Neighborhoods

Union Square

This area is the Times Square of San Francisco and a shopper's delight: Macy's, Nordstroms, Neiman Marcus, Tiffany, and more.

Best For: Travelers who enjoy the hustle and bustle of a big city, walking everywhere, shopping, and riding the cable cars.

Drawbacks: Noisy, crowded, difficult street parking, outrageous hotel garage rates, panhandlers, and premium-location hotel rates.

Nob Hill

Most of the city's finest hotels are perched here. Nob Hill is where San Francisco's railroad and mining barons once lived and modern barons stay during their visits.

Best For: Wealthy travelers who prefer luxury accommodations. Easy access to cable cars.

Drawbacks: Very expensive hotels, steep hills (good luck in heels), and heavy traffic on California Street.

SoMa

SoMa offers an eclectic mix of lodgings, from the Four Seasons to budget motels. It's home to the Moscone convention center, MOMA, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Best For: Conventioneers, W Hotel-types, foodies, clubbers, business travelers, and anyone with an affinity for the arts.

Drawbacks: Beware of seemingly great deals to hotels in sketchy areas. Long blocks mean long walks.

The Financial District

This is where the captains of industry and their underlings gather on weekdays in those tall buildings. It's an area worth considering if you can score a weekday discount.

Best For: Business travelers, discount weekend rates at business hotels, and a central location for people who love to explore on foot. Lively après-work scene at the bars.

Drawbacks: Very noisy and crowded Monday to Friday 7am to 7pm, minimal nightlife scene, zero street parking during the day.

North Beach/Fisherman's Wharf

This area is the birthplace of the Beat Generation, where Little Italy meets and mixes with Big China. It's home to boutique hotels, family-run restaurants, and a lively nightlife scene.

Best For: Hopeless romantics, foodies, wannabe novelists, coffee lovers, and peripatetic insomniacs.

Drawbacks: Tough parking, few hotel bargains, rowdy out-of-towners on weekend nights, and (family alert) plenty of porn on Broadway.

The Marina/Pacific Heights/Cow Hollow

This is where the college Greek crowd ends up after graduating. It's our top pick for staying at a reasonably priced hotel or motel and taking public transport to Union Square.

Best For: Eye candy, shopping, kid-friendly lodging, lively restaurant and bar scene, nonhill strolling, beach access.

Drawbacks: Few sightseeing attractions, and you'll need to take a taxi or bus to city center (or a very long walk).

Japantown & Environs

If you're staying in or near Japantown, it's because you found a lodging deal you couldn't pass up.

Best For: Central location for exploring the entire city, Japanese culture, quiet lodgings.

Drawbacks: Limited nightlife and dining, far from city center.

Civic Center

Don't even think of staying in Civic Center if you're over 40. Gritty and unpretty, its only fan base is clubbers looking to stay at the Phoenix Hotel.

Best For: Playing wannabe rock star at the Phoenix Hotel.

Drawbacks: Not the nicest part of town. Expect panhandlers and take taxis after dark.

The Castro

It's the Castro, so most accommodations (usually converted homes) cater to LGBT customers. But even breeders can have a lot of fun in this lively neighborhood.

Best For: Excellent nightlife and dining scene, great people-watching, and augmenting your sex toy collection.

Drawbacks: Minimal selection of hotel choices, far from city center, noise and crowds on Pride and holiday weekends.

A Hip Mission District Hotel -- Bad credit? No problem. There's finally a place for the perpetually young and broke to stay and play in the heart of the Mission District. The Elements Hotel is sort of a cross between a boutique hotel and a hostel, offering both private rooms and shared dorms, all with private bathrooms. Add to that Wi-Fi Internet access throughout the hotel, a free Internet lounge, rooftop parties, free movie nights, lockers, free continental breakfast, luggage storage and laundry facilities, free linens, TVs (in private rooms), a lively restaurant and lounge called Medjool, and a plethora of inexpensive ethnic cafes in the neighborhood, and, baby, you've got it made. The hotel is at 2524 Mission St., between 21st and 22nd streets (www.elementssf.com; tel. 866/327-8407 or 415/647-4100). Rates per person are between $25 and $30; expect higher rates and minimum stays during holidays.

Haight-Ashbury

San Francisco's summers of love are long gone, but open-minded folk who eschew touristy schlock and embrace eccentricity will dig the Haight.

Best For: Finding your inner hippie, eclectic array of shops and restaurants with plenty of visual stimulation, close to Golden Gate Park.

Drawbacks: "Got change?" Young squatters begging for change on Haight Street gets old real fast.

Near San Francisco International Airport

My grandmother always stayed at an airport hotel the night before she flew, and grandmothers always know best.

Best For: Business travelers or anyone with an early flight.

Drawbacks: Miles from the city with few dining options and zero nightlife.

Sleeping Seaside

You would think that a city surrounded on three sides by water would have a slew of seaside hotels. Oddly enough, it has very few, one of which is the Seal Rock Inn. It's about as far from Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf as you can place a hotel in San Francisco, but that just makes it all the more unique. The motel fronts Sutro Heights Park, which faces Ocean Beach. Most rooms in the four-story structure have at least partial views of the ocean; at night, the sounds of the surf and distant foghorns lull guests to sleep. The rooms, although large and clean, are old and basic, with rose and teal floral accents. Only some rooms have kitchenettes, but phones, TVs, fridges, covered parking, and use of the enclosed patio and pool area are standard. On the ground floor of the inn is a small old-fashioned restaurant serving breakfast and lunch. Golden Gate Park and the Presidio are both nearby, and the Geary bus -- which snails its way to Union Square and Market Street -- stops right out front and takes at least a half-hour to get downtown.

The Seal Rock Inn (www.sealrockinn.com; tel. 888/732-5762 or 415/752-8000; fax 415/752-6034) is at 545 Point Lobos Ave. (at 48th Ave.), San Francisco, CA 94121. Double rooms range from $114 to $152.