Living it up in San Francisco
From elegant oak doors to large suites, Amy Fernandes gives you a peek into The Palace Hotel and St Regis, in San Francisco
The Palace Hotel in San Francisco, when you say it out aloud, sounds like an anomaly. San Francisco is a modern city, not like Paris or Prague or Udaipur, where castles and palaces are more frequent. And yet, there is the stately Palace Hotel, surrounded by the bustling city of San Francisco. Its history dates back nearly a century, when it played host to such guests as Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. It opened its recently renovated doors six months ago and those of us who had the pleasure of staying there could see the grandeur of the past: High ceilings, oak doors with brass fittings, endless rows of corridors and just one lift (which begs the question—why bother with the gym?), and wide foyers leading to grand staircases. All of this blends elegantly with the 556 rooms that should really be compact, according to US sizes; instead, they’re large and the suites, larger. Wifi and widescreen television and all the trappings of 21st-century technology, including bliss of all bliss— seat warmers, nestle happily with old-world charm. When you get to the famed Garden Court restaurant (again, unlike new-fangled choices, The Palace Hotel, is unfussy. Choose between The Garden Court or The Pied Piper Bar, both untouched in spirit despite the refurbishing), comprising a large dining space, you see glimpses of a world before your time: a high-roofed atrium and doors so wide that women with hoops could pass through without brushing against each other.
Getting AroundIt’s easy to get pulled into the past and stay there awhile, pampered and protected, except that when the doors of The Palace Hotel open to the busy street outside you’re reminded that this is San Francisco and there is much to do and see. Luckily, the hotels are right in the centre of any action you choose. Whether it’s Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, the zig-zag Lombard Street, or just riding up and down the famous cable cars, you’re at your destination in a matter of minutes. Nicer still, is the fact that the shopping district, Chinatown and Tivoli Gardens are within easy commuting distance.​