By Colleen Rohm Healthy Planet Lifestyles Editor
In August when the temperature in St. Louis reached over 100 degrees, my husband, Matt & I dropped our 3 children off with their grandparents in Indiana and boarded a plane to beautiful San Francisco. This was our first (of many to come) visit to this city. Vacationing without the kids was a special treat already, but when we arrived to the wonderful weather of California, we knew we were in for a great get-away. We spent several nights in Healdsburg touring some wineries in the Sonoma area. Several good friends joined us and we rented a quaint & charming house along the Russian River Valley. I forgot how nice it was to sleep with the windows open and breathe in air without humidity!
Next we traveled back to San Francisco to explore the “City of Fog”—which was exactly what it was. My pictures hardly capture the amazing phenomenon of the fog engulfing the entire city. We stayed in a lovely boutique hotel, The Orchard Hotel, located in Union Square. The Orchard Hotel is an eco-friendly accommodation that is officially certified by the Green Seal Environmental Standard for U.S. Lodging Properties for waste minimization, water and energy efficiency, hazardous substances handling, and environmentally responsible purchasing. In addition, The Orchard Hotel is designated a certified ‘green’ business by the San Francisco Department of the Environment. As frequent travelers, we notice all the little things that can make a visit more enjoyable and we found The Orchard Hotel to meet our high expectations. Our check-in was quick and friendly, offering us a deluxe non-smoking room that was very spacious. Our room was equipped with a CD/DVD player and the front desk had a complimentary movie library available to all patrons.
The Orchard Hotel is located on the Powell Street cable car line and within walking distance to Chinatown and North Beach. We were provided with San Francisco’s Greenopia Guide and Deep Sleep 101 Guide Book & CD to use during our stay. Our bathroom was stocked with Eco Pure Bio amenities and lighting with Pharox LED light bulbs. Recycling was a well-established concept here as well as throughout all of SanFrancisico. We did our part too by conserving natural resources with The Orchard Hotel’s “re-use your linens” program.
Daffodil Restaurant is located on the main floor of The Orchard Hotel. The menu includes organic produce, meat and fish from local farmers. Breakfast and dinner is served daily and the bar opens at 4pm. Room service is also available. There is a complimentary fitness center on-site for hotel guests or passes are available to other nearby fitness facilities.
We checked out Chinatown, walked up Lombard Street, road the cable cars, biked over Golden Gate Bridge (#1 favorite moment), shopped at Ghiradelli Square, strolled along Fisherman’s Wharf and experienced all that San Francisco has to offer. The Orchard Hotel was a perfect place for us to stay during our visit.
The Orchard Hotel 665 Bush Street SanFrancisco, CA 94108. 418.362.8878. www.theorchardhotel.com.