Press Your Escape Button at the Four Seasons Silicon Valley at East Palo Alto

The stunning curved glass visage of the Four Seasons Silicon Valley at East Palo Alto glistens over California’s Highway 101, intriguing passers-by with its dramatic profile. The location is atypical for a luxury hotel.

Nestled at the rear of a large and well-maintained business park off of Palo Alto’s University Avenue, the hotel is a business traveler mainstay, welcoming primarily Silicon Valley high rollers during the week. But as the executive crowd gives way to weekend leisure travelers, the hotel relaxes a bit and serves as a glamorous and luxurious retreat for those seeking rest, relaxation, and recreation. Here are our four easy steps for getting the most out of your Four Seasons Silicon Valley vacation stay:



Step 1: Just as the buttoned-up executive slides into cashmere slippers during off-hours, the Four Seasons Silicon Valley displays its lighter weekend side starting Friday evenings in its new lobby lounge [esc], where the Bay Area’s tech and foodie cultures combine to create a warm and convivial ambiance. Offering locally-sourced gourmet food and drink with tech-forward touches such as digital menus, enomatic wine systems, and eye-catching digital wall art by Brian Alfred and Kota Ezawa, [esc] is the perfect setting in which to unwind. Start your weekend off by pressing [esc] at SHUCK, a 6 – 8pm Friday evening culinary and music event highlighting fresh oysters, caviar, and selected seafood bites paired with California sparkling wines and indie pop tunes spun by the hotel’s resident DJ. [esc] partners include Caffe Umbria Coffee, Larkmead Wines, Vineyard 29, and Byington Vineyard & Winery, with whom the hotel has collaborated on an [esc] exclusive and delicious “Blend 122.”



Step 2: After your SHUCK oyster party, meander over to Quattro, the hotel’s signature restaurant that features the modern northern Italian cuisine of Chef Martin Morelli who uses locally farmed and sourced ingredients in all of his dishes. All pastas are house made, all dishes are artfully prepared, and each is delicious. Selections include Skuna Bay poached salmon, butter poached Maine lobster, short rib tortellini, Wagyu beef tenderloin, black cod and caviar, and Mediterranean Branzino. Quattro’s famed wine list includes more than 300 bottles from around the globe, with a focus on California and Italian vintages. An enomatic preservation system allows Quattro to offer rare wines not normally available on a ‘by the glass’ menu. The Quattro bar and more intimate Intermezzo dining area with cozy fireplace feature substantive ‘bytes,’ and both creative and classic craft cocktails.



Step 3: Retire to your sumptuous room or suite, all of which have undergone recent renovations that veer from the hotel’s original 2006 corporate design. The new aesthetic is softer and uses sculptural artwork, warm hues of cherry wood, dark walnut, charcoal, textural fabrics, and champagne metal details. High-tech enhancements include multiple outlet charging stations, Bose music systems, electronic shades and curtains, and the addition of AT&T antennas located on each floor to enhance connectivity. Induce the zzzzs by ordering from the hotel’s ‘Sleep Menu’ of calming bath soaks, warm almond milk and cookies, and aromatherapy neck wraps.



Step 4: In the morning, grab your complimentary New York Times and head back to [esc] for coffee and house made pastries by executive pastry chef Eric Keppler. (Don’t miss his buttery and sugary Kouign-amann.) Relax in the serene, jewel-toned lobby as you plan your day. Schedule a Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Tour, or a “Food with Friends” cooking and baking experience with Chef Morelli or Chef Keppler. Work-out in the hotel’s fitness center where you can schedule a private yoga session. Step out the door of the hotel and walk or jog the tree-canopied streets of Steve Jobs’ Crescent Park neighborhood with its stately traditional homes and beautifully manicured gardens, or head down University Avenue for shopping and browsing. The Stanford Campus and its Cantor Art Museum and Rodin Collection are also close-by, as is ‘The Dish,’ Stanford’s 5-mile walking/jogging loop named for the 150-foot diameter radio telescope at its center. Book an afternoon massage or facial back at the hotel’s serene spa. (The revitalizing Natura Bisse Diamond Bright facial is not to be missed.) Afterward, relax by the 3rd floor rooftop pool and whirlpool, where unobtrusive but attentive staff cater to your every need. In the evening, repeat steps 1 and 2. There – you’ve now witnessed first-hand how the hotel’s business-like exterior, as viewed from the 101, belies the energy, verve, and fun found within. Did you expect anything less from a Four Seasons?



Tip: An excellent feature of the Four Seasons brand of hotels is their Four Seasons App, downloadable via iTunes, Google Play or Amazon. Guests can experience seamless access to Four Seasons reservations, services and amenities. Check in and out quickly, confirm wake-up calls, make dinner reservations, and connect with a concierge - all with a few taps to your phone.

Visit website: www.fourseasons.com/siliconvalley