|
There is such a thing as the winter doldrums. So instead of lounging around the house, try an antidote like heading into the city for some intellectual stimulation. San Francisco’s fine arts season is in full swing, making this the ideal time to catch a play, a musical, or maybe a matinée performance of the symphony.
Why not make it a true getaway by planning to stay overnight? San Francisco’s theater district is home to a number of hotels that are also close to the Civic Center and Union Square. If you choose one that has deluxe amenities, a fine restaurant and even its own spa, you can spend all your down time in pampered luxury.
While several places offer one or more of these features, the 201-room Hotel Monaco fits the bill on all these counts.
Opened in 1910 as one of the first structures to be built in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake and fire, the old Bellevue Hotel was designed in the Beaux Arts style, an idiom adopted by early Twentieth Century architects and planners hoping to bring American cities into cultural parity with their European counterparts. The hotel enjoyed a fine reputation for years, before falling into disrepair and becoming abandoned. It wasn’t until 1994 that the late visionary hotelier Bill Kimpton recognized the building’s potential as a boutique hotel.
It took several years and $24 million in renovations to create the jewel that he renamed the Hotel Monaco. The concept was to evoke the romance of the days of the Grand Tour, when intrigue, discovery and luxury were the hallmarks of travel. Designer Cheryl Rowley of Beverly Hills evoked that era when she created an eclectic mix of classical Greek symmetry, the sun-drenched look of the Mediterranean and the regal aspects of the hotel’s architecture. Rich colors, carpets imported from Europe and furnishings inspired by Asian, South American, and Middle Eastern designs add further exotic flourishes. But the theatricality is balanced by historic features such as the lobby’s floor-to-ceiling inglenook fireplace and its grand staircase, which still has its original filigree railing and marble steps.
The Hotel Monaco’s most consistent decorative element, however, is whimsy. When guests check in, for instance, they may notice that the registration desk is artfully fashioned after a classically styled steamer trunk. In the nearby living room, where coffee is served in the morning and wine in the afternoon, guests can relax in comfy love seats.
The marble staircase connects the lobby with the lower floor, where the Spa Equilibrium offers a fitness center, sauna, whirlpool and steam room as well as manicures, facials, massages and other body treatments. An extensive renovation, completed just last month, transformed the space into an elegant grotto with textured walls, handmade sconces and a color scheme of amber, sage and chocolate.
Upstairs, the rooms and suites are decorated with a playful but tasteful eye. All have a canopy bed, Chinese-inspired armoires, bamboo writing desks and plantation shutters, as well as flat-screen TVs, CD stereos and complimentary Wi-Fi access. A typical room has large pillows covered in Provencal fabrics, striped walls painted mint green and ecru, hand-painted lamps with unusual shades and large abstract artwork.
But the Hotel Monaco’s most impressive works of art can be found in its restaurant. The sumptuous décor at the Grand Café conjures up images of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing away a gala evening. In fact, once you see the four Beaux Arts-style columns rising 30 feet to the vaulted ceiling and 10-foot-high alabaster chandeliers, it makes sense that this was once the old Bellevue’s ballroom. Glossy woodwork, fax finishes, trompe l’oiel touches and larger-than-life frescoes and character sketches evocative of Toulouse-Lautrec create a sense of drama befitting the surrounding theater district. Adding a touch of glitz, several celebrities – including Jimmy Buffet, Jessica Simpson and Bebe Neuwirth — have been spotted here.
Chef Ron Boyd is something of a celebrity himself. The San Francisco Chronicle named him a rising star chef last year and he recently came on board after stints at Domaine Chandon, Julia’s Kitchen and Restaurant Elisabeth Daniel. He is making some changes that will debut on March 1 in both restaurants at the Hotel Monaco.
“The menu will have a very French feel, just adjusted to the modern American palate,” he said. “My new dishes will complement the character and energy of the Grand Café’s convivial atmosphere. Sauces will be lighter, but full of flavor, our shellfish display will be expanded, and in the Petite Café, we’ll have freshly made tarts, quiches, croissants and baguette sandwiches, reminiscent of your favorite brasserie in Paris.”
Meanwhile, both restaurants remain open and boast a knowledgeable staff that is trained to accommodate guests who have a curtain time.
501 Geary St., San Francisco; 415-292-0100, 800-214-4220; www.monaco-sf.com. Rates range from $199 to $589 (plus about $40 for parking overnight), see the Web site for special deals. The hotel is pet-friendly.
Grand Café: 415-292-0101.
Spa Equilibrium: 415-346-7337.
When it comes to intellectual stimulation, the Hotel Monaco is ideally situated in the heart of the theater district and only a short taxi ride from Davies Symphony Hall.
|
The Grand Café at the Hotel Monaco. Submitted photo.
Here are some of the
upcoming attractions:
American Conservatory Theater
“Gem of the Ocean”: Feb. 10 -March 12
“The Rival s”: March 23 - April 23 “A Number”: April 28 - May 28
“Happy End”: June 8 - July 9
The Geary Theater
415 Geary St.; 415-749-2ACT.
www.act-sf.org.
Dark Monday, 8 p.m. other nights
and 2 p.m. matinees on the weekends and alternate Wednesdays.
San Francisco Symphony
Metzmacher conducts Brahms:
March 2, 3 and 4 at 8 p.m.
Mozart’s Coronation Mass:
March 8 at 8 p.m., March 9 at 2 p.m., March 10 at 6:30 p.m. and March 11 at 8 p.m.Davies Symphony Hall,
Grove St. at Van Ness Ave.
415-864-6000
www.sfsymphony.org.
Orpheum Theater
“Cats”: February 22 - March 5 “Swan Lake”: March 21- April 16.
At the corner of Hyde & Market St at 8th St.
415-551-2000.
|
