Originally Posted by
bryanwallace
thanks for this-we would be keen to stay downtown on the fri night and travel by bart-but the problem is the bags as you say..
i can rent a car for free with hertz pts-so is driving in to an san fran hotel and leaving car in parking lot such a bad idea? it would save us lugging bags on the bart and the very pricey 2 way taxi,but the issue with car is how long would it take to get from an san franc location to airport at around 11am on a sat?would it be crowded and where to take a hotel?have hol inn pts so was thinking about the one near civic centre as the fishermans wharf one may be hard to get from?
Taking BART is great when you're a single traveler, but multiply the fares by 5 for a family and add the hassle of wrangling 3 young kids and everyone's baggage... not fun.
I'll echo the suggestion from
Lost upthread: Consider booking a hotel near Union Square. It's centrally located with lots to do nearby, and well connected to transit within the city. Take a taxi between there and an airport.
If you're determined to use IHG points, the two hotels near Fisherman's Wharf are reasonable places to stay. We locals tend to bad-mouth Fisherman's Wharf because it's so full of tourists and made-for-tourists attractions. But for someone making such a short stay as yours I think it's fine. There's enough to do there.
Renting a car at SFO and driving is reasonable-- but double check what the parking rates will be. You may find that with parking costs plus the extra time spent hiring and returning the car, it works out better to take a taxi both ways.