Silicon Valley isn’t the first place most people look for leisure. This is, after all, the land of laptops, where ideas turn into IPOs, and café chatter is more TED Talk than small talk. Yet on weekends, when the Google shuttles rest and the meeting rooms empty, an entirely different atmosphere emerges, one that’s surprisingly serene. Here, among the tech world’s glass buildings and the eucalyptus-lined bike paths of Mountain View and Sunnyvale, two modern hotels—Tetra and Shashi—redefine what a Silicon Valley getaway can be.
Tetra: Calm by Design
Part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, Tetra Hotel is the elegant choice in this innovation-heavy landscape. The 186-room property is surrounded by cutting edge corporations, yet its own energy is that of understated luxury. Guest rooms blend minimalist lines with soft lighting, Le Labo bath amenities, Dyson hairdryers, Nespresso machines, and even compact Theragun minis for post-exercise recovery. (Request a room on the west side for a front row view to stunning sunsets over the Santa Cruz Mountains.) The third floor rooftop pool is a tranquil surprise. Its deck is lined with chaises that encourage lounging in the South Bay’s perpetually sunny, Mediterranean-like climate.
Tetra’s restaurant, Adrestia, captures the area’s global sensibility with a fabulous “East Meets West” weekend brunch that merges California’s love of local produce with Japanese technique. Enjoy items like One-Plate Washoku Chicken Katsu with Lettuce, Pickled Carrots, Tonkatsu Sauce, or Shio Koji Black Cod with Sweet Japanese Omelet, Pickled Vegetables, Tamanishiki Rice, and Furikake. But don’t discount the yummy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, or the Surf and Turf Eggs Benedict with lobster tail and porchetta. Adrestia’s dinner menu follows delicious suit, but weekend brunch is the standout.
Evening aperitif is best experienced at Nokori, the hotel’s Japanese whisky bar, where the curated spirit list is bountiful. Guests can explore labels from Yamazaki, Hakushu, Nikka, and small, hard-to-find distilleries, served neat or in precisely balanced highballs. Nokori’s menu of small bites is perfectly curated to accompany the selection. For those new to Japanese whisky, Nokori offers a guided entry point to understand its delicate craft; for aficionados, it’s a trove of rare bottles. Either way, it fits seamlessly into the Tetra vibe.
Shashi: The Urban Resort
If Tetra is meditative, Shashi brings a touch of exuberance. It’s a destination that embraces the concept of an “urban resort.” At this LEED Gold certification hotel, guest rooms are outfitted with Equator coffee, Rishi teas, comfy bedding, and electronic window coverings. (Note: room 541 is especially lovely with its corner placement and treetop views.) The hotel’s central atrium houses a heated pool and hot tub surrounded by daybeds. And a co-ed dry sauna and steam room round out the spa-like amenities.
Evenings unfold at The Emerald Hour, Shashi’s lively bar and lounge where you’ll find live music every evening, in addition to televisions tuned to the latest Bay Area sporting event. The cocktails are elevated by the bar team’s handcrafted syrups, house infusions, tinctures, and carefully layered flavors. Dinner is steps away at Broma, Shashi’s Spanish-Portuguese-inspired restaurant led by Culinary Director Jared Gallagher, formerly of the Michelin-starred Chez TJ. Executive Chef Aubree Arndt channels the Iberian Peninsula through a California lens, with dishes like squid ink Fideuà de Mariscos, Pan con Tomate on house made bacon levain, and an autumn salad of persimmon and delicata squash. The chef’s tasting menu, the “Broma Experience,” is a curated surprise each evening, grounded in what’s fresh from local markets.
At Carte Blanche Café, the baristas serve beans from Vertigo Coffee Roasters, an independent San Juan Bautista roaster with roots across Mexico, Honduras, and Peru. Choose a spot inside or out with your hand-thrown ceramic mug (crafted by Chef Arndt herself), and you’ll see why this stop has become a community favorite.
A Smarter Kind of Escape
Together, Tetra and Shashi form a small constellation of calm in a region more often associated with acceleration. What makes each appealing is their dual invitations to slow down in a place that rarely does so. On weekends, when the corporate whirl subsides, the surrounding streets fall into a hush and are ideal for wandering, or for scooping one of those unmistakable primary-colored Google bikes. If you spot an unclaimed one, it’s fair game for a joyride along the many marked bike paths. A short walk or ride will lead to the Sunnyvale Bay Trail and its panoramic bay views, or to the Stevens Creek Trail, where wide-open vistas feel miles away from the nearest microchip. It’s a reminder that even at the heart of this tech-heavy region, the natural world isn’t far away. But so are venues like Shoreline Amphitheater, Levi’s Stadium, the Computer History Museum, and Sunnyvale’s charming, historic Murphy Avenue, ensuring activity and entertainment for nearly every interest. A Silicon Valley getaway may not be the obvious choice, but that’s precisely what makes it so intriguing.
Photos courtesy of each hotel, unless otherwise noted
