San Francisco - visiting in-laws in piedmont over christmas...where should we stay?

due to a skunk attack on the house and resulting 2am rude awakening last time we were there for the holidays, :eek: we no longer stay with hubby's parents (a few days of stench for a fine outcome ;)). we've tried the radisson clubsport in walnut creek, which i usually get on priceline, and it's perfectly okay--i love the yoga classes--but mr kk wasn't thrilled with the service we received last time. (perhaps it was because we smelled like skunk!)

that said, we'll go back unless someone has a better suggestion. the claremont in berkely looks nice, but we don't really want to spend that much. (best i could find was $189++ plus a $24 daily resort fee...) are there deals to be had? is there something else there i'm missing? i don't know the area, so am hoping i'm missing a gem.

nicer hotels all seem to be closer to sfo, and we'll be going to piedmont daily for holiday festivities, so distance and traffic are an issue.

thanks in advance!

There isn't much in the decent lodging department. The Claremont from most accounts isn't even that great, and is expensive. You could stay in downtown Oakland at the Marriott or the Courtyard, but during off hours, there's nothing open, and not great walking during the nighttime. You could also stay in Emeryville (HGI, Four Points, Courtyard, and a couple of others) which would probably be my first choice for convenience. You have a small mall with theaters, a strip mall with Trader Joes, and a handful of restaurants, and free parking at your hotel.

The Waterfront Plaza Hotel on the water (how appropriate) at Jack London Square could be an option... I've not stayed there, but friends have and seemed pleased. http://www.waterfrontplaza.com/

we'll be going to piedmont daily for holiday festivities, so distance and traffic are an issueIn this situation, I'd stay at the Claremont resort--five to ten minutes to nearly all spots in Piedmont. It wouldn't be worth it to me to drive all over Oak town just to save a few bucks a night.

http://www.bbonline.com/ca/berkeley-oakland/region5.html


of these I know the Redwood House, which is very nice as an upscale homestay type B+B


I also can vouch for the Rose Garden inn on Lower Telegraph in Berkeley - maybe a bit farther than you'd like but very nice accomodations - we used to put visiting faculty there for seminars etc.
http://www.rosegardeninn.com/

Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa

Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa

That'd be worth it only if it's substantially cheaper than the Claremont. You can't beat the Claremont's proximity to Piedmont. BTW, I'm a member of the Club at the Claremont, so if you post or PM your dates, I could check on the member "guest" rates.

That'd be worth it only if it's substantially cheaper than the Claremont. You can't beat the Claremont's proximity to Piedmont. BTW, I'm a member of the Club at the Claremont, so if you post or PM your dates, I could check on the member "guest" rates.

I have a $400 spa certificate for there - just looking to set aside an afternoon where I can relax ;)

I have a $400 spa certificate for there - just looking to set aside an afternoon where I can relax ;)

$400 -- are you serious? That's way too much spa for my tastes. I had a two-hour massage once, which was about 75 minutes longer than I really wanted.

$400 -- are you serious? That's way too much spa for my tastes. I had a two-hour massage once, which was about 75 minutes longer than I really wanted.

Yes, I'm serious. An 80 minute massage gives the therapist enough time to work on a few bad back spots and generally other areas, and then I figure I'd have some other sort of treatment - there is a whole book of possibilities. It was a gift. I suppose I could also split it into 2 visits.

That'd be worth it only if it's substantially cheaper than the Claremont. You can't beat the Claremont's proximity to Piedmont. BTW, I'm a member of the Club at the Claremont, so if you post or PM your dates, I could check on the member "guest" rates.

thanks for the kind offer, we're planning to be there dec 22-27...i'd be curious to see what kind of rates you get for that! i think our rates (via priceline, granted) around christmas hovered around the $100 mark for the clubsport, plus parking...of course, not having to drive out to walnut creek has its benefits as well.

side note--a two hour massage can be a glorious thing! ^

...I suppose I could also split it into 2 visits.

That's what I'd do -- if not four visits.

Well, for my tastes I'd split it into at least 48 visits. That's way time enough :D

There's a Doubletree in Emeryville that gets mixed reviews.

Well, for my tastes I'd split it into at least 48 visits. That's way time enough :D

There's a Doubletree in Emeryville that gets mixed reviews.

There is? There's one in the Berkeley Marina. No one seems to love it.

There is? There's one in the Berkeley Marina. No one seems to love it.

My bad. I meant Berkeley. It was the thought of all that massaging that addled me.

My bad. I meant Berkeley. It was the thought of all that massaging that addled me.

I forgive you for your temporary lapse of mainland geography. I know that many Americans no longer have maps :D Now, back to the OP - I would recommend not staying on the other side of the Caldecott Tunnel (Lafayette, Walnut Creek, etc.) and no further the other way than Emeryville. If you are Priceline savvy (I am not), and you don't care about points, etc., it should not be too hard to narrow down the "top hotels" in the area, as the cornucopia of opulent splendor in the Oakland area is unspeakable :eek:

Would tend to disrecommend the Claremont based on the service and food I've experienced there. Parking lot often overly jammed due to meeting functions as well. Haven't seen a room, but based on the public spaces, I can't imagine the rooms would contain "all modern conveniences."

I forgive you for your temporary lapse of mainland geography. I know that many Americans no longer have maps :D Now, back to the OP - I would recommend not staying on the other side of the Caldecott Tunnel (Lafayette, Walnut Creek, etc.) and no further the other way than Emeryville. If you are Priceline savvy (I am not), and you don't care about points, etc., it should not be too hard to narrow down the "top hotels" in the area, as the cornucopia of opulent splendor in the Oakland area is unspeakable :eek:

thanks for all the responses!

despite, ahem, not having a map of san francisco (or south africa, and such, iraq, for our children's future ;)) i rather feel the same way about the tunnel, but for mr kk it's less onerous to go through the tunnel than drive to/from emeryville. i had rather hoped for hilton or hyatt points, but am priceline savvy--which is why we've stayed at the radisson in the past. (there's also a conveniently located beverages and more, which is especially handy when dealing with holidays and in-laws.) as you correctly point out, the panoply of fabulous hotels in/near oakland is truly mind-boggling. :rolleyes:

since we may not be getting points anyway, i'll likely check out the b&b as well, thanks squeakr.

in a surprisingly convenient bit of good timing, i got an email today from marriott for a discount on an upcoming stay...the renaissance clubsport comes in at $119 a night for the dates we'll be in town, and it's cancellable. can't beat that. ^

thanks again for all the help.