Hotel Boheme

Rooms

The same colour scheme plays in all 15 boho-chic rooms, arranged over two storeys. Corridors are decorated in pumpkin and sage, room doors are a rich purple, woodwork is black. Inside the rooms, walls are coral, ceilings are sky blue; carpets throughout are striped gold and blue. Cast-iron beds are draped in muslin netting, and the checked fabric on the bedspreads is repeated in the curtains and cushions. Everything is immaculately kept.

Smallest are the two Cosy Rooms, which are great for solo travellers and, well, 'cosy', for couples. The 12 Comfortable Rooms vary slightly in size and layout according to their position along the corridors. There are 4 inside rooms which are the quietest as their windows face the back of the building. The room where Allen Ginsberg stayed is named for the great man and is at the end of the top floor corridor.

Families are advised to take the Inviting Room as it is the largest and has two queen beds.

All rooms have a small colour television, a retro-styled black telephone with modem jacks, alarm clock/radio, vintage armoire with extra blankets and a fan inside, and a portable luggage rack. You also get a round glass-topped bistro table with two wicker armchairs. Bedside lights have ceramic bases and shades of lacquered paper; ceiling lights are covered by parasols.

50s-style shower bathrooms are compact, in yellow tiles with black trim, with hairdryer and Lather toiletries. Each has a B&W photo of a group of Beats in the 1950s.

Features include:

• Fan
• Hairdryer
• WiFi

Eating

No meals or snacks are on offer, but there is a small drinks menu, and in the evening a carafe of cream sherry is put out in the small lobby.

Luckily, eating out in North Beach is one of its great attractions. Generations of immigrant families, particularly Italian and Chinese, have given the neighbourhood a community feel - similar to Little Italy in New York, but without the high-rise buildings. Some of our favourite restaurants and cafés within 3 blocks of the hotel are below - do ask Stan and Charles for updates.

For breakfast, Mama's on Washington Square (Stockton near Filbert) does wholesome American brunch (get there early to avoid the queues). All-day venues include Caffe Trieste on Vallejo, a long-established haunt of writers and artists from dawn till late, with occasional live music including mandolin mornings. In the beautiful green Sentinel Building owned by Francis Ford Coppola, Cafe Zoetrope serves traditional Italian fare and Coppola's wines.

For dinner you're truly spoiled for choice. We loved Ristorante Ideale (Grant and Vallejo) for its inventive Italian fare. A little off the beaten path, Mom and Pop operation Trattoria Contadina (Mason and Union) offers organic flavourful food, and has a devoted local following. At Asian-fusion The House, a block away on Grant, I enjoyed Chinese-style dumplings with shrimp and chives. In Chinatown head for Cantonese seafood specialists Yuet Lee (Stockton and Broadway) or bare-bones yet always popular Hunan style House of Nanking (Kearny and Columbus). Cantonese R&G Lounge (Kearny and Clay) also serves seafood; Brandy Ho's offers flavour-intensive Hunan chow in a more contemporary setting. For steak, El Raigon is 'as close to Buenos Aires as most gringos will ever get' and serves estancia-style beef (Union at Grant). A more American take on the steakhouse is found at Dimaggio's (Green and Grant) - yes, another famous resident of North Beach. Maykadeh (also Green and Grant) offers classic Persian cooking.

Features include:

• Restaurants nearby

Activities

• Immerse yourself in the Beat Generation. The Beat Museum (Broadway & Columbus) hosts regular poetry slam events as well as Beat memorabilia; twice-weekly poetry readings are held at The Forked Tongue and the Paradise Lounge
  
  
• No contemplation of Beat culture can miss City Lights Bookstore, one block down Columbus. Legendary Lawrence Ferlinghetti still owns and manages the cult bookshop
  
  
• Hotel Bohème have devised a unique North Beach walking tour with detailed handout to take on your jaunt, which informs of the fascinating history and culture of San Francisco's Little Italy and the personalities that shaped the area
  
  
• After dark, North Beach has heaps to offer. The days of the strip clubs may be over, but restaurants, bars and clubs abound. Long-running hugely popular musical revue, Beach Blanket Babylon, is on Green. Frequented by the Beats in the 50s, and everybody else since, Vesuvio is an historic Bohemian bar with stained glass windows across Jack Kerouac alley from City Lights Bookstore, open every day 6am-2am. Enrico's on Broadway is one of many outstanding jazz joints in the area. The Purple Onion on Columbus has a history dating back to the Beat era, hosting a stellar roll call of comedians and garage rock bands
  
  
• Wander and shop in busy and authentic Chinatown, the largest community outside Asia, and the oldest in North America, whose fascinating history is showcased at the Chinese Historical Society Museum & Learning Center housed in a landmark Julia Morgan-designed building on Clay Street; finish up in Union Square for designer and discount shopping
  
  
• Do the tourist thing at Fisherman's Wharf: slurp clam chowder, visit the Aquarium, marvel at the Bay views, see (and hear) the sea lions, avoid buying tat, stroll beside historic ships, ride the Powell-Mason cable car, catch the ferry to Alcatraz
  
  
• Explore the glorious San Francisco shoreline: from Baker Beach via the Presidio, Golden Gate Bridge, Crissy Field, Marina to Embarcadero
  
  
• Spend the day in Golden Gate Park: the California Academy of Sciences, de Young Museum of Fine Arts, Japanese Tea Garden, Stow Lake, stroll beside the Pacific along Ocean Beach
  
  

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Museums / galleries
• Nightlife
• Shopping / markets

Kids

Children are welcome but there are no facilities for them and it isn't a very child-friendly place especially for younger ones. Other guests may not be too impressed by kids running up and down the corridor. Families are advised to book the Inviting Room as it has two beds in it, or to book adjacent rooms. There are no cribs although a futon mattress can be provided for an extra bed. Children are free if using existing bedding.

Family friendly accommodation:

Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Hotel Bohème is in the North Beach neighbourhood of San Francisco, close to Chinatown and near Russian Hill.

By Air
Fly to San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Click on the links below for more information.

From the Airport
A taxi will cost around US$45 and the journey usually takes up to 30 minutes. Hotel Bohème can arrange a return shuttle for you, see Rates. Or you can take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to Montgomery station from where you can hop on a bus or get a taxi.

By Public Transport
Local buses are numbers 9, 30 and 45. The nearest cable car is 4 blocks away. The nearest trams go down Market Street.

By Car
If you can avoid having a car in San Francisco, it could be a wise move, as the parking is often problematic, public transport is good and taxis are reasonable. There are parking lots near the hotel on Vallejo but no specific parking for guests. If do you want a car for onward travel, see our car rental recommendations.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

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