The French chateau mansion was the former home of the Archbishop of San Francisco. It sits luminously in the south end of San Francisco, overlooking Alamo Square’s famous Postcard Row at Hayes and Steiner Streets - a must see section of the city for its colorful row houses and the trademark doors on each home. The area is the perfect blend of the movie “Pleasantville” and my four-year-old son’s watercolor drawings. Who would ever think to paint the exterior of their home in such bold shades of turquoise, pink and yellow? And yet the view is so magnificent, almost cartoonish in its perfection.

The Archbishop’s Mansion is nothing short of over-the-top extravagance. It embodies everything that being whisked away stands for and my husband earned serious brownie points when he recently surprised me by booking our stay there.

Upon arrival, we are greeted warmly and are given the key to our room and the front door of the mansion. I can’t help but grin knowing that I now hold keys to my very own mansion and suddenly I feel like a little girl when she gets her first doll house.

The entryway houses the original chandelier from “Gone With the Wind”. Almost a “cherry on top” addition to the majesty that this mansion exudes. Our suite is equally grand, from the canopied bed to the claw-foot bath. The linens are extravagant and I feel like a princess.

The natural reaction to all of this, for us, is to immediately order a bottle of champagne. While my husband builds a fire, I call down to the front desk and request the bottle. I’m told that due to a reception the day prior they are out of what I’ve requested. However, they ask if they can bring up a complimentary chardonnay from nearby Napa and in the meantime run to fetch the requested brand.

“Of course,” I say as if I expected that kind of gesture but once off the phone I fall back into my lovely bed, transformed into the royalty this amazing place has brought out in me.

It’s no surprise that the bed is very comfy and I lie there and take it all in. Each of the 15 spectacular guestrooms and suites at the mansion are individually decorated and named after an opera. All of the guestrooms feature either full, or partial canopied beds, period antiques, phone with dataport, VCRs, cable TV, and CD players. My husband has outdone himself and our room features a whirlpool tub, fireplace and partial views of downtown.

Our chardonnay arrives and although the claw foot tub is tempting (especially since I can enjoy the view from the tub) I am too giddy to relax and instead opt to check out the rest of the place.

The mansion is breathtaking, with spectacularly crafted woodwork, various antiques and a sweeping staircase overlooking the various common areas.

Simply stunning, I look forward to returning to my luxe accommodations later in the evening, after my San Francisco adventure. The place is perfect, and is just 1.5 short miles from Golden Gate Park and close to the Performing Arts facilities of the Civic Center, downtown, Union Square, Chinatown, and Fisherman’s Wharf.

Archbishop’s Mansion
1000 Fulton St.
San Francisco, CA
Tel: (877) 447-3195
www.sanfrancisco.com/archmansion

- Written by Jennifer Del Mar (mrsdelmar@yahoo.com)