Thank you to Kathy Chin Leong for doing the hard work of staying at FABULOUS hotels in EXCITING destinations for us.
Having recently earned a prestigious two-key distinction in the Michelin Guide for lodging, the relatively new Four Seasons Embarcadero lives up to the honor. We did not know this when we celebrated my husband’s birthday at this five-star hotel, a 48-story edifice that is among the tallest towers in San Francisco. Here’s a behind-the-scenes peek at our weekend:
Day One
3 pm: Check-in at the Four Seasons Embarcadero, San Francisco. Snag an upgrade to the 42nd floor, Suite 4214. It is categorized as the Bay-View Corner Suite at 575 square feet. Yes, it has a doorbell.
4 pm: Brew in-room Nespresso coffee while grabbing a fluffy white robe and slipping on equally fluffy matching slippers. Sip and admire aerial vistas of the Golden Gate Bridge to Chinatown and the zig-zag rooftops of the Financial District.
5 pm: Enter the marble bathing salon larger than three of my bathrooms combined. Soak in a tub with perfumed bath salts and floral Parisian bath gel. Note to self: next time bring a flute of champagne to savor in front of the window.
6 pm: Dine at Orafo, the main restaurant. While casual, the Italian cuisine is worthy of a celebratory dinner. Pappardelle pasta from scratch is topped with wild mushrooms and porcini sauce. It should win an award as the world’s best sauce and pasta coupling. The porchetta with king trumpet mushrooms boasts tenderness while letting the earthiness of the mushrooms elevate the pork. The house gifts birthday husband, Frank, with chocolate mousse, a fluffy mound of chocolate heaven atop a dark cookie crust.
8:15 am: Catch the sunset on the sky bridge. This is a magnificent glass corridor where on the left you see the sun dipping into the horizon, and on the right, an orange hue casts its glow on corporate castles.
9 pm: Binge Netflix favorites until we knock out. The wide-screen TV is adjustable so we can switch viewing zones from our bed to couch.
Day Two
6:45 am: Part curtains and yawn; the ding, ding, ding, of the cable cars getting ready for the day is comforting. We are in the city’s Financial District in the Embarcadero neighborhood, walking distance to the most popular tourist areas in San Francisco, the city where I grew up.
7:30 am: Nail a workout. Four Seasons maintains a good-sized gym with the newest state-of-the-art gear for cycling, running, and stair-stepping. Using elliptical machines, free weights and a roster of weighted balls, kettlebells, and balance balls aids in calorie burn. Towels, bottled water, and fresh apples serve as welcomed amenities. This space is flooded with natural light, which helps kick in those endorphins.
8:45 am: Room service arrives on time. Eggs over easy, a basket of pastries baked in-house, a yogurt parfait, fresh squeezed orange juice. Why not have breakfast in my suite for this rare opportunity to dine among the clouds? This building has been here since 1986, but only recently has it been flagged as a Four Seasons which opened in June 2021 after two prior opening/closing attempts thanks to Covid. Today, the hotel with 155 guest rooms is a little sister compared to its Four Seasons San Francisco sibling with over a hundred more. The Embarcadero property does not have a spa. It does not have a swimming pool.
And yet, this one which occupies the top 9 floors of a commercial office building (levels 39 to 48), has been recently awarded two Michelin keys (out of three), the highest rank given to San Francisco hotels which is noted as “exceptional.” Only one other in the city, The Battery, has been bestowed this two-key honor.
10 am: Storm the city and see how far we can hoof it before we peter out. Downstairs, the concierge staff offers bottled water, directions, and whatever we need to make for a successful day. At Embarcadero Plaza we learn to play Paddel inside a glass-walled court covered with artificial turf. The Paddel game is a cross between racquetball, tennis, and pickleball. A Park Paddel staffer sits inside a booth to rent paddles and court time and explain the city’s newest recreational fad. We sample it for free for a few minutes and quickly get the hang of Paddel.
11 am: Mosey to the Ferry Building. We come across Maison Verbena which is a new boutique with SF-made and handmade goods. Next to it is Maison Verbena bakery that specializes in ube, orange, pandan, and chocolate crinkle cookies.
12 pm: Savor dim sum lunch at Harbor View which never disappoints. It is the only place in the Bay Area where you can nibble Cantonese bites on a terrace outdoors.
1:30 pm: Venture into Chinatown where I find my beloved Chinese sausages at Wycen Foods. Next door is the Italian enclave of North Beach. We are drawn to the art exhibit at Washington Park.
3 pm: Fisherman’s Wharf is within blocks so we push ourselves further. Find a sale on t-shirts for $4.99 at a souvenir shop. Inhale smell of sourdough at Boudin Bakery. Head to Beach Street, to Ghirardelli Square, a food and shopping destination I have loved since childhood. The Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience is a fan favorite, where you get a free foiled square of chocolate that you can munch on while you shop.
4 pm: Happy Hour. Hike to the hilltop Ritz-Carlton above Chinatown. It is the third year in a row they are promoting Solaire Terrasse in partnership with Veuve Clicquot champagne. On the garden terrace, guests can order afternoon tea or fine items such as caviar, a seafood tower, or gelato in a bowl. As you would expect from any Ritz, the service is top-shelf. The ambiance is serene as you imbibe French bubbly beneath yellow and white umbrellas and on patio couches with matching yellow and white pillows, the signature colors for Veuve Clicquot.
6 pm: Four Seasons beckons. I am anxious to get back because I just want to hang out in the room above the clouds. According to management, guests often prefer to stay in their rooms to soak in the city’s skyline. In fact, a food and beverage service known as the Sky-High Golden Hour is super popular. For $45, you can order a charcuterie board with a bottle of wine from 4-7 p.m. and watch the little cable cars maneuver and neon lights flicker from your room above.
Staff often refer to this location as a hidden gem among large convention hotels. Situated on the 42nd floor, we hear no street noise, sense only stillness in our surroundings.
This Four Seasons is intimate and service laser-focused. From the start when you drop off your car, attendants swoop in to aid you with luggage. Smiles greet you at the reception desk upon entering, and the team thanks you at checkout. After such courtesy, fab restaurant meals, and in-room luxury, we are refreshed and settled, just enough to re-enter the Real World… and begin planning our return visit.
- For more information and to book your stay visit Four Seasons Embarcadero
