Getting there

Dublin-San Francisco fares currently start at £361 for June and September, rising to £557 in July and August.

Dublin-San Francisco fares currently start at £361 for June and September, rising to £557 in July and August.

Where To Stay:

For once, a marketing name that delivers: Personality Hotels have four properties close to Union Square, each with a distinctive character and the knack of treating guests like individuals, not numbers. Hotel Union Square (tel 415 397 3000) is plush-modern, Hotel Metropolis (tel 415 775 4606) young and funky, Hotel Diva (tel 415 885 0200) Italian-modern and the Kensington Park (tel 415 788 6400) old-world-elegant. Rates from $159 per double room. City-centre hotels booked through tour operators here with San Francisco in their programmes (American Holidays or Trailfinders, for instance) typically cost from about £90 per double.