This was my first booked priceline trip. I won the Hilton at $74 and was thrilled. I checked in after midnight and was given a choice of two queens or a king. I asked for the room with the best view. I was given a king room on the 17th floor in the third tower. My room had not been updated and did not have a flat sceen TV. It was very small, but I assumed hotels in San Fanscisco to be similar to NYC hotel rooms. The view was terrible as it overlooked the roof top of another building. Paper thin walls and you could hear conversations and the television in the next room. When I took a shower I went to turn off the water and the water would not stop running. However, the hotel staff responded quickly and fixed the problem. I recieved a follow up call the next day to ensure the problem had been corrected. I wish I had read the reviews prior to arriving and would have requested another tower as the reviews indicate better views with updated rooms in tower I and II. I think I was given the priceline room as the agent indicated I was a priceline customer. The hotel staff was great and booked us on a wonderul wine tour. They made recommendations and reservations for dinner for us nightly. I was fine with the location as there seems to be homeless people in most parts of San Franscisco. They seem to be harmless. Additionally, the location was within walking distance to great shopping, Chinatown, Bart and the Powell St Cable Car. You can get to the hotel from the airport via Bart for under six dollars and our cab was $37. The walk to the Bart requires you carry your luggage down a hilly street for a couple of blocks so we again opted for the cab on the way back to the airport. We loved riding the Powel-Hyde cable car for great views of the city. It stops around Lombard Street if you are up to walking down the crookedest street in the world. We walked to Chinatown which was about a 15 minute walk, but allowed us to explore the city. Chinatown is full of junk shops, but we loved the tea tasting tea rooms that gave you samples and taught you how to brew tea correctly. Vital Tea Leaf was my favorite tea shop. We found the Cookie Factory in a back alley and enjoyed watching them hand make each cookie as we sampled the fresh treats. This is a quick and fun stop. If you buy some cookies he throws in some fresh treats to nibble on as tour the city. The hotel is walking distance to many resturants. We ate a First Crush around the corner from the hotel. It was expensive, but pretty good. Servings are small, but the quality of the food was above average. But for the foodie make a reservation two months in advance at at Gary Danko. If you are by yourself you can eat at the bar with no reservation. A three course meal will cost around $70, but was by far the best meal I had during my stay. We at at an all you can eat Indian resturant across the street from the hotel. It was inexpensive and your typical Indian affair. The cost was $28 for the both of us. One of the highlights of the trip was the hotel booked wine tour. We stopped at two beautiful wineries in Sonoma and a Champaigne winery in Nappa. It included wine tasting fee's and a wonderful lunch in Sonoma for $95 per person. There was so much to do in San Franscisco and I loved only spending $74.00 for our hotel as it allowed me to spend more money on other things. Just be sure you ask for an updated room in Tower I or II for even a better stay.
