samkip/San Francisco
Family Hotels in San Francisco
Palace Hotel San Francisco (luxury) – SoMa
A beautiful kid-friendly pool and jacuzzi are the highlights. Good sized rooms and a fantastic location half-way between the Ferry Terminal and Union Square, and steps from a BART and MUNI station make it nearly perfect.
- Check Prices on HotelsCombined
- nearby: Union Square, Ferry Terminal/Farmers’ Market
- phone: 415-512-1111
- transit: Steps from Montgomery Street Bart & MUNI station
- address: 2 New Montgomery Street, San Francisco
Four Seasons San Francisco (luxury) – Union Square
A great location right on Market Street. Beautifully decorated rooms with ample space. Greeting gift for young kids. No swimming pool but guests have access to the Marriott’s pool located a short walk out the Four Season’s side door. (There is a sports club on the ground floor of the Four Seasons with a junior olympic pool, but guests must be 16 and older to use these facilities.)
- Check Prices on HotelsCombined
- nearby: Union Square, Metreon, Moscone Convention Center
- phone: 415-633-3000
- transit: Steps from Powell Street Bart & MUNI
- address: 757 Market Street, San Francisco
Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf Hotel (luxury)
Very nice heated outdoor pool. Very close to pier 39, Fisherman’s wharf, touristy (kid-friendly) shops, and the cable car turnaround. Nice rooms that are good value for San Francisco
- Check Prices on HotelsCombined
- nearby: Aquarium of the Bay, Alcatraz Tours, Embarcadero
- phone: 415-362-5500
- transit: F-Line streetcar stops one block from hotel and runs to Bart & MUNI stations
- address: 2500 Mason Street, San Francisco
Handlery Union Square (moderate) – Union Square
You can’t get much more central than this. A half-block from Union Square. Nice heated outdoor pool. Suites are great for families.
- Check Prices on HotelsCombined
- nearby: Union Square, Macy’s, Chinatown
- phone: 415-781-7800
- transit: 3 blocks from Powell St. Bart & MUNI station; 1/2 block to streetcar stop
- address: 351 Geary Street, San Francisco
Hotel del Sol San Francisco (moderate) – The Marina
Kids love this fun and brightly colored hotel. Heated outdoor pool. Free parking (very rare in SF). Free continental breakfast. Fun things for kids include cookies, milk, cocoa, dvds, library, and pool toys. Many good kid-friendly restaurants within a short walk.
- Check Prices on HotelsCombined
- nearby: Crissy Park, (twisty) Lombard Street, Golden Gate Bridge
- phone: 415-921-5520
- transit: Far from subway/train lines but many steps from bus lines to downtown (and to Marin).
- address: 3100 Webster Street, San Francisco
More Hotels for Families in San Francisco
- The Huntington Hotel & Nob Hill Spa (Nob Hill, luxury)
Junior and one bedroom suites.- JW Marriott San Francisco Union Square (Downtown, luxury)
Junior and double rooms fit a family of 5.- Hotel Union Square (Downtown, moderate)
A fun kids’ suite is available.- Nob Hill Motor Inn (Tenderloin/Van Ness, budget)
Deluxe Junior and Family suites fit up to 8.- Grosvenor Suites (Downtown, budget)
One bedroom suites have kitchenettes.- The Herbert Hotel (Downtown, budget)
Junior suites can fit a family of 5.
Nearby Destinations:
Recommended Websites for Hotels
HotelsCombined.com – My favorite. Great for finding deals and discounts.
Booking.com – Also very good, especially in Europe and Asia.
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The new Exploratorium is amazing. Very kid friendly and a wonderful location right on the Bay. The Academy of Sciences is also great. A walk across the GG bridge and a visit to the cable car museum are good secondary choices. Alcatraz was sold out for weeks in advance so weren’t able to see that though the kids nor I weren’t too disappointed. Wish there were more hotels with swimming pools in our budget range. We recently moved to San Diego so I’m sure we’ll be back soon.
The best things to do with kids in SF include:
-The Exploratorium (currently moving to new digs on the waterfront). If I had just one day in SF I’d spend most of it here. One of the best science museums in the world.
-The California Academy of Science. Great natural history museum and aquarium. Nice location in Golden Gate Park.
-Tour Alcatraz. Best for kids older than 8 or 9. It’s very interesting and informing without being to much of a “tour”. You’re left to see the island prison at your own pace. Book your boat tickets as early as possible as they sell out far in advance.
Renting bikes is another good idea. San Francisco Bike Rentals allows you to pick up and drop off rental bikes from different locations which is very handy.
We stayed at the Marriott Marquis. Great location near Union Square and lots of shopping. Walking distance to everything we were interested in. It has a nice pool which my son enjoyed. Starbucks in the lobby which I enjoyed, though it closes too early in the afternoon. A couple cons: wi-fi costs $14/day (it should be free). And the sports bar that was recommended to us by staff was a dive. We took the BART train from the airport (about $10 if I remember correctly) and it was fast and easy (about 30 minutes). The Powell Street station was only a block from the hotel. Cable car depot is two blocks away and lines were surprisingly short, probably because it was so cold. I would recommend this hotel as long as you’re not expecting a 5 star hotel.