Sir
Francis Drake Review
San
Francisco
450
Powell Street @ Sutter - Union
Square Area 417 Rooms
Our
editors stayed at the Drake in Fall 2001:
Before entering the hotel, you are greeted by valets dressed
as historic Beefeaters. The Sir Francis Drake welcomes visitors
in its grand lobby. The lobby is very attractive, ornate and welcoming
with its over sized cushy seats and incredible chandeliers. The
décor is modern though it brings the historic aspect of the hotel.
The hotel receptionist was friendly and efficient.
Reader
Reviews and Detailed Drake Interior Room Photos!
Our room
was fitted with a queen size bed that was quite comfortable. Though
the bright and colorful décor fit in well in the room, the room
itself was rather small. There really wasn’t much room to walk
by the foot of the bed. Though the room was on the small side, it
had all the amenities we needed. In one corner, there was a cubby
for the TV and some drawers underneath it. On the opposite corner
was a desk with a table lamp and chair. On the desk is a book of
Historical Hotels since Sir Francis Drake is considered to be a
Historic Hotel dating back in the 1928. Needless to say, it has
been remodeled since. On the wall by the desk is a large round mirror.
The windows for the room were extremely dirty, even by liberal standards
(September 2001). A window cleaning is highly needed for this hotel.
The heater for the room is just below the window and can be controlled
for the room individually. Like many city hotels, street noise is
a issue for this hotel in the Union Square location. The older non-double-pane
windows transmit sound more easily. Our room faced a tall hotel
across the way, which could not be seen above or around. It was
possible to view other rooms in the hotel across the street from
our window.
The bathroom
was decorated in black and white and not very spacious either. There
is such lack in space that the towel rack/holder was located on
the wall inside the tub on the opposite end of the shower head.
The bathroom features historic tile work and toilet / sink fixtures
that are vintage for the period, but work great. The bathroom’s
vintage plumbing fixtures give a really historic feel.
Next door
to the hotel is a café owned by Sir Francis Drake. We enjoyed our
mocha and coffee along with scones. The café offered breakfast items
such as cereal, oatmeal, granola, yogurt, muffins, scones, sticky
buns, and bagels. Though the particular morning we visited, they
were out of sticky buns and the oatmeal. The café also offers lunch.
You can choose from a variety of sandwiches.
Sir Francis
Drake also offers valet parking for $31 a day. One might want to
consider this since it is a very hectic area and parking is difficult.
I would suggest that once your car is parked, leave it parked and
take public transportation or cab to get around. Of course, the
other option is don’t rent a car if you don’t plan on
leaving the city. Public transportation is easily available to get
around town though the Sir Francis Drake is located in the heart
of downtown.
For a historical
hotel in the heart of shopping, the Sir Francis Drake is a nice,
if somewhat expensive choice. Depending on your room rate, this
hotel can give a very central location and a historic vintage feel
for your visit.
While hotel prices fluctuate rapidly-- for June 1-5, 2003-- prices
quoted ranged from $170-$360 with a median price quote of $240.
Reader
Reviews and Detailed Drake Interior Room Photos!
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Francis Drake's
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