Mixing Business and Pleasure at the Park James
The Park James hotel joins the Menlo Park community in the heart of Silicon Valley with expertly-designed rooms and an on-site restaurant, Oak + Violet. My one-night stay had me wishing I could have stayed a couple more as the hotel’s location meant I had a short local commute to work. The weekend rates are quite affordable and a great option for staycationers; guests are located just a few minutes’ walk to downtown Menlo Park with many restaurants and shops in addition to the Caltrain station, which can whisk you north to San Francisco* or south to San Jose.
*For any non-Bay Area readers: if your final destination in SF isn’t SOMA (neighborhood), I recommend getting off Caltrain at Millbrae and switching over to take Bart to get to other neighborhoods like Mission, Financial District, Embarcadero, or even cross over to the East Bay.
The King Suite was elegant and sophisticated with hues of light brown and mahogany. It screams business and luxury. I recalled touring the suite prior to the grand opening of the hotel and the individual had mentioned they were going to set it up for a local CEO’s board meeting. The bed is a murphy bed and can be stored to free up space; they were going to bring in a table for the meeting and set up the room to serve dinner as well.
walk-in closet 
pour-over coffee equipment
I loved the room, but I was infatuated with the walk-in closet (I want one!). When you first walk into the room, there’s a sliding door to the restroom; after you walk through the living space, there’s another small room for hanging and storing your clothing, storing luggage, a bar cart(!), another sink, and the equipment to make your pour-over coffee in the morning. The instructions were detailed and easy to follow (I had never made my own pour-over before my stay, so don’t worry if you haven’t either).
another amazing dinner at Oak + Violet
This was my second time eating dinner at Oak + Violet and the food and service was spot on. My friend and I are both foodies and we love trying a bit of everything, so we decided to get a couple appetizers and one entree to share. We settled on: mini lobster tacos, Parker house rolls, white truffle fries, open fire baked oysters, crispy brussel sprouts, and olive oil poached salmon. I can never turn down good seafood, so naturally, my top dishes at Oak + Violet are the mini lobster tacos, brussel sprouts (perfectly caramelized from roasting), baked oysters, olive oil poached salmon (so tender), and stuffed whole branzino romesco (the entree I had on my first visit).
Luckily, the weather was perfect for outdoor dining in the courtyard. We were seated at a table, but we couldn’t resist plopping down on the cozy sofa by the fire pit for a couple minutes. I’m excited for summer to get some gal pals together for drinks and bites in the courtyard after work since some of my friends and I work only a few minutes away.
We got a great night’s rest and we didn’t have to rush in the morning since our commutes were shorter. I was really excited about making my own pour-over coffee since the Park James stocks the room with Ritual Coffee beans, a local coffee purveyor founded by a female with shops in San Francisco and Napa. I filled the electric kettle with water, and it only took a couple minutes to boil. I placed the filter in the dripper that sits on top of the Chemex and poured the coffee grounds inside. The instructions said to pour some hot water over the grounds and let it steep for 30 seconds. A beautiful aroma filled the air. i continued pouring the water over the grounds slowly until I reached the appropriate market on the carafe for 2 cups of coffee.
It was so nice to be able to enjoy some coffee while checking some news before starting my day, something I don’t get to do unless I’m working from home.
A big thank you to the Park James for an amazing experience in the King suite and Oak + Violet for the stellar service and dinner!
