San Francisco + Palm Springs Info

[Guest BlueSpark]

I will be taking a 4 day vacation mid April. I haven't been to either SF or PS in years.

 

It isn't important to me to be in the Gay ghetto of either town but I like to know where it might be. Also, suggestions on places to stay (especially in SF) would be kindly received. My price range is about $150. x night, but not set in stone either direction.

 

If you were to select one for a quick get away which is your preference?

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

Quick

 

It depends on where you are coming from, actually. But that question not withstanding, you will likely get better weather in Palm Springs in April. That said, there is certainly more to do and see, gay or otherwise, in San Francisco and if you have never been to San Francisco as an adult, by all means go.

 

As far as other suggestions, including places to stay, there are a number of threads in the Lounge section about travel both to San Francisco and Palm Springs. If you need help using the search function or finding those threads, please advise in a private message.

 

Enjoy!

[Guest Utopia]

I head over to Palm SPrings now and then. In the city there really isn't a gay area. Pretty much a very gay friendly place with one main drag of shops and resturants. If you go a little outside the city you'll find more gay activity and some gay related spas. Lately I have just been staying at the Hyatt and walk or drive to the other activities.

===

"You realize that life goes fast

It's hard to make the good things last"

[Guest DevonSFescort]

How important is climate to your experience? There are obviously, stark contrasts between the two, although I have to say today's rain interrupted what has been a remarkably lengthy streak of sunny beautiful weather here in SF.

 

I know I talk about this site way too much, but here's a handy-dandy link to a list of hotels in SF that BiddingForTravel.com has seen come up on Priceline. It breaks them down by zone and star-level. SF's hotel industry is still feeling the pain, so unless you come at the same time as a major, major convention hits, you'll probably get a very nice four-star for between $55-80 a night. I would recommend going for the Union Square/Embarcadero Area zone. Any place you get there will be very convenient to public transportation (a short subway or streetcar ride to the Castro), and SF is actually an easy city to get lots of "free rebids" on, because none of the other zones have four-star hotels, so if your first bid gets rejected and you have to add another zone to rebid, it won't matter which zone you add because by definition any successful bid could only come from the Union Square/Embarcadero zone. (You should read BiddingForTravel's Hotels FAQ before bidding on Priceline in order to better utilize the info the site provides and maximize your chances at getting the best deal.)

 

In fact, even if you have no intention of using Priceline you should check out this list because it lists a LOT of hotels, gives you a sense of where they are and most cases includes links to their websites and to reviews. So there's a lot of good info even for Priceline-phobes. :+ Here's the link:

 

http://pub210.ezboard.com/fpricelineandexpediabiddingsanfranciscobayarea.showMessage?topicID=538.topic

 

I'm pretty sure I've been to all the hotels they've listed in the US/E zone and the only one I'd be somewhat disappointed if I got would be the Hilton, which although very conveniently located borders the skanky neighborhood and tends to have small, unmemorable rooms. I wouldn't pay rack rate for it, but for $55-80 bucks it's certainly more than tolerable. You just won't come away saying "golly, that Hilton -- I had to FORCE myself to leave that captivating room!" (And since your price ceiling is $150 anyway, you could always ask at the front desk how much an upgrade would run you. Sometimes hotels give them even to Priceline customers for a surprisingly small additional per-night charge.)

 

Here's the same kind of list for Palm Springs/Palm Desert. Only place on there I know is the Renaissance Esmerelda resort, which I got for $60, and which was incredible, especially for what I paid. Kinda remote though, as I recall.

 

http://pub210.ezboard.com/fpricelineandexpediabiddingfrm91.showMessage?topicID=103.topic

[Guest BlueSpark]

Thanks Utopia, Franco and Devon for the information and links. I also find a thread that Franco began about PS about 6 months ago give or take.

 

The weather isn't an issue for me. The trip is just a quick escape from the same old day-to-day stuff. Kind of a little gift to myself as it's also a special time to me (B-Day).

 

Since I live so close to PS I can head there quite easy over any weekend period or even a day trip. I think I'll head up to SF. It will be fun to hang out a bit and maybe find an escort for dinner and a little fun :9

 

I'm going to drive because I want to come back via the coastal route. I've never driven the coastal route before and people have told me that there are some spectacular views along the way.

[Guest BlueSpark]

Sorry for the double post but I'm wonderng if anyone has stayed at the Hotel Diva in SF? If so would you recommend it?

[bigguyinpasadena]

Hotel Diva=dump with small rooms.

I would follow devons advice regarding priceline.For a long weekend you can't beat some of the deals.

If you are reluctant to do PL,might I suggest the Donetello.contact them directly and $150 should get you a very nice room.

[Guest BlueSpark]

Thanks bigguypasadena. I think I'll give PL a try then. I am not leaving till the weekend of the 16th so it might be a little soon to start bidding on PL but I will give it a try in about 10 days. As a backup plan I will look into your hotel suggestion.

[bigguyinpasadena]

BlueSpark,as Devon suggested,please vist biddingfortravel.com for info on maximising our PL bid,there are a few tricks that you can use to your advantage.

On a cautionary note,if you ask for bidding advice make sur you read the hotel faq's first and post you inquiry in the form they use for bidding,miss Sheryl gets a little short if you don't follow her rules!

[Flower]

SF is one of my favorite places, and I'm there on business or fun at least once a month; while PS has no appeal to me at all.

 

If you go to SF, however, I have been staying at the Hotel Rex at 562 Sutter and really enjoy it--primarily for the location--a block up from Union Sq, near the Nob and a block from one of my favorite Restaurants, Scala's, in the lobby of the Sir Francis Drake. The Rex has some executive King rooms, which they will usually match internet rates on--they go for about $150 night. The hotel is very clean, has some European charm, but not fancy--mainly it's close to everything including public transportation if that's an issue. Have fun

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

Priceline in SF

 

I have yet to pay more than $75 a night for a 4 star hotel in San Francisco. It will depend on if the weekend you are there, a large or several conventions are taking place, but you should certainly be able to get a good hotel for under $100. If you are little uncomfortable about Priceline and also to get a good sense for where and what to bid (and what you will get), go to http://www.hotwire.com first and check out the types of hotels, rating levels and prices. I find that if I do that for the same dates I want, I can bid under the lowest Hot Wire price to get the hotel I want on Priceline for any city.

 

As Big Guy suggested and Devon recommended, I would definitely look at the link at Bidding For Travel. There is a great deal of information, including reviews similar to the client reviews here, on hotels, whether you use Priceline or not.

 

Finally, you can likely contact the Marriott or the Grand Hyatt on Union Square directly and negotiate for a good room. Go to their web sites first and see what they offer, but a few clients tried that and got a reasonable rate, lower than they got on Expedia.

 

Good luck!

 

 

WWWD?

 

http://www.gaydar.co.uk/francodisantis

[swallows22]

Change the "a" to an "e" and you got it. Could not wait to get out of the place.

[swallows22]

THis was meant to be an answer to a query re the " Diva".

[Guest BlueSpark]

Biddingfortravel.com is loaded with information, thanks to all who suggested the site. I'm comfortable using PL I've used it a few times about a year ago. I haven't heard of hotwire.com and will check it out too.

 

I clearly have received the hints from you kind men about the Hotel Diva. I just like to have a backup plan. The Hotel Rex's also seems like a nice place in a decent location, thanks Flower.

 

As I read your insight I feel I've selected the right city for my short trip. Due to my hectic work schedule it has been a while since I've been able to take a little time for myself. Even though only 4 days I'm hoping to make them each complete.

[Moose1961]

RE: Priceline in SF

 

I just got back from San Francisco. I was able to get the Park Hyatt in the Embarcadero area for $85 a night via Hotwire. That's for a standard room. They offer upgrades to bigger nicer rooms. I went with an upgrade to a suite that over looked the bay for an additional $85 per night. $170 per night for a room w/ a rack of $450, not a problem there. Room was huge and they made a DVD player available for free. Just ask for these at check-in. I picked up some Hyatt Gift Certificates on Ebay, so my upgrade money was also at a cheaper rate.

 

At first, I wasn't pleased w/ location, but once I got my bearings I found this to be incredibly accessible to BART and MUNI's Embarcadero station.

 

I stayed at Hotel Rex last year. Excellent location, especially to those who enjoy the Nob Hill Theatre. But I was there at the tail end of the renovations.

 

I've stayed at the Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hotel Rex, Beck's, Argent, Travellodge on Market and others. Any questions, please feel free to PM me.

 

Have a great time..

[Moose1961]

RE: Priceline in SF

 

forgive the double post.

[Guest BlueSpark]

RE: Priceline in SF

 

While reading more information on biddingfortravel.com I found a thread about problems with PL compacted zones in SF. Many were complaining about combining all of the Union Square/Embarcadero area into one as opposed to the 4 or 5 that they had previously. This concerns me a little.

 

I also have been checking out hotwire.com which someone suggested and might go that route instead. It might cost me about $20. more per night but at least I can be certain of the area I'll be in. That is if I understand the hotwire.com site correctly.

 

I do have one question to those who have used hotwire.com. Priceline's rooms tend to get less expensive with shorter notice, is this the same with hotwire.com?

 

Once I get the room booked, I'll have more time to concentrate on researching the escorts in the city :9

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

Shorter Notice

 

Priceline rooms definitely get less expensive on shorter notice. However, as I mentioned earlier, that depends on other variables, like whether or not there is a convention in a town such as San Francisco, where the best deals on the more desireable locations (such as Union Square or Embarcadero) are also near the convention center. Other factors in SF, like a popular show at MOMA or even a popular theater show would have an impact depending on the time of year, so you should keep that in mind when bidding.

 

Hotwire I do not have that much experience on, but I will warn you away from the boutique hotels on Hotwire for the San Francisco area. I think you will pay close to what you would pay risking a nice three star on Priceline (like the Crowne Plaza) but get far less in physical plant or attributes.

 

Also check out the numerous tourist sites for San Francisco for activities going on to help you plan your trip!

 

Enjoy!

[bigguyinpasadena]

RE: Priceline in SF

 

Blue,I,along with others, have written a protest letter to PL management regarding this lumping together.

I would not worry about it-you will be a short cab/metro/bus ride away from wherevere you need to be.

I notice you are driving,be warned-the parking in SF is horrible and very expensive.Get ready for $25-$35 a day in your hotels garage,and it is a real hassle dealing with trying to drive/park in S.F. if you are not used to it.

Some friends of mine have been using a park and ride lot in Milbrea and then taking the new BART train in-just an Idea.

If taking the coast highway back give yourself plenty of time,also DON'T try driving back on sunday-way too many bottlenecks-it will spoil the drive.

[Rick Munroe]

>I know I talk about this site way too much, but here's a

>handy-dandy link to a list of hotels in SF that

>BiddingForTravel.com has seen come up on Priceline. It breaks

>them down by zone and star-level. SF's hotel industry is

>still feeling the pain, so unless you come at the same time as

>a major, major convention hits, you'll probably get a very

>nice four-star for between $55-80 a night. I would recommend

>going for the Union Square/Embarcadero Area zone.

 

Unfortunately, you can stop talking about it because, as others noted below, priceline has now dumped a lot of the zones together: Embarcadero, Union Square East & West, & SOMA/Convention Center are all, insanely, now considered one giant zone. Which means that priceline really sucks now as far as SF because you will have no idea or choice over what area you'll end up in. I'm officially switching to hotwire.

 

Here's the thread on biddingfortravel re: the priceline debacle:

 

http://pub210.ezboard.com/fpricelineandexpediabiddingsanfranciscobayarea.showMessage?topicID=2334.topic

[Guest BlueSpark]

>

>Here's the thread on biddingfortravel re: the priceline

>debacle:

>

>http://pub210.ezboard.com/fpricelineandexpediabiddingsanfranciscobayarea.showMessage?topicID=2334.topic

 

Yes Rick that is the thread the captured my attention too. It's very discouraging to see PL do this in SF. What next, Orange County will be bundled with San Diego?

[Guest BlueSpark]

RE: Priceline in SF

 

Thanks once again Franco and Big Guy. I checked a few 4* hotels about their parking fees and each was over $30. per day.

 

I was looking into taking AMTRAK but what a nightmare their schedules and routes are. The shortest trip from LA to SF is about 12 hours. I don't really mind this as much as I mind the route it takes and the bus trip to get from Oakland to SF Union Square area.

 

Paying AMTRAK and paying for parking in SF are near equal. I might as well drive up and just pay the parking rates. Once I'm in the city I'll most likely use public transportation to get to various places.

 

I'm so shy and self concious I probably won't even leave my hotel room anyway.

[Guest Utopia]

I would suggest Palm Springs. I don't care much for San Francisco. The place is a mess, people are arrogant and it is way too expensive.

===

"You realize that life goes fast

It's hard to make the good things last"