Last month (December 2010), we decided to check out the Fairmont San Francisco. Like most folks who live in the Bay Area, I know the Fairmont (mostly via formal school dances like the high school prom or weddings). But we had never actually stayed there before. And we wanted to visit in December because the Fairmont-SF is fairly famous for its holiday decorations and ambiance.
We weren't disappointed. Some highlights of the holiday experience:
1 - The lobby is (always) impressive. Gilded ceilings. Impressive columns. That sort of thing.
2 - During the holiday season, the Fairmont places an enormous x-mas tree in the middle of the lobby, lit with white lights.
3 - The entrance from the lobby to the restaurant is transformed into a 2-story gingerbread house. Complete with a statue of Santa upstairs, and an O-size model train running in circles downstairs (behind a window). The model train is a particularly enormous hit with a 2 1/2-year-old. The only downside - the hotel doesn't always leave the train running, and it may take some persuading to get them to find someone to turn the darn thing on. Once on, however, it can provided a LOT of entertainment. So much so that it may be tough to pull your child away from the train in order to sit down and eat a bit of breakfast. Maybe that's why they sometimes keep it turned off in the morning...
4 - Next to the duplex gingerbread house was a smaller, crafted gingerbread house. Next to that was a large toy soldier-style nut cracker.
5 - On the other side of the duplex was a set-up of statuettes of x-mas carolers, out caroling.
The 2 1/2-year old response to all of this? WOW.
Here's the Fairmont's website:
http://www.fairmont.com/sanfrancisco
In our next post: Beyond the Holidays -- The Pros and Cons of Staying at the Fairmont San Francisco
COTC
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