There is no better time to visit Silicon Valley. With Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium set to host the World Cup this summer, the region just south of San Francisco is in the middle of a glow-up. Not only is it an epicenter of sports, innovation and AI, but it’s also home to sensational restaurants, beautiful trails, superb shopping and world-renowned wineries. Here’s how to spend two days in the Valley.
Where to Stay
One luxury hotel in Silicon Valley stands out above the rest: Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Rosewood Sand Hill. The Menlo Park property is a secluded oasis amid corporate campuses. The 16 acres feature detailed landscaping with local florals, majestic olive trees, grassy expanses and a massive pool that can be quite the scene on summer afternoons. As one Rosewood employee recently said, “The people who live nearby have pools, but they come to our pool to enjoy cocktails and be seen.”
The hotel recently underwent major renovations. The Four-Star Asaya Spa opened last spring as a new wellness destination with state-of-the-art treatment rooms and a fitness center, signature therapies like Dr. Barbara Sturm facials and CBD massages and a nail, lash and brow studio. Asaya memberships are available to local visitors, along with an assortment of classes, including Pilates and strength training.
Hotel guests have access to the 19,500-square-foot space, complete with saunas and soaking tubs, even without booking a treatment, so be sure to allot downtime to hang out and relax in the sophisticated spa, which is decorated with chiseled stone, rich woven textures and wooden finishes.
Interior designer Nicole Hollis is behind the hotel’s new look and redesigned all 121 guest rooms and five residential villas last year. The farm-style rooms have balconies or patios, modern art, four-poster king beds and bar cabinets with landscape prints. Bathrooms boast deep tubs, bronze-marble countertops and rain showerheads.
Start your morning at Bici Coffee, Rosewood Sand Hill’s new cycling-centric coffee shop. Here you can grab a cappuccino, fresh-pressed juice and a ham and cheese croissant from nearby gem Manresa Bread.
Book one of the hotel’s unique offerings, a scent-making session in the onsite perfume bar. The experience, hosted by Swirl Works, is special. An instructor will guide you through the basics of making a perfume, explaining how scents have multiple layers and aromas. You’ll smell everything from sandalwood to jasmine to bergamot and create your very own signature fragrance — complete with a name and printed-out label.
After designing your perfume, head to the Stanford Shopping Center in nearby Palo Alto for the best outdoor mall in the area, offering everything from Anthropologie and Alo to Hästens and Hermès. Wilkes Bashford is a beloved local department store that originally opened in San Francisco’s Union Square in 1966. Bashford added a second location in Palo Alto in 2001 and, in 2024, the store debuted an entirely modern space with more than 28,000 square feet. There is a made-to-measure men’s program, 20-plus jewelry cases and an espresso bar. Discover Saint Laurent separates, Brioni outerwear, Johanna Ortiz dresses and much more.
This shopping center is also where internationally acclaimed chef José Andrés opened his first Northern California restaurant, Zaytinya, late last year. Enjoy a sit-down lunch of labneh and hummus with housemade pita bread, hearty fattoush salads, fragrant spice-rubbed lamb and grilled chicken skewers at this happening hot spot.
After more shopping, head back to the hotel for afternoon tea. Rosewood Sand Hill recently announced a partnership with Flamingo Estate, and the tea is made exclusively by the lifestyle brand. The menu also features exquisite pastries like a miniature princess cake and a sphere of Dandelion Chocolate mousse, as well as delicate sandwiches and even caviar.
Take time to rest after the scones and shopping. Then for dinner, head to Nobu Palo Alto, the famed Japanese restaurant from Robert De Niro and celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa. The hospitality is superb, the friendly staff will help you plan the ultimate dining experience and the cocktails are potent and satisfying.
Order the crispy tempura shrimp with the special Palo Alto sauce — it’s spicy, creamy and delicious. Grab a few pristinely plated sashimi, too. The signature silky black miso cod is a must, but save room for dessert. The Japanese-inspired “Zen garden” features a miniature replica of the restaurant’s beautiful patio with a panna cotta base and frozen raspberries.
If you happen to be in town on a Friday night, be sure to stop by Rosewood’s Madera Bar before turning in for the evening. The scene is incredible — it’s a buzzy hub where models might mingle with moguls, set to a soundtrack of live jazz and curated vinyl.
Fuel up for an active day exploring at Rosewood’s Madera, where super seed granola, gluten-free cranberry polenta cake and Dungeness crab cake Benedict are all on the menu.
Next stop: Filoli, Woodside’s historic house dating back to 1917. The gorgeous estate is a 56-room mansion complete with an elegant dining room, grand ballroom and vast staff kitchen. Guests can wander around the first floor and the adjacent 16-acre gardens, which include a stunning selection of roses. Filoli sits on 654 acres of natural lands with six distinct ecosystems, hundreds of fruit trees and two hiking loops, so wear comfortable shoes if you plan to hike.
For lunch, The Village Bakery is a short 12-minute drive away from Filoli. The restaurant is from the Bacchus Management Group, a hospitality company that operates several of the Peninsula’s top eateries. Although it’s called a bakery, it’s truly a café, with a refined yet relaxed atmosphere and a welcoming vibe. The lunch menu features satisfying salads (radicchio with grapes, almonds and truffle pecorino), an assortment of pizzas, an excellent white cheddar burger and egg dishes (such as shakshuka and chilaquiles).
After eating, go south to the hills of Cupertino and the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, where you’ll discover the exceptional winery Ridge Vineyards’ Monte Bello estate. Founded in 1962 by four scientists from Stanford University, the label was one of the wines poured in the 1976 Judgement of Paris that put California winemaking on the global map.
An internationally renowned producer, Ridge specializes in single-vineyard bottles, organic and sustainable farming and minimal intervention. The resulting reds and whites are top quality. Book a library tasting, and you’ll enjoy pours from a selection of its most recent highlights. The winery sits on a ridge overlooking the entire Silicon Valley, so be prepared for a windy drive. We also recommend downloading the directions in case you lose cell service.
After a respite at the hotel, take a 10-minute trip to Che Fico Parco Menlo for your last meal of the trip. The upscale Italian eatery from chef David Nayfeld has lush greenery, pretty patterned wallpaper and comfortable velvet chairs.
Start with a negroni and fresh mozzarella, then move on to housemade pasta — rigatoni amatriciana or lasagna al forno — and hearty entrees like halibut with fingerling potatoes, chicken Parmesan and melt-in-your-mouth veal and pork meatballs. The wine list is extensive, so grab a bottle and toast to a weekend well spent in Silicon Valley.
