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We stayed at the JW Marriott Hotel
www.jwmarriottunionsquare.com
right in the heart of downtown. Step outside the hotel turn left and you're in Union Square. Rooms were very spacious and modern... the bathroom was big with separate tub and shower, twin sinks, all in marble.
 
My city tips...
City Tour
Great way to get your bearings. Starting point is Union Square, it's hop on - hop off and includes Chinatown, Fishermans Wharf, Golden Gate bridge and lots more!
 
Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39  
Really something for everyone at Pier 39... shops, restaurants, a giant carousel which was great fun (we were like 2 Big Kids) and lots of street performers and music.  But the main attraction was the sea lions... the noise of them! 
 
Bike Hire
At Fishermans Wharf we hired bikes. It cost us about 60USD which included a days bike hire, maps and a ferry ticket back from Sausalito. The idea is to cycle in the very safe cycle lane across the Golden Gate bridge and get the ferry back. We had so much fun this day and it's something I would recommend. It took us about an hour, stopping for photos and taking in the views. It's such a unique way to see the city and the bridge and much better than sitting on a bus!
 
Sausalito
Across the Golden Gate Bridge is Sausalito... a unique Mediterraean-like village with galleries, restaurants, boutique shops and fab views of San Francisco across the bay. We stopped for lunch on the waterfront and it was beautiful... a must do, weather permitting!
 
Alcatraz
The most popular attraction in San Fran... you really need to prebook this as it's always busy. We booked online through  www.AlcatrazTrips.com  We really enjoyed Alcatraz, the atmosphere on the island is eerie and the audio tour is great!
 
Nightime
There is plenty going on at night, my top 3 would be... Cocktail bar at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel... the Starlight Room... the craic at Foley's Irish Bar.       
 
Shopping
Union Square is great for shopping with a huge Macy's and Victoria's Secret and the nearby Westfield Shopping Centre with over 170 shops!.
 
Overall we had a ball...We were so lucky with the weather as a heat wave hit us when were there and it really made it for us!  If anyone decides to stay at the Marriott we would recommend getting the hotel to arrange your transfer back to SFO as we got a big black Lincoln, black out windows and felt like 2 VIPs heading on to our next port of call which was LAS VEGAS!

Celine Rooney