Great find in SF! (Edward II Inn and Suites)

Member Name: tartlette

Product:	Edward II Inn and Suites
Date:	17/02/07 (56 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Comfortable, friendly, good facilities

Disadvantages: Bit out of the way

The last stop of our trip across North America was San Francisco. I’d been before and was really looking forward to showing my boyfriend around all the sights. We decided to book our hotel before we left the UK, to make sure of a room on arrival. After a lot of trawling through various Internet pages, I came across the Edward II Inn and Suites. It looked good so I went to have a look at their website. Now, I was aware of SF being seen as a city noted for its gay scene, fair enough. However, as a historian, I was also aware that Edward II had met a rather painful end in Berkley Castle in 1327, when he had a red hot poker inserted into a certain part of his anatomy because it was believed that he had homosexual affairs. I was therefore slightly concerned that I may just have booked myself and my boyfriend into a gay hotel. I could, however, find nothing on their website to suggest that this was the case, so I just assumed that it had been originally named by an American who did not realise its connotations!

BACKGROUND:

Edward II Inn and Suites dates back to 1914. The current owner, Jai, took it over in 1997 and now runs it with his wife. The family are originally from the UK (the fact that Jai was from Wales may have influenced my decision to chose this hotel!). It is apparently supposed to be one of the most romantic hotels in SF – and probably would be if you opted for the suite with a four poster and asked them to provide the roses and champagne which they offer to guests (at what price tag I have no idea!).

LOCATION:

The hotel’s address is: 3155 Scott Street, San Francisco, CA 94123. Although this is the given address the hotel’s main front is on Lombard Street (part of which is a major tourist attraction as the curviest street in the world). Great, I thought, that sounds central. They say on the website that they are close to Fisherman’s Wharf. Well, for those of you who have not been to SF, the streets are really, really long and we were a long way from the tourist part of Lombard Street. Basically you will need public transport to get to and from the hotel. There were lots of buses that took us to all the main attractions and in reality you can’t really ‘do’ SF without using public transport, so it made little difference to us. A taxi from Fisherman’s Wharf on the first day cost us around $7.

ACCOMMODATION AND PRICES:

The hotel has 26 rooms and 3 suites. The junior suites are priced between $179-199 per room per night. These come with a Jacuzzi, fireplace and Internet access. The supreme queen rooms are priced between $125-149 and have private bathrooms and Internet access. The classic queens are priced between $115-139 and also have private bathrooms. We stayed in a pensione room. These are more basic, with a shared bathroom and are priced between $69-99 per night.

THE EXPERIENCE:

The booking process was very simple, all set up via e-mail. I also e-mailed them to check if we could leave our bags as we would be arriving before check-in time and they replied promptly saying that that would be no problem. Having been dropped off at Fisherman’s Wharf by the train company we got a cab to the hotel. Upon arrival, we checked in very easily and were given the keys to our room straight away (no need to leave our bags as the train managed to get us to SF 7 hours late – thank you AmTrak!).

The hotel is supposedly decorated with England in mind, although I have to say it did not really remind me of home that much. The décor was nice and was comfortable but I haven’t seen a lot of wicker over here recently! We were on the first floor. Our room was fairly small but had everything we needed. There was a table and chair in the corner, with information about SF on it, as well as an armchair. The bed was really comfortable. There was a bedside table, wardrobe, chest of drawers and a sink. The room came with a TV and a selection of towels and soaps were provided. Everything was really clean so we were pleased. There was a small window but it looked out onto a wall and seemed to be above the kitchen. The shower was a couple of doors down and there was a men’s toilet and ladies toilet separately. The shower was perfectly adequate, although the wallpaper was slightly overpowering (it was a repeated pattern of old advertisements). We found the room very comfortable to sleep in and the facilities in the room were all very good. It was cleaned every day.

Jai, his family and the other staff, were all really friendly and helpful. They showed us where to find bus stops and local supermarkets and were always willing to answer any questions.

Breakfast was included in the room price. This was served in a small sun room off the reception. The breakfast was a help yourself buffet, but the staff were on hand if anything ran out. The selection included cereals and breads, with various spreads and jams. There was a toaster to toast the breads. There was a hot option, such as omelette (you took a piece from one large one, they weren’t made to order). To drink there was tea, coffee and juice. Breakfast was also self clear and there were trays to put the dirty crockery and cutlery into. We found the breakfast good, and although there wasn’t a huge selection, there was plenty to go around and it kept us happy until lunchtime.

The hotel also had a bar attached to it but we did not go in so I can’t comment on this but I guess it would be friendly and good if you crave a bit of home as it is a British pub. In the reception area there was internet access, which you have to pay for (although it was broken when we were there). One thing to note was that the hotel (as far as we saw) did not have a lift and so it would not be suitable for disabled. The hotel also has links with a local spa, gym and seafood restaurant, although we did not have time to sample any of these. The hotel has car parking facilities which are extra.

RECOMMENDED?

Despite my initial misgivings that I had booked us into a gay hotel, I was very happy with my choice. I thought it was good value, the room was comfortable and clean, the breakfast was good and the staff were helpful. The only real problem with this hotel is its distance from the main attractions but public transport is such a necessity in SF (or a rental car) that we did not find it a hassle – just make sure you have a good map for SF. I would definitely recommend the hotel for anyone looking for a nice, reasonable place to stay while enjoying the sights of SF!

Thanks for reading!

Summary: Worthwhile stay