Park James Hotel

1400 El Camino Real/ Valparaiso Ave., (650) 304-3880. 61 rooms; 4 stories. Restaurant; room service. Fitness room; massage room. All-valet parking/$25 per night.

exterior of Park James Hotel in Menlo Park, California

Located just a few blocks from Palo Alto, and a few miles from both Stanford University and the toney Stanford Shopping Center, the Park James Hotel fronts a main traffic artery and abuts a quiet residential neighborhood in back. Its California Modern architecture has a clean-lined, Asian feel.

Guest room furnishings are comfortable, and decor includes both attractive original art and hardwood floors accented with area rugs. All rooms also have sliding glass doors that permit fresh air into the room, and drapes and sheers are controlled by a wall switch. Beds are triple-sheeted, and bathrooms feature light grey slate floors and walls plus an all-glass walk-in shower. Cutting edge amenities include complimentary Tesla and electric car charging, and a computer tablet is provided to contact the front desk for various services.

guest room at Park James Hotel in Menlo Park, California

An inviting bar producing excellent craft cocktails (think Pineapple Mojito and Cucumber Basil Gimlet) is fully open to the lobby. In good weather, the Oak + Violet restaurant offers outside seating on an expansive interior courtyard equipped with romantic strings of lights, effective heaters, and sometimes live music. The restaurant offers a simple dinner menu, with several steaks and fish among the main courses. Appetizers are a surprising highlight and include a variety of oysters, truffle fries, and over-the-top-flavorful baby carrots with garlic-lemon aioli and pistachio dukkah sauce. A continental breakfast is available only by room service.

bar at Park James Hotel in Menlo Park, California

Pineapple Mojito cocktails at bar at Park James Hotel
in Menlo Park, California

patio at Oak + Violet restaurant at Park James Hotel
in Menlo Park, California

dukkah carrots appetizer at Oak + Violet restaurant at Park James Hotel
in Menlo Park, California

Chef Joshua Chelminski at Oak + Violet restaurant at Park James Hotel

in Menlo Park, California

Pandemic Update

The hotel is LEED certified and was designed with special attention given to air quality. Each guest room has its own HVAC system, ensuring that the air between guest rooms is never shared.

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first image courtesy of venue;