San Remo Hotel

One of the city's best-value stays, the San Remo was built in 1906, right after the Great Earthquake. More than a century later, this upstanding North Beach boarding house still offers sunny, cheerful Italian nonna (grandma)–styled rooms with eclectic turn-of-the-century furnishings and shared bathrooms. Snug rooms facing the interior corridor are bargains; family suites accommodate up to five. No elevator.