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at this hotel, make a point not to eat breakfast here, as it is expensive and there are other good options nearby. ■Mandarin Oriental, 222 Sansome Street, at Pine, Phone: +1 415 885-0999, Fax: +1 415 433-0289, http://www.mandarinoriental.com/sanfrancisco. A 150 room hotel located on top eleven floors of the First Interstate Center, the third tallest building in the city of San Francisco. The view from the rooms are exceptional, with floor to ceiling windows and great views. ■Omni San Francisco Hotel, 500 California Street, at Montgomery, Phone: +1 888 444-6664, http://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/default.asp?h_id=62. The Omni San Francisco Hotel provides luxury accommodations in the heart of downtown San Francisco. Located on the cable car line at the base of Nob Hill, the hotel is only a short walk to Union Square, the San Francisco neighborhood that has become a mecca for high end shopping and art galleries. ■The Palace Hotel, 2 New Montgomery Street, at Market, Phone: +1 415 512-1111, http://www.sfpalace.com. Located in the Financial District, one block from Market Street. Established in 1875, The Palace has 552 guest rooms. In 1945, the official banquet honoring the opening session of the United Nations was held in The Garden Court at The Palace. ■Parc 55 Hotel, 55 Cyril Magnin Street, between Ellis and Eddy, Phone: +1 800 595-0507, http://www.parc55hotel. com. Two blocks from Union Square in downtown San Francisco. ■Westin-St Francis Hotel, 335 Powell Street, west side of Union Square, between Post and Geary, Phone: +1 415 3977000, http://www.westinstfrancis.com. Now a member of the Westin chain, this is the iconic San Francisco hotel. The lavish lobby and cafe area are used as a meeting place by quite a lot of people who aren’t guests there, despite the pricey lattes and ritzy atmosphere. In a peculiar bit of design, the lobby has a side entrance to the Harry & David store, should you need to pop over for a few chocolate-cov-