westin st francis hotel

looking to go in feb 09 for 4 days and would like a hotel near to good shops, would the westin st francis be good for the shopping? think i read it was near to maceys?

thanx

westin st francis hotel

The St. Francis is *right* on Union Square, as is Macy%26#39;s. The Westfield Center (Nordstrom, Bloomingdale%26#39;s) is on Market at Powell St.

However, there are many hotels in the Union Square area so the St. Francis is not your only option.

Many people on this board recommend The Chancellor and the JW Mariott. The Parc 55 is also in the area. A few of the other options include The Orchard, The Inn at Union Square and The Rex.

Check the review in TA and see what fits your tastes and budget.

westin st francis hotel

The St. Francis is in the perfect location for shopping, and it is a wonderful hotel (if you stay in the Tower Rooms) but as the previous poster mentioned, any hotel in the Union Square area would be ideal for a shopper.

thank you for your advice. if we wanted to go to alcatraz is it best to pre book now or wait till we get there?

You must book Alcatraz ahead of time as it *always* sells out -- regardless of time of year. This is especially true if you%26#39;re interested in taking the night tour (which is very popular).

www.alcatrazcruises.com for direct booking

Have fun!

We stayed at the st francis. It is an older hotel. While very pretty, bring your ear plugs. it is very noisy at night. (the trolley car runs right on powell street and they love to ring that bell!) The orchard is newer and quieter if you don%26#39;t mind the walk up a STEEP hill. Do check out the Kimpton hotels. there are many near Union square.

Just to clarify previous post: the St. Francis does have tower rooms which are newer and a bit set back from the square and so quieter (more expensive I believe).

The cable cars don%26#39;t run overnight (about 1AM-6AM).

Following on from what RamblinSal has said. I love the St.Francis but I usually suggest the newer tower rooms as you know exactly what you will get. The rooms in the older building can be a bit of a hit and miss affair some are great but others are small and dingy.

Have a look at the Chancellor Hotel as well. It%26#39;s only a hop skip and a jump up the road from the St.Francis . Check out the TA Hotel reviews to see what you are getting.