Sacred Cafe, Ganton Street, central London

One of several appealing eateries in a pedestrianized stretch just off Carnaby Street, Sacred Cafe has shutters that open right across the front, so you can sit half-inside and half-outside. The paintwork is mostly the color of coffee beans, while the tabletops tend to be small white discs with barely enough room to perch both your laptop and your brunch. Many of the seats are trendy soft, brown cubes, but you will probably be more comfortable on one of the wooden chairs. The light menu (soups, salads, sandwiches) is scrawled across a blackboard behind the bar. There is good, but expensive, coffee, with a large Americano costing £2.50. For about a fiver, you can get scrambled egg livened up with spring onions and feta cheese. Served with a small pile of toast and butter, it is a delicious combination. But you may find your enjoyment curbed by cigarette smoke wafting in from tourists sitting at the outside tables. 7/10

Pacific Heights, San Francisco

It is well worth the steep climb up to this scenic and aptly-named neighbourhood. As you rise, you'll have eye-catching views of the bay and the city down the ruler-straight streets in San Francisco's grid pattern. Pacific Heights rises to 370 feet above sea level and its two small hilltop parks provide sweeping vistas over both the eclectic architecture of downtown and out to the brooding former prison island of Alcatraz, squatting in the water opposite the Golden Gate Bridge. Well-kept and ornate one hundred-year-old buildings painted in pastel colours give Pacific Heights itself an air of prosperous gentility. Upmarket Fillmore Street, the neighbourhood's focal point, is lined with quirky boutiques, cafes and restaurants. 8/10 

Clift Hotel, Geary Street, San Francisco

Stylish and understated on the outside, flashy on the inside, the white-brick Clift Hotel is only a couple of blocks from Union Square and Market Street, San Francisco's premier shopping district. Even when the sun is shining outside, the large foyer and adjoining lounge area, with leather armchairs, is dark and gloomy. You can only just make out the centrepiece - a surrealist giant chair, which is the kind of thing you expect to find in Barcelona's hip hotels. Trying to be glamorous, but bordering on the seedy, the Clift's dark bar is staffed by waitresses in cocktail dresses, charging a hefty $8 for a bottle of beer. The decor in here and the adjacent grandiose restaurant is an opulent mix of velvet and leather. For the buffet breakfast ($26 a head), at least, the night-club style ambiance is all a bit over-the-top and oppressive, leaving you craving daylight. Instead of the buffet, you can also order some hot dishes, such as the slightly greasy corn beef hash ($12), but coffee will cost you another five bucks or so.

Poky, dated and basic
The Clift's bedrooms have paper-thin walls enabling you to clearly hear conversations next door, but they are tastefully decorated in light, pastel shades. As well as big and comfortable beds, the rooms are equipped with safes, irons and ironing boards, a large desk, flat-screen television, bathrobes, an array of lamps and just about anything else you might need. But the view from the window is likely to be a brick wall and the en-suite bathrooms can be a bit poky, basic and dated, while wired or wireless Internet access is a pricey $15 a day. Still, if you can get a discount code, the Clift's rates are good value for largish rooms in such a central location. 6/10

The Grove, Fillmore Street, San Francisco

One of the most alluring places to chill out on upmarket Fillmore Street, the Grove has some uncomfortable outdoor benches well-placed to catch the evening sunshine and a rustic, stylish and much more comfy interior. The big windows ensure the mishmash of wooden beams, distressed leather armchairs, wooden floorboards and massive stone chimney breast are soaked in daylight. You queue at the bar for both drinks and food, which is fairly simple fare, such as soups, salads, sandwiches and enormous moist, tasty cookies. For less than $8, you can get a bowl of decent chilli with a dollop of sour cream, served with a little packet of crackers. The chilli's flavours are pretty good, but it can come lukewarm. There are several beers on draught, including the Czech stalwart Pilsner Urquell ($6.50 for a pint) or you can get cold bottles of Mexican beer. Some of your fellow customers will be on laptops, taking advantage of the free WiFi, but you only get 30 minutes online for every $5 you spend. Fashionable, but no-frills, the Grove tends to draw a relaxed local crowd, mixed with a sprinkling of tourists. 8/10

Honey Honey Cafe and Crepery, Post Street, San Francisco

A slightly grungy diner near Union Square open from 7.30am, Honey Honey is a good place for a budget breakfast or lunch in the centre of San Francisco. You order at the counter, after perusing the lengthy menu, displayed on a large blackboard, which is awash with staples, such as pasta, crepes, bagels, soups and sandwiches. The tasty original crepe (about $6) is filled with melted, stringy orange cheese and onions, and is served with potatoes, salad or a small bowl of chunky fruit. The coffee is strong and cheap and there are free refills. You can help yourself to water from jugs flavoured with either lemon or orange. There is also free WiFi, accessible via a code on your receipt. Although the terracotta and green decor is a bit harsh and dated, there are a couple of tables outside where you can catch the sun in the mornings. Honey Honey is good value for this part of town and is understandably popular with both cash-conscious locals and tourists. 6/10

United Airlines, Economy Class London to San Francisco

United is one of only a handful of airlines flying direct from London to San Francisco. You depart from Heathrow Terminal 1, which feels old-fashioned, daylight-deprived and crowded compared with more modern airport terminals elsewhere. On the way out, it is a 10 hour daytime flight, so you can probably just about stomach economy class, which is cramped for anyone approaching six foot. For the night-time flight back, it is probably worth shelling out the extra to be in the large economy plus cabin, where the seats are fairly spacious and recline further. If you wait until you check-in online the day before, the upgrade might be quite cheap or there might not be any space left. If you are lucky, you might just get upgraded for nothing. In any case, check-in early, as you really don't want the middle seat in economy.

Grounds of Greys Court, Rotherfield Greys, Oxfordshire

If you are approaching Greys Court from Henley, this little piece of olde England can be hard to find - the brown signposts with the National Trust symbol are few and far between. Even so, you may have to queue to get into the car park as Greys Court can get very busy on summer weekends and you should arrive before lunch if you want to be sure of a timed ticket to go inside the handsome red-brick sixteenth century manor house. But even if you miss out, the gardens and the views of the rolling Oxfordshire countryside should make the trip worthwhile. From the main lawn, there is a lovely bucolic view across to another fine old country house on the other side of the picturesque valley.

Coram’s Fields, Guilford Street, central London

A large central London square dedicated to children, Coram's Fields is an oasis of fun in the otherwise refined and intellectual district of Bloomsbury. In these seven acres you'll find everything from astroturf football pitches to elaborate playgrounds to depressing cages occuped by goats, sheep, rabbits and birds. There is probably too much tarmac and concrete for some adult tastes, but children under twelve will be impressed. The main playground, padded with bark chippings, has an imposing and solid four-storey wooden climbing frame built to resemble a house. From the top, children can glide down a twisting, enclosed metal chute. It is surrounded by other large wooden contraptions, including frames for a large swinging tyre and a row of noisy bell chimes. There is also a disappointingly-sluggish zip wire, which needs an energtic adult to gain any momentum. Other smaller swings and slides are dotted around the patch of worn grass at the heart of Coram's Fields, which is fittingly off-limits to adults without children. Dogs are also barred. On a Sunday, most of the visitors are white middle class kids hurtling around the playgrounds and engaging in a bit of argy-bargy. 7/10