Mandarin Oriental San Francisco

"Luxury lodging fit for families"

The Mandarin Oriental hotel in San Francisco is a luxury property right in the heart of the Financial District making it accessible to many popular family-friendly attractions, such as Fisherman’s Wharf and Union Square. It’s also a good base camp for families planning to visit attractions in Marin County or the East Bay. Parking at the hotel is valet-only, however there are affordable lots within a few blocks.

If your family enjoys staying in comfortable and luxurious hotels that are still welcoming to kids, you’ll love the glossy yet friendly Mandarin Oriental.

The hotel’s staff warmly greeted me, my wife and our two sons (age 1 and 4) when we entered. After check in, we hurried upstairs to the 41st floor to check out the fabulous view from our room. Even though I’ve lived in the Bay Area for over ten years, I’ve never seen a better view of the city. It was a jaw-dropping experience not lost on our kids who loved looking at the tiny people and cars down below. The next morning, they had fun with the guys who were washing the exterior windows. Our room was a one bedroom suite which is always nice so the kids can go to sleep before we do (yes, they always seem to score the good room). The beds were what you’d expect in a hotel of this level – like sleeping on clouds. There were large LCD televisions and DVD players in both rooms as well as a Wii console in the kid’s room.
My family experienced the “Family Magic” package which includes two spacious adjoining rooms, admission to the museum, and daily continental breakfast.

The “Family Magic” package combines a Golden Gate or Mandarin King room with a Deluxe King room for nearly 1,000 square feet of spacious, luxurious accommodations. It features the hotel’s famous oversized, window-framed bathtubs for a soothing soak while overlooking astonishing, inspiring San Francisco Bay views. It also includes an energizing continental breakfast for four, at Silks restaurant or through in-room dining, afterwards families can zip over to the Presidio for a day of fun at The Walt Disney Family Museum.

The package includes two adult and two children’s Museum admission tickets, complimentary admission to the Museum’s movie-of-the-day, and four box lunches created by the Museum Café, run by Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant division.  
If you’d like a list of family friendly restaurants in the immediate area, just ask the front desk. They are happy to offer suggestions. Our stay at the Mandarin Oriental was a welcome respite from our busy lives as a family of four. If you have the means, it’s worth the splurge.

What we loved:

• Unbelievable customer service. A lot of the staff we encountered went out of their way to acknowledge our boys which is a really nice touch.

• The kid amenities in the room were great full-size crib, robes, videos games, take home backpacks, bottle sterilizer, etc.

• The gorgeous rooms have SPECTACULAR views which our kids loved.


Travel hiccups:

• The kid's room smelled heavily like cigarette smoke when we arrived. I understand the previous guest is to be blamed for ignoring the hotel’s strict no-smoking policy but I expected more from a 5 star hotel. We called the front desk to resolve the problem and they sent up a housekeeper who simply opened the windows and left a can of Lysol.

• Our promised Wolfgang Puck box lunches had not been called in so we got a blank stare at the Museum café when we went to eat.  I was a little bummed but we still had a great day so I didn’t feel the need to speak to the hotel manager about it later.

*This review is based on a complimentary stay at The Mandarin Oriental in San Francisco, CA. I received no other compensation besides the hotel stay. The Mandarin Oriental did not request that I express any particular point of view and my reviews always reflect my honest opinions.