After reading the other reviews of the Monte Cristo, I'm disappointed that the stay that my wife and I had didn't compare to the stay that others had. To sum up our experience, it was really horrible and we would not stay here again. Below are the details.

Booking
- Booking a room online can be very deceiving. We booked what appeared to be a gorgeous room online. When we arrived, the room didn't even look like what we saw online. Our email confirmation confirmed that the room that we booked was the room that we saw in the picture (spacious, updated, and on the second floor). Our room was very tiny, dated, and on the first floor near the kitchen and parlor. When I discussed our disappointment with the owner, he was not very simpathetic and told me they were sold out so there was nothing that could be done. I would have at least appreciated if he apologized and asked me if there was anything else that he could do. He didn't care. I will say that the room was clean though. At least it wasn't dingy.

Noise
- The walls and door are extremely thin and you can hear everything. We heard someone coughing all night from 2 doors down and a couple having sex in the room above us. I understand that old buildings can have noise issues, but the last thing that I want keeping me up at 2am is another couple having sex. There are ways that they can help get rid of the noise and I think that they should work to fix it. We don't have kids, but it would have been very uncomfortable having to explain the cause of the noise with a family.

Temperature
- Unfortunately, there is no way to regulate the temperature in each room. It was unbelievably hot and uncomfortable all night. We would have opened the window, but we were on the first floor street side. We didn't want a stranger jumping in our window.

Towels
- They need to get a new detergent. Our towels smelled like patchouli. Although some people like this smell, we do not.

Breakfast
- This was the kicker for us. Before any criticizm, I will say that the woman serving breakfast was very nice. Unfortunately, she had way too much on her plate. When we arrived at breakfast, we fortunately had some coffee to tide us over. The woman attending to breakfast was waiting tables, clearing tables, and cooking breakfast all at the same time. It took us 40 minutes before she could take our order and breakfast was a very simple scrambled eggs and dry toast. Most bed and breakfasts that have their act together have a fantastic breakfast. This was not. While we were sitting there and watching the woman maneuver around, trying to do everything on her own, the owner just stood in the hallway and stared around. He should be helping out and making sure that his guests were satisfied. He didn't acknowledge anyone. Very odd. Chip in Jack. It would help expedite breakfast and give your guests a better experience.

Unfortunately, we didn't have a good experience. If there was only one issue, we'd be able to get over it, but this was a complete comedy of errors. We had hoped to try a new experience in SF and thouht that a B&B would be fun. Unfortunately, we could have stayed at the Fairmont for an additional $15. For all of those reading, spend the $15 and stay at a full service hotel...or a B&B with much better ratings.

Sorry Monte Cristo, but you need to get your act together.

Stayed for 2 nights. Fantastic real King bed, not 2 singles slammed together....very comfy. Lovely to touch sheets.
Classic antique look decor. Room a 'bit older', so if you are worried about the odd paint fleck missing, you are missing the point.
Bathroom comprised toilet and large shower. Sink is in the main room.. No view from our room, but who cares. That's what going outside is all about.
A small block away is elelctric Bus number 1 to Ecuardo station, or toward Ocean Beach. Bus number 43 to Marina district. Easy to get around. Buy a BART daily card at least, if you are planning a few transfers. Bus, train, & cable car. If you need to get on a bus in a hurry it is $2 per trip one way, no change given, so have 2 x $1 bills.
Beautiful and plentiful continental breakfast and bananas. Fresh baked cookies all day. and Terri made a wonderful bacon & cheese quiche.
Great reception on arrival.
Very quiet unless someone was talking in the hallway.
Would stay again, so don't you go taking my place!
Area of improvement: The aircon was not very responsive to changing the settings.
Was in SF for the start of my honeymoon.

We stayed 5 nights. Rooms are nicely decorated and clean. Location is great, away from the hustle and bustle of the centre but not too far away either, just get to number 1 bus straight down California into. I'd strongly suggest buying a 1, 2 or 3 day buss pass, it savewd us loads of money and a lot of walking. Breakfast is good (continental style), staff are friendly, especially the beautiful, hard working waitress who served us breakfast. Really recommend this place.

We took our family of 5 to Sanfrancisco from Taiwan and stayed at this hotel for about two weeks so that we could take our sons to a nearby summer camp at SFSU. It took about 30 mins to get here from SFO airport. The owner and the staff were excpetionally nice and helpful from the very start of our email correspondence all the way through our week long stay and check out. They were helpful about recommendations for restaurants, transportation, and other items. There is series of bus stops right in front of the hotel. Without a cellphone taxis are hard to flag down in this city. The breakfast they provide is outstanding. The rooms are clean and comfortable. The setting is interesting as the property is a historic one. It reminded me of my grandpas house when I was growing up. The area is very safe and easy to walk around. There are nice eateries and shopping within 5ms walk of the hotel.

I dont recommend nearby Ella' restaurant is it doesnt deserve the good reviews in my opinon. Try the Jewish center' across the street for much more delciious and less expensive food.