The Brown Shingle

The very good: Brown Shingle's porch and rooms have outstanding views of the East Bay, even more amazing at sunset. Also the location is outstanding for its close proximity to UC Berkeley and the north Berkeley "gourmet ghetto." The ok: rooms are clean and having a private bathroom is especially nice. There is no lock on the door, however. The owner is nice and competent. She may offer you free parking permits if you need them during your stay, but you should ask her if she forgets. The bad: The common space in the first floor of the house simply does not feel professional at all. It feels like you're in the personal home of someone with a hoarding problem-- including the piles of stuff in the off-limits dining room visible through its glass doors, the piles of things along the walls, and the garbage in the yard outside the front door. Though the private rooms are clean, the basket in the bathroom seemed to have decades-old castaways where there should have been soap and shampoo. The common spaces also smell like dog, and faintly like pee. I felt very uncomfortable spending any time in the common spaces of the house. Finally there is no "breakfast" with this bed and breakfast, though there is coffee, bread, and fruit spread set out on a little island at the top of the stairs on the second floor. Overall, I recommend this as a place to stay after dinner for enjoying the sunset, and as a place to sleep, but not as a place to spend time during the day.

Funky place. Totally fit into my preconceived first visit to Berkeley and that crazy 60's and 70's stuff that can only happen in a University town.. It was close to our Jimmy Buffett concert at The Hearst Greek Theatre. 15 minutes ... walking straight down to the concert venue and the great stadium, home of the Cal Bears. Helen knows Berkeley and it's famous architecture, history and the many eateries of the downtown. Pick her brain on the big wooden porch that looks out at the Bay. (And if you can choose the middle room upstairs for sleep time that same view is 10 feet clearer ... Wow.) I also would be remiss in mentioning we met some nice folks in B-Ville. Along with Parrotheads from near and far we met a tavern owner who invited us back for salsa and Marg's. As we always get in some kind of adventure I'll particularly single out our friend at Executive Cab who tracked down my lost wallet that fell from my pocket ( In someone elses car) That whole group of Independent drivers made phone calls to each other and long distant calls to my Canadian number to get it back to me two days later. Kudos. Now Helen can really recommend the cabs for a safe return back to the Brown Shingle after a night on the town. Some friends of ours were staying in San Francisco at an Air B n B. Not so nice an area, not so great a price. We saw it ... and sped away across the Bay. Twice our buds Barted over to Berkeley and were not only impressed that the trip only took about 40 minutes and a few bucks but also that Berkeley has such a good vibe and seemed to them much cleaner and fresher than their particular area of the big Citt. In otherwards The Brown Shingle is a great option to get into SF for the neat things the great city has to offer then escape back to the solitude on the east side of the Bay. So again Helen, thanks for our first ever B and B experience. The pictures posted on the site really do give indication on just how magnificent the view really is by misty morning, Golden Gate Sunset or twinkling Lights on the harbour of the City By the Bay. (Journey)

My wife and I had a wonderful stay. Helen was wonderful. We drove in from Los Angeles for a wedding at Tilden Park. The Brown Shingle was a perfect location. The room was cozy and comfortable. There was a breathtaking view of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge from our room and from the huge deck below. We would definitely recommend it.

Honestly, we loved staying there. Helen is a great lady with a big heart and we just absolutely loved our few days in Berkeley. The place is super nice and in a perfect location. Very clean as well. We definitely recommend it.