Bordering the Pacific Ocean, the cosmopolitan city has 15 distinct, overlapping, neighbourhoods, such as old-monied Nob Hill, Japantown and Embarcadero, each with its own soul, spirit and style.

So you can have dim sum in Chinatown, risotto in North Beach and drinks in the arty Mission district, while shoppers can buy vintage clothing in boho Haight-Ashbury.

Since the so-called summer of love hippie-fest in the late ’60s, San Francisco has become renowned as the most tolerant and free-spirited city in the States.

For amazing San Francisco deals, click here

Today it still retains this liberal attitude and is a veritable melting pot of different nationalities, creative types, IT entrepreneurs and students.

Don’t leave the city without taking a boat trip out to the infamous prison of Alcatraz,  watching a Giants baseball match and having a picnic or cycling in the 1,000-acre park next to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.

Where can I stay?
Stay right in the heart of the city at the four-star Hotel Monaco (www.monaco-sf.com).

The 166-room and 35-suite hotel, with French-inspired architecture and sensually rich decor, is just two blocks from the shopping mecca of Union Square. Bedrooms are bright and whimsical with Frette linen, while the hotel’s Grand Cafe features gleaming mosaic tile pillars and colossal hanging light fixtures.

Or, if you want to dip in and out of the city, base yourself at the Cavallo Point Lodge (www.cavallopoint.com) in Sausalito, a leafy, seafront suburb on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge.

This former colonial-style army barracks has been wonderfully transformed into a five-star retreat. We booked into one of the 74 hillside lodge rooms and it felt like we were staying in a grand private mansion, with rocking chairs on the porch and a cosy living room with a fire and leather armchairs.


When should I visit?
Don’t miss the parties, boating parades and fireworks over the weekend of May 26-27 when the Golden Gate Bridge celebrates its 75th birthday.

As part of the celebrations, you’ll be able to take night tours of the bridge and, from May 26, there’ll be a new exhibition on earthquakes at the California Academy Of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.

See www.goldengatebridge75.org. During the summer months, check out the Bay Area’s Film Night In The Park (www.filmnight.org), where giant screens pop up in the city’s green spots for al fresco cinema sessions.

Music lovers should visit in mid-August when the Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival hosts the likes of Kings Of Leon and The Strokes.

Where can I spa?
The in place to be pampered is the Barber Lounge (www.barberlounge.com).

A super-funky lounge-meets-art gallery crossed with a barber shop-meets-spa in the SoMa (South of Market) neighbourhood.

It’s so cool you’ll want to spend all day there. We adored the relaxed vibe and our manicure from a man calling himself a nail ninja!

Which celebs might I see?
Back in the ’60s, it was all about the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin, but today you’ll find Green Day, Carlos Santana, Steven Tyler and Tracy Chapman here.

Robin Williams and Sean Penn have homes in the city, while Liev Schrieber, Winona Ryder and Alicia Silverstone are home-grown talent.

Christy Turlington got married in the city, as did Courteney Cox. Recent films to be shot here are Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, The Social Network and Hereafter.

The latest hip address is Twenty Five Lusk, housed in a former meat smokehouse. OK! loved the buzzy vibe, the beautiful people and the creative dishes such as raw yellowfin tuna with grilled pineapple and avocado and steak with oxtail ravioli.

Meat eaters will be in heaven at the Epic Roasthouse. Set on the waterfront and offering fabulous views of the Bay Bridge, house favourites include prime ribs, rib eye steak and macaroni cheese.

For a leisurely lunch, book a table at the ever-popular Cliff House, where OK! enjoyed lobster eggs benedict.

Head to Chinatown for authentic Chinese and North Beach for Italian.


What should I drink?
Whether you’re looking for a wine bar, sports bar or a hip lounge, the city has it all. OK! loved the laid-back atmosphere at District in SoMa, where the crowd of local hipsters gather for wine tastings.

Follow in Sharon Stone footsteps and enjoy cocktails at Top Of The Mark.

Chose a Martini from the 100-plus list and admire the twinkling lights and city views across to the Golden Gate and beyond.

Another address for those in the know is the Hotel Vitale’s Americano Cocktail Lounge, just by the Embarcadero Ferry Terminal building.

The swanky, dimly lit bar is where the stylish San Fran crowd like to hang out.

What sights must I see?
Although San Francisco is a sprawling, hilly city, there are plenty of transport options such as the trams that criss-cross the city. OK!’s favourite mode of transport, however, was a GoCar (www.gocartours.com).

A cross between a go-kart and scooter, the open-top carts feature an integrated GPS tour which tells you all about the sights as you motor around.

Our CityPass card gave us discounts on entry to the Academy Of Sciences, an Alcatraz cruise and a visit to the aquarium on Fisherman’s Wharf.

Close by is Pier 39, where we loved seeing the resident sea lions that have made some of the harbour’s floating platforms home.

Further along the seafront, walk to Fisherman’s Wharf, where touristy restaurants, souvenir stores and bars line the streets.

Where can I shop?
The shopping epicentre is the pedestrianised Union Square, where everyone from Samuel L Jackson to Kate Hudson have been spotted.

If you like department stores there’s Barneys, Saks, Macy’s and Bloomingdales, as well as stylish homeware stores such as Williams-Sonoma and Alessi, all interspersed with art galleries and cafés.

You’ll also find high fashion labels and American High Street brands Anthropologie, American Apparel, Banana Republic, Gap, Guess and Mango.

For a mall experience, try the Westfield Centre on Market Street, where you’ll find Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Michael Kors, Superdry and many others.

How do i get there?
Virgin Holidays (www.virginholidays.co.uk; 0844 557 3859) offers many options to California.

A three-night package, including return flights from London Heathrow and Alamo car hire, staying at the four-star Cavallo Point Lodge on a room-only basis, starts from £779pp.

A similar package staying at the four-star Hotel Monaco stars at £689pp. Prices based on two adults sharing a standard room and valid for departures on March 19.

FACT FILE

For more on san francisco visit www.sanfrancisco.travel or for more on the wider area, see www.visitcalifornia.co.uk.