Hotel Vitale: Chic Lodging on San Francisco's Embarcadero

By George Medovoy, Editor

The next time you're in San Francisco, there is a hotel waiting for you along the Embarcadero where modernity blends with the understated touch of a Japanese spa.

It's Chip Conley's Hotel Vitale, one of his collection of boutique, sometimes off-beat hotels in the San Francisco Bay Area.

I first discovered this hotel during a weekend escape to the City and a tour of the farmers market in and around the famed San Francisco Ferry Plaza Building, which is located just across the street from the Vitale.

(The wonderful farmers market is located in and around the landmark San Francisco Ferry Plaza Building, just across the street from the Hotel Vitale)

Conley's Joie de Vivre Hospitality specializes in Bay Area boutique hotels designed around special themes. But with the Vitale and its Americano Restaurant and Bar, Conley has outdone himself this time.

The Vitale's 199 guestrooms include eight suites on eight floors, many with panoramic views of the Bay Bridge, Alcatraz and Treasure Island.

The penthouse-level spa has bay views and outdoor soaking tubs in a lush garden, while the fitness center and penthouse-floor studio offer complimentary yoga and stretching classes.

Downstairs, the circular cocktail lounge has 180-degree views of the Bay Bridge, while the Americano Restaurant & Bar features light Italian cuisine, either indoors or in a street-side patio setting.

From my glorious perch at the Vitale, looking out at the landmark Ferry Plaza clock tower and the waters of San Francisco Bay, I recalled William Saroyan's paean to this great city:

"Arrival in San Francisco," the author once noted, "is an experience in living."

(Fresh fruit and vegetables, plus a variety of indoor shops and restaurants selling everything from chocolates to caviar are yours to enjoy at the farmers market)

If you go walking along the Embarcadero about two blocks south of the Hotel Vitale, expect to see Claes Oldenburg's Cupid's Arrow, a striking design set against San Francisco Bay.

For as long as I could remember, this part of San Francisco was reserved for warehouse lofts, and about the only people you would see were the joggers, who love to run along the pathway that borders the water's edge, near where the Bay Bridge connects the City with the Oakland side.

But all that has changed now as the Embarcadero becomes gentrified, with condos, restaurants, and the Hotel Vitale. All the action at the magnificent farmers market, with its outdoor booths and indoor chic, is just the icing on the cake.

Out in front, on Embarcadero, you can also catch one of the storybook F-Line electric trams, each done up in a different color, which will take you down to Fisherman's Wharf, downtown or the Castro district.

(Catch one of the colorful F-Line trams for a ride down to Fisherman's Wharf or all the way out to downtown or the Castro District)

The Hotel Vitale, Eight Mission Street. Reservations: (888) 890-8688 or visit www.hotelvitale.com.

For information about the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market visit www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com