Hotels

Silicon Valley as a concept might be the virtual capital city of the future, but Palo Alto as it actually exists can feel a touch anti-climactic, and its hotels are often disappointingly ordinary. But one hotel in Palo Alto feels suitably grand, at least once you’re through its doors: the El Prado’s vaguely postmodern NorCal Mediterranean-villa façade conceals a very contemporary luxury boutique hotel, whose interiors — especially in the guest rooms, which are remarkably stylish — recall some of Europe’s better high-end small hotels.

Given that it’s more or less the only hotel of its kind in town, it attracts a rather eclectic clientele, including tech-industry executives with a taste for a bit of grandeur and guests of Stanford University. And it’s quite capable of catering to all their needs, with capacious business facilities, a walkable location that’s convenient to the local shops and restaurants, and a fine Italian restaurant of its own, Il Fornaio. It may not be a window into the future, exactly, but it makes a compelling case for the present.