This is not a luxury hotel. It is a beautiful, modern, minimalist, energy efficient, ecologically…read moredesigned guest house for people on official business with the University or the National Lab. It has a killer view of the Bay and the San Francisco skyline and Golden Gate Bridge as well as a birdseye look down over the Berkeley campus. Just hope there is no fog! The staff is friendly and helpful in every way. You need a guest pass to get up here, sponsored by a campus or lab host, but it is accessible with a car or the lab shuttle bus. I have been here a few times and I would be happy to stay here again if the opportunity presents.

We checked in on a very quiet day and found that we and about only ten others were staying over at…read morethe guest house. The parking lot across the street was more than ample and probably has the best view of the Bay Area of any other parking lot around. Our check in was very easy and the front desk clerk was more than helpful. Our room was located on the second floor right next to the hospitality room which was very handy for accessing the coffee and other refreshments. It was very quiet overnight with no traffic noises, sirens, dumpster sounds or sounds from other rooms. It was probably the quietest room I have ever been in. The room is very small but adequately appointed with a double bed, small desk, one chair, a dresser and enough electrical outlets for our chargers. The size of the room was similar to a cabin on a cruise ship with a small but plenty adequate bathroom. The television in our room was not high def but pulled in several cable channels and I could not figure out how to use the HDMI inputs. As many have said previously, the Guest House is not for everyone as it is located well above the campus and away from any commercial and residential area. You can't stroll down the street for a cup of coffee or a newspaper because you are probably ten minutes up the hill from the main gate. It is ideal for anyone doing business at the lab and for getting away from the city. This would be a great place for a weekend retreat. If you are using your GPS to direct you, be aware that it may point you to the wrong street and gate. The only was up is to follow Hearst Avenue all the way to Cyclotron Road then pass through the Blackberry Gate. The security staffers were quite friendly and patient.

I booked this place last minute for Cal Day at UC Berkeley, so reasonably priced options were…read morelimited. Given that, I felt it delivered exactly what I needed. For those leaving negative reviews, this is a case of getting what you pay for. The biggest plus was the location, an easy walk to campus. The staff were also very accommodating, allowing me to check in early and holding my luggage for a few hours after checkout, which made a big difference. That said, it's more of a hostel-style setup. My room had a shared bathroom, the water pressure was weak, and the mini fridge was noisy enough to keep me up at night. The walls are also quite thin, so you can hear neighboring rooms. Would I stay here again? Yes, mainly for the convenience. Next time, I'd just plan ahead and book a room with a private bathroom.

Absolutely do not stay here. Do not be fooled by website photos. The place is old and shabby. More…read morelike a hostel or guesthouse than a proper hotel. Lot of amateur, half-finished repairs. Depressing atmosphere. The kind of place you come to OD. The power went out during my stay. There are no backup lights in the rooms. There was no staff onsite. I called the hotel and was told they would give me 50% off for the inconvenience. On checkout, no staff onsite. They would not answer the phone when I called for a week afterwards. Eventually I had to dispute it with my credit card company.

In two words : "Simply Amazing". This was my second time at this Couch & No-Breakfast and it keeps…read moregetting better and better. The hostess, the lovely miss Dle, will take care of you like no other. Cooking entertainments, visit by car in Berkeley and many more. Additionnaly, you are guaranteed to never sleep in the same couch between the different visits. A luxury offered by nobody else. Unfortunately rumours have it that Miss Dle will close her Berkeley location. But hopefully she will export her original Couch & No-Breakfast concept elsewhere in the world. No matter where she goes, I can't wait to try her next couches!! Thousand thanks miss Dle. You'll be missed by the whole California =).

THE CITY CLUB BAR…read more John treated me ! Thanks Johnny boy!! I started with a Gin Martini 2 olives & a twist on ice ... Unfortunately the ice wasn't in cubes so the flavor was so watered down that I couldn't taste the gin at all...We then were served some great little warm breads with delicious butter YUM! The split mixed iceburg lettuce salad arrived which was a generous portion & well dressed with some notes of tarragon ..nice! John ordered the braised short rib & he subbed out the mashed potato/roquefort for the fried potato disks that came with the rib eye. Good spuds! My beef bourguignon had wonderful toothsome wide egg noodles but weirdly, chunks of green pepper & undercooked pearl onions? The beefy gravy was perfect on the pasta BUT the beef's texture was terrible.. mushy without a smidgen of bite! YUCK! When John had me taste his beef the resuts were much the same... too soft & textureless.. then the opposite...the pretty split carrot halves were too hard & undercooked on his plate to bring out their sweetness....I assume these 2 long cooked meats styles had been sitting for god knows how long I left most of the dinner to take home & see if I could repair the dish... (I'll probably eat the noodles and use the beef in a taco?). so my suggestion is to order the rack of lamb (if I return....which John had had & recommended) & stay away from long cooked items (except beans)

An absolutely stunning venue for an intimate wedding. My husband and I had the pleasure of…read moreattending a wonderful ceremony and reception here. The outside space for a wedding ceremony is so beautifully designed with all the plants. The historic interior added such a timeless look to our friends' reception and we really enjoyed the food provided too. Would definitely recommend as a venue!

Such a cute place for brunch when family was in town visiting over a week ago. We had brunch then…read morewalked around the flower picking area. The brunch menu had a small selection of options but what was on there was good. We did not do the flower bouquets this time due to time constraints but will next time we come back.

Mother's Day brunch: The menu was very small, ran out of multiple items, and, again, it was very…read moresmall; service was all over the place. They comped the meal, and we didn't ask for it; we only wanted to split the check, which was a policy that was never discussed, but their system could do it. So they decided to comp the check, given the many issues. Then the manager calls me after we leave, leaves a message, and says, very passively aggressive, "We comped your meal, but you did not leave the server a tip." Servers live off tips. But don't worry, we took care of her tip. Have a good day." Umm, excuse me? I was a server for over 7 years. First of all, I wouldn't expect a tip after the establishment that failed me by not ensuring they had adequate kitchen supplies to keep a Mother's Day up and running. Additionally, I would have added more staff to the day, which would of course be very busy. And lastly, how are we tipped when you comped the bill and walked away, and nobody had cash? We did not ask for the bill to be comped. So for future reference, dear John I don't recommend calling your customers and bullying them over voicemail. You're the problem, not us.

Raphael goes above and beyond for customers and their events. I have recently used them a few weeks…read moreago for a shuttle to top golf and back, and everyone had a great time. Motor coaches, mini busses, vans, limousines, they got it all and they do a great job at showing up on time and in professional vehicles. I guess only thing I can recommend is to not lose your stuff, as they aren't baby sitters who pickup after you ;) Grown adults shouldn't have any issues working with Umbrella!

What you look for in a bus company is to safely and efficiently get passengers from Point A to…read morePoint B. Umbrella Bus barely got our passengers from Point A to Point B, did not do so efficiently, and arguably didn't do it terribly safely. We booked Umbrella for a 54-passenger shuttle to transport wedding guests from our wedding hotel to our ceremony venue, and then from the ceremony venue to the reception venue ($1050 total). I confirmed this itinerary with their staff by email and phone several times (at least three), because they kept sending me invoices that only showed a partial itinerary, but they assured me that they had the correct itinerary written down and would read off the correct itinerary on the phone when I called. On the first trip, the bus driver got the bottom of the bus stuck on a steep hill, rendering it unable to move. Guests had to walk nearly a quarter mile from where the bus got stuck to the ceremony site. The bus was also blocking the entrance to the park where the ceremony was held, meaning that park visitors and several wedding guests who were behind it were severely delayed in getting into the park. We had a couple of guests who missed some of the wedding ceremony because the bus blocked the entrance for so long. It would've been 3.5 stars if only for this, since it wasn't 100% the driver's fault, though he should really have known what the buses he drives are able to handle. On the second trip, though, despite me confirming the destinations in the itinerary with Umbrella MULTIPLE TIMES, the driver had somehow been given the wrong destination by their dispatch, and took guests back to the hotel instead of to the wedding reception venue. My family members had to argue with the driver, who insisted that he'd been told to take everyone back to the hotel, and "I'm only doing two trips, how will people get back to the hotel?" but he eventually relented and took everyone to the reception instead, but meant that most of the guests were delayed by quite a bit in getting to the reception. This definitely wasn't the driver's fault though, and was clearly the fault of the company/dispatch. He did eventually take the guests where they needed to go, which we appreciate.

​This is the ultimate Bay Area "pro-tip." It's located right by the BART station and offers much…read morenicer, more spacious rooms than you'll find in San Francisco for half the cost. ​The Vibe: Vibrant but homey a great escape from the city noise. ​The Service: The staff is incredibly friendly. Shoutout to Nora for the stellar dining recommendations and for checking in to make sure my stay was perfect. ​I don't mind the 25-minute BART ride at all when the value is this good. My new go-to spot!

I booked the Shattuck Suite directly through the Hotel Shattuck Plaza website because of the…read morespecific amenities shown in the listing photos, especially the 1.5 bathrooms and dual-sink layout. Those details were a major reason I chose to pay for that particular suite. When I arrived, I was informed the suite had been oversold and I was placed into a different suite that did not match the room I reserved or the amenities advertised online. To be fair, I tried to stay understanding and keep a positive attitude during the stay. At checkout, I was told management would work with me to make things right and that I should follow up with the General Manager. Unfortunately, after four emails, multiple follow-up attempts, and two weeks of waiting, I have received no meaningful response from management. Mistakes can happen in hospitality, but ignoring a guest after promising a resolution is disappointing, especially when a premium room was booked specifically for its advertised features. I'm leaving this review mainly because the lack of communication and accountability after the stay has been far more frustrating than the original issue itself.

We were off to Berkeley to go to the Cal-Arizona game. We tried to find a night at one of our…read moreusual places, but no luck since this was homecoming weekend. I thought we'd have to do something like Hilton Garden Inn in Emeryville [ I'd read that it's OK}; but really wanted something more personal & in a nice, walkable, pleasant area. After emailing all the B & B's that sounded promising, and getting mostly 'sorry' replies, a vacancy at Belrose happened. But we were required to book 2 nights. So Ok, the rates were reasonable, $125 a night, for the East room. Relief -- we got our room for the weekend! So Friday afternoon, we make the 2 1/2 hr trip to Berkeley. It's a rainy day & we love it. We are so happy with the location of the Belrose, in the Claremont district of Berkeley, a few blocks from the Claremont Hotel, in a beautiful neighborhood of lovely old homes & mansions. Ah, love Berkeley in the Fall. We had unfortunately come down with bad colds, so opted for an early dinner of Matzo Ball soup at Sauls & an early night turn-in back at the B & B. Our room, one of 3, and the Queensize bed, was comfortable, spacious and a private vintage bathroom... very solidly built fixtures & the BEST shower I've ever had, with great heaps of hot water. The bed was comfy and the house was quiet. Belrose Avenue can be noisy with the flow of traffic towards the intersection of Claremont & Tunnel towards Hwy 24, but once we went to bed we didn't notice it. The breakfast was well laid out and pleasant in the dining room overlooking the veranda & pool. We had good pastries & fruit & cheese, with Peets coffee the first morning. But our 2nd morning, we were treated to the best cinnamon rolls made by the hostess Mary. What a treat. We easily were able to walk to Memorial stadium for the game. And Berkeley is such a great town to walk in. So we didn't have the hassle of finding parking for the game.... had our own spot back at the B & B. They have a private driveway & carport in back of the house. We saw that parking at the sororitys & frats was running $45. So we were glad that worked out. All in all we enjoyed our stay. The hostess was very friendly & helpful. I think certain things could be upgraded & spiffed up a bit [ carpets mainly]. Because some antiques are used in the furnishing of the rooms, the use of old furniture is also apparent and can look a little shabby. We were not pleased that there were no amenities in the bathroom, and very surprised that the rooms weren't cleaned & linens changed/ bed made the 2nd morning! I've never been in a place that didn't neaten up your room. The pool needed some work done. So that's why the deduction of a star. I was really pleased to find another place to stay in the area. And I'm sure we will be back. One note, there is no sign on the house stating it is a B & B. So this little gem is relatively unknown, except for some listings on the online services.

Buyer beware"!!!!…read more Read all the reviews carefully and you will see that the B&B host/owner may very well promise you a room and then give it away to someone else!! Here is our nightmare story..... We were planning a trip to Berkeley for the Cal - Ohio State game and found what looked like a very cute B&B just a few blocks from Memorial Stadium. I called and inquired and to our joy, there was one room (the master bedroom) available. I sent a check the following day to "secure" my reservation and then called a couple of days later to confirm it had been received it. (Conversations with with the host/owner indicated she was quite sweet but somewhat disorganized or befuddled). She confirmed that she had received the check and the room was reserved for us. The week of our stay I called to again confirm but only got an answering machine. And the mobile number was never answered and the message for the mobile number said the caller had never set up their voice mail. I never received a call back. Then the day of arrival, I called multiple times again and still no answer or call back. We arrived about 1 pm on Saturday to find the house completely open with no one around. We had no place to park (all three stalls in the back of the house were full) so we proceeded to the game and had to find a different place to park which cost us $50. After the game I called again and finally the host/owner answered. I told her who I was and asked where we should park when we arrived? Silence on the other end was not comforting!! Finally, she says, and I quote, "I'm so sorry but I'm full!!" I said but you have my check and we confirmed our stay! Again I quote, "But, I did not cash your check" There is more to the conversation but I will spare you. Needless to say Berkeley and most surrounding towns were sold out and we spent the next hour attempting to secure a room. (BTW, The Hilton Garden Inn was a life saver!!) I do not want to be mean or harsh but I honestly believe this person should not be running a bed & breakfast.

Absolutely Disgusting. The room smells of harsh cleaning chemicals, but the real reason for 1 star…read morewas the living worms that would rise out of the sink when you turned the water on. Additionally, the sink was broken so not all the water went down the drain, but would leak out the back and onto the counter... WORMS and all!!! There were also quite a few flies that kept finding a way inside despite killing them all and not opening the door... I attempted to stay here a single night after watching a concert at The Greek, but it was so disgusting we opted to just drive home. Currently in disputes to get a refund for the night we didn't even stay, but they are fighting that despite it being a health concern. Hopefully the money they don't give back with actually go to repairing this terrible property. TLDR; Would absolutely not recommend this place. Stay anywhere else but here.

If I could leave zero stars I would. This was genuinely one of the worst hotels I've stayed at. It…read morewas so bad that after being in the room for less than 30 minutes we'd reached out to Expedia, obtained a full refund and were on our way to a different hotel couple blocks away at 8:30 at night. They'd lended out to the room to 4 adults. When we brought up the concern that the room was way too tiny to accommodate 4 grown adults, let alone their luggage they were quick to say that the room was ideally only for 2 adults or adults with small children and agreed that it'd be a tight fit for 4 adults. Okay, why'd you list it as appropriate to accommodate 4 adults then??? The room didn't look clean at all. The sheets were yellowed, the faucet was practically loose and wobbling. Upon inspection of the rest of the sink setup, the plumbing was completely wrong, and continued usage of the sink would've resulted in the sink cabinet flooding. The complementary napkin dispenser was completely empty. The wiring for the blowdryer was completely broken and just out in the open. How are you gonna say the room can accommodate small children when it's so unsafe? Looking at the rest of the terrible reviews I'm starting to think our experience wasn't that bad since we left pretty quickly and were able to find accommodations somewhere else. The entire hotel needs to be shut down.

My first visit to the Brazil room is going to be a memorable one. My husband and I were able to…read moreget on the reservation list for the 75th Anniversary Celebration of the Brazil Room. Not only was the event, put on by the East Bay Regional Parks District, fun, educational and entertaining, the room itself is quite a room! The hall, which may be small by some standards, feels quite open and spacious with tall lofty ceilings. With a strong Tudor style on the inside and it's large rock fireplace, the rustic yet elegant charm is what draws you in. We were treated to guest speakers, live jazz band, light refreshments, champagne and cake. And since we were one of the first 75 people we received a free book that is fresh off the presses "Tilden Regional Park Queen of the East Bay Regional Parks" by Richard Langs. Not only did Richard entertain and educate us with a brief synopsis of the history of our area, he took the time to sign copies of the books generously given away. I would highly recommend to anyone interested in the area's history to pick up a copy (contact EBRP in Oakland and I'm sure they will tell you how to purchase) to understand how, why, when the EBRP district was developed and how it came to be what it is today. Truly Tilden Park is one of those places that causes anyone who has visited to be awestruck and inspired. Going back is not a question but a must-do! California seems to be full of such places, luckily one happens to be in my back yard! I'm looking forward to finding other open events at the Brazil room. The evening function was absolutely delightful. My family will go visit the grounds during the day....just to take a look around and probably have a picnic by the pond. If you want to have your wedding here, be prepared to wait. The list is 2 years out if you want it in the summer on a weekend. "It's popular" is an understatement.

From the owner: We offer four rental facilities to host your special event including weddings, birthday parties,…read morebusiness meetings, retreats, and memorials. Each facility is in a different park within the East Bay Regional Park District. We have flexible reservation options that range from fully catered events to completely DIY (do-it-yourself) depending on the facility and time block you choose. Tables and chairs are included. **Our Brazilian Room in Tilden Regional Park accommodates up to 150 for a fully seated reception indoors or up to 225 standing room and includes an outdoor patio for ceremonies and/or appetizer hour with a view of the surrounding Tilden Park hills. **Our Temescal Beach House at Lake Temescal accommodates up to 80 for a fully seated reception indoors (56 in the Fireside Room and 24 in the connecting Lakeview Meeting Room) or up to 130 standing room and includes an outdoor patio for ceremonies and/or appetizer hour surrounded by a vertical garden and views of Lake Temescal from inside. **Our Fern Cottage in Kennedy Grove accommodates up to 60 for a fully seated reception indoors or up to 130 standing room and includes a private backyard with covered back deck that overlooks a landscaped lawn and garden. **Our Shoreline Center at the MLK Jr. Regional Shoreline accommodates up to 60 for a fully seated reception indoors or up to 125 standing room and includes a deck with views of the San Leandro Bay and East Bay hills. **Contact us today for a tour!**