Parsonage

Wow I thought my fiancé and I would love staying here from what we heard, and we would of if the owners were actually hospitable and friendly, which is the farthest from the truth. I thought we would enjoy there breakfast, which we would if it was actually cooked. And we thought we would enjoy the room which we would have if there wasn’t COCKROACHES in our room and on our PILLOW! When we told john and Joan about what we found in our room they just gave us this look as if we brought them there, we left halfway in our trip because this place ruined our whole vacation. Not even a refund on the night we didn’t stay, which was because of the bugs… Grossed out being there and grossed out by just remembering this place.

Woohoo! The Parsonage is as great as it gets. John and Joan are incredibly special people. You will be enchanted by this place. The waffles are the best that you’ll ever have the pleasure to have.

The Parsonage is extraordinary! John and Joan are wonderful hosts. Rooms are topnotch. Breakfast is cooked perfectly to your request. Beautifully appointed. Great place to have a port or sherry before bed.

We didn’t get the best first impresson as Joan and John were out when we arrived so no one was there. There was a note on the door to say would be back in a few minutes and then Ricky arrived and showed us our room. Ricky was OK but he was in a bit of a rush and could not completely answer our questions (best places to eat being one as it was early evening and after a long drive we were ready to eat). Joan and John are great hosts and were very accomodating with breakfast when we told them that we had an early tour start the next day. They seemed more concerned about us getting out the door in time that we were. John also gave us a lot of tourist advice and was better than any guide that we came across. Great location to see the city with public transport very close. We did find the bed a little hard but other than that the room was very nice. Parking can of course be a challenge so if you do happen to be driving find a good spot and only move your car if you have to. We enjoyed dinners at Samovar (very close), Mazzat (also close by) and Hayes & Kebab (again within walking distance).

If you are looking for a uniquely San Franciso experience which combines warm hospitality, a historical setting, and great service, then I recommend The Parsonage. I just spent 4 nights there and had a great time visiting with John and Joan. Their breakfasts were home styled in the best tradition. And it’s conveniently located for touring on public transportation.

This was our third stay at the Parsonage and we couldn’t be happier with the accommodations. The Parsonage itself is charming and quite possibly unique and thus draws a wonderfully diverse clientele. Breakfast is a five-​star meal! Joan and John are gracious and helpful, but not obtrusive hosts.

WOW I just called two times to see if they have availability and the guy was so rude. I told him the dates I was looking for and I said it was for two kids and two adults and he didn’t even checked. He said they don’t have anything available. Maybe they don’t like kids in there but that’s not a way to run a business.

My experience with the Parsonage was brief but when someone makes such a good impression I share it :) The owners were extremely nice and they certainly didn’t have a reason to be (not that I was causing trouble but I was sampling their breakfast without much of a justification for doing so.)
The place does look kind of like a museum inside — cool old photos and such lined the walls. Very clean and a good central location.

To sum up my experience, the Parsonage has got to be one of my favorite B&B’s that I’ve ever stayed in! The surroundings make you feel like being in a living museum, which even expensive hotels can’t compete with. The staff was great too… friendly and they really go out of their way to make you feel at home. Probably my favorite experience besides enjoying a fire in the marble fire place in my bedroom was waking up every morning to the smell of bacon coming from the kitchen down stairs :) When I first looked at the neighborhood and not being from San Fran I wasn’t sure at first but then realized it’s in the perfect location. It’s right on the bus line that takes you strait into down town, it’s surrounded by local restaurants and bars, and only a short walk from Haight-​Ashbury. If I plan to visit San Fran again, I’m definitely booking a room here again!

Joan & Joan are wonderful hosts, chefs, and conversationalists. This is not the downtown hotel with white sheets and immaculate closets. This is someone’s beautiful and charming home with custom made china, port & chocolate in the lobby, and fresh and warm breakfasts.
My mom stayed here and was skeptical at first because of the location and the photos but the place is in a great location for getting around and you meet interesting people, too. I had the BEST time in the mornings there and love all the display of magazines and newspapers and old books. If you are looking to stay in a romantic and intimate home in the heart of San Francisco then book with The Parsonnage. You won’t regret it!

My partner and I spent five nights at The Parsonage Bed & Breakfast and were delighted with our hosts and the surroundings. The house, built in 1880, has been beautifully restored and is filled with interesting art and antiques. Joan and John, the proprietors, are very smart, charming, cultivated people, and they tend to attract the same type guests. Lavish breakfasts are served at a large round table in a formal dining room. I expected an awkward situation being seated in such close proximity to total strangers, but breakfast turned out to be a high point of every day. All of the other guests were interesting and intelligent people, so conversation was lively and freewheeling. People tended to dawdle at the table, reluctant to leave such a friendly atmosphere. Pilar (a beautiful Portuguese Water Dog) is the dog of the house, and she has a delightful personality– dog lovers will be in heaven.
The Parsonage only has three guestrooms. There is a grand parlor on the first floor filled with interesting and helpful books and maps… even complimentary cordials! Our room, The Lagan, had two beds with AMAZING mattresses. The room was spacious with high ceilings and tall windows and attractively furnished with antiques. The bathroom’s doll-​like fixtures took some adjusting to get used to… prepare to wash one ear at a time in the tiny sink. But there was plenty of hot water with good pressure. I loved the spray from the hand held shower attachment and the heated towel rack. The bathroom window had a sheer curtain with no shade. I’m not shy or a prude, but I would have preferred more privacy for some bathroom functions.
I was sorry to leave The Parsonage and I wanted to take Joan, John and Pilar home with me.

I want to give 0 stars but unfortunately that’s not an option.
In my life I’ve stayed in many Bed and Breakfasts and I had lovely experiences with the owners. I don’t know who I spoke to on the phone in this place but who ever it was she was incredibly rude. We were driving from Los Angeles and on the way we had some problems with our car. I called the Parsonage to let them know that we might be running late. It was only 10pm when I called but no one picked up the phone. I left them a voicemail explaining our situation and that i want to make sure there will be someone there to check us in when we arrive. Nobody ever called back. I tried calling them a few more time. Left another voicemail… Nothing. Two hours later I called them again. This time some one picked up – finally! I told the woman that we’re running late and told her that i’ve been trying to get a hold of her for hours. Strangely she said she never got my voicemail. Then she asked me when we will be arriving. I told her approximately 20 mins. She went «Nah. I won’t do it. I’m going to bed.» I was shocked… I told her that i’ve already paid for the room, that i have no place to go, and that it was impossible to find a decent place at 10pm at night. She said «I DON’T CARE» and hung up on me! She hung up on me! I called 10 times. Both me and my boyfriend left voicemails asking them to pick up the phone and help us out. No answer. They completely ignored us. What if I had an elderly person with me? What if i had kids? She did not care at all. What kind of a person does something like that?. Thinking we might be able to get them let us in, we showed up at the door around 11pm. Rang the bell once, no answer. Twice. Nothing. We had a reservation. They took my credit card number and sent me a confirmation email and everything. In my mind, that is my destination, my home, my shelter after a 6 hour drive from Los Angeles. She totally dismissed all that and left us without a place to go at 11pm! THAT WOMAN IS MEAN AND RUDE. She is a snotty pretentious lady who doesn’t have a clue how to treat people. NOT COOL!

This place is a total find! It’s located in a wonderful, cool, but not overly trendy San Francisco neighborhood called Hayes Valley. It’s in walking distance of some amazing restaurants (including the incredible Zuni Café) and close to the Civic Center performing arts venues including the ballet and opera house, and the Castro. The Parsonage is in an enormous, beautiful Victorian-​style home with probably the highest ceilings I’ve ever seen. Our family stayed in several rooms and each was perfectly decorated with antiques and art and had luxurious bathrooms with towel warmers! But my favorite part was the beds – which they apparently get from some local, handmade mattress maker. With the super-​soft down comforters, it felt like you were sleeping on a cloud. (I should mention that although the rooms have phones and wi-​fi, they don’t have TVs, which was fine for us but might be an issue for some people.)
The owners, Joan and John, are classic longtime San Francisco residents: smart and opinionated but very helfpul and friendly. (I’m not sure what the previous reviewer did to piss them off, but we found them to be nothing but sweet and gracious.) They’re also amazing cooks, so the breakfasts were crazy good. We had french toast and thick bacon slices one day; fluffy delicious «dutch baby» pancacks with fruit another.
I would totally recommend this place to a business traveler or couple on a romantic getaway who are looking for something special for a reasonable price.

We have stayed here, as have both sets of our parents at different times, as have friends. We highly recommend the place to everyone who visits San Francisco.
Joan and John are very friendly, interesting people and the hospitality is wonderful. The breakfast has always been not just good, but wonderful.
The place itself is beyond luxury. Gorgeous antiques, amazing feather beds, immaculately designed rooms all around.
The location is a bit loud due to the municipal buses that pass on the street and other traffic, but there are few places in the city where that isn’t an issue. That said, most rooms are off the street, the traffic is slow (4 way stop) so no fear of fast-​moving vehicles to dodge and you’ve got the added benefit of only –one– bus ride (or at most 1 transfer) to just about any place you’d want to visit in the city.
The location is also in Hayes Valley with amazing shopping just 3 blocks away (antiques, clothing, art, art supplies, groceries, etc) and some of the best restaurants in the entire region just 1 – 5 blocks away.
At less than 200 with service, location and comfort you can’t really beat that price.
The first reviewer must have different definitions of comfort, eccentric, strange, queer, pleasant and friendly than I do, or they had a really bad day that day. I can’t think of another reason their review would be 180′ from our several experiences.

Yikes! Where do I begin? This place was queer, uncomfortable, and anything but pleasant.
First off — we came to San Francisco for the second time this summer, and stayed at The Beresford (search my reviews for a separate rating of that hotel) the first 4 days, and then came to stay here for the last 6. The owners were traveling until the following Monday, so the then-​innkeeper Ariel was maintaning the place. She was very friendly, albeit a bit strange. I liked her.
Our room was very nice, but the bathroom? UCK. There was a window that must’ve been 10 feet long RIGHT across from the glass shower — no curtains included. Oh my gosh. That’s just disgusting. And it’s not by any means in a quiet neighborhood, so this was just seemingly unacceptable, and questionably illegal! As if that weren’t enough, we had heard more than one time around the place that the owners were growing tired of running it, and were planning to either sell it or shut it down. That’s not a good sign, and further increased the uncomfortability meter. Then, there comes the breakfast. It was fairly tasty, but not at all enough. We once got only a couple pieces of toast! And then, when the owners finally arrived, they just assumed I didn’t want any breakfast, and served my parents instead! They literally skipped over me.
There really must’ve been something wrong with the woman, Joan, who runs The Parsonage with her husband (who was pretty friendly, but incredibly eccentric). She literally ignored us, only saying a few words, and when my dad tried to start pleasant conversation, she nodded a few times and nearly walked off. Then, later, we saw her talking to other people in the front hall, in a completely normal and amiable tone. This got us mad. So I encourage you to stay somewhere else while in San Fran. The rates — for the service and breakfast we got — were absolutely ridiculous. $ 195+ a night.
P. S. Their dog is a nut case! It barks non-​stop, and LOUD… at nothing. So now there are THREE crazy residents here.