Best Western Americania, San Francisco, California

A full-service Mediterranean style hotel located in the heart of San Francisco offering free parking, free shuttle to and from Union Square and free wireless high speed internet access.

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During your San Francisco vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Shaped like an Art Deco ship, the Maritime Museum is filled with sailing, whaling, and fishing lore. Remarkably good exhibits include intricate model craft and scrimshaw. The collection of shipwreck photographs and historic marine scenes includes an 1851 snapshot of hundreds of abandoned ships, deserted en masse by crews dashing off to participate in the gold rush. Beautifully carved, brightly painted wooden figureheads from old windjammers line the walls. Two blocks east, at the park's Hyde Street Pier, are several historic ships, now moored and open to the public.The Balclutha, one of the last surviving square-riggers and the handsomest vessel in San Francisco Bay, was built in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1886 and carried grain from California at a near-record speed of 300 miles a day. The ship is now completely restored. Kids can climb into the bunking quarters, visit the "slop chest" ("galley" to you, matey), and read the sea chanteys (clean ones only) that decorate the walls.The 1890 Eureka still carries a cargo of nostalgia for San Franciscans. It was the last of 50 paddle-wheel ferries that regularly plied the bay; it made its final trip in 1957. Restored to its original splendor at the height of the ferryboat era, the side-wheeler is loaded with deck cargo, including antique cars and trucks.The black-hulled, three-masted C. A. Thayer, built in 1895, was crafted for the lumber trade and carried logs felled in the Pacific Northwest to the carpentry shops of California. Unfortunately, it's undergoing renovation and isn't slated to return until 2006.Other historic ships docked here include the tiny two-masted Alma, one of the last scow schooners to bring hay to the horses of San Francisco; the Hercules, a huge 1907 oceangoing steam tug; and the Eppleton Hall, a side-wheel tugboat built in England in 1914 to operate on London's River Thames.At the pier's small-boat shop, visitors can follow the restoration progress of historic boats from the museum's collection. It's behind the maritime bookstore on your right as you approach the ships.

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts/Yerba Buena Gardens
The Yerba Buena Center, which opened in 1993, is the city's cultural facility, similar to New York's Lincoln Center but far more fun on the outside. It stands on top of the northern extension of the underground Moscone Convention Center. The center's two buildings present music, theater, dance, and visual arts. James Stewart Polshek designed the 755-seat theater, and Fumihiko Maki designed the Galleries and Arts Forum, which features three galleries and a space designed especially for dance. Cutting-edge computer art, multimedia shows, traditional exhibitions, and performances occupy the center's high-tech galleries.More commonly explored is the 5-acre Yerba Buena Gardens, a great place to relax in the grass on a sunny day and check out several artworks. The most dramatic outdoor piece is an emotional mixed-media memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr. Created by sculptor Houston Conwill, poet Estella Majozo, and architect Joseph de Pace, it features 12 panels, each inscribed with quotations from King, sheltered behind a 50-foot-high waterfall. For most, this pastoral patch is a brief stopover to the surrounding attractions. New to the gardens in 2004 are seasonal free outdoor festivals held on varied dates from May through October. It's definitely worth discovering whether you can catch one of these, as performances include dance, music, poetry, and more by the San Francisco Ballet, Opera, and Symphony and others; see www.ybgf.org for details.On the periphery of Yerba Buena Gardens are a number of worthy individually operated excursions. In the Children's Center, Zeum (tel. 415/777-2800) includes a cafe, interactive cultural center, bowling lanes, ice-skating rink, fabulous 1906 carousel, and interactive play and learning garden. Sony's Metreon Entertainment Center (tel. 415/369-6000; www.metreon.com) is a 350,000-square-foot complex housing great movie theaters, an IMAX theater, a bountiful gourmet food court, interactive attractions (including one that features Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are and surprisingly exciting virtual bowling), and shops. As part of the plan to develop this area as the city's cultural hub, the California Historical Society opened at 678 Mission St. in 1995 and is home to a research library and a publicly accessible California photography and fine arts collection.

Aquarium of the Bay
The latest major addition to Fisherman's Wharf is Aquarium of the Bay, a $38-million, 1-million-gallon marine attraction filled with sharks, stingrays, and more. A moving footpath transports visitors through clear acrylic tunnels. The aquarium ultimately is not a destination in itself, but it's a good place to take the kids if you're in the neighborhood.

Other discount hotel options in San Francisco:

Hotel Monaco San Francisco - a Kimpton Hotel
Hotel Monaco is located at 501 Geary Street at Taylor Street. Just one block away from nearby theatres/American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) and the Curran Theatre. Two blocks west from Union Square the center for the city's finest retail shopping, dining, and entertainment. Close to a variety of area attractions, two blocks from the Powell Street Cable Car Line which travels to Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, and Ghirardelli Square. Walking distance to Chinatown, Mascone Convention Center, art ...

Omni San Francisco Hotel
Located in the heart of the city at California & Montgomery Streets. With a cable car stop located right outside the hotel, you are just minutes from exciting attractions such as Union Square, Chinatown, North Beach, Embarcadero Center and the Moscone Convention Center. 20 minutes from the San Francisco and Oakland International ...

Palace Hotel
Nearby Airports: * San Francisco International Airport - 15 Miles * Metropolitan Oakland International Airport - 19 Miles Nearby Cities: * Emeryville - 9 Miles * Sausalito - 9 Miles * Oakland - 10 Miles * Marin City - 11 Miles * Berkeley - 12 Miles * Millbrae - 15 Miles * Burlingame - 16 Miles * San Mateo - 20 Miles * Walnut Creek - 23 Miles * Pleasant Hill - 26 Miles * Concord - 28 Miles * Vallejo - ...

Most recent user reviews

Score

5 out of 5

Convenient Location

Richard

This Hotel is very inexpensive for the location. Easy walking distance(20 minutes) to the Moscone Center and Powell Street area. Poor neighborhood and don't recommend venturing out late evening.

Score

5 out of 5

Great Value.

Anonymous, 2007-02-15

Short walk to a good restaurant. Food good in the hotel restaurant.

Great Value for your money. Great location. Nice to get free parking with access to your car. The free shuttle service saves on cab expenses.

Check-in

Check-out

Guests

Score

5 out of 5

Friendly Staff

Anonymous, 2007-02-04

The staff was extremely helpful and very nice. Bartender was nice. Rooms were excellent and clean.

Score

4 out of 5

OK Hotel, BAD neighborhood

Ron, Portland, OR, 2006-11-08

After walking about 3 long blocks the environment changes from risky to normal big city.

The hotel was average - no major problems, but we were uncomfortable walking in the neighborhood. It was bad enough with panhandlers and folks sleeping on the sidewalks during the daytime, but at night we really felts confined to our room or at risk to walk anywhere. Taxi service was not readily available. The loud party in the room next door prevented us from sleeping one night.

Score

2 out of 5

a not so friendly hotel

James, Honolulu, HI, 2006-10-12

This hotel is within 1 mile of the California Masonic Memorial Temple, had free parking and wireless internet. The wireless internet only worked in the loby. The parking was so tight that there was less than 1 foot of space on each side. When checking out a car had duble parked behind us and it took 1 houre to hind the employee who owned it. With all the one way streets it took ten miles to get back to the hotel. It is hard to find the hotel behind the delivery truck that parkes on the street.

Score

4 out of 5

Good Hotel

Mark, Sacramento, CA, 2006-09-17

Good pizza accross the street.

Best Western Americana is a good hotel at a reasonable price if you want to stay near the Moscone Center or the SOMA area. Rooms are small but OK. The neighborhood is a little rough. The shuttle to Union Square is a nice feature and also free parking.

Score

4 out of 5

Excellent Customer Service

JOHN, Philadelphia, PA, 2006-08-20

If you know what you want to go and/or see, the desk staff (front lobby) can be a great help in ways to get there--with or without a car.

Flying from the East Coast, we arrived in San Francisco well before the check-in time. Because a room was available, we were able to get situated and comfortable prior to seeing the Bay area. On the other end, we had an extremely late flight out of San Francisco, so we were very appreciative of the staff who agreed to keep our bags secure from the time we checked out until we left for the airport. The staff also helped us to arrange transportation to the ballgame, around town, and back to the airport. This saved us a lot of time and trouble. The room was comfortable, but I expected as much. The pool looked great (outside), but it was a little too cool (air temperature)--so we decided not to go swimming.

Score

4 out of 5

A layer of glitz and glamour

Kim, New York, NY, 2006-07-22

Near the Civic Center, easy to get to the performance spaces and SF Moma and the splendid Asian Museum.

I chose this hotel because I really wanted to be able to swim during a short stay in San Francisco, which was in the grip of an unusual heatwave. The property is extremely attractive and well-maintained; the room was spacious, nicely appointed and comfortably furnished. The pool was small but refreshing (some other swimmers complained that it was underheated); I was irritated that it did not open at the posted time, and the staff apparently turned off the pook light in the evening when the crowds of children had dissipated. It was still lovely to swim under the stars in the middle of the colorful and very active SoMa district. I was pleased to find that there was a good wi-fi connection in the rooms, as the available computers were monopolized by children and teens and seemed to have no restictions on usage time. My primary complaint was that although the rates were relatively high for the neighborhood (I know the area well), there was NO air conditioning, just celing fans. Glamorous, but not effective enough during the heatwave. In fact, as I walked past an adjacnet room a waft of oven-like heat washed over me, and the occupants were sitting scantily clad with their door open to at least get ventialation.

Score

5 out of 5

When Cleaniness is So Important

Diane, 2006-07-04

Free shuttle to entertainment and dining and shopping.

The Best Western Americania was a great location for us and the staff was so friendly and helpful. Our room was smoke free and extremely clean, a nice decor. Absolutely no negatives for 4th of July weekend, even though there were alot of families and small children staying in hotel. Loved the open court yard and free parking and shuttle.

Score

4 out of 5

Great Location for the price

Patricia, Reno, NV, 2006-06-05

Utilize the hotel shuttle. Teel the driver what you want and he will make several suffestions.

I thought the design of the hotel was unique and family firendly. We had beautiful courtyard with a long Penny pool of water and louge charis around. The pool was nice as it was on the roof top and the was somewhat sheltered form the cool San Francisco wind. Locaton was just off the beaten path and if you opt out of the walking to union square..they hace door to door shuttles to everywhere. The coincerge was better than some 5 star hotels.....absolutlely informative and friendly. The service in the little restaurant was terrible.... Overall we had a great time without spending a fortune.

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