I need a hotel in Berkeley, as close to the University as I can be.

I see there's a Doubletree at the marina, that gets so-so reviews. Then there's a bunch of budget properties, which always scare me...

Does anyone know of any good local inns, B&Bs, etc. in that area that are worth staying in?

TIA...

The Claremont, on Ashby Avenue, is a very nice resort-ish property. It's not walkable, but is only a short distance (2 miles) away:


http://www.claremontresort.com


Walking distance, there's always the Durant - I've never stayed, so I can't spoeak to its quaility.:

http://www.hoteldurant.com/index.html

Hotel Durant is old, clean and comfortable--small rooms. Claremont is a resort with tennis and a spa and clean, good size rooms. Has a couple upscale restaurants and a fun bar in one of them. And you can easily walk to the campus.

There's a Marriott in downtown Oakland right next to the 12th St BART station. You're 5 train stations away from the Berkeley station on University Ave, with no train changes involved.

There's also the Shattuck Hotel, my folks stayed there a few years ago before it changed hands and thought it was fine.

http://www.hotelshattuckplaza.com/

For sheer convenience, and a nice clean room, I'd go for the Hotel Durant. The hotel was refurbished sometime close to 2000 (can't recall exactly), and it's just one short block from the Telegraph/Bancroft campus entrance.

I stayed at Hotel Durant on Cal day when I was visiting back in HS (wow....long time ago ). It was probably one of the worst hotels I have ever stayed. They also charged an arm and a leg for that kind of hotel (sometimes close to $200/night for something worst than motel 6 and that was so many years ago, I don't know if they had done any renovations recently). For that price, take BART to downtown SF and stay at St Regis San Francisco or W San Francisco! It only takes about 25 mintes from downtown SF to Berkeley. It's well worth the additional time to stay in San Francisco instead!

I agree that one can stay in SF and conveniently travel to the UC campus, but Berkeley is a very reasonable choice for lodging here. If the Claremont is within your price range, I highly recommend it. We're members of the Club there, and have been very happy with it.

This property is a combination of a historic hotel, spa and a modern swim, tennis & health club. It's exactly one mile from campus (the legend is that this mile was measured carefully at one point to allow the hotel to serve alcohol). http://www.claremontresort.com/

Sometimes they offer room discounts to guests of members. PM me if you're interested in that.

How long ago did you stay there? The place was nicely renovated sometime around 2000/2001.

Berkeley is an awful place for finding somewhere to stay near the campus.

The Claremont is not easy walking distance. (In a real pinch I suppose you could walk it though, and it is definitely the most upscale hotel in Berkeley.)

The DoubleTree at the marina is fine, but definitely not walking distance. You'll be literally feet from where Scott Peterson dumped his pregnant wife's body, though, which counts for something I guess.

I stayed at the Hotel Durant about 10 years ago and it was beyond awful. Don't know about the remodeled version though.

Strange as it may sound, tom911's suggestion is probably the best. The Oakland Marriott is nice and right next to a BART stop that will take you to the Downtown Berkeley BART which is just a few blocks from the campus.

(FWIW, I've stayed at all the aforementioned hotels within the last 10 years, but not all of them within the last 5.)

As someone who has lived in the bay area for years and having gone to Berkeley for undergrad, I would strongly advise against staying in downtown Oakland, period. It's not safe. Seriously, if you are going to go through the trouble of taking BART, take it to San Francisco where tons of lovely and SAFE hotels await you.

The Bancroft Hotel is literally across the street from campus and pretty reasonable. Be aware though, that you'll be in the thick of it all, so don't expect the quietest of stays.

Yeah, Berkeley accomodation options are def. not great (there's a Four Seasons at...that school down in Palo Alto, but not here)

For something a little more Berkeley, you might consider the French Hotel. It is on Shattuck Avenue in the heart of Berkeley's "Gourmet Ghetto". It is literally right across the street from Chez Panisse and Cesar. And next to a grocery store, cheeseboard pizza, etc. It is about a 15 minute walk to the northwest corner of campus.

The rooms are nothing to write home about but are clean and usually pretty cheap. You can also feel safe there since there are almost always police at the Cafe downstairs getting coffee

I've never been inside that hotel, but that's definitely a great neighborhood. If your destination is the west or north side of the campus, it's not too bad a walk.

As for the comment about downtown Oakland not being safe...that's probably true, unfortunately.

I'm unfamiliar with the hotel itself, but very familiar with its location. It's an excellent spot for visitors, for the reasons you mention. It's also a short (less than a mile), very safe walk to campus from there.

In general, Berkeley north of campus is quite safe.