Bay Landing Hotel at the Bayshore Area in San Francisco exudes comfort more than what meets the eye. In my last trip to San Francisco, around mid-December, I was expecting the hotel prices to sky rocket due to the holiday season craze. San Francisco is one of the U.S. busiest cities — tourists and locals flock the metropolis for its shopping centers and favorably warm weather. The busier the city is, the pricier the hotels become.

But not with Bay Landing Hotel. The price of the room per night was only $69, without the necessary tax. While most of the hotels I searched online were priced at more than $100 a night, Bay Landing Hotel was listed as one of the cheapest hotels near the airport and close to the downtown area.

For me, the hotel must not only be cheap. I always have this notion that cheap ones are limited in services — no complimentary breakfast, no fitness room and so on. Price usually goes hand in hand with hotel amenities and quality service. Cheap hotels are 2-feature less and 2-star less than the pricey ones. So when I saw that Bay Landing Hotel was cheap yet with features comparable to high-end hotels, I was proven wrong.

What you read from their website is correct. The hotel has a high-speed wireless internet access — for free. Since I cannot live without the web, internet access is one of my prerequisites in getting a hotel. The beds were huge and the room was spacious, even with two beds and few furniture. The bathroom can accommodate 10 people inside. That’s how big it was. The room fixtures were not cheap-looking, unlike other hotels I’d been to.

I did not find anything bad about the service. The front desk personnel were kind enough to attend to my inquiries.

The location of Bay Landing Hotel is perfect. Along the bay shore, you can jog, walk, or even sit on the benches that lined the sidewalk. In my case, I took pictures of the various birds enjoying the rocky shores.

If you visit the site, this is what you’d read, which are all true.

“Many of our inviting rooms have bay views and all afford numerous amenities, including: safe, refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, iron and board, cable television, pay-per-view movies and games, voicemail and high-speed Internet access.”

“Enjoy complimentary Continental breakfast in our dining room or out on the terrace, where you can immerse yourself in the tranquil beauty of the San Francisco Bay.”

“Greet the day or unwind after work in our fitness room. Our cardio equipment includes treadmills and stationary bike, and we have a complete circuit of weight equipment.”

If you happen to visit San Francisco and wanting to stay in a cheap yet with service far better than a 5-star hotel, give Bay Landing Hotel a try. I highly recommend this hotel.