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By
George Medovoy, Editor I lay awake in my bed at the Petite Auberge, and through an opening in the drawn curtains, I could make out a pine tree waving in what remained of the previous night's raging wind and rain. One could imagine being in an auberge, maybe in southern France, but this was downtown San Francisco, on Bush Street to be exact. My charming little home-away-from-home for the weekend offered 26 guestrooms, a cozy parlor, country French décor, and decorative paintings - all of which were there also as a reminder that you don't always have to stay in a big hotel and settle for built in anonymity. The Petite Auberge and its sister White Swan Inn next door are the work of Chip Conley, the creative hotel entrepreneur who has put his imprimatur on a large number of Bay Area boutique hotels with quirky or unique personalities.
(One finds quaint trappings of France throughout Petite Auberge) At the auberge, I took in the quaint trappings of France with a pleasant smile on my face. These are spread out discretely in the surroundings, like the 19th-century bed warmer at the end of the stairway, looking like a large ski shoe, or the map of Paris and another of the Paris Metro in a narrow passageway downstairs, both maps seeming to make the far-away seem very near in my San Francisco getaway. At the Petite Auberge, you can enjoy a weekend escape right in the center of town, coming home to a crackling fireplace and afternoon hors d'oeuvres in the parlor. The feel of being in a country inn is broken only now and then by the sounds of the city outside. And chances are your stay will be filled, too, with pleasant interaction with other guests, who in our case seemed to crave human contact as much as we did, something often missing in bigger hotels, even though, ironically, they host more guests than these smaller inns.
(Relax in the cozy living room of Petite Auberge, where you can meet other guests and enjoy afternoon refreshments by the fireplace) On that afternoon at the auberge, when we thought it was a bit too chilly to be out and about, we met two couples visiting San Francisco from Ottawa. Quite naturally, the conversation turned to my Canadian roots, more specifically to Montreal. As it turned out, the Canadians were also from Montreal, but as English-speakers, they had left for Ottawa when the specter of French separatism became a reality in the seventies. We
talked of the parts of Montreal we knew best, and I mentioned that I had a cousin
living in Ottawa, where I couldn't remember. The next morning, when it was time for breakfast, we moved next door to an entirely different setting -- the hotel's sister property, the White Swan Inn, whose dark wood paneling, rich floral carpets and English art and collectibles make it a quaint touch of Britain in the city by the bay. Seems there was a problem with the auberge stove, so the management invited us next door for our wonderful gourmet breakfast buffet. We sat at the window, looking at the pretty little courtyard, but you could also seat yourself in the English parlor if you chose. Looking back on it all, it was the best of both worlds -- the Petite Auberge where the French tricolor flies. And just inside from the Union Jack, you've arrived at the White Swan Inn. Both of them in the heart of downtown San Francisco -- what a treat! WHEN YOU GO... Petite
Auberge White
Swan Inn At the Petite Auberge, each guestroom features voicemail with data port, hairdryer, bathrobe, and many have fireplaces. At
the White Swan Inn each guestroom has a fireplace, a wet bar stocked with complimentary
beverages, a sitting area, bathrobes, Both hotels are part of the Joie de Vivre Hotel chain, whose creative flair has produced some of the Bay Area's most unusual "themed" boutique hotels. For more information, visit www.jdvhospitrality.com, or call (800) 738-7477. (Click
below for more travel).
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MORE Looking for a wonderful restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf? Get a table overlooking the wharf at Sabella's.
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