If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD395.00), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
Maybe you’re a tech billionaire in need of a break, digital nomads seeking out chic remote-working retreats, or you just need to reboot your OS: whichever, Nobu Hotel Palo Alto offers recharging in Zen-configured minimalist rooms with subtle tech touches, holistic optimisation with a let-the-sun-shine indoor-outdoor feel throughout and powered-down pace – and it puts the UX in luxury. The iconic Nobu menu has had some updates with Cali-inspired plates, service is agile and attentive, and exclusive ryokan-style rooms and suites have elevator-key-only access, huge furnished terraces and some traditional teak bath tubs. Altogether, a cool culture-commingling hangout you’ll be well-invested in.
11am, but flexible, subject to availability and a charge: after 2pm half the room rate will be charged, full rate after 4pm. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
Prices
Double rooms from £366.71 ($457), including tax at 15.695 per cent.
More details
Rates don’t include breakfast, but it’s worth shelling out for day-starters with a difference, such as bao buns with egg and Applewood-smoked bacon drizzled in yellow-ricotta sriracha.
Also
The hotel is fully ADA compliant, with accessible areas throughout, elevators and six adapted rooms with grab bars in the bathrooms, enhanced communication features for the visual and hearing impaired and closed-caption TV.
At the hotel
Dining and drinking patios, fitness center, charged dry-cleaning service, free WiFi. In rooms: Samsung Smart TV, Alexa, voice-activated control panel for lighting and shades, gourmet minibar and sub-zero fridge for personal items, Nespresso machine, traditional tea set and Ikaati teas, linen yukata robes, T3 hairdryer and hair straighteners, garment steamer and Natura Bissé bath products. Ryokan rooms and suites get a premium turndown service, priority booking at Nobu Restaurant, a Dyson Supersonic hairdryer, custom Mauro Spina bath products.
Our favourite rooms
You have to appreciate the way relaxation is engineered in rooms (the work of Montalba Architects who worked on Nobu’s Malibu outpost too): they’re visual ASMR with neutral hues, natural materials (teak and stone) and pared-back decoration; all have balconies or terraces for an indoor-outdoor feel; and tech is subtly integrated (voice-activation for the lights and blinds). However, enlightenment is found at the nirvana, so take one of the Ryokan Suites that sit on the top, elevator-key-protected seventh and eighth floors. Crafted with teak furnishings, crema marfil marble-stone accent walls, hardwood flooring, Japanese artisan lanterns and natural handwoven textiles, they’re blessed with a few extra luxuries, including a seating area, extra-large terraces, priority seating in the restaurant and an executive turndown. And, suites come with a teak onsen-style bath tub, separated from the bedroom by a sliding shoji screen.
Spa
The 24-hour hotel gym is a sun-flooded, well-equipped space with free weights, treadmills, Peloton bikes, kettle bells, yoga mats, a Technogym skill bike, rowing machine and elliptical. There’s no spa onsite, but rather than wallow in self pity, sink into steamy fragrant waters in a hot tub at the hotel’s pampering partner Watercourse Way Bathhouse and Spa. Alongside these schvitzing sanctuaries (two of which connect for groups), there are hot-stone massages, organic and collagen-boosted facials, and specialty treatments that read like a dessert menu: champagne and chocolate scrub and mousse masque, savannah honey cleanse, pumpkin-pear wrap, sugar-plum-cranberry top-to-toe revitalising. It’s also home to a SkinSpirit clinic, the baby of plastic surgeon Dr M Dean Vistnes and CEO Lynn Heublein, where estheticians gently administer injectables, medical-grade facial tweaks, and laser touch-ups. Nobu guests get priority booking.
Packing tips
The hotel encourages rest, with its gentle woodblock artworks (from a private collection, ‘you’re feeling sleepy’ neutral palette, head-clearing minimalism and spaces where you can hear the sound of one hand clapping. However, there are worse places to work – waves of Silicon Valley energy abound from the buzzy surroundings, the restaurant is all set for schmoozing investors over sushi, and rooms have live-edge desks you can comfortably work from – so you may as well bring your MacBook.
Also
The hotel’s artwork – donated from a private collection – melds nicely with its milieu, with Hokusai-esque landscapes and graceful woodblock prints.
Children
Connecting rooms are available and with a family offer your little one will get a welcome gift too.
Either sit on the terrace to people watch, or near the glass doors which open to let in the sun; or watch the chefs slice and dice at the sushi bar.
Dress Code
Either the sort of ‘I don’t own a megayacht, really’ normcore uniform of Silicon Valley’s key players, or something sculptural and unfussy to match the interior’s Japanese-style simplicity.
Hotel restaurant
It’s rare that something so delicious comes along that it enters the canon of legendary dishes, but nearly 30 years after Nobuyuki Matsuhisa conceived them, his namesake restaurant’s rock-shrimp tempura, miso black cod and yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño peppers remain iconic and enduringly delicious. The fresh sushi bar with its busy chefs are also present and correct in this outpost too, but in the Silicon Valley spirit, innovation is key, and there are new plates inspired by the fertile coastal locale, say lobster with honey-truffle aioli, crispy brussel sprouts with tomatillo salsa, and ocean trout pepped up with rocoto peppers. Plus there’s wagyu steaks, the chef’s surprise-party-in-your-mouth of an omakase menu, Asian-inflected salads and desserts richer than a unicorn’s CEO: we like the mixed sweet bento box, or the banana soy toban with caramelised bananas, candied pecans and malaga gelato (a sweet-wine take on rum and raisin).
Hotel bar
There are two bars, one that leads off from the restaurant, and the Lobby Bar, both laidback yet lively spots, with the latter especially merry during Tanoshi Hour (3pm to 5pm, Friday to Sunday), a take on happy hour where a different menu of drinks and snacks is served. Evergreen favourites include the elegant lychee and elderflower martini, Nobu sidecar with Japanese whiskey and yuzu, or Matsuhisa martini splashed with sake. But, if you take your rice wine neat, there’s a long list to choose from, from the dry to the creamy, to the floral. It’s strong stuff, so you’ll be glad of having a room just an elevator ride away.
Last orders
Breakfast is from 7am to 11am, lunch from 12 noon to 2.30pm, and dinner from 5pm to 10pm.
Room service
There are few things more decadent than eating Nobu classics in bed; order bento breakfasts and more from 7am to 11am, then fine sushi, soups, hot and cold favourites, sandwiches, steaks and donburi till 10pm.
Nobu Hotel is in Downtown Palo Alto, practically across the road from the sprawling Stanford University campus, close to state parks and preserves with mighty redwoods, and a 30-minute drive from San Jose and 40 minutes from San Francisco.
Planes
San Jose airport, a 30-minute drive away, has direct links across the States and Mexico, into west Canada and from Tokyo or London. However, San Francisco International is truly global, and is a slightly shorter journey at 25 minutes. The hotel can arrange private transfers in a sedan or SUV, starting from $100 one-way.
Trains The Caltrain station is just a five-minute walk from the hotel, and the Baby Bullet rides from here to ‘Frisco in around 40 minutes, or you can enjoy more leisurely journeys south. For those travelling cross-state or further afield, the Amtrak stops at San Jose.
Trains
The Caltrain station is just a five-minute walk from the hotel, and the Baby Bullet rides from here to ‘Frisco in around 40 minutes, or you can enjoy more leisurely journeys south. For those travelling cross-state or further afield, the Amtrak stops at San Jose.
Automobiles
California’s coastline calls out to car drivers, and the stretch between LA and San Francisco, on the 101 and the 1, is the stuff of road-tripping legend. Along the way you’ll pass through Cali Wine Country, Santa Barbara’s beaches, Big Sur’s tremendous bridges, the Carmel Highlands and their natural hot springs, the looming redwoods of the north, and miles of sigh-worthy scenic shoreline. Driving in Palo Alto itself is a little less exciting, but if you avoid commuter hours, a set of wheels will come in handy for sightseeing. Valet parking is US$50 a night or there are plenty of options for parking downtown; the High / Alma South Garage or High / Hamilton Lot are the closest, just across the road from Nobu.
Other
Travel like your VC funding just landed and charter a private jet to Palo Alto Airport, a smaller, more exclusive hub about a 15-minute drive away.
Worth getting out of bed for
Palo Alto means ‘tall tree’ in Spanish, and the tree in question – a 1,080-year-old redwood – still stands to the north of the city, albeit a little diminished. But, the city’s distractions have grown more cutting edge over the years as it became the birthplace of Silicon Valley and largely works as its central processor, churning out future tech geniuses from Stanford University, and hosting big names, such as Hewlett Packard and VMWare. Get a good grounding in its rise by taking one of several tech tours on offer, these will show you the garage where Hewlett-Packard was founded, Shockley’s Laboratory where the first transistors were made (arguably where it all began), and the Nikola Tesla Statue (also a free WiFi point and time capsule). And, most go further afield, out to Meta’s (or Facebook’s) Menlo Park campus to take a selfie by the big ‘like’ sign, the Googleplex in Mountain View to explore the quirky statues in the grounds, the Apple Campus in Cupertino and Steve Jobs’ and Steve Wozniak’s humble starter garage in Los Altos, the Computer History Museum and the Intel Museum. Take note that unless you know an employee, most campuses can only be seen from outside, so this is more for hardcore fans. However, there’s much more to see and do on the sprawling Stanford Campus, just a few blocks from the hotel. Look out to the Santa Cruz Mountains (and San Fran on a clear day) from the top of the Hoover Tower; see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hanna House; admire art both modern and ancient at the Anderson Collection, Cantor Arts Center, Papua New Guinea Sculpture Walk and in the Rodin Sculpture Garden, and see who’s playing at the Frost Amphitheater or Bing Concert Hall. The community-serving multipurpose Palo Alto Arts Center, and the Stanford Shopping Center are close by too. The Downtown Shopping District has indie and brand stores, small galleries and cafés, and gets very lively after-dark, and the Stanford Theater is a 1925 cinema that’s been revived to show classic films, including those from the Twenties with a live wurlitzer score. But, you can’t stare at a screen the whole time – to the east, Palo Alto gets lush, with a multitude of redwood parks and open-space preserves, and many many trails running through: say, two epic legs of the Coast Trail, the Wunderlich Loop, Bald Knob trail, or Crazy Pete’s Trail in Coal Creek Open Space Preserve – Pete bought and named the road, but no-one knows where the nickname comes from. Head up into the Santa Cruz Mountains, or take the gentle Stanford Dish hike closer to the city; and to the east, is the Baylands Nature Preserve, with routes through fauna-roamed marshland.
Local restaurants
Nobu isn’t the only place for wining and dining (or sake-ing and supping?). It’s a city where both premium-paying HNWs and into-their-overdraft students all have to eat, so you’ll find a good range of restaurants and cuisines. Try Tamarine for Vietnamese eats with a-lot-going-on flavours, such as tea-leaf beef; spicy salmon and crispy noodles with togarashi, sweet soy, jalapeños and aioli; and harissa seabass with honey and lime. Chef Robbie Wilson’s Bird Dog gives comfort food an upgrade: sticky-with-maple waffles are topped with crème fraîche and caviar, togarishi challah is spread with yuzu-kosho butter, and beef short rib and nashi pear come atop crispy rice. Evvia serves elevated Grecian favourites, most fired in their open hearth, in their charcoal grill or wood oven, and Ramen Nagi does reasonably priced warming bowls – the tonkotsu pork broth is a hug of a dish in its original form, but you can spice it up with cayenne and chilli oil, or add an aromatic squirt of calamari ink.
Local cafés
Coupa Café is a friendly family-owned joint of the sort who list the local farms they work with. It’s housed in a 1930s building, and its coffee beans hail from all over the world. You’ll also want to try the Spicy Maya Hot Chocolate and chai tea, and tuck into t acos and arepas while you’re at it. And, if you want to start your day with a bacon-and-egg artisan roll followed by a buttery croissant and sugar-laminated kouign-amann, make a stop at Manresa Bread. And, cult ice-creamery Salt & Straw tops cones with seasonal flavours such as rhubarb crumble with star-anise, saffron with crystallized flower petals, and pistachio-rose with strawberry-mochi chunks.
Local bars
Nola is as raucously fun as the city it’s named after. Housed in a faux French Quarter building, you’ll find its courtyard packed with revellers doused in rum and sipping boozy slushies. The Hurricane is the potent signature drink with lashings of rum, brown sugar and tropical fruit, but there are other sweet thangs to try: the Apple Pie Toddy with bourbon, watermelon margaritas, sangria with applejack brandy and Lambrusco… The Wine Room is a little more sedate – a ranch-style space with leather armchairs, a fireplace, and charcuterie and cheeses to pair with some very fine Cali-and-beyond wines.
Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this hotel with plenty of tech appeal at the heart of Silicon Valley, snapped their Apple Macbooks shut and completed their onsen ablutions, a full account of their sleep-mode stay will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Nobu Palo Alto in California…
Nobu Hotel Palo Alto scales up the hotel experience through meditative Japanese minimalism, ryokan-style suites, dining that needs no introduction, and some of the innovation its Silicon Valley setting is known for. Montalba architects and design studio IDEO have worked in rice-paper and glass walls, teak furnishings, whitewashed oak, crema marfil marble and handwoven textiles to create Zen spaces where guests can escape the stresses of entrepreneurship, enjoy restful romance, or dream big, whether in the cloud-soft beds or while working away at your live-edge desk or in the lobby bar. And, in Nobu tradition, it’s a fusion affair, with a breezy West Coast feel; all public spaces and rooms have an outdoor area to make the most of Palo Alto’s sunniness, the Santa Cruz Mountains sit pretty in most window frames, and the menu has a few Cali-inspired novelties: red-snapper sashimi with agave, jidori chicken anticucho, cauliflower with jalapeño salsa, and sashimi tacos, of course. But don’t worry, the favourites – miso cod, rock-shrimp tempura – are there like old friends. Set by Stanford, in bustling downtown, you can live it up like you live on either end of the spectrum (the student bars and eateries keep the reasonably priced cocktails and ramen coming), then come home to a haven, especially if you’re on the ryokan levels (the seventh and eighth floors), which can only be accessed by an elevator key and usually have an onsen-style bath tub to sink into and switch to your inner screensaver.
