Queen Anne Hotel

The late 19th-century feel is so pervasive, that staying at the Queen Anne is like stepping back in time. The hotel is even rumored to be haunted by the ghost of Miss Mary Lake, the headmistress of the school that once occupied the building, making it a regular stop on an annual Halloween ghost tour. The hotel is filled with beguiling period detail, which some might find a bit excessive. A rich red-and-gold color palette predominates throughout the property, and the hotel includes many superb architectural and decorative details, such as wood paneling, inlaid wood floors, red velvet curtains, carved chairs, chandeliers, a vintage elevator, and grand staircase with a stained-glass dome. Guests mix and mingle in the breakfast salon -- its floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of the city -- and at the free late-afternoon/early evening social hour in the elegant parlor with winged settees, fringed lampshades, a fireplace, bookshelves, and a piano. As in most small hotels, service is gracious and attentive. 

The Queen Anne Hotel is located in Japantown in a quiet residential neighborhood filled with Victorian mansions, east of Lower Pacific Heights. While not near the city's major tourist sights, it's a block from the bus to downtown, and restaurants, bars, shops, and theaters are within walking distance. The Japan Center mall, which includes the Peace Plaza and Origami Fountains, is three blocks south. Three blocks east is Van Ness Avenue/Highway 101, the city's main thoroughfare that connects the highway south of the city to the Golden Gate Bridge. The California Street cable car is about a 10-minute walk northeast, while Fisherman's Wharf is about a 30-minute trip northeast by a combination of bus and cable car. The area of City Hall, the symphony and opera, Civic Center, Civic Center/UN Plaza BART station and Asian Art Museum is a five-minute drive southeast. The western gate of Chinatown is a five-minute drive east and Union Square is a five-minute drive southeast. The Golden Gate Bridge is a 10-minute drive northwest. The Queen Anne Hotel is a 30-minute drive north of San Francisco International Airport, and a 40-minute drive northwest of Oakland International Airport.    

Situated on four floors, the Queen Anne's 48 spacious, elegant rooms and suites are individually decorated with heirloom Victorian antiques, colorful artwork that includes cherub murals, wood furnishings, and other period details. A rich red, gold, and beige color palette predominates, and rooms come in a variety of sizes and bed configurations. They aren't overly luxurious, but they do evoke historic character; some could use a little refurbishing. Some rooms and suites have a combination of bay windows, wood-burning fireplaces, coffeemakers, DVD players, mini-fridges, microwaves, sofa beds, and jetted tubs. All come with free Wi-Fi, large flat-screen TVs with DirectTV,  hairdryers, and irons. Bathrooms, which have shower/tub combos, are small and have limited counter space. Rooms are generally quiet, but they do get occasional street noise.

As a small hotel, the Queen Anne has no swimming pool, spa, restaurant, or fitness center. There is, however, a 24-hour gym within a five-minute walk of the hotel on Van Ness Avenue. Breakfast, which is included, comes with a generous spread of sausage patties, hard-boiled eggs, hot waffles, cereals, pastries, yogurt, coffee, and juice. The free social hour offers hot tea, sherry, and fresh-baked cookies. A nice perk is the free town car drop-off service within a two-mile radius on weekday mornings. The hotel also has concierge service, 24-hour front desk service, a lobby computer and microwave, free newspapers, airport transfer (for a fee), parking across the street (for a fee, with in/out privileges), and free Wi-Fi.