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Have you stayed at a California hotel? Share your vacation experiences with others.| Grand Hyatt | Debbie and Pat ~ Ontario, Canada |
My husband and I stayed at this hotel from August 13 to 18, 2008. Located in the heart of downtown San Francisco at Union Square, it is the perfect location for easy access to all areas of the city.
Rooms, while a little dated (could use new carpeting and wall treatments), were very nicely furnished and the beds were super comfortable. Our bathroom had the standard tub/shower combo, nothing fancy, but adequate. There is an in-room safe (was not large enough for my laptop though), iron and ironing board, minibar, hair dryer. They supply shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion. We had a city-view room on the 19th floor and had a wonderful view of the city and part of the bay. There is a floor to ceiling window with a patio door that opens 4” for ventilation. We left ours open all the time.
The minibar is chocked full of things you can buy (pricey), so we had requested a separate fridge to store things in, like milk for coffee, snacks, etc. which was brought to our room immediately upon checkin.
There was a 26” TV as well as a small TV in the bathroom. Movies are available to rent.
Internet access is available in your room for $9.95 per 24 hour period, either wired or wireless.
There is only one restaurant in this hotel, Grandviews Restaurant, on the top floor (39th) which is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is also a café on the mezzanine level where you can get coffee, rolls, Danish, etc. (There is also a Starbucks across the road – actually there are Starbucks everywhere in the city). We did not eat at Grandviews Restaurant, as it was quite pricey and there are so many other restaurants nearby. We did, however, go up and have a drink in the lounge one evening, as the view is amazing.
The staff at this hotel are so nice – I realize they are in the service industry and they are supposed to be nice, but they seemed to go above and beyond. If you have questions about local restaurants, how to get places, etc., go to the Concierge Desk in the front lobby, they are very helpful and will even make your restaurant reservations for you. I was also able to cash travelers cheques at the front desk, and they have a machine for printing your boarding pass in the front lobby as well.
Back to the location – it is about a $40 cab ride from the airport. (There are also airport shuttles or public transportation from the airport if you prefer). The cable cars are a short walk from the hotel, as are buses and trains. We walked to Fishermans Wharf, it took about 30 minutes. It takes you through Chinatown. We always felt very safe.
We took the cable car back for $5.00 each. Other public transportation is $1.50. A taxi ride from Fishermans Wharf to the hotel is around $10 - $15, depending on the traffic.
Restaurant choices are endless in San Francisco. The concierge desk has a list of restaurants they can give you, with an indication of their price range. I wish we had that the first night we were there. We went to Morton’s Steakhouse - while they have a menu posted on their window, there were no prices. Our bill ended up being $271.00 for 3 people, way too expensive.
On other nights we ate at Café Tiramisu, Scala’s, and Fino’s – all very good, easy walking distance from the hotel, and in the mid price range. If you belong to CAA or AAA, get their book on California restaurants and hotels, very helpful in finding good restaurants. I would also strongly recommend you buy a map of San Francisco to carry with you while you are sightseeing. Macy’s, located just across Union Square, has a nice restaurant on their top floor where we had lunch one day, called The Cheesecake Factory. Unfortunately their servings are so large, I didn’t have room to try the cheesecake. For breakfast our favourite place was Sears Fine Foods, located a block behind the hotel. There is also a Walgreen’s nearby where you can buy snacks, and a variety store just down the street from the hotel which also sells wine. At Fisherman’s Wharf we had lunch at Boudin’s Restaurant, they make fantastic sourdough bread.
This is a shopper’s paradise. Every high-end store you can think of is in the Union Square area – Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany’s, Macy’s, etc. and Westfield Mall is a short walk away, where you will find the 7-storey Nordstrum’s. For those interested in Asian Art, there are a number of stores on Grant Street, at the entrance to Chinatown.
We did a couple of tours while we were there. The first day we took the Mr. Toad’s 3-hour tour of the city, which was just great. They made about 5 stops along the way, and you get a good overview of what there is to see. You travel in a vintage car, maximum capacity 10 people. It was lots of fun and Kathy, our driver, was great and very informative. They also have a 1-hour tour that makes no stops.
If you want to go to Alcatraz, I strongly suggest you book it online a couple of weeks before your arrival. There is only one cruise line that is allowed to dock at Alcatraz. I waited too long, and a week before our arrival it was completely sold out for the time we were going to be there. I did find a combo tour to Alcatraz and Angel Island, so we booked that. Angel Island was a little disappointing, but had some amazing views of the City. I’m glad we saw Alcatraz, I think the night-time tour to Alcatraz would have been better.
At Fishermans Wharf go to Pier 39 and see the sea lions. There were hundreds of them and it was fun to watch them, although they are a little “stinky”. We also went to the Aquarium at Fishermans Wharf, I believe it was $13.95 a person, not really worth the money in my opinion. There are also lots of shops at Fishermans Wharf.
A note about the weather in San Francisco – Even though places around San Francisco may be in a heat wave, it is almost always between 65 and 75 degrees there during the day (cooler by the water) and much colder at night, so make sure you pack a sweatshirt and jacket. We stopped by the Golden Gate Bridge on our Mr. Toad’s Tour and we were freezing even with a jacket on!
In conclusion, I would highly recommend the Grand Hyatt San Francisco. We had a great time, San Francisco is an amazing city to visit.
| Majestic Hotel | Michael ~ Toronto, Ontario |
Hotel restaurant
Nice service, food ok.
Room and service
Rooms are old-fashioned in style. I found them to be a bit dirty, and probably didn’t appreciate the charm of the hotel as others might.
Overall impresions
I was not impressed with this hotel. No gym/pool. Despite the friendly staff, I would not return to this hotel
Last Updated: August 24, 2008