In all of its bohemian glory, the boutique Hotel Rex sits in the heart of the pulsating theater district, only a block from Union Square's swank shopping and entertainment, a half mile from Chinatown, a mile from the Moscone Convention Center and quick cable car rides to Fisherman's Wharf and North Beach. But the Rex's cultural pursuits set this place aside from all the others.
Named for local poet Kenneth Rexroth, the Rex pays homage to the literary salons of the 1930s, with period furniture, antique dial phones and typewriters, a well stocked library of antiquarian books, and original paintings. The Rex organizes tours of area art galleries during monthly wine and cheese receptions and new exhibitions. The lobby lounge spices up the hotel's bohemian aesthetic with regular jazz concerts, literary readings and complimentary evening wine hours.
And the food isn't half bad either. The Rex's Café Andree, the French bistro with a San Francisco flair, reels in the hungry with such signatures as Churrasco with Argentine chimichurre on pain rustique; quesadillas with ham, havarti and roasted poblano chiles; and grilled Niman Ranch ribeye steak with Riojas pinto beans and German butterball potatoes. When not engaging in literary pursuits or wondering what "Churrasco" is, patrons also can work out at a fitness center a block away and then return to work in the hotel's business center.
Meanwhile, guest rooms are awashed in bold citrus green and deep burgundy, with hand painted lampshades. They include CD players, comfy pillow top mattresses, Internet access, cordless phones and bathrobes.
Part of the Joie de Vivre company, the Hotel Rex and its clubby atmosphere, location and lively literary events attract an eclectic crowd of bon vivants, bohemians and wannabes, not to mention leisure and business types looking for the funky and offbeat.
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