Fairmont San Francisco

[lbrutledge]

We are using some of our points to stay here a few nights in August and would love to here from anyone who has stayed there before.. Also, any advise for visiting the city? Thanks!

 

[bub]

Have not stayed at the Fairmont, but saw it - it looks very nice.
We visited SF last August.
Bring a windbreaker and sweatshirt - you probably will need it, especially if you go to Alcatraz (and be sure to book this ahead of time, as the tours do fill).
Do ride the cable cars, but don't plan on riding them both ways - they get extremely crowded, and it could take up to an hour to board one for the way back (sort of a Disney-like experience, I would say). We had some adventures on the regular buses trying to get back - but the people in SF, inlcuding the public transit drivers, were extremely nice and helpful.
Do eat in Chinatown - great food and fun atmosphere.
We rented bikes and rode over the Golden Gate bridge - great experience that our DS and DD (ages 11 and 13) also loved. It was a 7-mile ride and did include some hills, so be prepared if you do this. Lots of fog!
Be ready to do a lot of walking - the hills are unbelieveable. I had a knee problem and so this was a challenge.
If you go to see the redwoods at John Muir park, go very early. We got there at 11 and could not park at all - so we opted for some redwoods closer to Monterrey later that day.
Great city - enjoy your trip - good you can use points there.

 

[GrammieMame]

We stayed at the Fairmont last year on points. We got a beautiful room with a view of the bay, Alcatraz, Coit Tower, everything. The hotel is very elegant, old-timey luxurious. Very quiet. We had 2 boys with us and I don't think we saw another child the whole time we were there. The location is ideal. Right on the cable car line so you just step outside the door and there you are.

If you have children with you, check out the hands-on science museum. I can't remember the name, but it would be easily found with a San Francisco search. We spent more than half a day there and didn't do it all. The kids loved it.

 

[wintergreen]

If you plan to visit more than a few of the museums and use a lot of public transportation, look into purchasing a CityPass (www.citypass.com). The pass includes public transportation and reduced entry fees into a number of the best museums/attractions. The hands-on science museum that GrammieMame referred to is the Exploratorium. We could not drag our kids out of that place (actually, now that I think of it, I had trouble dragging DH out as well!).

We did not stay at the Fairmont, but it is in a great location, and looks like a beautiful hotel! Have fun!

 

[Oreo Cookie]

We stayed at the Fairmont in San Francisco in October and had a wonderful room with a view of Alcatraz and Coit towers also. Thehotel is elegant and the service was fantastic.

We did Alcatraz and it was a ton of fun but definately bring a jacket or windbreaker since it is cold out there. I would also suggest purchasing your tickets ahead of time since Alcatraz does tend to sell out quickly on weekends.

The Golden Gate Bridge is amazing. We didn't do the bikes, but we did walk across the bridge three times. I was amazed with the fog, well I'm from jersey and I just couldn't believe it. We also went to the GG national park and hiked around and I thought that was fun.

Of course SF is very hilly so be prepared if walking. We enjoyed walking, but sometimes uphill is quite the work out! We did walk from Fishermans Warf up to Lombard Street, AKA the crookedest street in the world, and then we walked down Lombard Street. Some people like to drive this street, but I prefered walking.

Grace Cathedral is located near the Fairmont Hotel and we went there. Inside there is a labyrinth which is quite interesting. We walked the labyrinth and meditated and it is quite spiritual and peaceful. The cathedral is beautiful.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[pb4ugo]

many, many moons ago we planned a short trip to s.f. en route to another destination...and after reading the material i received from the s.f.c.v.b. i realized we were in over our heads as far as wanting to see 'everything'! so upon arrival at our hotel [the tuscan inn down by the wharf] i asked the concierge if they could recommend a car/limo service that offered sightseeing trips. they came up with a super service that met the four of us at the scheduled time and took us out on a '3 hour tour'! of course it turned into something like 5 hrs - but the driver took us EVERYWHERE!!!

we could have gone with the grayline tour bus - but this was so much more comfortable - and the schedule was flexible. i had left a list of the must sees for the concierge to review with the service so that they could plan an effective route - but the driver was cool and kept making suggestions about other things that were 'in the area' that we might want to see - and we could say yes or no to his suggestion.

consider checking with the concierge and see what they can come up with or recommend - it is so convenient and comfortable to go out with a dedicated guide who know their way around the streets and traffic patterns!

whatever you decide - add sausalito to your list of places to visit - it's the greatest little place - and don't forget to check out the house boat community there!

 

[rocketriter]

The hands-on children's museum is the Exploratorium, and it's wonderful for youngsters.

 

[carriep1657]

We stayed at the Fairmont last summer on points. I grew up in SF. I now live about 2 hours east. We had points that we were going to lose so decided it would be fun to go to SF and do touristy things.

We had a blast. We went to Alcatraz, the Exploratorium, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli, rode the cable car, etc. I loved being back in the The City. The city sounds lulled me to sleep. Loved hearing the cable cars ringing their bells. The windows of the room opened up a bit so you could get fresh air, feel the moist air, and hear the cable cars go by. The noise, with the windows open, was a bit much for DH at night but he suffered through it so I could sleep like a baby. Noise wasn't an issue with the windows closed.

We had a Tower Room on the second floor. It had a view of Coit Tower and Alcatraz. Saying the second floor is a bit misleading. It was second floor compared to the lobby entrance. However, the Fairmont is on a steep hill. So, our 2nd floor room was probably about 6 floors about street level.

I'd guess that the higher up rooms would have a view of the GG bridge in addition to Coit Tower and Alcatraz but we were too low. I wouldn't have traded for a higher up room though. I don't really like to be above the 7th floor in hotels.

One idea you might want to look into is the trying the Tonga Room restaurant at the Fairmont. It's got a great deal at Happy Hour. I don't remember the cost. It's like $6 or $7 per person and they have a nice little buffet set up with appetizers. I don't remember exactly what was offered but there were fresh veggies and things like pot stickers and wontons, and more. The restaurant has a pool in the middle with a little island that moves out where a band plays. They have rainstorms around the pool about every 30 minutes or so. My kids loved it. We ended up having dinner instead of doing happy hour. I'm guessing happy hour guests stay around the bar rather than sit near the pool but I could be wrong. Either way, you can still see the pool and the rainstorms from the bar area.

Another thing to remember is that parking is very expensive. I believe parking was something like $35-$40 a night.

We did walk from the hotel to Pier 39. It's downhill and looks closer than it is. We probably should have taken a cab. It was fine for me and DH but my kids were 7 and 4. We walked down the hill (I'm guessing about 15 blocks) to Pier 39, toured it, toured Alcatraz, walked to Ghirardelli, stood in line for at least an hour for the cable car, and my kids were exhausted. There was no way the 4 year old could have done all that without the stroller. My 7 year old did it without complaining but she was exhausted by the time we got back to the room.

Definitely buy tickets for Alcatraz in advance.

The walk to Union Square is easy. The walk back is tough especially if you are pushing a big 4 year old in a stroller.

 

[pampat]

I did hear (and don't know if it is true) that the main staircase in the Fairmont was used in Gone With The Wind. You know, the one where Rhett carries Scarlet up the imposing stairs to bed??

Pam

 

[GAN]

We didn't stay at the Fairmont, but we had a few cocktails at the infamous Tonga Room. It's a beuatiful hotel and San Fran is a great city -do beware of the hills. We walked many and enjoyed them. One thing noone has mentioned that I would highly recommend, especially if you will have a car, is taking a trip out to Muir Woods. It's about 30 mins from the city, and has an absolutely stunning amount of giant redwoods. It's a beautiful, small National Park -I believe the United Nations was formed there after WWII as well. Have a great trip!

 

[sadler]

We visited San Francisco last year but we did not stay at the Fairmont. Some suggestions:

1. Another good museum for kids is Zeum. It is located in SOMA (South of Mission). It has a lot of audio visual stuff such as showing kids how to create and film their own claymation animation.

2. If you want to visit Alcatraz, book far in advance.

3. If you have kids who like fire trucks, there is a guided tour on an old fire truck run by a nice couple who actually live in the former station. You actually ride on the fire truck and although a little silly, the kids love it.The tour will take you over the Golden Gate Bridge. Their website is http://www.fireenginetours.com/

4. A good way to make restaurant reservations is opentable.com. It is afree service directly linked to top restaurant reservation systems in many major cities including SF and NY.

5. Check out some of the great neighborhoods like Pacific Heights and the Marina for great shops and restaurants.

 

[shantay1008]

Are the seals (sea lions?) still hanging out at Fisherman's Wharf? Quite a few years ago, my DH and I enjoyed lunch on the wharf one day, watching the seals. There were dozens of them snoozing on the pier, then suddenly one would heave itself up and go push another one into the water for no apparent reason and take its spot. This was in Jan. or Feb., so maybe it's a seasonal thing.

It sounds like people really enjoy the Fairmont...good to know in case we ever get out there! We'll have to remember to recommend this thread the next time someone comes on here asking about using the concierge collection.
Shannon

 

[carriep1657]

Shannon, I'm pretty sure the sea lions are migratory. While there in July, we saw maybe 10 or so on the docks next to Pier 39. In the winter, there can be hundreds.

You are right. We should remember this thread for future reference when questions about Concierge Collection come up.

 

[Oreo Cookie]

We were in SF in October and there were hundreds of sea lions at the pier. I could have watched them all day long! They just crack me up!