Larkspur Hotel Union Square - San Francisco 37.78919, -122.40901

This is definitely somewhere I would stay again. The location is excellent for exploring San Francisco, being about 50 metres from a cable car stop and within easy walking distance of the muni and BART stations. The main shopping district is more or less on the doorstep as well. The hotel has recently been renovated and the furnishings and decoration are in good condition. The room I stayed didn't have air con though so I am not sure if this would be an issue at certain times of the year.

fantastic location

Although hotel was having work done, i was never disturbed and recieved great service. A light breakfast was made avaliable as was a wine evening. Free internet access was a bonus also.

Good value for money

I just stayed at this hotel and thought it was great. Definitely value for money. The location was central and not too noisy and the staff were great.

Comfortable hotel in an excellent location just 1 block from Union Square. Friendly staff. Would definitely stay there again, it looks like it's going to be even nicer once the re-furb is complete.

The Cartwright is an excellent choice in the centre of San Francisco. My room was small, but functional and in good condition. Currently, (Jan 2008) the hotel undergoes extensive renovation work. Once that's finished, it will be even better. Complimentary breakfast ist not too bad for American standards.

We visited this hotel in January 2008 for a few nights. At the time, the hotel was having serious renovations done which was a slight pain. There's no noise outside of normal 9-5 hours but the corridors end up a bit messy and the hotel is packed full of workers when they are around. Also, there's only one lift so it makes getting up and down the hotel very slow and we ended up walking the 6 flights or so most of the time. The room itself was fine and perfectly adequate. The shower was particularly good. A big plus side for this hotel is the complimentary breakfast. There wasn't a huge selection but it was still a great plus point. If I went back to San Fran I would much prefer to stay at our second hotel, the Galleria. However, if the Cartwright was a lot cheaper than the Galleria I'd have no problems going back there, especially once the building work is complete.

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Great location and excellent value

The bed was extremely comfortable and the room was amazingly quiet considering the busy location of the hotel. The continental breakfast was a bit of a disappointment in terms of variety and healthy choices. This is a good value for the location.

Ideal location, pleasant staff. Room was nicely decorated but tiny, with a closet-sized bathroom. Bed felt smaller than a queen. If arriving by car, be prepared to unload your luggage quickly on the front street. We were on a road trip with a full car and hadn't organized ourselves for a graceful exit. Best to travel light if staying at the Larkspur. Vehicles are valet parked at another location so you will not have easy access. All in all, we enjoyed our stay but do prefer a bit more space.

First and most important, the location of this hotel is excellent - it is on Sutter near Powell, which is a major cable car line. There is a Walgreens across the street, which is very convenient (though it seems to be the busiest Walgreens in SF!) Union Square is two blocks away, the entrance to Chinatown is 3 blocks away, and many restaurants and shops are within close walking distance. Secondly, the hotel staff is very helpful and friendly - we enjoyed their service. Thirdly, the continental breakfast was great - croissants, muffins, some other pastry items, coffee, Tazo tea, and OJ were all available from 7am - 9am. There is an on-site bar which we did not get a chance to try. Wifi connection was good throughout the hotel and the two computers they provide were helpful, but quite busy at times. I seemed to luck out and there was always one available when I needed it. Additionally, the rooms were very clean and the bedsheets were excellent - they keep you nice and warm. No a/c in the room we had, but it's not needed at this time of year - temps at night were in the low 50's. Now for the bad stuff - the room is very small! I got the standard room with a queen bed - a larger "suite" is available, but other reviewers said it's not much bigger than a standard. I don't know, as I didn't see the room to compare, but the description said there's a sitting area, which may be worth a few extra dollars for those that need to spread out a little. Keep in mind that I'm not big - 5'7", and my girlfriend who stayed with me is 5'1" but we found the rooms small for our taste. There is not much room to move around, and the desk provided in the room is useful, but takes up most of the extra space. The bathroom is terribly small - when taking a shower, you can literally reach out and touch all four walls in the bathroom without stepping out of the tub. The toilet area is so tiny, I would say it is similar in size to an airplane's toilet. The sink is too close to the tub. When

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The rooms were small and actually a bit old, but it added to the charm. They really aren't very fancy, but they are definitely comfortable and clean. I got a really good deal so I can't complain. It wasn't as posh as a lot of other places, but its clean, the service is phenomenal, and overall a great value.

This hotel has a great location, our room was dark, noisy and for what we paid did not meet our expectations . When this hotel was "The Cartwright" the rooms had charm, they had raised victorian beds, were well lighted and had a fresher feel to them.

On arrival at the hotel, my friend and I were initially disappointed with our room and were shocked at how small the bathroom was. However, after the front desk staff made us feel so welcome and did everything to ensure we enjoyed our stay, we got accustomed to the rooms as the location was perfect. The best customer service that we experienced on our travels around the USA. Even 2 of my friends who didn't stay at this hotel, received better service here than at their own hotel around the corner. Friendly and accommodating staff. A huge thank you to the team.

The Larkspur Hotel is 2 blks form Union Square a very convenient location for those wanting to explore San Francisco. The service was friendly and the price included an excellent morning continental breakfast.

Very smal room, 2 single beds and very litte space for suitecases. Simple breakfast.

Clean with a nice staff at the front desk and breakfast staff as well. The room was small but still well appointed with two sitting chairs and a very comfortable bed. We had a great time and stayed here last year as well. Hope to come back soon.

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This was our first visit to San Francisco. We wanted to stay in downtown to be close to all the SF attractions. The Larkspur was an excellent choice. The public transport train station we took from the airport was only about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. It is less than a 1/2 block from a cable car stop on the main cable car route. We bought a 3 day passport for the cable car rides which saved us $$ because each ride at the time cost $5. The building is old but has been renovated so that it provides elegant decor. Our room was quite small, but had very high ceilings. We had a king size bed with a high quality mattress which was soooo comfortable. The bedding was very luxurious with many pillows. Bathroom was also small but very clean. It had that old San Francisco feel but with updated features. The breakfast was delicious and provided enough variety that we were very satisfied and full when we finished eating, a great way to start our day of sightseeing. Chinatown is a 15 min. walk away, Union Square is 10 min. walk. There are many dining options within walking distance. You definitely do not need a car when you stay at The Larkspur. Very affordable. We are a one income, recently empty-nest couple. San Francisco is a "must see".

My fiance and I stayed at this hotel for 3 nights at the start of our California road trip. Our room had a large bay window with nice views of the street below. Although the room was a little on the small side everything was clean and the bed was really comfortable. Some street noise could be heard at night but not enough to keep us awake. Complimentary breakfast was a nice plus. The location of this hotel is great being just 1/2 block from Powell Street, where two of the cable car lines run. The staff was very friendly. We would definitely stay at this hotel again.

Once I came into the hotel room to check in my name didn't appear. It took them several minutes to find it but they pulled through. I payed for the deluxe room with a queen sized bed. The room was rather smaller than I expected but yet it was comfortable.

Hotel is very close to Union Square and Chinatown. It is not very modern but it is comfortable, and the personell were helpful. Continental breakfast was ok, but no hot foods, felt like a European hotel.

The hotel staff were very friendly and the public areas are very nice - however our room was very small and dark. The doors in the hotel slam shut and people coming and going from rooms kept me awake from about 5am onwards. Okay for a night but not for a long stay.

I know you are in the "City" but the room just seemed smaller then pictures looked online. Other than that great room for the money!

nice hotel with a good location for walking the city and doing tours

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Excellent localization, one block from the Union Square. Breakfast and internet included in the price. It's not a new hotel, but it's very simpatico. The beds are very comfortable.

I've stayed at this Hotel numerous times when it was the Cartwright because it was cheap, clean, and in the perfect location. Now that it's been renovated as a Larkspur property, it truly is a boutique hotel worth staying at. It still shows it's age, the rooms are tiny, and the bathroom is smaller than almost anywhere I've been, but the staff is wonderful, there's breakfast in the morning and wine tasting in the afternoon, and best of all, it's only a couple of blocks from Union Square. I love this hotel and it's my first choice if I'm staying in S.F.

Was so overly impressed with this hotel.. We expected to walk into a decent hotel, but it was such a beautiful building, the staff were so friendly and helpful with a genuine air to them - not once did we feel like they were being insincere. Awesome location, was a bit worried we might be up a steep hill, but it's just before the real hills begin. Bar staff were ssoooo nice as well, couldn't have asked for a better hotel, will only go back to this one in the future - and am looking forward to it...

The room was very small but clean and neat. If you were the type of person that stayed in your hotel room the majority of your vacation, this would probably be to confining. Otherwise, it was perfect.

For the price, this hotel was a real bargain. Friendly staff, clean room and great location just added to a great stay.

The Hotel staff was excellent and the Hotel was extremely clean and well kept. THe room had LCD TV and there was even Q-Tips and Cotton Balls in the bathroom. The linens and towels were first class. As a very old hotel the rooms are small but the size was not an issue. Location is excellent as in the heart of Union Square, a half block from the cable cars and within walking distance to restaurants and in a good neighborhood.

Enjoyed my stay at Larkspur Union Square. Staff was friendly, room nice. The wireless internet worked fine but it is throttled back to prevent large file transfers. After about 300K per file it just stops. So it works fine for normal web browsing, but don't count on updating your iTunes library, installing any software updates, or transferring a large file from the office.

Breakfast poor as the hotel had no access to a kitchen so ordered food in. Free wine tasting each evening during happy hour but no beer, spirits etc available. No fridge in the room but there was ice available if required. Access to free internet was helpful with 2 computers available. Room small but dressing room nearly as big as bedroom. Bathroom tiny.

Friendly staff made things easy. Location very convienient to activities. Parking was around the corner, but a very short (2 block) walk. Rooms are small,but well maintained. I would stay again.

Older building, standard rooms and bathrooms are small. Suites are roomy with good views. Staff very friendly and helpful. Hotel short walk to most everything.

The hotel is located in good location, very convenient to go around downtown, and other places. The environment of hotel is good, not too noisy.

We got the deluxe room thinking it would be... deluxe... i wonder what a regular room looks like because this was the smallest room I'd ever seen! It was cozy at best... You can get a better room for just a couple dollars more... Location was good though. and Parking was relatively cheap considering it is San Fransisco!

Lakespur is in an ideal location to access Nob Hill, Cable Car line, Chinatown, and Union Square. The Hotel had been updated within the past 2yrs (so I understand) and the ambience was notably pleasant. My only issue was with the wireless internet access which kept booting me off.

We stayed at the Larspur for five nights, and really enjoyed it. Can't beat the location, and the staff were extremely friendly and accommodating. Continental breakfast was limited, but high quality. The free Wi-Fi was an great extra. We highly recommend it!

many good things to say, although the room was small we weren't planning on spending much time in it for other than rest. It was very clean, very inviting and for the price and location it's an A+

The Larkspur, formerly the Cartwright, is a great value when staying SFO. It is well located, clean, and has reasonable rates.

For the price the hotel is located in a very good location.

We stayed in this hotel for one night and the accomodations were really tight. We reocated to another "boutique" hotel two blocks from Larkspur for our second night and got a much bigger room for $20 less per night. The rooms were small, the bathroom was outdated and tiny. But on the bright side - continental breakfast was cute (yummy pastries and fresh fruit) and the staff was extremely friendly.

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Great experience - the staff was friendly and helpful, and it was conveniently located close to Union Square. Loved the bath products and although the room was small (that's San Francisco for you), it was very comfortable with nice furnishings. Less expensive than other Union Square hotels but they're not skimping on quality. Overall a great experience and would absolutely stay there again!

I wasn't impressed with this hotel. The closet in the room was bigger than the bathroom. The view we had was of a wall of another building. The staff weren't friendly. I booked a deluxe room and somehow ended up with a queen size bed instead of a king. The complimentary breakfast was nonexistent since no one bothered to refill items that were taken by other guests.