Motel 6 at Geary Street, San Francisco

Hi,

I%26#39;m looking for a budget location in downtown San Francisco for a stay in september. I have looked at the new Motel 6 at Geary Street but are a bit concerned about the neihbourhood. I have read to keep away from the Tenderloin district, which is just beside Geary Street.

Should I find another motel and if so, could you recommend one in the same price range.

Christian

Motel 6 at Geary Street, San Francisco

False economy, I think. Their website gives a rate of $100, and you can do better. For that amount, or a little more, I think you can find a better place with a few niceties (Motel 6%26#39;s are very minimal) and be closer to the center of whatever activities you are interested in.

It%26#39;s only about 5-6 blocks from Union Square, but you can get closer. Geary is a very busy commmercial street, and as long as you%26#39;ll be in the midst of all that noise and congestion, why not have it be nearer to Union Square? It is not exactly in the Tenderloin, but close enough that you%26#39;ll be walking through it to get to a lot of places you want to go. The view, if you get one, will not have any Bay, ocean, cable cars, or green spaces in it--just traffic and pedestrians scurrying around.

You are going to encounter street people, lots of them. Although this is true all over downtown, I think you would feel safer at Union Square, especially early or late in the day, because it is a busier tourist, shopper, and commuter area.

Someone here will know of economical lodgings closer in, or you can browse online and see what is available for bid. There are also affordable motels out on Lombard, on the way to the Golden Gate Bridge. The disadvantage is being farther from downtown or Union Square--but they are convenient for Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Motel 6 at Geary Street, San Francisco

No no no no no.....do NOT stay here unless your idea of vacation surroundings are crack corners. I go to this neighborhood all the time to eat but stay elsewhere.

the Grant hotel on Bush Street is in a good neighborhood, close to union square and cable cars and Chinatown. the rooms are in the 65 to 90 dollars per night range. nothing fancy but it%26#39;s clean and safe.

Yes, listen to drummerliz.....

Formerly Days Inn, a dump by any other name.............. Agree with the mantra, stay away from this one!

Not worth it. Stay elsewhere.

Christian,

We stayed at this motel nearly 10 years ago and found that the rooms were actually nicer than I expected and the free parking was a plus, and the management was freindly.

Unfortunately they%26#39;re located in just about the worst part of town.

For $100 you can do much better.

I would try bidding for a hotel on Priceline.com or Hotwire.com

You may be able to get a four star hotel for around $90 a night in a great area.

I would bid about $85 for USE (Union Square East) or USW (West)

Go to p070.ezboard.com/bpricelineandexpediabidding or www.biddingfortravel.com for more info on how these websites work.

Hi all,

Thanks for your very good answers.

I would simpley love to bid on a hotel, but I have a couple of concerns.

We are traveling 3 adults but I by standard bid on a 2-person room. When I bid I do not know the surcharge for an extra person.

Furthermore we are traveling by car and I do not know the hotels surcharge for parking. This could therefore be very expensive.

Please give me some input. What should I do? How do I find a cheap but npt crappy hotel?

ChristianDK

Typically, a ';motel'; does not charge for parking; it comes with the price of your room. The downtown hotels charge for parking, up to $40 a day or even more at some places.

The big ';Motel Row'; in San Francisco is along Lombard Street from Van Ness to the Presidio (it%26#39;s on the way to the Golden Gate Bridge). There are scores of motels of varying cost and quality. I live here and don%26#39;t stay at the local motels, but I%26#39;ve seen good reviews for La Luna, Cow Hollow Inn, and a number of others. Closer in, next to Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf, the Columbus Motor Inn gets a lot of raves. People with firsthand experience at these motels can give you more specific details.

Here is an article about cheap lodgings (but not necessarily dumps) in S.F.

ezinearticles.com/…

The farther out Lombard you go, the less handy it is to go downtown, to the Wharf, Chinatown, or Union Square. We don%26#39;t recommend you drive there; even local people hate the traffic and congestion. But public transit is good in all the areas of the City that tourists are likely to go. Lombard is a convenient place from which to drive to the beach, Golden Gate Park, and many outlying neighborhood of S.F. Depending on where you stay, you may be able to walk to the Wharf, North Beach, the Presidio, or the Golden Gate Bridge. On days when you don%26#39;t drive, you can leave your car at the motel for free.

One tip for all Lombard motels is to try to get a room toward the back, or set in from the street, where it is quieter. It%26#39;s a busy street at all hours because it goes to and from the bridge.

Yes, you should stay in the Lombard area and take the excellent public transportation downtown.

Look at Cow Hollow Inn and Suites, Lombard Motor Inn, Chelsea Motor Inn and Coventry Motor Inn. Free parking. Also look at Columbus Motor Inn as mentioned above,

ch - You have gotten some great advice here. Lombard St motels will be the best for you.