In the heart of Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is a nickname for the southern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area, in the northern part of the U.S. state of California. The “valley” in its name refers to the Santa Clara Valley in Santa Clara County, which includes the city of San Jose and surrounding cities and towns, where the region has been traditionally centered.
The word “silicon” originally referred to the large number of silicon chip innovators and manufacturers in the region, but the area is now the home to many of the world’s largest high-tech corporations, including the headquarters of 39 businesses in the Fortune 1000, and thousands of startup companies.

The Happenings

Santa Clara and San Jose

10 minutes away

Santa Clara is located in the center of Silicon Valley and is home to the headquarters of several high-tech companies such as Intel. It is also home to Santa Clara University, the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of California. Levi’s Stadium, the home of the NFL‘s San Francisco 49ers, the site of Super Bowl 50, The Pac-12 Football Championship Game and the site of the 2019 College Football Playoff title game, is located in the city. It is bordered by San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Cupertino.

San Francisco

45 minutes away

A popular tourist destination, San Francisco is known for its cool summers, fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of architecture, and landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, the former Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, Fisherman’s Wharf, and its Chinatown district. San Francisco is also the headquarters of five major banking institutions and various other companies such as Levi Strauss & Co., Gap Inc., Salesforce.com, Dropbox, Reddit, Square, Inc., Dolby, Airbnb, Weebly, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Yelp, Pinterest, Twitter, Uber, Lyft, Mozilla, Wikimedia Foundation, and Craigslist. It has several nicknames, including “The City by the Bay”, “Fog City”, “San Fran”, and “Frisco”, as well as older ones like “The City that Knows How”, “Baghdad by the Bay”, “The Paris of the West”, or simply “The City”.

Napa Valley

2 Hours away

Vines, wines and the people who love them are central to the economy of Napa Valley. Other treats for taste buds are in store, too, in the form of local olive oils, tomatoes, cheeses and mustard. The other senses are catered for with a vibrant visual arts scene. Rent a car or book a taxi or limousine to get between sights safely. The Napa Valley Wine Train offers an unusual way to experience the views and vintages. A relaxing array of spas and mud baths and the Old Faithful geyser are attractions in Calistoga.

Santa Cruz and Monterey

1 hour away

Santa Cruz is known for its moderate climate, the natural beauty of its coastline, redwood forests, alternative community lifestyles, and is located at the northern end of the Monterey Bay. It is also home to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, an oceanfront amusement park operating continuously since 1907.

Monterey is located on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, in the Northern Portion of California’s Central Coast. Among Monterey’s notable attractions are the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, Fisherman’s Wharf and the annual Monterey Jazz Festival.

The California Coast

1 hour away

Although we wholeheartedly recommend the entire coastal drive from San Diego to San Francisco, day tripping can afford you some of the most spectacular sights within proximately to your stay at The Plaza Suites Hotel Silicon Valley.

Check with our Reception professionals to plan a great afternoon for one of your free days while in town. Enjoy an exhilarating driving experience, this twisting, cliff-hugging, 123-mile (198-kilometer) route along the central California coast takes about five hours to complete at a leisurely pace. Designated an All-American Road—among the nation’s most scenic—the drive encompasses both the Big Sur Coast Highway and the San Luis Obispo North Coast Byway.

One of the most common routes, for a longer full day excursion, would be to head south on 101 and Begin the coastal drive from Monterey and venture up to just north of San Francisco and Muir Woods. Hop back on 101 for an expedited return to the hotel

We like this blog of the Journey.