You can also take the Marin Door to Door Airport Shuttle from the airport. $40 one way; $12 for each additional person. The cost of this 24-hour service has stayed the same for 11 years! Call 415/457-2717 to make arrangements. If you call by noon the day before, they will meet you on time for your flight arrival.

Marin Suites Hotel, Corte Madera

Best Value Inn, Corte Madera

Presidio Inn, San Francisco

American Youth Hostel
There are four local sites of the American Youth Hostel chain in the area:
Marin County site
Marin Headlands (Sausalito): phone: 415/331-2777

The Marin Headlands Hostel is the closest, most reasonable and perhaps nicest of the Bay Area hostels, and draws adults of all ages. It is in a National Park near Sausalito (the three others are in San Francisco). Prices are $24-26/night in a dorm. Private rooms: $72-92/night total for up to three persons. There is no tax or membership fee. There is a 14-night per year limit per hostel. Cooking facilities are available. Like the closer S.F. hostels, Marin Headlands Hostel is a 25 minute drive from class. You will need to have a car or share a car with a classmate because there is no public transportation except for Sundays and holidays.

San Francisco sites
Ft. Mason (Fisherman's Wharf):
Building 240, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
phone: 415/771-7277
fwinfo@sfhostels.com

Downtown (Union Square, San Francisco):
312 Mason Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
phone: 415/788-5604
dtinfo@sfhostels.com

City Center:
685 Ellis Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
phone: 415/474-5721
ccinfo@sfhostels.com

The 3 San Francisco hostels of the American Youth Hostel chain have public transportation and are convenient to S.F. attractions. Call for reservations.

First, let's again emphasize that if you stay at least 31 consecutive days at the same accommodations, you can arrange to avoid paying sales tax.

Local hotel prices are reflective of this being an upscale, popular area between San Francisco, beautiful parks and beaches, and the wine country. However, we've negotiated much larger discounts with many accommodations for 2012. Then sharing can in most cases help you slash the cost in half. All of our accelerated classes have students from other states and countries who are actively seeking to share accommodations, but it is much better to arrange this once classes begin. (In fact, you can begin to meet classmates at our optional get-acquainted meeting the evening before class begins.) Plan on having your own private room for the first two or three nights, then a motel room can usually be shared for the remainder of the time.

Or other opportunities may be even more appealing. For example, we have connections for rooms in private homes in town for reasonable prices. And once classes have begun, another possibility may be to get a room at a local classmate's home, which would cost considerably less than motel rates.

For those of you who have a travel trailer or other camping gear and like the outdoors, there are some lovely parks in the area with reasonable rates. There is also Marin Park, (a trailer park) about a mile from class (see above).

There can be many creative ways to keep costs down. For example, the Marin Headlands Hostel tends to draw mature adults of all ages who appreciate nature. Sharing a private room with two classmates could cost $25 per day each, and if a car is needed the costs can be shared of a reasonable rented car as described above.

Directions to the Corte Madera Inn (where classes are held):
There is plenty of free parking. We are next to Highway 101 in Corte Madera, a 10 minute drive north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Directions from San Francisco: Going north on Highway 101, take Paradise/Tamalpais exit, then turn left to cross the overpass. Turn right on Madera Boulevard. Turn right at the first street past the shopping center. The Inn is on your left.

Directions from the East Bay: take Highway 580 across the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge. Take the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard exit to Highway 101 and go South. Take the Madera Blvd. exit. The Inn appears immediately on your right.

Directions From the Sacramento area and beyond: Going west on Highway 80, take Hwy. 37 to Hwy. 101 and go south, then continue with the following directions below.

Directions from the North: Going south on Highway 101 past San Rafael, take the Madera Boulevard exit, which is soon after the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard exit. The Inn appears immediately on your right.