STAYING AT A PROPER HOTEL.
Before I jump in and share with you our trip to San Francisco I first wanted to share the place we called home for the week– Proper Hotel.
Back when we were planning our trip, finding a reasonably affordable place to stay in San Francisco proved to be pretty difficult especially at the peak time we were hoping to visit the city, the Airbnbs on offer were all especially expensive for something comfortable enough for a weeks stay so we decided to start looking at hotels instead. There are a lot to choose from in they city but when we came across Proper we all loved the look of the beautiful interiors (designed by Kelly Wearstler), it’s great location and the fact there are three separate places to eat in the hotel– we went ahead a booked for the week.
As soon as I arrived I could tell straight away that it would be my kind of place, the building itself is a beautiful, reimagined early 20th century flatiron so has a lovely historic feel and the interiors have that luxe vibe without being too flashy or over the top, it still felt so welcoming and after we got checked in we headed up to the fourth floor to see our room– we were staying in a premire double double room and while it was a little on the small side for the three of us plus our three suitcases and various carry on bags– it was absolutely beautiful and once we got our cases stored in the generous built in wardrobe space, it felt more cosy than small & was a really lovely space to come back to after a day of exploring.
The room we stayed in was equally as beautifully designed and decorated as the rest of the hotel and come with some great amenities– two that I partially appreciated– Aesop products in the bathroom and a tablet which runs the Proper app (which you can also download to your phone) and connects you to the concierge and you can order room service, make restaurant reservations, request housekeeping or more bathroom amenities & this came in very handy during our stay and on a couple of occasions we ordered room service straight from the tablet.
In terms of location, we found it to be pretty ideally situated for all of the areas of the city we wanted to see, San Francisco is an easy city to get around– especially when we kept comparing it to LA where we’d just spent the last few days– and I loved being able to walk and wander around. From the Proper we found it pretty easy to walk to Haight Ashbury, The Mission District, Chinatown & Nob Hill and if you’d prefer, just outside the hotel, there are stops for BART, the metro light rail, trolleys and buses.
I also thought it was worth mentioning that the district it’s in, Tenderloin, is known for being one of the less safe neighbourhoods in the city and that in general San Francisco is unfortunately synonymous with homelessness so it’s something that you encounter a lot of in the area. It’s just something to be area of before travelling to the city or if you’re planning to stay, especially in the Tenderloin district & especially if you’re travelling with a family or travelling solo. However staying at the Proper we always felt safe and really appreciated the hotel staff and security at the entrance & the room windows are also all treated to keep out the noise too which was amazing, we barely ever heard a sound from outside– definitely appreciated that too!
During our stay we had the chance to experience two of the three eateries in the hotel– we visited La Bande, the cafe, for breakfast a couple of the mornings & had a great evening at Charmaine’s, the rooftop bar. La Bande serves a great mixture of food and drink including breakfast items– we loved the overnight oats & various pastries they had available– plus they have a lunch menu and in the evening you can order cocktails and other drinks. On our second to last night in San Fran we headed up to Charmaine’s for a drink and took in the beautiful views from the roof & we also had a few bites from the menu. The food especially was amazing, honestly some of the best we had in California, amongst the three of us we shared the cheese plate, quesadilla fritter and tempura mushrooms & if you’re looking to visit a bar in SF, I would definitely recommend trying to get a reservation at Charmaine's– the vibe, as well as the food & drink, is great.
We had the best week in San Francisco and a lot of that is due to our stay at Proper, I’m so glad we decided to go for it and book a hotel because we ended up staying in such a good one! If you’re planning a trip to San Fran, make sure to add it to your list, even just as a place to eat or grab a coffee and enjoy the beautiful lobby area. I’ve also be admiring the new Proper hotel in Santa Monica, LA which looks absolutely stunning & I’m definitely adding that one to my list for the next time I’m in California!
San Francisco Proper Hotel very kindly offered two nights of the seven we stayed complimentary in return for this review of the hotel and for social media content & we payed for the rest of the week– which is why I'll tag this post as a gifted stay. As always all content & opinions are my own.