Originally Posted by
arjaok
I would absolutely never consider either of those cities as part of the "bay area", not even all that close really. You might want to give us a more specific definition for what you're looking for.
Beyond that, those hotels are like 3 hours apart.
And finally, each of those hotels have their own thread.
Actually, the HR Sonoma is located in Santa Rosa, which is part of the San Francisco Bay Area-North Bay. Monterey is not really SF Bay Area. That said, having stayed at both, neither one are that exciting, though the Monterey property can have some decent rates if you can't afford the Highlands Inn, or Ventana. My older son got married at the Sonoma Hyatt and while nice, it seems a little overpriced for a less than luxurious hotel. Great area though.
As far as Bay Area hotels, the Hyatt's are pretty non-descript, and usually pricier than some of the other choices. I'm planning on a stay at the Kabuki (formerly the Miyako which I liked.) In the city, I prefer the Intercontinental SF on Howard, with it's great lounge, views and location, at least IMHO. Pricing is pretty good as well, though I usually stay there on a BOGO from the AMB program. Luce, their lobby restaurant, actually advertised their Michelin star rating, though the last time I stayed there was over a year ago, and had some of their food offered in the lounge. The GH downtown is nice, but I haven't been there in awhile.