Inn 1890, San Francisco

If you have 2 young kids like myself (age 4 and 22 months) this place was a complete disaster. It started with a portable crib that was not sturdy--I wedged it between a chair and the wall so when my little one stood up in it--the whole crib would not tip over. The mattress for the crib was the same thickness as my portable changing pad and the crib sheet was too big for the mattress (major hazard)! The shower/tub in the room was so old that it was stained with dirt--needless to say we only showered the kids--no baths--too dirty. We stayed in one of the cottages on the side of the main inn--I didn't realize when we booked it that the Inn keepers hate little children--so it's a relief that we did. They have an unsaid rule--children should be seen and not heard. We found out this rule when we went to breakfast in the main inn. The breakfast room is a right next to some of the guest rooms--so the innkeepers expect people to quietly eat breakfast--maybe some gentle grown up chatter--if you are 22 months you don't know how to sit and quietly read the paper yet--so we got "shushed" and "hushed" repeatedly at breakfast. It was next to impossible to keep the little one in his chair at breakfast because there were no real high chairs--just a 1950's elevated chair without straps--so one morning my son got out and walked down the hall away from the breakfast room--he tripped and fell and was crying--while I was trying to sooth him and quiet him down--I was again "shushed"--I was so angry--what did they want me to do--put a muzzle on his mouth. Even though I would never recommend this place to my friends--I do think their mattresses are very comfortable.

we loved the location - just a couple blocks from Haight & Ashbury - as well as close to Golden Gate park. Very nice employees. Breakfast good, but always the same. The nice thing is - you can go into the kitchen any time and have fruit or tea - whatever you like. Not easy to have a baby there, but it was OK. Also challenging to have the bathroom down the hall. Good value.

Exceeded our expectations in all areas. The place is friendly, quiet, beautiful, has all the amenities one can hope for, and of course there is that famous kitchen... We had room 11 which is especially attractive and large (a 2-br suite + bath). It makes one want to stay in the place all day and not go out. We'll definitely come back again and again.

We have just returned from our second stay at the 1890 Inn and have had another wonderful experience. The rooms are lovely, the kitchen is unbelievably stocked and open 24 hours, and the staff are real and welcoming. We have a 22 month old and think this is pretty much an ideal spot to take her on holiday. The Inn welcomes children and has lots of breakfast/snack food that makes her happy (and us, too). Also the location is great...our daughter loves walking to Golden Gate park and up and down Height St. We have also enjoy going to the local beaches, zoo, museums...so much to do nearby! We will definitely be back often.

We stayed in room1, the best of the place is the breakfast, it is great, and we loved the kitchen, it is like you are at home. I will recommend this Inn to young couples but not people that travel with children. Overall we like it but we think that the room will need some "improvement", we have some experience staying in B&B in europe and if you sell your place as a "charming victorian house" you should pay attention to decorative details, in example...you should not find a regular wal-mart light on the headboard of your bed as the extra-light...charming and antique is not the same than old....About cleaning...it was OK..with some deficiencies in cleaning the floors, the bath was OK but the windows were not OK, we have an extra-large window (a very beautiful window) but we guess that nobody clean the windows for years... About the neihgborhoud where the inn is located...it depends what you are looking for...but the entrance to the golden gate park (1 block from the inn) is full of homeless people...some of them very very drank...even we found in the morning and at night a guy in the side of the inn that we could not decide if was doing yoga or basically past out there... I hope that our review is helpfull and good luck...