Eats, Writes, and Leaves

We’ll say it: Parking in San Francisco sucks. If you’re planning to stay inside the city limits for your visit, it’s better to skip the car and stick with ample (if slow) public transit. But if you’re visiting and you want to leave the city — say for a jaunt up to Napa? — it’s hard to avoid the need for an automobile. So where to put your wheels away?

Don’t count on street parking. It’s rare, it’s restricted, and it can require superhuman steep-hill parallel parking skills. The “parking packages” that many hotels boast will keep you from getting towed, but at $30 or more per night, they’re hardly a deal.

Fortunately, these five hotels offer that rarest of amenities—free parking:

Hotel Del Sol: Honoring its history as a 1950s motor lodge, the Del Sol includes a free parking spot with each room. Of course, kids care more about the brightly colored guest rooms and heated pool than the glittering asphalt rectangle. Ironically, the central Marina location makes it possible to walk to Ghirardelli Square, Fort Mason, and the Palace of Fine Arts. 3100 Webster St., Marina/Cow Hollow

Phoenix Hotel: Definitely take advantage of the free parking to include your vehicle in the (relative) safety of this eclectic rocker’s oasis at the edge of the gnarly Tenderloin district. Ask the staff to call you a cab to get you from the hotel door to the secret shows they’ll get you in on, especially if you’re a woman traveling alone. 601 Eddy St., Civic Center/Tenderloin

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