Handlery Union Square Hotel - San Francisco, USA     

We (my husband and I and our 5 year old and 1 year old) stayed at the Handlery for 7 nights at the end of April. It was my second visit to SFO but the first for everyone else. With 2 small children we wanted to stay somewhere central with easy access to transport. We were not disappointed from that respect with the Handlery. Shops galore and the cable car practically at the door step. We were in a club room so after checking in, the easiest access from and to our room was from the O'Farrell St entrance. There were renovations being undertaken at the time we stayed but we were unaffected aside from the fact we had to walk through the basement to get from the lobby to our room on the other side of the hotel. Check in was easy and staff very friendly. Our room was comfortable. Even though there were 4 of us and we had a lot of luggage given we were travelling with 2 small children, we did not feel too cramped and it was useful having a small dressing table just outside the bathroom. Our room looked over O'Farrell St and we did get a bit of street noise, including music and singing from the buskers until about 11pm to 12am but it did not really bother us and our children were able to sleep through it. Our room was just outside the lift though and they were noisy. But again we were not too bothered by it but be aware of it if you a light sleeper and noise sensitive. The beds were comfortable. The bathroom small but adequate. Our coffee maker was not working but was replaced very promptly with a new one. Our room missed being serviced on one day we stayed but clean towels were delivered to us quickly once we called for them. We also got a letter of apology from John Handlery regarding this in response to a feedback form we completed. With our 1 year old we needed to get boiled water and to be able to heat up food from time to time and the staff were very accommodating about that. We were able to access the staffroom to use the microwave. We did not find the concierge very friendly or approachable but the bell hops were very helpful and accommodating. We intended to, but did not get around to trying out the Daily Grill but there are lots of cafes and restaurants close by to try and many at reasonable prices. For breakfast Loris Diner is a good choice (we went back a few times) as is Cafe Mason. Both are just around the corner from the hotel. We had breakfast at Lefty O'Doulls one day but would not back. Food was below average compared to what else was nearby and service was not great. We tried to get into Dotties True Blue Cafe on Jones St given great reviews it got on TripAdvisor but there was a long line outside so we did not wait as we had to 2 children who were very hungry at that stage. We did a lot of walking and our 5 year old managed to keep up pretty well. If you are travelling with kids, Zeum and the Exploratorium are a must. Zeum is in walking distance (about 15 mins) and the Exploratorium accessible by bus. We went to the Aquarium which was good but not really that big and to be honest, if you have been to Kelly Tarlton's in Auckland, the Sydney Aquarium or the Aquarium in Vancouver, you won't really miss anything by giving the Pier 39 Aquarium a miss. You may want to go in any event though if you have kids as they do have some touching pools where you can touch starfish and some fish. We bought the 7 day City Pass which was very handy, and definitely worthwhile if you intend to hop on and off the cable car as otherwise the one ride or daily passes are relatively expensive. The cable car turning area at Powell and Market Streets always seemed to be busy with long lines. It seemed less of a wait at the cable car turning area at the end of the Powell Hyde line. Catch the cable car to the top of Lombard St - it stops literally right at the top where pretty gardens are - rather than approach from the bottom as walking down is definitely easier than walking up! It's easy to catch the cable car back to the city from the bottom of the street. Book your Alcatraz tickets at least a couple of days in advance even in the low season. It was not peak season when we went but we still had to wait for a couple of days before there were available spaces. We did a Wok Wizz walking tour of Chinatown - our guide was very informative and gave us lots of good tips of places to go for people wanting to purchase or see particular things. The tour included a stop at the fortune cookie factory on Ross Street (I think) where we could see how the cookies were made, sample them and of course buy. It was USD5 for a big bag. Very yummy. If you are heading to Chinatown and looking for the more authentic stores, ie the ones where the locals buy their fresh fruit and vegetables and groceries etc, head to Stockton St and Jackson St. Grant St, the street with the Chinatown gate is more for tourists. Cheap T-shirts galore - about USD2 or 3 each. Ghiradelli Square and Hyde St Pier is a good place to spend a relaxing morning or afternoon, especially if you are interested in historic ships and maritime matters. It is also where the Ghiradelli chocolate factory and shops are. Although we had 7 days in SFO, we took things reasonably slowly since we were travelling with kids, but we could probably have easily spent another few days, or even a week, to see some of the other things we didn't get to! One other thing to be aware of is that it is pretty cool in SFO, apparently at any time of the year. Even though it was mid Spring when we went, we found it at times cooler than it was back in Auckland (where it was mid Autumn). Layers are definitely recommended and I would make sure you have a fleece or similar, especially for the kids if you are going to be down near hthe pier/wharf areas. Having said that, if you forget to pack them, there are plenty of places to buy them at relatively cheap prices. For non-Americans and people who have not been to the States before, it might be useful to know that pharmacies like Walgreens, which can be found all over central city, sell almost anything that you would want from a supermarket at reasonable prices so a good place to go to stock up on bottled water, snacks and the like.

After having a fab week in Hawaii and 3 nights in las vegas, i could not wait to see what san francisco had to offer.Arrived at the Handley at around 10.30 in the evening, and the first thing that hit us was the smell of the drainage in the hotel, had our key for the room could not believe the room it didnt look anything like in the book. The window was cracked from top to bottom and they had put tape over it , none of the windows locked properley and ontop of all that it looked like something out of the film Walking with zombies, as the only people who was walking the street was the homeless.M y husband and myself were followed and pesterd by them when we tried to go for something to eat but failed as we didnt feel safe.When going back to our room we got into bed, could not sleep from the smell of urine in the bed, up wegot and complained we were then moved to a room at the back of the hotel,not much better, but we survived the night. Had a meeting next morning with our Virgin holiday rep and she was marvelous arranged for us to be moved down to the fishermans warf in the holiday inn. Cant fault this hotel clean, loveley beds , nice area to go out in the evening.I advice anyone going to sanfrancisco dont go anywhere near the H andley as it just might spoil your hols.