San Francisco sleepovers

Sara Benson

Phoenix Hotel

Channel your inner rock star at this edgy boutique hotel in the Tenderloin, not far from Union Square. Kick back in oversized rooms or on the poolside patio with cocktails and haute comfort food from Chambers restaurant. California hotel magnate Chip Conley started his Joie de Vivre chain by transforming this formerly seedy Fifties “no tell motel” in 1987 into a rock ’n’ roll haunt catering to the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, David Bowie and Pearl Jam. The public spaces have a colourful, groovy and modern feel with artwork by local artists. everything from salads and pizzas, to seafood and meat dishes. The hotel is perfectly located on the Embarcadero, opposite the Ferry Building and thrice-weekly Ferry Plaza Farmers Market (paradise for food lovers).

Doubles from £105 telegraph.co.uk/hotelvitale

Clift San Francisco

Part of the chic portfolio of boutique properties owned by the Morgans Hotel Group, the Clift is bold, sexy and stylish. The lobby, designed by Philippe Starck and Ian Schrager, bursts with energy – look for the fantastically oversized chair. Head straight to the buzzing Redwood Room bar charred Japanese whiskey barrels, indigo-dyed shibori fabrics and Asian pottery on display. The 131 cosy guest rooms are standard size, but seem more like studio apartments than hotel rooms. Colourful art prints, mini refrigerators, and platform beds with supremely comfortable mattresses feel right at home. A few rooms have balconies with city or leafy courtyard views.

Doubles from £125 telegraph.co.uk/buchanan Dating from 1908, the hotel’s original façade has been restored, and many of the historic design elements such as wooden and tiled floors have also been gussied up. Far from taking itself seriously, the hotel has a humorous, wink-wink attitude evident, for example, in the tonguein-cheek writing above the elevator doors. Original artwork displayed around the hotel is for sale, with profits benefiting a local non-profit organisation. The 153 rooms are spread over 12 storeys. Elemental in style, rooms mix antique elements – think banker’s lamps and Victorian chaise longues – with earth-toned modern design like fog-coloured walls and natural fabrics.

Doubles from £110 telegraph.co.uk/hotelgsanfran media streaming devices for smartphones and tablets. Inroom Illy espresso machines are a treat.

Doubles from £185 telegraph.co.uk/zettasanfran

The Marker San Francisco

Often ranked among the city’s best lodgings, this boutique hotel is a seamless mix of glamorous early 20th-century style and modern design. Pull up a plush, high-backed chair in the airy lobby, which sports a fireplace, whimsical hot-air balloon frescoes and indoor greenery. The building, dating from 1910, has many impressive beauxarts features, including a grand staircase with wrought-iron railings. Inside the 208 renovated rooms and suites, vivid hues of chartreuse and blue pop everywhere you look, from boldly striped walls to modern-print bedding atop pillow-top mattresses. For a romantic touch, some beds come with canopy drapes.

Doubles from £125 telegraph.co.uk/markersanfran

The Scarlet Huntington

Opened in 1924 as a residential apartment building, it was converted into the Huntington hotel after the Second World War. The interior has lots of oldworld charm paired with modern style and amenities, thanks to a $15 million remodel in 2014. Renamed the Scarlet Huntington, this city landmark consistently makes the top hotels in the world lists. Many of the rooms have a classic feel, with custommade furniture and silk, velvet and leather upholstery. Chef Miguel Garcia Jr serves

offers a guide to the city’s best boutique hotels, from rock ’n’ roll haunts to properties with designer glamour

contemporary American cuisine at the hotel’s Big 4 restaurant and lounge, with live piano music.

Doubles from £170 telegraph.co.uk/scarlet huntington

The Argonaut

This boutique hotel inhabits a renovated cannery warehouse, with exposed red-brick walls, wooden plank floors and nautical-themed interior design that incorporates vintage steamer trunks and antique telescopes. The hotel’s maritime theme extends inside crisp, contemporary rooms and suites, outfitted with white wooden blinds, textured walls, and sea blue and grey furnishings. Many rooms enjoy views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. Bathrooms are stocked with CO Bigelow products; some have whirlpool tubs.

Doubles from £150 telegraph.co.uk/theargonaut

For a complete guide to the best hotels in San Francisco, see: telegraph. co.uk/sanfranhotels