A surprise visit from my mother during our 6 month USA roadtrip was the perfect excuse for us to forgo our usual sleeping arrangements in little cabins and airbnbs and splash out on a luxury hotel near San Francisco.
My mother would be shattered after 3 flights from Europe, so knowing her she wouldn’t have slept a wink – but would pretend all was right – I went ahead and booked the nicest hotel near the San Francisco airport I could find.
After spending some time comparing rates on all my different apps, I found a really good deal for the Sofitel Bay on Hotels.com, and immediately booked our two rooms overlooking the bay. It was a bargain, which made me slightly nervous – was it as nice as it looked online?
Finally our little day of luxury arrived, after a long stint driving through Oregon and Northern California and staying in a/c free cabins during the August heat. To say we were excited about it is a major understatement!
Located just in Redwood City, the Sofitel San Francisco Bay is a 15 minute drive from San Francisco’s airport, and just 30 minutes to the centre of San Francisco which was perfect for us. We were desperate to check-in and relax a bit for the day before collecting my mother from the airport late that night.
ARRIVAL
The hotel has a valet service, which takes your car to the hotel’s carpark, which is adjacent to the main building itself. We chose to self-park and pay the $25 parking fee instead.
The hotel’s lobby and restaurant area is beautifully modern, featuring strong design and with a great city/holiday feel to it. Our check-in was flawless and within minutes we were being shown to our room.
ROOM
The room’s décor was fantastic. A clean, modern with a touch of luxury, Sofitel’s room was beautifully appointed without too much fuss. The room was spacious and the bed comfortable, just what we needed!
It was a lovely touch being able to have a ‘real’ coffee machine with complimentary coffee and tea, and the desk area made the most of the extraordinary views over the pool and the bay.
RESTAURANT & POOL
The pool is accessed via the lobby, where you can also find the restaurant. You walk through one of the many glass doors and white curtains to reach the beautiful outside space.
Facing the bay, the pool has a very quiet and relaxing setting. The group chairs were fantastic as we were there in a particularly windy day, but still managed a few games of uno away from the elements! Despite being a smallish space, we were there mid-August and didn’t find it busy at all.
We were only at the hotel for one night so decided to get room service on day one (no photos sorry!), which was all good, and breakfast at the hotel’s on-site (Parisian inspired) café rather than take the buffet-breakfast option. The food was all good, and the service good, well, perhaps it was a tad slow at the café, but very friendly.
OVERALL
We were very impressed by the Sofitel San Francisco Bay, and despite not being a family-focussed hotel, it was perfectly child-friendly and everyone was very kind to our little boy. The hotel does offer connecting rooms for larger families, and the pool is great for kids.
It’s a fantastic airport hotel: comfortable with great amenities without feeling like you’re staying in an airport/conference hotel. The airport shuttle service is fantastic for those not driving or dropping off their rental car the day before their flight.
I would definitely stay here again, if I was going to the Redwood area, or when looking for an airport hotel in San Francisco.
What do you look for in an airport hotel?
nb: This review has not been sponsored by Sofitel in any way, I am only sharing my great experience visiting this hotel.
