Forty-four "hills" make up San Francisco's rolling landscape of distinct neighborhoods and meandering urban pockets. Perhaps my favorite hill in town is Nob Hill, anchored in a quadrant by the city's legendary hotel properties: the Fairmont Hotel, the Mark Hopkins Hotel, the Stanford Court, and the Scarlet Huntington Hotel, which I visited on my most recent trip to San Francisco this spring.
Now owned by the Singapore-based Grace International company, the Scarlet Huntington Hotel is a seductive stand-out with a penchant for grand flourishes. Red is the color du jour, displayed from the property’s original exterior brickwork to the velvet chaise chair in the intimate lobby. Gold trim, crystal chandeliers, and rich mustard colored couches are a few of the regal accents. I particularly loved the gold-leaf ceiling of the Passion Suite, also awash with red. Gail Isono, Scarlet Huntington Hotel’s current GM with a career spanning 25 years at the property states, “The fusion of different cultures is part of what makes San Francisco so alive; that spirit is on bold display at The Scarlet Huntington.” I noted that under Gail’s management, theScarlet Huntington Hotel earned a spot on Travel + Leisure magazine’s top 500 hotels in the world list this year.
The Huntington Hotel's Big 4 restaurant is hard to ignore. Like a ridiculously attractive suitor, one can't resist the charm and mystery of such a well-thought approach (to lounging, in this case). So named after the four chief entrepreneurs of the building of the Central Pacific Railroad, including Collis Huntington, The Big 4 restaurant is dressed floor to ceiling in chocolate wood paneling dangling with memorabilia from the railroad era. A pianist plays nightly, and the crowd is a refreshing set of locals and non-intrusive tourists. Grab a fun cocktail, such as the Cable Car-Spicy martini or a scotch, for it would look appropriate in this nostalgic outcropping. I could linger in this intimate spot for hours.
Another spot of the Huntington Hotel where I could relax for hours on end is Nob Hill Spa, named a Conde Nast Traveler magazine’s Top 50 U.S. Hotel Spas in 2014. The Nob Hill Spa actually offers a seven-hour “all day package”, the "Ultimate" Day at Nob Hill Spa. This luxurious service features an Ultimate Massage, Ultimate Facial, and Ultimate Pedicure along with light spa cuisine lunch, smoothie, and Nob Hill Spa goodie bag. A day pass ($50, Monday through Thursday) to the Spa can offer another relaxation experience: watching the city from the infinity pool out of 18-foot high windows is an immediately soothing delight. Or, cozy up in the new Zen room, complete with plump chaise loungers, scrumptious trail mix, and chocolate. (Yes, chocolate! I love a spa that just doesn't put out green tea and two apples.) Locals must love this spa, too. A "series service" menu showcases facials and manicures intended to be used over several months, such as the MAX 7 LED Radiance Series. The spa makes for an ideal retreat for a social gathering, and the Spa just opened its Spa Suite, a space able to accommodate up to 15 guests for an intimate gathering with manicures, massages, and facials.
Another great asset of the Huntington Hotel is its picturesque location. Crystallized in a time, Nob Hill is a historic escape, and the Huntington Hotel puts its guests within and around its historic gems. Just across the street from the Huntington is the largest Episcopal cathedral on the West Coast, Grace Cathedral, which sits regally as San Fran’s gothic goddess. Frequent concerts pipe out of its wooden tapestry floors and bronze doors, cast byLorenzo Ghiberti originally from the Baptistery in Florence. I like the dual labyrinths, so made for contemplative walking. A few blocks from the hotel, I selected one of KAYO Book store’s offbeat books and sat in Huntington Park, the epicenter of the Hill replete with benches for gazing at the Fountain of the Tortoises or for tourists taking a break from huffing up the Hill.
Bottom line: Hobnob on Nob Hill at theScarlet Huntington Hotel, San Francisco’s classic red vixen hotel.
