Argonaut Hotel — Hotel in San Francisco

This hotel is nice, but not so nice that it demands the price they're charging. I had a suite with the "bay view," which is essentially their nicest room, and after our long weekend I felt I had overpaid.

First of all, the positives. All the staff I interacted with was friendly and helpful. The location is impossible to beat as well, walk to Ghirardelli, walk to the water to see the sunset by the Golden Gate, shop for souvenirs or walk to eat, you can do it all on foot here and the options have no end. Finally I'll say the on-site dining place, Blue Mermaid, is pretty decent. We had their food first as in-room dining for breakfast, this was just OK, mostly because it was cold when it got to us. But we stopped by on our last night in town for some drinks and small bites, and really enjoyed ourselves. First of all the bartender was awesome, I forget his name because he got me too drunk but shoutout to that guy lol. We also tried the trio of chowders and they were quite good. My wife also had some garlic fries that were tasty as well.

The views are decent but the amount of the "bay" you can "view" (at least from the 2nd floor I was on) was pretty negligible. But if you bend down and squint you can see a scintilla of the Golden Gate so there's that I guess.

The room itself was pretty big, with a separate living room/dining room type of area you could close off from the main sleeping area and bathroom. Would probably be great if you have little ones.

The bed is a spring mattress which in my opinion is or should be extinct. Memory foam y'all, let's go. Bathroom was badly in need of a remodel, shower is very small and felt very old. I will say, my wife loved the jetted tub. Although in my opinion it also looked like it was from the 80s, even if it functioned just fine.

All in all is this a decent option if you're visiting SF? Yes. But be careful about which room you're selecting, and do your research. You can easily end up overpaying here.

Editing to add, since they replied and implied I don't understand cost of living--I live in Los Angeles, sir, so I most certainly understand that wages must keep up with cost of living. I never said I don't want to pay $2K for a hotel room for a long weekend--what I said was that if I am going to pay $2K for a hotel room for that length of time, it should be better than your hotel was. And thanks for the snark! Busting another star off the review...

I have really mixed feelings about this Hotel.... Parts I absolutely love and somethings just want to make you go arrghhh.||We loved its location its right opposite a trolley stop and a short walk to Fishermans Walk and all the main attractions.||The room was lovely spacious and spotlessly clean......overlooked the Golden Gate Bridge........so whats not to love?||We arrived at 1am in the morning struggling with three large cases after a 16 hr flight. The Security Guard just said "hi" no offer of help.||Night Receptionist was lovely and very polite.||We got a really great room ....however the noise from the air conditioning was just so loud...so we switched it off....still really loud!!!! Noise also came from the fridge switching on and off .....very loud.||Spoke to the lovely reception staff in the morning who said "Oh its probably because the air conditioning equipment is on the roof but we will check it."||Came back a few hours later "It has been reported fixed at 1.10pm" Nothing had changed at all for 4 days it just made a loud noise.||On several days I asked if the Concierge was available to be told "Oh we do not have one today" one arrived on our check out day!!!!||We were really looking forward to dining in the restaurant having read the reviews....The food was lovely...the Staff were really poor and it was the worst service we received in our whole stay in the USA.||After dinner we went to the lovely Hotel Lounge and I asked at reception where the bar was to get a nightcap by the lovely fireplace. "Oh the only bar is in the restaurant and it closes at 9pm...if you go outside of the Hotel turn left and there is a bar up the street" ....We have never stayed in a Hotel with a bar that closes at 9pm!!!!||Leaving was a little like arriving ....Reception staff lovely really helpful....Two members of staff on the door let me struggle with three large bags offering no help at all.||So overall if you want a funky hotel close to the Wharf and if you are prepared to put up with noisy rooftop air conditioning ...have no bar after 9pm and some really helpful staff and some really unhelpful staff its for you.||Personally we would think twice as the little bits which would have made the stay magical were just missing I am afraid which is sad to say....but eh it might...

You can't beat the location of this hotel. It was one block from the Powell-Hyde cable car, two blocks from the Muni buses & the streetcars, and a couple blocks from the start of Fisherman's Wharf and from Ghirardelli Square. One thing to note - because of the location down by the water, nearly everything is a walk uphill from the hotel, but that is typical in San Francisco.

Cleanliness: The hotel was clean in both the public areas and our room Valet: The valet service was efficient and convenient Breakfast: The continental breakfast was a bit disappointing, as there was a lack of variety or choice. I was handed a plate with fruit salad, plain yogurt, toast, and a random pastry. My husband received a different kind of toast and a different pastry. I am used to a continental breakfast being buffet-style and having many more options. If we had paid separately for the breakfast, I would have been frustrated, but we purchased it as part of the Stay & Savor package, which saved us money on the valet AND included free breakfast. Staff: The front desk staff were friendly. They upgraded us from a city view room to a bay view for a very nominal nightly fee. It was worth it for the view! Check In: Check in was a bit unorganized and hectic. There was only one employee working the counter for a while and the check in process took a few minutes per person. There was also a lobby full of guests who were hoping to check in early, but their rooms weren't ready. If visiting, plan to arrive at the posted check in time or later, to ensure your room is available. Room: The bed was a bit firm for my husband's liking, but I found it to be fairly comfortable. The bedding was soft and plushy, as were the pillows. The couch in the room was surprisingly comfortable. The mini bar was stocked with a nice variety of snacks and drinks. The A/C worked well, as did the Wi-Fi. Bathroom: Our only complaint was with the water pressure in the shower. It was exhausting trying to wash the shampoo out of my hair. I am unsure how much of this was due to being on the top floor of the hotel, but it was hard to feel clean or refreshed after a long day walking around the city.

Overall, we would definitely stay here again and we would recommend...