Union Hotel

The room was spacious, with great views, and the heater handled a cold California winter well. The old, shaky elevator is part of the charm, I suppose, though the bathroom could use an update. We didn’t see any ghosts, but I wish we’d had a chance to try the restaurant. Just know that parking is on the street.

We found a room at this charming old hotel on short notice over Valentine’s weekend. It was huge, looked out over historic downtown Benicia, and had a very comfortable bed. The location is easy to get around on foot, and hot water came quickly. I’m taking off a star because the old jacuzzi tubs are still there even though they don’t work, and they aren’t original to the building. We were in a handicap room, but the tub had a high step. I suppose someone could sit and swing their legs over it.

Our room had lovely water views, and we enjoyed watching boats and ships go by. The hotel is right in historic downtown Benecia, near antique shops and good restaurants, with easy parking. The ground-floor restaurant serves world-class Italian food. The bed was comfortable, and the hotel was mostly quiet. It’s a great hotel from the 1850s, and we had a good stay. There were service issues, though. The front desk was only staffed for three hours in the late afternoon, and no one was there when we arrived to check in. Gabe, the restaurant owner, gave us our room keys. Nobody was at the desk in the morning either, despite the posted hours of 7 to 10am. Breakfast wasn’t provided, although it was advertised as available. The rooms felt more run down than I’d expect from age-related wear in a 175-year-old building, and the shower had lukewarm water and weak pressure. It was basically a do-it-yourself hotel experience.

Kim, the manager, is amazing, and the bed was the most comfortable. It’s an older property, 183 years old, with nothing fancy, but somehow still wonderful. The price was right, and I’d definitely recommend staying here. It’s in the heart of town, so you can walk everywhere. My husband is a firefighter for the city, and I hadn’t realized how great the place was until I came for a business trip.