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Hello. We just had a second child, so now we have two wonderful girls - one is two months the other is just about to turn three years. For future vacations, we thought staying in a fairly nice hotel with room service and a nice indoor pool would be a good option. We don't want to travel too far. We live in Oakland. Any suggestions on places in SF, the greater bay area - up to about a 4 hour drive - that fits the description would be greatly appreciated.
My husband and I are expecting our first child in a couple of weeks and both sets of our parents are hoping to come for the birth. We have no place for them to stay in our home. I would love some ideas of not too expensive & decent hotels in Berkeley or if anyone had a back house or knew of furnished homes for rent on a short term basis. We live in North/West Berkeley. Any suggestions? Parents in Waiting
My 3 friends (females) are going to come to visit soon for 2 days and I'd like to get recommendations for affordable SAFE hotel around Oakland. If anybody had any experience with hotels there or not too far away please advice. I afraid that most unexpensive places are unsafe. need safe hotel
I checked the archives and the last similar question was form 2003 so I thought I'd go ahead and post this I am due to have my second baby in Late January. My parents will be coming for the birth. They would like to have their own place to stay. I'd love for it to be nearby (We live in Rockridge, which contrary to recent newspaper reports is still in Oakland) so they can pop back and forth easily. It also seems that a guest house/short term housing or one of those executive stay motels might provide them with more services and be more affordable than a motel. So does anyone have any ideas. Also I tried checking sublets/temporary listings for them, but most of them were for much longer term, so I'd love hints on which listings to check or referral services for this sort of thing. I am trying to convince them to make longer visits a regular thing. Kirsten
People seeking short term housing (or any type of housing) may check the University's Cal Rentals website to determine eligibility for services: www.calrentals.housing.berkeley.edu. If unsure about eligibility, send an inquiry to homeinfo[AT]berkeley.edu. Generally, one must be a UC Berkeley student, employee or visitor here on official status (post doc, visiting scholar, sabbatical visitor) to be eligible. An exception is in the summer months: non-UC Berkeley students are eligible to obtain the student summer sublets if they are attending summer session, doing summer work in the Bay Area or simply vacationing here over the summer. Likewise, professional people or academics who are here to get training, work or teach over the summer may obtain the Faculty/Staff sublets.
If you have no UC affiliation but would still like to get the rental listings, you may join the California Alumni Association as a "friend of UC Berkeley": one of the benefits of membership is eligibility to obtain the Faculty and Staff listings. There is a fee for both the Alumni Association membership as well as the listing services.
I'm looking for recommendations for B&Bs and short-term (1-4 weeks) studio rentals in the North Berkeley, Kensington, Albany area. We would like some options for my parents who are visiting this winter. Kitchen is not a necessity but the option to walk to/prepare coffee and breakfast is a plus. Some good ideas have been posted in the past -- just wondering if there are any recent suggestions that have worked well for others. Thanks! lm
Re: Wedding night romantic getaway in the Bay Area
Well, I don't know what your friend's style is (what they would consider
''romantic''), but I do know that it can be difficult to find a place to stay for only
one night (so many places seem to require two nights stay). That being said,
when my husband and I got married, some friends of ours did the same thing:
paid for a night at a bed & breakfast of our choice. I did some research and
found a wonderful place that is *really* inexpensive: Redwood House in the
Oakland hills. We got a Master suite style room (bedroom with canopy bed,
sitting room with TV and a huge bathroom with marble and a sunken tub with
a view of the bay), plus breakfast for $120/night. The owner, Don, is
wonderful, very funny and sweet (though he's VERY talkative, so if they don't
like that, this might not be the place -- not to worry, he does respect your
privacy). Essentially, this is his home and he rents out 2 rooms. The house is
gorgeous, with a bird aviary in the entrance, a solarium off of the master suite
and it's FILLED with art and decorative objects. We loved it, and we were able to
rent the room for just one night. You can find Rewood House online by
Googling it.
Anonymous
Does anyone know of an East Bay hotel (or like accomodation) that allows dogs? I'm looking for a place anywhere in the Berkeley/Oakland area. Thanks, Jennifer
Golden Bear Motel, Berkeley 525-6770, small dogs only Best Western, Fremont 792-4300 Motel 6, Hayward 489-8333, small dogs only Residence Inn, Livermore 925-373-1800 Clarion Suites, Oakland 832-2300 Oakland Airport Hilton, Oakland 635-5000 Crown Plaza, Pleasanton 925-847-6000 Doubletree Hotel, Pleasanton 925-463-3330Some of them require deposits or more $ per room, so check on that when you call. happycamper
Oakland has two hotels that allow dogs; but they're more expensive
Clarion Suites Lake Merrit Hotel, charges $75 + $150 deposit for a dog lakemerrithotel.com for more info or call 800/933-4683
Oakland Airport Hilton allows dogs under 25 pounds but they charge a $300 deposit. www.hilton.com or 510/635-5000 Beth
Hi- my brother and his family are planning a visit to us early next year. I'm trying to find a hotel suite/apartment for them to stay in. They have 2 children, aged 3 and 6 months. Does anyone know of anywhere in or around Berkeley. Thanks Cathy
The Doubletree Marina has a restaurant, two pools, hot tub, etc., etc., the rooms are really nice, it's a 3-star hotel but as you know it's off the beaten path, I think that's why they're on Priceline. The Doubletree is near Adventure Playground and has nice views and garden areas you can enjoy with your children.
While you can't specify a hotel on Priceline.com, you can ask for 3-star hotels ONLY in Berkeley and you will inevitably get the Doubletree Marina. I put in 60 on at least 3 occasions and it worked. Good luck. Gizella
I have family coming into town and would like to put them up in a nice B&B in Alameda. Can you recommend a B&B in Alameda that you have heard of, stayed at or know others that have stayed there? Thanks! kogor
My family is planning to travel to the East Bay area in the summer and we are looking for hotels/motels or vacation condos with suites and kitchen/kitchenettes. We will be traveling with our 3 year old twins and newborn. I have seen the other recommendations but was hoping for more information. Thank you, CB
I am looking for a hotel or bed and breakfast near the Montclair or Glenview areas of Oakland. I know it is a long way off, but we have relatives coming from out of town for the holidays and I'd like to check into some places for them to stay. Location is more important than cost, as we'd like them to be pretty nearby. I appreciate any ideas you may have. New to East Bay
Hi all-- My parents are coming to town for their annual visit in a few weeks and I'm charged with helping them find a place to stay. In the past they've stayed with family, but would like to find a bed and breakfast or room in a house where they could be for 5 days. I've checked out a couple of places, but was wondering if anyone out there has any favorite places that are close to Rockridge or Elmwood (they'll have a car, so it doesn't have to be precise). My parents aren't particularly picky, but I think they'd like their own bathroom. All suggestions greatly appreciated! Tara
The North Berkeley Hills Homestay is a beautiful and peaceful sanctuary for guests visiting the San Francisco Bay Area for one week or longer. Located on the north edge of Berkeley at the Kensington border, this wonderful private home features art and antiques from around the world, partial views of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, red oak floors, Persian rugs, and a warm, comfortable ambience. The guest suite features a large, lovely bedroom and bathroom (with shower) and is situated on a separate floor from the main house. The room has a queen- size bed, private phone line and answering machine, DSL service (1), plentiful closet and dresser space, a rocking chair, and a bistro table with two chairs. Guests may use the kitchen and laundry facilities. The house and grounds are entirely non- smoking and pet-free. We use only environmentally-sound cleaning products. See the website: http://www.hillshomestay.com/Welcome.html Christine V.
You didn't say how much you are willing to pay. We used a B&B in San Francisco that we just loved. But it is quite pricey. We stayed at The Inn San Francisco for our Wedding night, and also for the first couple of anniversaries. The room was well over $200/night, but the particular one we had also had a *private* hot tub. The other rooms were less expensive, some quite a bit less. Some rooms have fireplaces, and there is also a shared hot tub on site. It's located within walking distance of the Noe Valley area in SF. They have a web site at: http://www.innsf.com/. It shows rates starting at $85/night.
The Inn San Francisco 943 South Van Ness Avenue, SF, CA 94110 Tel: (415)641-0188; Reservations: (800)359-0913; Fax: (415)641-1701 Email: Innkeeper@InnSF.com; www.InnSF.com Good luck!
Re: Romantic Getaway for Couples (March 2003)
You might be interested in checking out Evergreen B&B in
Pleasanton- it's close, it's beautiful and Jane makes a great
breakfast. They were actually featured in the ''Great Places to
Kiss'' You can check them out on their website- www.Evergreen-
inn.com.
Juliette
My parents are coming to town for their annual visit in a few weeks and I'm charged with helping them find a place to stay. In the past they've stayed with family, but would like to find a bed and breakfast or room in a house where they could be for 5 days. I've checked out a couple of places, but was wondering if anyone out there has any favorite places that are close to Rockridge or Elmwood (they'll have a car, so it doesn't have to be precise). My parents aren't particularly picky, but I think they'd like their own bathroom. All suggestions greatly appreciated! Tara
NORTH BERKELEY HILLS HOMESTAY Quiet, peaceful suite available for one week & longer The North Berkeley Hills Homestay is a beautiful and peaceful sanctuary for guests visiting the San Francisco Bay Area for one week or longer. Located on the north edge of Berkeley at the Kensington border, this wonderful private home features art and antiques from around the world, partial views of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, red oak floors, Persian rugs, and a warm, comfortable ambience. The guest suite features a large, lovely bedroom and bathroom (with shower) and is situated on a separate floor from the main house. The room has a queen- size bed, private phone line and answering machine, DSL service (1), plentiful closet and dresser space, a rocking chair, and a bistro table with two chairs. Guests may use the kitchen and laundry facilities. The house and grounds are entirely non- smoking and pet-free. We use only environmentally-sound cleaning products. You can see photos of the North Berkeley Hills Homestay at http://www.geocities.com/hillshomestay/photos.html Contact hillshomestay at hotmail.com or call Terry at 510.528.9970 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. PDT. Christine V.
As we are due to have our baby any day now, relatives from the East Coast are wondering about places to stay in the Oakland area. The Claremont is definitely outside of their price range (not to mention not wanting to support anti-union activity). Does anyone have some good hotels to suggest? We live near Piedmont Ave. in Oakland, so we'd like the hotel to be within, say, 10 minutes of home. Thanks allison
Bedside Manor (452-4550) The Rose Suite (763-1371) A private studio apartment -- good for longer stays The Bates House (893-3881) I think this is a little closer to downtown Oakland than the others, which are between Piedmont and Grand.You may be able to find more listings by calling the Berkeley and Oakland Bed and Breakfast Network at 547-6380 Good luck! Debbie
Hi, My family is arriving in 3 weeks from France, and our place is too small to keep them at home with us. So, can anyone recommend a nice, and cheap, hotel or motel in Berkeley or in the area? Stephanie.
Heather 9/99 Hi, I am trying to find places to stay for some upcoming conference attendees who are looking for reasonable ($50 - $85/night) rooms fairly close to campus, and the local hotels are either much too expensive or have reputations as drug sales points. Does anyone know where I can look for this kind of info, or have any direct recommendations for me? I've never done this here, and I've only lived here a year, so I don't have a lot of anecdotal background on what's available. --------------------------------------- Melissa Here are some #'s for B&B's in the Bay area. Also Brown Shingle in North Berkeley at 848-6385. Good Luck!! http://www.bbchannel.com/USA/California/Berkeley.asp ------------------ Jerry I told Priceline I wanted a 3-star hotel in Berkeley/Oakland (and nowhere else) for $70 per night. It was certainly a gamble, you don't know which hotels Priceline thinks is a 3-star, and you don't find out until AFTER you've paid, and it is all very nonrefundable. The other bit of potential nastiness is that the room is potentially only double occupancy so if you need more than two people the hotel might complain -- the Radisson did not however. One final element of the Priceline game: if you don't get a hotel at that price, you need to change the level of quality or the dates before you can bid once more. The Berkeley Marina Radisson offers a free shuttle to the North Berkeley BART. By the way, I note that several of the links suggest the Hotel Shattuck which sadly, is no more!
We stayed at the Coral Reef Motel/Suites in Alameda last December for about 3 weeks in between a house sale and purchase. We had a one bedroom suite with full kitchen (fridge, oven, stove, pots/pans/dishes, but no microwave). The bedroom had a queen-size bed and they gave us a roll-away for the kids (2 pre-schoolers) to sleep on (though it usually ended up that my husband got the roll-away!) The suites are a little more expensive than the motel rooms, which also have a kitchenette area. I believe the motel rooms have two queen beds. The motel staff were really nice and accommodating. There's an outdoor swimming pool and coin laundry on site. It's located .5 block from the beach and across the street from the South Shore Shopping Center. My only complaints were that 1) even though our room was non-smoking, we could smell the cigar smoke from the room next door, and 2) the carpets were really dirty. We didn't complain about these things, but I'm sure the staff would have done what they could to fix it if we had. I think we paid about $620+tax per week. The other clientele seemed to be vacationers, folks on business, and the flight crew for the Met Life blimp. If you need a short-term place with a kitchen, I'd recommend that you check it out.
I don't know of any places under $70/night, but there are a lot of nearby places in the $70-$90 range - some of these will give you a discount if you are on "official University business" - not sure what that means but it may include student discounts - people visiting my research project have stayed in some of these and gotten a discount: - Bancroft Hotel - Durant Hotel - Hillegas House (B&B) - Berkeley City Club Also, the Women's Faculty Club, if you know a member who can reserve a room for you, has nice rooms for about $75/night. Tip: membership in the WFC is only about $7/month. As far as I know, any UCB staff or faculty member can join. It's a nice place to put up out-of-town guests plus they have the best food on campus!
In response to the inquiry about accommodations around $60 or less, I'd be really curious if anyone finds anything in Berkeley or nearby that is not total sleaze at that price. . .I used to recommend the Days Inn in Emeryville for decent accommodations around $65 a night, but now it's a Sheraton and the rates are at least $100! Community Living puts out a Hotel/Motel list, and we do list the cheaper places because we feel compelled to list whatever we can that would fit a "student" budget, but frankly, many of these places are not very nice and we have had some complaints. . .
For Albany Village available summer sublets contact the Apartment Assignments office at 642-4109. If you find a sublet on your own, have the tenant call the assignments office so a sublease agreement can be drawn up to protect YOU. Lots of "illegal" sublets turn into disasters here for the subletees.
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