NYCtraveler

Hello:

Parents 40th anniversary is happening this summer and I need to book a two bedroom suite in San Francisco with sweeping views of the bay. My parents love to look at water and would prefer Union Sq touristy area. Westin top floor tower suites are sold out. Four seasons has mostly city views, St. Regis same. Mandarin may be a possibility....

Any suggestions? Could change location if it is really worth it.

Thank you in advance.

SFO_Runner

Hotel Vitale across from the Ferry Building, facing the Bay Bridge.

http://www.hotelvitale.com/hotel/rooms.php

Hyatt Regency SF, across from the Ferry Building, slightly across from Hotel Vitale.

Mark Hopkins (now the SF InterContinental) in Nob Hill

MegatopLover

A close friend of mine had his 40th birthday party in one of the suites at the Hotel Vitale. It was very picturesque. A cozy but nice living room, a spacious bedroom, a guest bath and master bath, all connected to a very large terrace(about the size of the indoor suite). It was in the shadow of the Bay Bridge and had great city and Bay views, including Alcatraz. The service was quite good and he and his partner were quite pleased with the hotel's events staff. I believe the Vitale has a larger suite, but they picked this one because of the terrace, which is where most of the party happened until the wee hours.

Before picking the Vitale, they shopped around to most of the big hotels, the Mark Hopkins, Fairmont, St. Francis, Ritz, the MO, maybe some others. IIRC, the events staff at the Fairmont were totally indifferent and made no effort to "sell" them on their hotel/services, so my friends didn't linger long there. The MO staff were wonderful and the suite spectacular but the cost was going to be astronomical, my friends said. Having stayed at the MO several times myself, I'd rank it as my favorite hotel in San Francisco, and the views are indeed spectacular. Most of the other options were unremarkable, my friends reported.

The only drawback to the Hotel Vitale is that parents celebrating a 40th Anniversary might find it a little too modern. Not quite as bad as the expedia ads last year with the grandpa looking for a lightswitch and turning on the shower, but it's definitely not Old School luxury.

uclabruin82

I just want to say that the expedia ad from last year was hilarious. I am 23 and stay at a lot of those "modern" hotels and so many times the setup is just ridiculous.

As for hotels, what about the ritz carlton half moon bay? It is outside of the city but not too far, and certainly on the water.

number_6

Some other choices for good views (suite quality varies but all have nice suites if you pay enough): Fairmont, Marriott and Hilton (the last 2 are "close" to union square and have surprisingly good views). Marriott has buge terraces also. But the best are at the St. Francis (not too surprising that it is sold out).

Blumie

I think the Mandarin Oriental probably is the top luxury choice if you want bay views. It's hard to beat the MO's combination of service and views.

TravelStar

I've stayed in most hotels in The City, and to me the best view are from The Mandarin Oriental. Try a "Corner Suite" for the best experience. Floor to ceiling glass with amazing views of the bay & city!

tfmpa

I have a suite at Le Meridien with Bay and City views booked for next month. Here's the description:

Fantastic Corner Suite With 585Sqft Of Space With Whirlpool Tub That Features Romantic Views Of The Bay Area

I looked at most of the others listed, but ultimately chose this one because my husband wanted a room with a balcony. The balcony wraps around the corner, according to the hotel.

obscure2k

The most beautiful suite with the most beautiful view is at The Huntington.
http://www.huntingtonhotel.com/

luxury

Sorry to hijack the the thread a little but how is the Campton Place Hotel...... was thinking of staying at a non-chain hotel place when I am next in SFO, which is starting to look like mid-September....

obscure2k

Very nice. Great location and bar. No bay views. Rooms are all very different and there is considerable difference in size. Service is wonderful. I love eating a sandwich in the bar.

gleff

I stayed in a Terrace Suite at the Mark Hopkins last month during a DO. 2 of the 4 Terrace Suites at the Mark Hopkins have nice water views.

peteropny

This is room xx18 in the hotel (was my usual room when it was the Park Hyatt - got upgraded to it as a Hyatt Diamond). Room is a nice living room, very small bedroom, nice bathroom with a whirlpool (never worked in 2018 though). There is a sliver of a view of the Bay through the Embacadero Center buildings. Its a nice room in a nice facility (hopefully service will remain at the level it was as the Park Hyatt) but certainly not a room for a very special occasion.

If views are your primary desire (rather than a junior suite) then try for xx06 on a high floor, these rooms probably have the best views in the building. I think the rate is probably lower than the junior suite you have reserved.

tfmpa

Thanks for the heads up! Would one of those rooms have a balcony, though? Hubby likes a cognac and cigar in the evening, but I have allergies so he sits outside. A balcony was the one thing he asked for when I was picking the room.

Also, do you know which description this room would have? The website lists classic and deluxe rooms.

peteropny

The only consistent rooms that have a balcony are xx19 - there are some staggerred ones in the back side of the hotel that have a balcony (got one once) but not sure the room numbers. The xx19 rooms are junior suites similar to the xx18 (similar views also) but feel a bit airier than the xx18. If you're in xx19 and want a "regular" junior suite - make sure they don't give you a "business" suite (one of the rooms in the suite is set up as an office). I believe that the xx20 rooms also have a balcony (xx20 rooms are only on "lower" floors in the building). I'm not sure what they were referring to as "wraparound" balconies - since there really isn't a room/suite in this hotel that has particularly large let alone "wraparound" balconies.

I'm not positive what category SPG has put on the xx06 (and xx01 in the back of the building) but I think that these are classified as "studio" rooms. Definitely not "classic" rooms though.

I think I'm being a bit picky about rooms here - but had been staying there since 1990 (with 50+ stays) when it was a Park Hyatt.