Jim L.
Yelp
My wife and I and sons, ages 13 and 16 stayed at Hotel Boheme twice over the past week on consecutive weekends. In between the weekends we were on a college visit to Cal Poly with my older son.
I travel a ton with my job, and as a result have gotten into the corporate hotel rut that I wanted a break from. In addition, my wife and I lived 3 1/2 blocks from this hotel in the early 90s. We wanted to hang out in our old neighborhood. After reading the reviews here, we picked Hotel Boheme. We're back home in Nashville today with BIG smiles on our faces. We had a few disappointments on our trip, but none related to this great little hotel.
Here's what you don't get at Hotel Boheme, mainly because you don't need it when visiting North Beach: No refrigerator, no coffee maker,no microwave and no big TV. The dining and entertainment options in the area are the reason. If you want to come to North Beach and hang out in your room for hours, this is not the place for you. Stay at the Marriott Courtyard at Fisherman's Wharf (for a lot more $$$ if that's your taste).
What you DO get is a clean, pleasantly eclectic, comfortable place to sleep and take breaks between ventures into the city. If you want to get out and explore and enjoy all the city has to offer, this is the perfect 'home base' in absolutely the best location possible, and at a price that can't be beat.
When we lived in North Beach, we never even noticed this place, even though it is right next door to Calzone's, a restaurant we used to go to at least twice a month. It has a very small, unassuming entrance that gives you a good idea what to expect on the inside.
I've seen comments here about the rooms being small. Please read my response: EVERYTHING is small in North Beach. When we lived here (at 382 Green Street), we rented a two room apartment that was 360 square feet. It was $1025 per month in 1993. Not a typo. In that regard, we found our room for four at Hotel Boheme to be quite roomy and we did just fine.
Stan was our host and he was great. On our second visit this week, our Amtrak train from Cal Poly was 1 1/2 hours behind, so we were going to arrive well after the front desk closing time of 11 PM. I called Stan to let him know we were running late. He said, "No problem, I'll wait up for you". And he did wait until we arrived at about 12:15. Awesome service.
SF will always be one of our favorite places to visit, and who knows? After the kids get through school, we may even be locals again one day. Until then, when we visit, Hotel Boheme will be our first choice every time.