Hotel North Beach

Situated in the heart of the former Barbary Coast, just a block from literary landmark City Lights Bookstore and Grant Avenue (the city’s oldest street), the Hotel North Beach has been in the center of San Francisco’s action since 1907. The updated two-star budget hotel (originally the St. Paul Hotel) is a simple but sweet home base that offers hotel convenience with a tinge of a hostel feel (and rates to match).

The friendly manager showing us around pointed out that some guestrooms smell (faintly) of the donut shop downstairs, and we thought it fitting that these 150 simple rooms should have such a sweet scent. With their white Ikea desks and dressers, red bedspreads and colorful prints, the rooms have the youthful feel of a comfortable college dormitory.

All rooms are equipped with a telephone, TV and free Wi-Fi, and most also have a small fridge and microwave. Most rooms are interior and thus very quiet, but a few look out at busy Columbus Avenue. The few rooms that have not yet been renovated are still tidy but feel a bit more dated.

All of the North Beach’s rooms share bathrooms. The 24 showers (spread across three floors) are spic-and-span but have a dated 1970s feel, with tan tiles and frosted glass doors. There is a bright new sink and mirror in each room.

Downstairs, the hotel retains its old world feel, complete with an old-fashioned phone booth near the stairs and a display case devoted to San Francisco memorabilia in the lobby. There is also a cute lending library and a free Internet station.

There is no doubt that Hotel North Beach is simple, but its rooms are tidy and comfortable, and extras like in-room fridges and a laundry room make it great for extended stays (lower weekly rates help, too).

And location-wise, it truly can’t be beat. Some of the city’s best restaurants are found in North Beach (we love the tiny Osteria del Forno), and Union Square and Chinatown are within a 10-minute walk in one direction, with Fisherman’s Wharf about the same distance in the other.