Mandarin Oriental San Francisco, San Francisco

Mandarin Oriental San Francisco Hotel Review, Stay Provided…

 
The Mandarin Oriental San Francisco provides a romantic, luxury getaway without actually getting away. Located in the Financial District, rooms in this particular hotel start on the 36th floor then go from the 38th to 48th. Rooms are pricey but the views make it completely worth it. What a wonderful way to celebrate a second honeymoon, anniversary milestones, or any other occasion in which you want time to stop for a while with just you and your honey.

With so much going on, my husband and I kind of put off celebrating our last anniversary. Staying at the Mandarin Oriental was kind of a belated date weekend for us. We were on the 38th floor and had a Premier Bridge to Bridge room. I can’t rave enough about the amazing views just outside our windows. We took some 300 photos as we caught the sunset and the sunrise over the bay. Sometimes it’s easy to forget but, wow, what a beautiful area we live in!

From the moment we approached the hotel, something felt different. The bellhops welcomed us as they assisted with parking our car and getting our luggage. The hotel door was opened for us as a smiley desk crew helped us with a painless check-in. We were personally escorted to the elevators after our attention was directed to the Brasserie S&P. I felt like Annie when she arrived at the Warbucks manor:

♫ I think I’m gonna like it here… ♫

The elevator ride up went pretty quickly. We followed the tasteful and well-light hallway until we reached an extra walkway to our room. It was extremely private and we even had a doorbell! The room itself was very simple yet situated in a way that melted away any stress we had been dealing with. Everything was so clean and fresh. We even slipped into the packaged Mandarin Oriental slippers provided in the bathroom.

Complimentary tea was brought to our room and it was delicious. It was the first time I had tea without sugar and still liked it (I know, bad, bad Chinese girl)! Apparently, it’s some special blend of Jasmine that was from the UK and only locally available for purchase at the hotel. Not a tea drinker? Then maybe the local gin and tonic will help you wet that palette.

My husband and I just sat across from each other at the desk, chatted a bit, gazed across the city to the Golden Gate bridge, smiled, and just completely decompressed. It was so quiet and peaceful. We could spend all day there or relaxing on the huge king bed that faced the Golden Gate Bridge, Transamerica building, Coit Tower, and Alcatraz and had the Bay Bridge to the right.

In nice weather, several local attractions are easily within a 10-20 minute walk. In cold, windy weather, though, you’ll want to have access to a car as those few blocks will seem like miles. Some suggested areas are Chinatown or Beldin Place for good eats or the Ferry Building for the huge farmer’s market on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. After a quick bite, we couldn’t wait to get back to our room to warm up and get some shut-eye.

I don’t know what sheets / bedding they use but the bed was unbelievably smooth and soft. Getting out in the morning was extremely hard because it felt so good to just snuggle in the sheets. Plus, the pillows were the perfect density – squishy but supportive. Even when taking pictures of the sun rising over the bay, Frans and I took turns jumping back into the bed to simply ‘chill’.

There were two important factors that we had to keep in mind when staying here – the type of hotel this was and the clientele it generally hosts.

Our room didn’t have a coffee maker or microwave. After all, most of the people that stayed here were pretty well-to-do and could have their assistant run out to get them something to eat or drink. There was a phone near the toilet, a standard for those workaholics that can’t stop conducting business even while doing their business. The hotel provided services for anything you needed. They’d fetch your car so it was downstairs when you arrived, a town car was available for quick transportation around the city, you could put your shoes outside the door and they would be shined.

Everything was expensive. Period. It was assumed that price was no object to the guests. The mini-fridge was locked so you had to pay for access to it. Wi-fi was not complimentary for guests, that was paid too. A small cup of tea-to-go from the restaurant downstairs was $6 and had a Peet’s coffee sleeve around it. Parking was $62 per day. I couldn’t even bring myself to imagine what room service or spa services cost. As a note, parking in the other underground garage is only $15 per day on the weekend and $35 on weekdays but with no in-and-out privileges.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Mandarin Hotel San Francisco. My husband and I felt reconnected, enjoy each other’s company and not even talking about ‘kid’ stuff. The hotel is supposedly family-friendly but the highest selling point, the view, probably wouldn’t be appreciated to the same degree by little ones. Still, a splurge to keep the love alive is sometimes a special treat for overworked, stressed-out, exhausted parents and couples. The views we had put us in awe the whole time. It’s hard to explain the feeling we got from going to sleep and waking up with that scenery surrounding us. If you’re looking for a way to celebrate any special occasion, this is a wonderful place to do so.

I received a one-night stay for review purposes. All opinions are 100% my own.