a regional (as opposed to local) transit system, but it doesn't serve Marin County at all.

Anyhow, I realize you'll probably end up with your car in SF, so getting to the Bridge in that case should be easy. ;) Parking will probably be crowded on the Labor Day holiday, but there are overflow parking lots available.

Personally, I very much like the Hilton Financial District. It has its drawbacks (single-pane windows & street noise), but if you're on the "good" (north) side of the hotel, you have great views. Also, I love the room furnishings and the way they make good use of the space. When you say, "Who cares about breakfast?" Well, just because YOU don't care, that doesn't mean others (like the OP) don't care!!! It's the convenience of being able to grab some breakfast on site, quickly and without of lot of fuss, before venturing out for a full day of sightseeing, that makes the breakfast an attractive perk. The "fun of eating out," IMO, is best enjoyed at other meals -- lunch, dinner, snacks. And as for wi-fi, for some people it's practically imperative to be able to use it in one's hotel room, not just at random places in the city. @:-) (Maybe you don't use the internet as much, and therefore assume that it's not important to other people???)
Kathy I don't think you got my point. I'm saying that the OP should use Priceline because he's likely to get a hotel such as the HFD or better for at the very worst $50/night cheaper, mitigating the advantage of the WiFi and breakfast. I've PLed downtown many times and paid as little as $65 for the Hyatt Regency Omni, Le Meridien, St Francis etc. The Hilton FiDi is not a bad hotel, but surely my least favorite among all the 4 stars within a mile or so (consequently it's the one I end up at usually). wj

I think the choices are:

points in several programs would give free stay

if PL it would need to be CHEAP and for labor Day I don't think that's going to happen. From what I've read on BB and BFT 4 star hotels are going for 100 plus, with a couple on the price points the OP wants. And not everyone wants to babysit their PL rez every day of they

With HAVING a car I think I'd stick w/ points...

I would second the suggestion on staying in Larkspur and taking the Ferry. Your transport in the city doubles as a pleasant trip accross the bay instead of under it via the BART.

Larkspur is also convient to the GG Bridge and Sausilito. Enjoy the Bay.

I would second the suggestion on staying in Larkspur and taking the Ferry. Your transport in the city doubles as a pleasant trip accross the bay instead of under it via the BART.

Larkspur is also convient to the GG Bridge and Sausilito. Enjoy the Bay.

I somewhat disagree with this recommendation. The OP is visiting on a holiday weekend (Labor Day)!!! The Larkspur Ferry is mainly a commuter route -- i.e., main schedule is on weekdays --and it runs only a few times/day on weekends/holidays:

http://goldengateferry.org/schedules/Larkspur.php

Note that the last run from SF to Larkspur on weekdays is at 9:35 PM; on weekends/holidays, at 7:25 PM. So, the ferry might work well for the trip over to SF; then maybe a Golden Gate Transit bus for the return to Larkspur.

Also, as for Larkspur being convenient to the Golden Gate Bridge -- well, Larkspur is 10+ miles from the Bridge, while San Francisco itself is directly connected to the Bridge, so I'm not sure what you mean. :confused:

if the OP is also going wine tasting in Sonoma the larkspur option puts him closer to that.

We ended up having to be in SF last weekend, but due to the marathon all the hotels in SF were sold out. This is the first time we have ever stayed in Oakland, and it worked great. We got a great rate at the Marriott downtown, plus the 12th street BART station was across the street. Of course, the neighborhood is no great shakes, but the views back to SF were pretty good. And the parking was a bargain compared to SF!

We ended up having to be in SF last weekend, but due to the marathon all the hotels in SF were sold out. This is the first time we have ever stayed in Oakland, and it worked great. We got a great rate at the Marriott downtown, plus the 12th street BART station was across the street. Of course, the neighborhood is no great shakes, but the views back to SF were pretty good. And the parking was a bargain compared to SF!


And the hood is definitely coming up - it's definitely better in the daytime and on Friday/Farmers Markets than several SF neighborhoods.

And the hood is definitely coming up - it's definitely better in the daytime and on Friday/Farmers Markets than several SF neighborhoods.

And Everett & Jones is not terribly far. :-)