San Francisco Marina Motel Reviews

Want to stay near Golden Gate Bridge?

San Francisco is a beautiful city. Rents here are high and so are hotel prices. This page recommends hotels that should be affordable, yet safe and in desirable areas. If you are on your company's expense account though, check out our Luxury Hotels section. Hotels convenient to shopping are around Union Square.

Where is Lombard Street?

For budget priced motel grade properties, Lombard is a relatively busy street which is in the north part of the city, near the Golden Gate Bridge. Pluses to Lombard Street are its proximity to two neighborhoods with plentiful shopping, cafe's, restaurants, and bars/clubs. The neighborhoods are the Marina, located on one of the Bay's marinas, and Pacific Heights with stately mansions and steep hills. This area is very convenient to the Golden Gate Bridge.

For the cheapest lodging, hostels offer shared rooms; shared baths; and ultra-basic service popular with backpackers. Learn more about San Francisco hostels if that fits your bill.

Budget grade motels on Lombard include parking and average $125/night, as compared with most large hotels around Union Square at $225+ per night + parking. Since availability can be tight, I have recommended several hotels in the area, even though some have higher pricing. Weekends are much busier. Hotels I recommend specifically based on location and price are:

Recommended Motels:

La Luna Inn - Renovated classic motel at the Golden Gate Bridge approach. A conversion of a kitschy 1960's motel into a modern, convenient bargain - very popular with our readers.

Marina Inn - "...The room was large (with six windows!), clean and comfortable, with English country pine furniture and floral wallpaper...We greatly enjoyed our brief stay and, should we ever return to San Francisco, we will stay at the Marina Inn again." Very popular for reservations in this class.

Nob Hill Motor Inn - Convenience and great value at one of San Francisco's most well-reviewed visitor hotels. Make sure to check it out.

Comfort Inn by the Bay is one of our most reserved hotels. Don't miss our hotel review of this recommended "value" property.

America's Best Value Inn - Golden Gate - great budget hotel located near Union Street and Chestnut Street shopping and restaurants. Inexpensive, basic value lodging near great activities outside the tourist core.

Francisco Inn by the Bay - Good budget chain in convenient location near Van Ness @ Lombard.

Castle Inn Motel - Highly recommended budget choice in the Van Ness corridor near Pacific Heights.

Hotel Del Sol - "The rooms are clean, bright (if you don't like color, don't stay here), and attractively furnished, including a clock radio that can make the sounds of waves & rain. A thumbs-up for the price..."

Ramada Limited - Golden Gate - "...Chestnut Street area has an almost "village" feel to it and is a tranquil contrast to the uptown area..."

Queen Anne Hotel - B&B feel in a small, historically beautiful hotel in the Western Addition (not in the Marina area). Budget hotel prices.

Broadway Manor Inn- Andy writes, "...it was ok -- clean, cable t.v., safe, free parking, good location-- safe but central. Minuses are street is relatively busy/ some car noise but not too bad. Don't expect much sightseeing help from the front desk or great service. It's a semi-clean room in a good location at a low price. Area is busy, but near Pacific Heights and major bus lines..." A.P. writes, "I found it noisy and did not like the looks of some of its non-tourist clientele. Nor did I find the desk clerk pleasant. But the location is not bad: easy transportation to either North Beach or to the Union St. shopping area." 2201 Van Ness @ Broadway - Approximate pricing $120 + tax.

Other Motels: