Best Cheap Bed

HI-SF Fisherman's Wharf

Fort Mason, Building 240, Franklin & Bay, 771-7277, www.sfhostel.org

At $22 a night, the HI-SF Fisherman's Wharf hostel at Fort Mason is a happily inexpensive place to rest your head. Despite its name, the hostel is far removed from the waterfront mall. Housed in a historic two-story Civil War-era building next to a meadow -- a meadow!-- and perched on the Fort Mason cliff, it offers rooms with views of the bay and old military cannons pointed toward the water. Trees are scattered throughout the property, and the large, hilly grass field next door is perfect for running around at night like a child. Guests sleep in rooms containing eight to 12 beds; private rooms are $69 to $79 a night. The building has a kitchen and a common area with couches and a fireplace, a piano, games, and Internet kiosks. Cafe Franco, located in the building, serves a continental breakfast and light meals on its outside deck, and the walls in the lobby are covered with maps and fliers for local activities.