<p>I am taking a last minute trip to San Francisco with my D for a few days of her spring break. We will be renting a car, so do not need to stay in the middle of the action. I am looking for suggestions for a reasonably priced hotel (D requires an exercise room). We will probably visit some places like Muir Woods as well as some city sights. We are flying into SFO and out of OAK if that would affect your recommendations. Thanks for any help. I am usually a long term planner and last minute things stress me out!</p>
<p>Most hotels have exercise rooms as far as I can tell.
We’ve gotten nice rooms at last minute through Priceline.
Last one was the Sheraton at Fisherman’s Wharf.
We liked Cafe Pescatore for brunch.</p>
<p>I have looked at a few small ones so far that don’t have exercise rooms. I have never been brave enough to try priceline because I am not sure how to specify the correct area, do you have to pay without knowing what you are getting? </p>
<p>We have stayed in Corte Madera at the Best Western. I think they have an exercise room and breakfast delivered to your room. A step above the typical continental breakfast. It is nice, good location for getting on freeway, not far from Muir woods and ferry terminal to city.
We also stay at Hotel Del Sol in the marina area of the city. I don’t think they have an exercise room but you are close to the marina green where you can run and they have a fitness court area. Lots of young people and lots of dining near by. Free parking which is nice in the city. The staff is very nice, includes a simple breakfast with excellent coffee. I think any of the Joie de Vrie hotels are nice.
We have also stayed at the Cow Hollow Inn. A bit less expensive. Clean butt he furnishing while looking new are out of style. No breakfast but free parking. It is also in the Marina area. If you stay get the deluxe room and you won’t have the Lombard St noise. I prefer Hotel Del Sol.
We have also stayed at a few places on Union Square. Busy area and you need to pay to park.
We switched to staying in the Marina area when our D moved to SF. We have come to enjoy the area. Lots of great places to walk.
Have fun
Edit to add- reasonable price And San Francisco don’t go hand and hand</p>
<p>Adding Google marina green fitness court to see the outdoor area. Also check if the Crunch gyms sell day passes. Their is also a YMCA in the city.</p>
<p>Thanks! I will check them out.</p>
<p>The best deals are blind on Priceline, but you can make requests by amenities & stars. Also area. If you know which hotel you want to try for, make a note of how the amenities are described.</p>
<p>I’ve been at it all afternoon, without success yet. Some places have no availability, and I am having a really hard time with paying $40+ per night parking. There are some decent sounding motels with free parking (like cow hollow) but she may have to give up on the exercise room, or stay farther out from the city.</p>
<p>I’d suggest looking at places through Air BNB too… You’ll get a MUCH better experience, and it’s WAY cheaper than hotels. Also, unless you’re already really comfortable driving in SF, I’d suggest using Lyft to get around instead of a rental car. You can just google both of these services (Air BNB and Lyft) and a ton of information will pop up. Feel free to ask more questions if you want 
</p>
<p>I’ve stayed at the La Quinta near the SF airport. Clean and decent and much cheaper than being in the city. Personally, I think you’d save enough money by not renting a car and not paying for parking that you could pay for taxis everywhere, plus I would think walking around SF would be enough of a workout for anyone.</p>
<p>I am a fan of the Claremont on the Oakland/Berkeley border (this would also be convenient for your flight out of Oakland). Gorgeous views of San Francisco, and it is an old world hotel (has a country club feel because it is also a swim/tennis club) that has been updated with modern conveniences. Great jumping off point for the North Bay as well. The Claremont may offer a shuttle to BART (about a mile away) which would be a much more convenient way for you to travel to/from San Francisco.</p>
<p>There are a couple of decent hotels in downtown Oakland (Marriott, etc.) that are reasonably priced and BART is right there for easy commute to SF. However, you won’t want to walk around at night in the area (daytime is fine if you are accustomed to big cities).</p>
<p>Many hotels have exercise rooms, but of varying quality. But if she wants to do cardio, the areas near the shore near the Golden Gate Bridge and along the Embarcadero are popular places to run.</p>
<p>Both SFO and OAK are accessible by BART. If staying in San Francisco and will be doing much of your activities in the city, consider whether it is less hassle to rent cars only for days that you will need to go outside the city (walking and using BART and MUNI to get around inside the city).</p>
<p>I will check them out. Is driving in SF any worse than driving in LA? I have managed there. We may take public transportation around the city but have someone to visit in Oakland and hope to see some parks/natural areas to drive to.</p>
<p>Parking in San Francisco is often difficult to find and expensive.</p>
<p>Some parts of Oakland are relatively easy to get to from some parts of San Francisco using BART.</p>
<p>I find driving in SF to be very stressful with lots of bikers and buses. It is narrow city streets, not like what I am familiar with in LA. But if you are accustomed to driving in big cities it is fine. If you are going to Oakland anyway and need a car I would seriously consider staying there, and take BART to SF - much more convenient and less expensive.</p>
<p>We didn’t rent a car in SF.
We also flew into SF & out of OAK.
Used public transportation to get to Golden Gate Park.
I agree you can get quite a workout.
Although it was right before I started using a cane, so the hills were a little much for me at the time.
You miss a lot if you are inside a car though. Like the parrots.</p>
<p>I don’t think driving in the city is that bad but what is terrible is finding parking. If you do park on any of the streets make sure you read all the signs.
We have a car when we visit since we drive from home. We tend to leave our car at our hotel and walk most places. If you are in relatively decent shape I would recommend walking. It is great exercise. If we need to drive anywhere my D does the driving since she knows the city. I don’t feel the need of a gym when I get so much walking in.
I would not stay in Oakland or near the airport. Part of the pleasure for me of a trip to San Francisco is enjoying the beauty of the city. When you walk you can enjoy the different views from the top of various hills. The view of the bay and bridge. Walking the Fort Mason and Marina Green area. I also like walking out near the Sutro baths. </p>
<p>We also stayed many years ago in Mill Valley at Acqua. It was nice but you will have to drive everywhere.
What do you want to see and do in the city?</p>
<p>mama you really don’t need a car to visit SF! Get on TripAdvisor and book some tours that include transportation -you’ll have lots of fun and avoid the headache and extra expense of parking, valet, car rental, etc. You can also just google San Francisco tours and pull up tour companies. I’ve used these before and been very happy. However - be advised you MUST book in advance - the popular tours fill up fast. Do it now. </p>
<p>Best way I’ve found to book hotels is use Expedia to pull up options, then go to directly to the hotel to book. If they quote you a different rate ask if they’ll match the Expedia rate. Usually they’re happy to do so, though realize you’ll need to prepay and it’s non-cancellable. However I’ve had several bad experiences going through Expedia so I never book through them. I also use my AAA card to get additional discounts when available. </p>
<p>Union Square and Fisherman’s Warf are popular areas and give you plenty of nearby attractions to walk to. Have fun with your daughter! </p>
<p>Another car option is Zip car if you only need a car for small portions of the trip. They have a lot of cars around town making them easy to pick up.</p>
<p>Cab ride from SFO to downtown: $45 (tip including)
Parking your rental car downtown for 1 night: $40. </p>
<p>We chose the former. We stayed at the downtown Hilton which has a 5-star exercise room equipped with the latest $10,000 Precor treadmills - 8 of them, I think, plus a ton of bikes, weights, and ellipticals. The rate we paid was very reasonable despite the fact that there were several major conventions downtown. The restaurant at the hotel was the only negative: expensive, pretentious, poorly cooked food served by lazy, pretentious waiters.</p>