I’m sure just about anyone would love a nice stay in a cozy bed and breakfast no matter where they’re staying but sometimes, it just isn’t worth it. You pay a little extra for a little extra inconvenience, but in big cities, that little extra cost can quickly add up to a lot more than you think. When it comes to San Francisco, stick to the hotels and I’ll promise you this, they’ll stick to you.
I’ve never stayed at a bed and breakfast, though I weighed it before going to San Francisco. They’re cute, quaint and offer introductions to all sorts of tourists and proprietors the likes of which you may not meet elsewhere, and usually at a price that’s only a tad above market rateb… but wait, there’s a caution to this tale.
Putting aside the inconvenience of having a bathroom down the hall and paper thin walls that will make your kids’ nap or nighttime sadness embarrassing, think instead of what the room will cost. It will cost somewhat more than a comparably priced room across town (that has a bathroom) but this place doesn’t have parking… go on, ask them about parking, I dare you. They’ll likely tell you something like that it’s “first come, first served, down the block, if you’re lucky, and it costs $20 a night without in/out privileges.”
So tack on that extra $20 to your nightly room charge and let me know if it still makes sense. If it does, read on.
You got kids so you got luggage, but do you have an elevator? I hope you do because we couldn’t find a bed and breakfast in San Francisco that did.
But here’s the real deal-breaker if you’re traveling with kids. For some strange reason my parents really wanted to find one (again, I’ve never been to one so I don’t know what’s so great, though I do love beds and I do love breakfast) so they did as much research as they could to find one that welcomes children, and even found a few that said they did… then they sent off the email asking for confirmation of this policy… to nine different B&Bs… and not one of them wrote back.
So I guess the assumption is that B&Bs in San Francisco are not kid-friendly, and that’s okay. They have their own history and their own charm, but for my money — and less of it, I might add — I say go to the places with the thicker walls, the bathrooms in your suite, the elevators to get you where you’re going and the views to see once you get there.
Not all Bed & Breakfasts are bad, but also, not all are good. We tried our diligent best to find one in San Francisco that caters to travelers with kids, and I’m sure there are plenty. We just couldn’t find one.