Inn On Castro

«Not terribly expensive. Not cheap. But worth the price.»
Inn On Castro is arguably the most conveniently located B and B in the Castro. It’s on Castro (as it’s name implies) just a few steps north of Market. You are literally footsteps from everything the Castro has to offer.
The room I had in the very front of the house was bright, large and very cozy. The furnishings are very eclectic. You feel as if you’re staying at a friend’s house in SF (if your friend was funky and incredibly cool.) The house itself is amazingly quiet. % other people were staying here the night I was here and I didn’t hear a peep from them!
The owner is very amiable and helpful. Breakfast is provided from 8am to 10am. The girl that checked me in was sweet and very helpful too.
The shared toilet and showers are in separate rooms and are very clean.
My only negatives: The coffee was locked up at 6pm. And the room in the front can be a bit noisy from the street. Monday morning was apparently trash day and the garbage trucks were like Hindenbergs on the street right outside my window. Earplugs are available upon request.
Will definitely be back!
Room Tip: Rooms on the upper floors are the quietest. On a hill and lots of stairs.

Saw on line a good rate for this place. Am going to be in San Francisco in October, and was glad to find a rate of $ 155 for a «standard» room. Got an email from the Inn indicating the rate was in fact $ 230. I asked why the difference? Well, the rates changed as of May. They haven’t changed their website. Summer, higher, rates are in effect from May through November. «Sorry for the confusion.» I don’t know if they are just horribly organized and discombobulated or intentionally misleading and deceptive, but I sure don’t want to have anything to do with this place.

Highly, highly recommend this B&B! The owner and staff are friendly, professional and extremely helpful. The rooms are beautifully decorated and incredibly clean. Make time for the 8 a.m. breakfast which changes each day. They are great cooks! There are a lot of intimate details which you will appreciate while you are there from the fresh flowers to the brandy decanters in the rooms. I stayed 4 nights on a business trip and met fascinating guests from around the world. Some like me were there for work, others chose this place a honeymoon and other tourist related travel. The location is a 45 seconds walk from the metro. All the conveniences of the city are right outside your door and yet it is a quiet and peaceful place to unwind after a big day out. I cannot say more positive things about this B&B except that you must stay there when you visit San Francisco! Thank you to the team running this place.

Very nice owner
Great breakfasts.
The location was very convenient to ask the places I wanted to see, while at the same time getting me to walk a lot of places ;)

I just stayed at the Inn for 4 days and really enjoyed the stay. While the room was a little different than I imagined, it was still wonderful. We were in the Patio Suite, which was spacious and comfortable! The patio suite is sort of on the side and in back of the house. I believe the Jan and David were great hosts. I will definitely return but I think I’ll prefer some of the rooms in the main house. The house itself and the rooms are very cozy. The price is right but beware — the price is not what it says on their website. Ask when you call. Parking is either street parking (move the car every couple hours) or there is a lot people use that is on States Street (long, uphill walk but free parking). The area can be a little loud since it is right around the corner from the Castro theatre and bars but it did not cause us to lose any sleep. Loved the stay. Didn’t get to get any of the breakfasts but I hear they are awesome!

I recently visited San Francisco to check out the famous Castro District, hearing that it was a mecca for the LGBT community. I wanted lodging close to all the fun, and happened to stumble upon the Inn On Castro. It was exciting because I never stayed at a Bed and Breakfast before. And I definitely was not disappointed!
The location was almost perfect; a minute walk from the Muni Station allowing you to access most of the city easily. I was next to all the bars, clubs, and restaurants in the Castro, so it was very convenient for me.
I stayed in the Brown Room, which overlooked Castro Street. Surprisingly for a busy street, I was able to sleep soundly at night. The room was nice, clean, and tidy. Wifi was fast and I never had connection issues. There was even a complementary bottle of Brandy on the house.
I had access to a shared bathroom. Even though it was shared, there was never a problem and it was kept very clean. It almost felt like a private bathroom at times. They had an awesome peppermint body wash for the showers. I almost wanted to take it home with me!
And finally, the breakfast was the star of my stay. Breakfast was served at 8 AM everyday at the dining table. I met some cool people from all around the world. The owner Jan greeted us at the table every morning. He was warm, friendly, and very knowledgeable about the city. He shared with us interesting stories about San Francisco.
Fruits, cereal, yogurt laid on the table. The orange juice was hand-​squeezed and fresh. The bread was amazing; I could eat a whole loaf myself, but had to refrain myself. You had the option between two entrees every morning. I had eggs benedict, blueberry french toast, and a three cheese scramble during my stay. Everything was fresh, organic, and delicious. Honestly, I wish I could eat breakfast here everyday and I’m really gonna miss it.
I will definitely stay here again next time I’m in San Francisco!

We recently were given short notice to vacate our apartment for two days for some work the Landlord needed to do on our bathroom that would make it unsafe for us. In scrambling to find a place on a Sunday evening for a Tuesday and Wednesday stay in San Francisco I was lucky to have found that the Inn on Castro had an available apartment for the two days. David made check in easy and the Apartment was right on my normal commute route less than 5 minutes from work. The apartment was very comfortable, nicely appointed, with a cute little zen garden, full kitchen, ample parking and so quiet. It was a perfect res-​bit from a very stressful situation. I now have a go to place when people ask me for recommendations for a place to stay when coming to visit San Francisco.

I needed a place near UCSF to stay, and came about the Inn on Castro. It was my first experience at a bed&breakfast. The owner Jan is a super sweet and funny man. I wish I stayed more than just one night. I checked in a little late (~7:30pm) because my flight landed at 6:30pm. (The office hours go until 8pm).
Jan was very welcoming and helped point out places to park (because SF and other big cities make parking rather difficult). The room my SO and I had was clean and very home-​y. Breakfast was served 8−10am and was beautiful and delicious. There was fruit salad, yogurt, granola, coffee, bread, etc etc. And we had an option of a mushroom-​egg scramble or apple pecan pancakes. I got the pancakes and they were AWESOME. My SO said the scramble was very good also. Oh and everything was organic!
Overall I had a great experience and definitely recommend this place. There are a ton of shops and eateries walking-​distance away and close to Golden Gate Park.

Really enjoyed my stay — overall, it was an excellent experience. I stayed in the Green Room which comes with a small private bath down the hall. The room and the B&B are fabulously decorated. The owner is very friendly, and the establishment really covers all areas for anything you could want during your stay. The room came with bathrobes, a glass pitcher, glasses, wine opener, and decanter with tequila, an extra blanket, a floor fan, a space heater, cable television, and free wifi. The bathroom was stocked with towels, full-​sized toiletries, and a hair dryer. The hall offers a small library of books, a candy bowl, and earplugs (the street can be quite noisy at night as is typical of the city), and a mini fridge with free refreshments. Upstairs there is a dining area for breakfast (the breakfast is wonderful and there is a nice variety of coffee machines to suite your personal preference) and a common room for relaxing. Compared to similarly priced hotels in the area, this bed and breakfast is really a steal and is located in a great area. It’s within walking distance of tons of restaurants and shops and about 25 minutes from the airport. Would definitely stay again. :)

Jan is a great owner and host. Cannot beat free hot breakfast. Has owned for 30 years, and knows all the best restaurants and attractions. Rooms are spacious and clean. Perfect location if you want to be near the Castro. Many international visitors, an Jan speaks five languages. A gem.

During a recent visit, I opted away from the pricey Union Square hotels for something more accommodating, less budget gouging, in a different part of the city but yet convenient to public transportation options. After many searches, review reads and several recommendations from SF locals and fellow Unilocalers, I selected the Inn on Castro for my most recent stay. From the outside, The Inn on Castro is unassuming — located just a few hundred feet up the street from the Castro Muni Station. However, once inside, it is nicely setup — well maintained, clean, spacious and inviting. The décor is modern, with a bit of a late 70’s influence, well executed and superior to what most people think of when I say that — it is a compliment!
While I did not see inside any other guest rooms besides my own, the other guests I met during the splendid breakfast Jan or his staff hosted each morning from 08:00 — 10:00 were super! People were staying from all over the world — guests from Australia, the UK, and Hawaii were just a few I met — some for a few days, some for a week. Breakfast conversation was never lacking, nor were the varying daily choices of hot food prepared to order. There was always nice freshly sliced fruit (and not just all melons) with yogurt, several brands of cereals, fresh pumpkin seed breads, along with hot coffee, tea and OJ. The breakfast was always promptly available at 08:00, for us farm-​boy early risers, and was served in a larger dining room flanked by fresh flowers, orchids, the daily newspapers and nice views.
Since I tend to spread out after arriving, I opted for the lower Patio Suite which is located downstairs from the main house and directly off the enclosed Inn’s patio area. There is also an upper stairs access area to the patio which I never figured out if it connects to the Inn or some other house or both. The Patio Suite has a private, bath and shared separate entrance with the Hideaway Suite from the Inn’s main — with its own keys. While there is no direct A/​C, opening those windows at night was sufficient to have one buried under blankets by the early AM! Noise was never a problem and only occasionally was I aware of other guests using the patio area. I noticed a bowl of ear plugs are also provided for the lighter sleepers.
The fridge was well stocked (though it needs a defrosting), with convenient to carry water. The room was supplied with body wash, shampoo and towels, TV, Cable, DVD and even a clean portable fan. All these items made the stay one of the best Bed and Breakfast experiences I’ve had in my many years of traveling.
This is another option to avoid the Union Square area when possible and venture into and see another part of the city. Yes, the Inn on Castro is located in the Castro area — so if that bothers one for whatever reason, then select another location. The Inn is located very near the main Muni Station as well the Street Cars and only a few blocks from main bus stops. I could not locate this many or easier jump points to reach other locations in the city in such a nice neighborhood with such a nice staff, accommodations and breakfasts to remember. Overall, recommended. Cheers.

My home in San Francisco!
This review is based on numerous visits.
I have stayed in their apartment and inside the Bed and Breakfast. (Patio Suite)
Inn on Castro is now a place I can call home when visiting San Francisco.
A place that is warm and inviting.
A place where you feel safe.
Also a place where you can meet new people and some you can even call friends.
Jan and his staff make it very inviting and make you want to come back to see them.
His female assistant that runs the place in the afternoon was especially nice.
Jan really outdoes himself each morning for breakfast, making sure you have a healthy breakfast each morning.
Breakfast is something you don’t want to miss.
Also don’t pass up one of the sides Jan offers you.
He makes the best healthy breakfast you need to start your day
Patio Suite:.
The Patio Suite is a side area just outside of the main bed and breakfast area.
The Patio and foyer (the walk in to your room with a mini fountain) make it very pleasing to walk in and out of.
You have your own key for the foyer door, so you don’t have strange people hanging about. Only one other person has that key, and that’s the person that has the adjoining suite. So you just might see the other person coming and going.
The room offers free wi-​fi, TV and DVD player and even free bottle of brandy.
Bathroom amenities include shampoo, body soap and plenty of towels andhair dryer.
It’s quiet, even on the nights when Castro comes alive.
Some of the rooms inside the bed and breakfast can pick up the street noise.
So staying here is an added plus.
Self-​Catering Apartments, the Caselli:
TIP: You will have to pick up the apartment key from the main bed & Breakfast house and then walk over to the apartment, it is a walk, so this really isn’t for someone that doesn’t have a car or numerous pieces of luggage.
I walked over myself and it wasn’t bad. It actually helps you get use to the surroundings and locations.
Overall the experience was fantastic. The Caselli has everything you could want in a long extended stay.
It really does feel like you have your own apartment.
The neighborhood is nice, safe, clean, quiet and friendly.
When walking around in the neighborhood, everybody is friendly and says hi.
The apartment has a full kitchen with dishes and utensils at your service if you feel the need to cook everyday.
There is also a nice grocery store (Mollie Stone’s) a few blocks away if you need to stock the refrigerator.
And if you don’t want to cook, then there are many convenient restaurants near by.
Bathroom is also very pleasing that comes fully stocked with towels and houses a nice shower head. Jan also includes body soap, shampoo, hair dryer and plenty of towels.
Living room is very comfortable with nice furniture (leather sofa) and tv with a dvd player and free internet.
And on the nights were it gets cold, you are equipped with a heater.
And on those extended stays, there is a washer and dryer inside and if you need clothes that need to be dry cleaned there is a dry cleaners that is the same distance, in the same locale as the grocery store.
Jan does a nice job making sure that staying in the apartment is as equally as nice as if you were to stay at his inn.
The only drawback is that if you stay at the apartment you are not treated to Jan wonderful breakfasts each and every morning.
Staying at the Inn or at one of his apartments is a very pleasing and relaxing experience.

Jan is the nicest man you ever will met. The rooms are clean and breakfast is yummy. Highly recommend!

On my most recent visit (Nov 8 – 14, 2012) I spent the first night of my trip in the patio suite. It was awesome. Separate entrance, very well appointed space. I said to Jan that if I wasn’t so in lurve with the apartment, that would be my space.
The folks whom had the apartment left early. so I was able to move over a couple of days early and couldn’t be happier about it. Already booked for next year. Thanks again to Jan for another great birthday visit.

I have some mixed emotions about writing this review, which is why I waited at least a week upon returning home to post this. I want to be sure I am a little less emotionally invested in the experience and give credit where credit is due.
The experience started out rather stressful. As we were checking in to the Inn, we discovered they had us staying a day short of what we had expected. Flight leaving Friday, reservations expired Thursday. Since a confirmation had not been sent via email, we had nothing to show. The young girl that checked us in was pretty quick to divert blame to us and continued to guide the conversation such that we felt pressured into admitting it was our fault, not theirs. I stopped her on more than one occasion and reinforced that pointing fingers was not productive. I really didn’t care who’s fault it was and said as much. I didn’t have a room Thursday evening and I asked her if she could perhaps focus on helping us. She disappeared to speak to the owner, came back and informed us that a room was available at their extended lodging down the street. The price was a little bit of a sticker shock and we took a moment to absorb what was happening. We finally came to the realization that this would in fact be our best option since we are not familiar with the area or other establishments. We agreed to take the room. Apparently, that didn’t sit well because the next comment from her was that the owner would prefer we not take the room since it accommodates 4 and we were a party of 2. Ok.. .insult to injury. The owner could have had the courtesy to at least come out and acknowledge us and what was occurring. He didn’t. We were there from Monday to Thursday…and while we saw the owner every morning for breakfast, not once did he ever acknowledge our situation, much less offer an apology for the inconvenience. Instead, the young girl started pulling out names of other establishments we could call while we’re sitting there, baggage in tow. I stayed right there, in front of her and started calling.. .one after another we were informed that there were no rooms available. While I didn’t want to pressure her into giving us that room when it was clearly an unpleasant situation, I also didn’t want to be sleeping in the airport.
Finally, we found a room just down the road at Twin Peaks for Thursday night. Wow.. .a dive to say the least. The door had apparently been kicked in at one point. Rather than replace the frame, they put putty in the damaged frame, not even bothering to paint it. The tv was an old tube set that was on it’s way out, purple faces on half the screen, but it was something we left on to try to drown out the noise of the street. We slept in our clothes. Actually, sleep wasn’t much of an option. Our room overlooked Market. The traffic was pretty bad.. .all night long. We got maybe three hours of sleep.
I have tried not to let that experience with the Inn at Castro overshadow our time there, but that was the last experience of the week and it’s hard to walk away feeling warm and fuzzy.
Location is great, right in the middle of everything with the Muni right across the street. Transportation was never an issue and very affordable. Overall, the Inn at Castro was nice, not exceptional. Don’t expect a 5 star experience. Noise can still be an issue, but earplugs are provided in the hall for light sleepers. You are downtown San Fransisco after all. Noise is inevitable.. .some places are better than others I guess. The place could use a little work. Sliding shower doors were broken and would not open. White leather chairs in dining room were dated and cracked. Very eclectic décor.. . Wifi is free but not predictable. I wound up creating my own hotspot through my service.
Breakfast was wonderful. Bed was comfortable. The room was very clean with nice little touches of refreshments in fridge, Neutrogena liquid body soap in shower, chocolates in hall with ear plugs. Owner is a great cook and very pleasant, but ending our vacation in a dive really set the overall tone when all was said and done. Will not be going back… especially with so many choices of other B&Bs in the area. As much as I hate to go there.. .part of me wonders if we had been two men, might the scenario have played itself out a little differently. I only say this based on our interactions… observations, overall feel at the end of the day.. .

My sister and I stayed in the self-​catering Caselli apts rented through the Inn on Castro. So, this review pertains to the apartments, not the actual B&B — although I did have to visit the B&B to pick up the keys and must say that building looked really clean and cute.
Anyway, back to the apartments — we stayed in the 2^nd floor one, I think it was #90. Um, amazing experience!
First of all, the place is HUGE. It has two huge bedrooms, each with queen beds, a pretty large living/​sitting room, a sizeable kitchen, and a small back deck. The bathroom was kind of small but very updated and modern. The whole place was decorated with lots of color and artwork — very warm and welcoming. The place was incredibly clean too. In all honesty, it was almost too much space just for the two of us, but then again only having one bathroom worked out. I imagine it would be very fitting for a group of maybe 4 friends or two couples, as long as you don’t mind sharing one bathroom.
The rates were fantastic, considering what a nice and spacious place this is. I will definitely try to stay here again next time I visit San Francisco and would gladly refer any friends wishing to stay near the Castro. Great alternative lodging option, for probably the same price or less than a hotel!

Disclosure: I haven’t stayed here per se, but I have some very dear friends who swear by it, and I’ve been invited over a time or five to know the inside of the place pretty well… and what cool stuff is offered.
So every gay who doesn’t live in SF seems to try to experience their visit of the city with an air of naivety. They all seem to have dreams of grandeur where the Castro is still circa 1970. Muscly men are walking around nearly naked, overly altruistic natures, and the locals all ride the cable cars to and fro work and home every day.
Sorry kids, it’s really not how it is. What is kind of cool though, is the fact that there’s still a decently priced BnB in the Castro where you can go, check in, and literally get sat down by the owners about where decent food at decent prices can actually be found, where the hot spots that aren’t Badlands are and what night to go, just basically how to live like a native San Franciscan.
They won’t ruin your city experience by urging you to go to the Wharf, advising you to jump in a tour bus that’s more asian than China, and verbally disposing you into all of the other tourist traps. No, no they don’t. But they will tell you some places to go, some legit things to see, and give you a super clean room, with a fridge stocked with free sodas and water, underneath a huge carafe of complimentary whiskey. Complete with shot glasses.
The décor is very old school victorian, without feeling old and stuffy, it’s very well lit, warm and cozy, and the reviews of breakfast were pretty good too.
All in all, it’s definitely worth a stay. I will, if I ever need to pay for a room for the night. Or the hour.

My friend who lives here in the Castro area told me about this place. I was kind of hesitant at first since I’m used to staying in hotels like the Marriott or the W hotel, but I figured I would give it a try. I booked the «White» room for me and my friend and I will be booking again for sure.
The place is cozy, Internet is free but shoddy, breakfast is freshly cooked for you when you wake up, and the location is unbeatable. Everyone who works here is very attentive and they definitely aim to please. Stay here if you want to be close to Castro and be within walking distance of everything on this side of town.
The noise levels are high though since we are overlooking a major street but is not loud enough to be a deal breaker at all.
The rates are very affordable as well! You won’t be disappointed.

Certains vont dire que c’est une hérésie de visiter un quartier gay, mais pour un français qui né connait que le marais où les drapeaux multicolores sont rares c’est une expérience à né pas manquer. On a l’impression de changer de planète, des drapeaux partout, des pubs pour des sites gay aux murs. C’est un quartier vraiment sympa, très coloré où les gens sont toujours accueillant. A faire une fois dans sa vie

This place exceeded our expectations in many ways. It probably didn’t hurt their cause that the place we stayed the night before was so skeezy… but we really liked it here. The owners were very friendly and very accomodating, the location was absolutely perfect, and the price really wasn’t much higher than the other local hotel chains which offered so much less.
The only reason that it’s four and not five stars; I’m 6’6 and the bungalow we were in downstairs varied from 7’0 in height and 6’2 in height. Literally, to walk from the living room to the bedroom required me to duck like I was visiting a hobbit house. Would have been a good screening question to hear when we called to make the reservation.

If you have extra cash to splash and is looking for a well run, gay-​owned, conveniently located to the gayborhood (with a small hill to hike) of SFO, then look no further, this is IT! Spent 2 nights here during the July 4^th weekend, fully booked, nonetheless, we got the last room suitably called «The Red Room». The pix shown on their website was PINK, initially i thought, hell NO but luckily its sort of a washed out RED, phew!
We arrived in mid morning and was cordially shown to our room by the friendly innkeeper but first, the RULES… just treat it as your own place or a friend’s home. The room has a really cozy feeling, a little patio and door that leads to the backyard downstairs. There’s complimentary bottled water, soda, coffee and brandy (yes, a small decanter in your room). Understandably, this is NOT the chain hotel that has huge spaces, but the room is very nicely decorated with all mod-​cons, the bathroom is clean and come with supplies of good quality shower gels and shampoo. Oh and the bedsheets, they are at least over 300plus thread counts, bravo… gosh, do i sound like Martha Stewart?
Now, the breakfast, what a spread with the table fully covered with all kind of things such as the huge bowl of freshly cut fruits, yogurts, biscuits, breads, different type of cereals and with additional daily special. We had the waffles and spinach omelette.
Overall and as to echo other Unilocalers, this is truly a GEM and definitely a great place for COUPLE to enjoy their visit to one of my fav city in America, San Francisco!

Es el barrio gay de san francisco.

Castro est historiquement LE QUARTIER gay de SF. Difficile d’aller à SF sans y aller, c’est sympa et bon enfant. les restau sont bien aussi et on retrouve aux alentours pas mal de belles maisons victoriennes parfois revues et corrigées de façon surprenantes.