San Francisco Hotels

If you'd like to tell your friends back home that you stayed in the same hotel as Linda Ronstadt, Arlo Guthrie, Moby, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, this is the place to go. On the fringes of San Francisco's less-than-pleasant Tenderloin District, this retro 1950s-style hotel is a gathering place for visiting rock musicians, writers, and filmmakers who crave a dose of Southern California -- hence the palm trees and pastel colors. The focal point of the Palm Springs-style hotel is a small, heated outdoor pool adorned with a mural by artist Francis Forlenza and ensconced in a modern-sculpture garden.

The rooms, while more pop than plush, have updates in the works for 2005 and are equipped with bright festive furnishings and original local art. But they are more standard motel-like than the hotel's air and guest list would lead you to believe. In addition to the usual amenities, the hotel offers VCRs and movies on request and a party vibe that's not part of the package at most city hotels. Some big bonuses: free parking and the hotel's hot restaurant and club, the very groovy and very hip Bambuddha Lounge (tel. 415/885-5088), which serves Southeast Asian cuisine with cocktail-lounge flair. If you want luxury and quiet, stay elsewhere, but if you're looking for a great scene and fun vibe, head to the Phoenix.

- Frommer's