Homey Pacific Tradewinds with a Friendly Common Space and a Kitchen

The Berkeley Guides: California '96 with Las Vegas and The Grand Canyon ...On the Loose, On the Cheap, Off the Beaten Path Pacific Tradewinds. The antithesis of an institutional hostel, this homey place in Chinatown has only four rooms (28 beds total), plus a friendly common space and a kitchen. There's no official lockout (although they like people to be gone during the afternoon), and if you want to come in after midnight, the proprietors will lend you a key ($10 deposit). Ask them about cheap restaurants and other attractions in the area. Beds are usually $14 a night, but this fluctuates. If you stay seven nights, you only pay for six. In summer, they ask that you pay the week in advance. 680 Sacramento St., near Kearny St., tel. 415/433-7970. From Montgomery St. BART/MUNI, Bus 15 north on Kearny St. Reception open 8am - midnight.