This city prides itself on the arts, especially anything literary. Writers read their works in quaint settings and many high-end hotels stock their libraries with only the classics. And then there are hotels named after famous authors, such as the Executive Hotel Mark Twain, a 1928 hotel literally in the heart of San Francisco. Besides boasting the name of the city's literary icon, the hotel puts guests two to five blocks from Union Square's high-end shops and entertainment, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the Moscone Convention Center, and cable cars for quick rides to Fisherman's Wharf, North Beach and Chinatown. For golfers, four (no pun intended) miles away, the Presidio Golf Course, lined with century-old eucalyptus and pine trees, lies deep inside the city's verdant park near the Golden Gate Bridge.
The nine-story hotel's lobby offers a quiet respite from the city streets, with a small seating area and high-speed Internet access. This is San Francisco after all, so guests will find dining options serving everything from steak to sushi and saki. The hotel's Sultan features American-style breakfasts and Indian and Pakistani lunches and dinners. Bistro 339 serves Creole-style cuisine and live jazz.
The 118 guestrooms are decorated with white plantation shutters, custard-yellow walls and framed prints of city images. The rooms include refrigerators, movies, data ports, high-speed Internet access, safes, coffeemakers, and complimentary coffee and tea. Guests can open the windows to luxuriate in the cool San Francisco breezes.
Business and leisure travelers appreciate the hotel's relatively moderate size and central location near the city's prime shopping and business districts.
