The Archbishop’s Mansion by Gregory McNamee

The archbishop of San Francisco, back in 1904, was a lucky fellow: he got to live in this beautiful mansion, done in the style of a French chateau, in one of the city’s toniest neighborhoods. The near-downtown neighborhood has grown a touch shabby in the succeeding years, though the high concentration of Victorian houses are a preservationist’s delight. The mansion itself, at the northeastern corner of Alamo Square, remains a splendid sight, nothing short of opulent. Once inside the lobby, with its vaulting staircases and stained-glass skylight, you’ll feel the royal-like glow of exclusivity. Snobbishness has nothing to do with it; it’s just that the Archbishop’s Mansion has only 15 suites and rooms, giving it the feel less of a hotel than a B&B with a particularly distinguished pedigree.

The rooms
Booked months in advance, the Don Giovanni Suite - all 15 rooms and suites are named for classic operas - is big enough to house a touring troupe, with a four-poster bed, a vast fireplace, and a bathtub/shower that invites an unhurried bathing session. While somewhat less grand, the other rooms and suites are similarly well appointed if perhaps a touch over-decorated - the archbishop, it seems, liked his rooms cluttered.