For over a year I’d been longing for a visit to the Bay Area but I just couldn’t get things to work out. I love the area and try to visit annually and I was well past due. Then Sonesta swooped in and saved the day. The hotel chain recently opened two new locations in the area and invited me to check them out. Before I knew it I was on the road and ready to spend my first night at Sonesta Silicon Valley. I so enjoyed my stay that I decided to present you with not one, not two but five reason to stay at the brand new Sonesta Silicon Valley.

1)  IT’S ALL IN THE NAME

Are you familiar with Sonesta? I must admit before my visit I had never heard of it. That’s probably because the established hotel chain is only now starting to make inroads into California. Sonesta started in Massachusetts over 80 years ago and was even a onetime proprietor of the famed Plaza Hotel. Today it has a portfolio of over 80 hotels in 7 countries including the Royal Sonesta in New Orleans, the Sonesta Suites Scottsdale and The Clift Royal Sonesta in San Francisco which I will covering soon.

2) IT’S BUSINESS TIME

Although I was in Silicon Valley strictly for pleasure I know that many people travel to the area for business. Sonesta Silicon Valley is centrally located among various industry giants and evens offers its own beautiful event space. In a separate building immediately behind the hotel is over 6000 feet of newly renovated meeting space. There’s a large ballroom (also perfect for weddings) and three additional meeting rooms equipped with all the latest technological advances. As one who has had to attend meetings at hotels this is just about the nicest meeting space I’ve ever seen.

3) IT’S TIME TO EAT

Tucked away in a business district you might think Sonesta Silicon Valley has limited dining options but you’d be wrong. Located just off the main lobby is Manzanita an innovative Latin-Asian dining experience with a menu from Executive Chef Adam Ornellas who honed his skills at the famed Morimoto Napa.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner the restaurant offers an array of innovative takes on classic favorites. There’s also a full bar offering a range of beer, wine and cocktail options. And if you have kids in tow you’ll be happy to know they eat free for breakfast lunch or dinner.

Speaking of breakfast I made sure to sit down for a meal before checking out. It was difficult to choose between the breakfast buffet which contains a variety of freshly prepared items or something off the menu. I opted for the latter and ordered the Chilaquiles.

Made with fresh avocado, ancho chile, crispy corn tortillas and scrambled eggs and accompanied by a side of confit potatoes it was the perfect way to start my day. It was made with the freshest of ingredients and was incredibly delicious. Generously portioned, it was too much for me to finish and I was disappointed to leave some behind.

4) IT’S A HOME AWAY FROM HOME

For me a good hotel room must meet three criteria. It must be clean, it must be quiet and the bed must be comfortable – essentially I want to feel at home. Happily, Sonesta Silicon Valley meets all three. As soon as I stepped inside and saw the cozy seating area I knew I was in a good place.

The hotel offers a range of sleeping arrangements from deluxe rooms to executive suites and I was lucky to stay in the latter which had a cute living room, a large bathroom and comfortable bedroom. Although I did have a suite you’ll find most of the furnishings in all the rooms including one of the most comfortable mattresses I’ve ever slept on.

I don’t know where the hotel sources their mattresses and bedding but they’re so wonderfully comfortable that I had the best night’s sleep possible. It was like sleeping on a cloud. So soft, so cozy…I had a hard time checking out.

In addition, each room has large, flat-screen TV’s equipped with Google Chromecast, premium Poggesi bath products, in-room Keurig coffeemakers and ample outlets and Powermat charging stations for all your smartphone needs.

5) IT’S ALL ABOUT THAT TECH (‘BOUT THAT TECH…)

Now, you may be thinking “Sonesta Silicon Valley sounds perfect for the business traveler but what about someone on vacation?” I hear you. When I first arrived I didn’t think I would spend any time in the area and would leave for San Francisco early in the morning. But with a little research I found that there’s plenty to do for the casual visitor. The night I arrived I headed to Apple Park the computer giant’s famed circular headquarters. While there I was able to enjoy a virtual tour of the campus, grab and drink and snack in their cafe and purchase items available only at the campus Apple store.

The next morning I did get an early start and headed straight to…Intel. The company responsible for the microchip has an onsite museum that’s free to the public (and open weekends). I headed inside, read all the information, participated in the interactive exhibits and still am completely confused as to how computers work. But I did have fun!

Afterwards, I headed to NASA (yes there’s a NASA campus in Silicon Valley) and checked out the gift shop.

Inside you’ll find a few displays about the work done at Moffet Field and can purchase many space themed items. I ended up with the best pen I’ve ever had and a pin for the upcoming Artemis mission which aims to bring the first woman to the moon by 2024.

Finally I headed to Google’s campus to visit the Android Statue Garden. Hidden in a nondescript corner of the campus it was filled with visitors and in hilariously rough condition. They may be at the search engine forefront but in the analog world they’re a bit behind!

All of these places are within 20 minutes of Sonesta Silicon Valley. Located in Milpitas the hotel is truly at the center of the tech world. It’s the perfect place to stay for both the business and vacation traveler and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.