The Rosewood Sand Hill is located off a lovely drive on Highway 280 in Menlo Park.  If you come here and check yourself in on Facebook Places, you’ll quickly notice one thing.  There are about a dozen venture capital companies in close proximity.  From that, I surmised that this property is a default location  for brilliant minds to ‘get away from the grind’.  And why not, it’s tranquil here, the food is scrumptious and exquisite and there is every amenity your heart will desire or your mind or body will need ~ to unwind, rejuvenate or indulge.  The California Ranch setting with a stunning view of the Santa Cruz mountains, along with the kind and warm service you receive  from the hotel staff  is exemplary.

It’s one of Anna’s and my favorite hangouts on Sundays, hanging out at Madera.   As I mentioned in a separate post, our Sunday lunch at this  Rosewood Sand Hill’s signature One Michelin star restaurant lasted four hours.  A cousin of ours was visiting from abroad and instantly fell in love with the hotel.  So much so, that he  checked out of where he was and we were able to  book a room for him for a couple of nights.

It’s was siesta hour at 4pm when we checked into our room.

Our room with a view of the courtyard

Perfect siesta spot

Our cousin's suite ~ yes, we were jealous, but we remained friends. His room was decadent!

Fit for a king! Feel like one, that's for sure!

As soon as we thought we could settle in, my niece (who had joined us for lunch) decided she needed a few things at the nearby Hillsdale mall, so off  went the mother and daughter team ~ and I took that opportunity to move from this outdoor chair to one by the pool.

This is where you can clear your mind and do a lot of thinking

I thought about a lot of things as I lay by my chair under the perfect California sun.  On the way to the pool, I stopped by a Movement Room and an exercise room.  The Sense Spa (which is reviewed HERE) was buzzing with people checking in and out ~ and the meeting rooms, perfectly set around a  flowering courtyard ~ made me wonder to myself “so this is where brilliant minds come to gather“.

The courtyard in the middle of the Meeting Rooms

There were several courtyards like this.  In a couple of them were guests who claimed a courtyard to themselves, set out their laptops and clearly were holding office.  There was nothing to distract them; passers by respected their space.   Even the workers at the hotel who had to move around did so with as little noise as they could.

by Sense, the Spa at Rosewood Sand Hill

There was definitely a different vibe here.  Because it’s so close to Stanford and in the middle of VC country, it’s a bit more formal compared to the other hotels we had visited recently.  But it’s a good kind of formal, not snobby at all.  Perhaps ‘refined‘ might be the right word word to use.

We’re setting our Sunday lunch camp up the top at the restaurant.  After a hectic workweek ~ we want to feel good about life.

Even a great minded almost 18 year old kid agrees!

And here, at the Rosewood Sand Hill, that’s quite easy to do.  

Enjoy more photos set to music ~ we really loved our stay here!