Sandy J.
Yelp
The San Remo may not be for everyone, but if you're open to a bit of adventure, this is a wonderful base camp for any San Francisco trip! I recently visited San Francisco to attend an event being hosted downtown. The "bath on the hall" concept doesn't bother me, so I gave the San Remo a call. I had not traveled to San Francisco before, but from the maps, the location looked fine. I made my initial reservation via Internet. I later decided to extend my stay. While the San Remo had rooms, I would have to change rooms multiple times during my extended stay. I agreed, thinking I would figure it out as I went along. Before my arrival in San Francisco, the staff called me to let me know they had worked things out so my entire stay could be in one room. This helpful attitude was consistent throughout my stay, not that I needed much attention once I arrived. I was assigned what I consider the perfect room - third floor (no elevator, so consider that if it's important) on the front. From my windows I could see Coit Tower and the tips of St. Peter and Paul church. The lights from the church in the evening fog were beautiful. I arrived on a Wednesday - and the downstairs Italian restaurant has live jazz on Wednesday nights. I loved this added touch, but if music is not your thing, earplugs are provided in the room. When I arrived in my room, the windows were open and the lamp was on ~ so welcoming and cozy! Yes, the showers are on the hall, but they are quite nice. The ones on my floor were my favorite (one day, in more of a hurry to get started, I went downstairs, where the shower had no anteroom) ~ scrumptious bath products in the shower, warm towels, and an anteroom so your things don't get wet, and you can dry off under the heat lamp. A towel warmer outside the showers keeps fresh warm towels at hand. The San Remo provides bathrobes, but no one seemed to take advantage of that. While there were mornings when the showers were full (on one floor,) I could always find one open somewhere. There was never a delay for me in accessing a toilet. One of the bathrooms has a ginormous clawfoot tub and sink ~ this is where the toddler staying on my floor seemed to want to bathe every day. My room had a sink in the room, which made all of the toothbrushing, hair drying, etc. much easier. The bed was comfy. If you're a pillow-particular person, my full bed had four pillows ~ two firmish and flat, two fluffy and soft, with unique pillowcases to each pillow type. Hubs would have loved that if he had been along on the trip. Massage chairs are in the alcoves on both floors, perfect for relaxing with a cup of tea and conversation after a long day of roaming the city. There are several small gathering spots, so if you're feeling squished in the smallish rooms, the alcoves are perfect escapes. Bookcases hold a multitude of books for reading in moments of downtime. Also, clean rooms are left open with the light on awaiting the next guest. Walking through you can see all the different room configurations and the beautiful furnishings. The San Remo gave me everything I wanted ~ a clean, homey base with ease in getting around. In the mornings, a coffee bar (with brownie bites!) got me started, and in the afternoons, coffee, tea, and some candies are available. The location is close to any public transportation stop. I bought the MuniPass and wandered all over town. I sometimes arrived back late at night, but felt perfectly safe walking from the bus stop or cable car stop back to the San Remo. The hotel is a couple of blocks from Fisherman's Wharf, but somehow it doesn't seem to be part of that particular Tourist Crazy.
The San Remo is a treasure. If life takes me back to San Francisco, I'll certainly stay here again! Be kind to your budget and give this place a try!