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Alameda · Hotel shortlist

Cheap hotels near the cathedral in Alameda

Talia Ben-Ari

Talia Ben-Ari Turkey, the Gulf and Egypt

Updated 1 September 2026 · 19 Alameda hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Alameda, out of the 19 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.9 down to 3.8.

Every one comes in under $130 a night, and the one I would book first is $85.

ITH San Francisco Pacific Tradewinds Backpacker Hostel

Highest rated of the five

ITH San Francisco Pacific Tradewinds Backpacker Hostel

★★★★★4.9 from 1,114 reviews

ITH San Francisco Pacific Tradewinds Backpacker Hostel comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.9 from 1,114 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 2 star property, found under the cathedral and around $85 a night on the dates we checked.

19 hotels in Alameda qualified for this list and five made it. Green Tortoise Hostel San Francisco is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Kitchenettebreakfast on your own schedule

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All five, ranked

  1. ITH San Francisco Pacific Tradewinds Backpacker Hostel1

    ITH San Francisco Pacific Tradewinds Backpacker Hostel

    ★★★★★4.9 from 1,114 reviews

    • Kitchen
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

  2. Green Tortoise Hostel San Francisco2

    Green Tortoise Hostel San Francisco

    ★★★★★4.6 from 1,712 reviews

    • Spa
    • Parking
    • Kid friendly
    • Airport shuttle

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  3. Bposhtels San Francisco3

    Bposhtels San Francisco

    ★★★★★4.5 from 90 reviews

    • Spa
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Air conditioning

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  4. Bay Breeze Inn4

    Bay Breeze Inn

    ★★★★★4.2 from 211 reviews

    • Parking
    • Air conditioning
    • Accessible

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  5. Orange Village Hostel5

    Orange Village Hostel

    ★★★★★3.8 from 803 reviews

    • Spa
    • Kid friendly
    • Accessible

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How this list was put together

19 Alameda hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Talia Ben-Ari

Talia Ben-Ari Turkey, the Gulf and Egypt

Editing runs in intense blocks with real gaps between, and she fills the gaps by going somewhere with no plan. No itinerary, no bookings past the first night.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.