White Swan Inn

The White Swan Inn, a delightful boutique hotel with a British theme, has a splendid location just steps from a wide selection of excellent restaurants and a five-minute walk from San Francisco’s Union Square shopping and theater district. You enter off the street to a reception area, but the heart of the inn is down a flight of stairs where a spacious lounge awaits, with one section set up with tables and chairs for a full buffet breakfast—coffee and tea are always available. Beyond the eating area is a delightful sitting room with a fireplace and comfortable chairs where wine, sherry and hors d’oeuvres are set out each evening. Next door is the library where rather than books on the shelves there are detailed models of British cathedrals made from wooden matches. French doors into a small conference room (seats 14) which leads to a broad expanse of deck. However, what impresses us most about this hotel are the spaciousness of its bedrooms—considering its central city location. Even the smallest room has ample space for two small armchairs by the fireplace. Rooms at the back of the hotel are especially quiet and overlook a large tree. All the rooms have fireplace, small refrigerator stocked with complimentary drinks, coffee makers, direct-dial phone and TV. The Ashleigh Suite is ideal for families as the sitting room has a sofa bed, can accommodate a rollaway and has an additional bathroom.