Argonaut Hotel, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco (Part II)

On our first night here at the Argonaut Hotel, we were on the second floor.  The room was small and no view.  It had a nautical theme, with a porthole-like mirror dominating the center of the room.  The bathroom had wooden nautical-themed wood as detailing on the area near the sink; very tastefully done.

Unfortunately, none of us slept well; something in the room triggered an allergic reaction in my husband and son.  The second day, when my son was trying to nap, we heard banging above us.  My son thought it was "Santa on the roof."  Santa or not, it scared him a little!  I called the front desk and told them about the noise.  The hotel was renovating above us on the 4th floor, and said they could move us, we just needed to come down and get a key.  We went to the front desk, my son charmed them and they gave them a sailor hat, rubber ducky, and a ball.  Plus, the costumed attendant really put on a theatrical show for William, it was fun.  We got the new key to a room on the 4th floor, and got help moving our stuff to our new room.  It was a hassle, but they were really kind and helpful!  My recommendation would be to ask for a non-pet friendly room if you have allergies, and also to be away from renovation noise (sounds like it will probably be done by January 2012, but you may want to ask about it; we're looking forward to seeing the updated new rooms).

For breakfast in the morning, we walked up the street to Starbucks, just around the corner on Bay Street.  My son got a hot chocolate with whipped cream and a protein bistro box.  I got a gingerbread soy decaff latte with one pump of syrup ( I love the gingerbread lattes at Starbucks, but they are too sweet with their normal flavor).  Unfortunately, I couldn't find a local (non-Starbucks) coffee shop walking distance to the hotel, as I usually like to give places like that my business.  The Buena Vista, birthplace of the Irish coffee, is just around the corner (but we're not up for Irish coffee with our 3-year-old early in the morning).

The biggest asset to this hotel is clearly the location.  It is right along Fisherman's Wharf, just beside the cable car and only a very short walk from Ghiradelli Square (also just a few blocks away from Pier 39)  It is a wonderful jumping off point to explore San Francisco.