I'm back for more advice. Last year you folks here steered me towards the County Hall in London, and what great advice that turned out to be !!

So, this year it's SFO for a long July 4th weekend (3rd - 8th). These are my choices for a category 6 Marriott:

# The Stanford Court, A Renaissance Hotel
# 905 California Street-Nob Hill
# San Francisco , CA 94108

# JW Marriott Hotel
# 500 Post Street corner of Post and Mason
# San Francisco , CA 94102

# San Francisco Marriott
# 55 Fourth Street
# San Francisco , CA 94103

# San Francisco Marriott Fisherman's Wharf
# 1250 Columbus Avenue
# San Francisco , CA 94133

Not being familiar with SFO, I went ahead and made reservations at the Fisherman's Wharf location only because it seemed to be nearer to tourist type of attractions. But I'm not impressed with the photos of the place and actually the Stanford Court Renaissance Hotel sounded like the most "interesting" of the lot. And I'm certainly open to changing my reservations based on opinions here.

So, given that we will not have a car, where should we stay and what things should we definitely do for those 5 days? One thing we would both be interested in would be a bus day trip to wine country. Is that something we could do?

As always, thanks everyone!

Dave

Step one - cancel your reservation at the Wharf Just my opinion, but in the game of "which one does not belong" it's the wharf location; it's just not in the same league with the others.

Between public transportation and walking (SF is not a large city, just a lot of hills!) you can get around very nicely without a car. I'm sure many people will jump in with thoughts on the other locations - I've only stayed at the Fourth St. location and was treated very well.

Have fun,
Bruce

I second the Downtown Marriott. It is very large, a convention hotel, but for all-around location It's the one I'd choose for a first-timer in SF. Also, my experience is that this hotel is very accomodating w/regards to upgrades for Plats. If there's any downside to it, it is that it's a huge convention-oriented hotel so you can be in with scads of people all competing for use of its facilities.

Relatively easy walks to the Cable Car turntable at Market & Powell and to the Ferry Building (where you could utilize light rail to get to Pier 39 the Wharf & Ghiardelli Square). And, there are great views from the cocktial lounge at the top.

When the weather's nice the ferry to Sausalito is a must-do.

I don't know if they're still doing it, but at one time, July 4 was when they hauled out the vintage streetcars and ran them above ground on Market.

You also might want to consider renting a car for one day - Muir Woods is awesome (and it's another option in terms of getting to Sausalito via the Golden Gate Bridge.

BTW, you might find this site (for SF visitors) helpful.

I tend to agree with the suggestions for the downtown Marriott. Its a good property in a reasonably handy location. And, as has been pointed out, SF is pretty quick and easy for getting around by cab. Still...its essentially a convention hotel.

If you insist on staying out by the wharf, you might also want to check out the CY, which IMHO is in a slightly better location than the FS Marriott. Hertz and Avis are also both right next door to the CY, if you want to rent a car. In that case, getting to Sausalito, Muir Woods, and on to Sonoma/Napa is easier from the wharf than from downtown.

If you don't mind being in the midst of all the tourists and touristy stuff, a first time visitor could certainly do worse than staying at the wharf. I'd still, however, personally choose the downtown location.

You might also want to consider the JW Marriott. The hotel is not as large as the downtown Marriott. They treat elite guests well, and they have a good concierge lounge. The flat screen TVs in the room are a bit small, but the bathrooms are quite nice. You can reach the downtown area by foot in about 10-15 minutes from this hotel.

I assume when you said SFO you meant SF and not O.

Ditto what the others have said about ditching the Wharf property.

Also ditto what the others have said about the Downtown SF Marriott - this would be my choice.

I don't like the Stanford Court but others do - it is all pomp and no substance (and a _severe_ uphill walk ). If you fit in with that crowd, then enjoy.

I haven't stayed at the JW (yet) so I can't comment.

By the way, I spent the 4th in SF a couple of years ago (at the Stanford Court) bracketing business trips. Be aware that a LOT of restaurants and other businesses close for the holiday. The fireworks show from the bay was impressive!

I'm one that votes for the Stanford Court. It's a much small hotel, and a little more intimate. Just avoid rooms bordering California Street. As for the hotel, the cable-car lines all meet at Powell & California right in front of the hotel. I just used them to go up and down the hills.

Get a Muni pass for the time that you are there to cover all (excluding BART) of your public transit.

A quick search of "San Francisco" in this forum will give you lots of feedback (good and bad) for all of the hotels you have listed. Here's one of the many current as of October 2006.

Have fun in SF. It's a great city to spend a weekend or a week.

I like the JW. Location is good - 3-4 blocks from Union Sq. 2 blocks from a slew of rental car places. It's generaly a pretty quiet hotel and the rooms are a good size.

As mentioned above, the bathrooms are very nice. They have a small tv in there and a seperate shower & bath.

The CL is decent w/ a nice view. The restaurant isn't bad either and the weekend buffet was tasty.

I would suggest doing the night tour at Alcatraz. I found it very enjoyable and the view of the bridge and the city all lit up is superb.

Skip the Marriott Fisherman's Wharf.