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Menlo Park · Hotel shortlist

3 star hotels on the beach in Menlo Park

Daniel Kovac

Daniel Kovac Central Europe

Updated 1 September 2026 · 6 Menlo Park hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Menlo Park, out of the 6 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.8 down to 3.5.

The Cottages Hotel is the one I would book myself.

The Cottages Hotel

Highest rated of the five

The Cottages Hotel

★★★★★4.8 from 98 reviews

The Cottages Hotel comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.8 from 98 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 3 star property, found under city centre and around $366 a night on the dates we checked.

6 hotels in Menlo Park qualified for this list and five made it. Red Cottage Inn & Suites is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Poolsomewhere to cool off between walks
  • Spatreatment rooms on site, no booking a taxi for it
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Gymopen to guests, not a partner pass down the road
  • Parkinga real consideration if you are driving in

Check rates Read more

All five, ranked

  1. The Cottages Hotel1

    The Cottages Hotel

    ★★★★★4.8 from 98 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

  2. Red Cottage Inn & Suites2

    Red Cottage Inn & Suites

    ★★★★★4.2 from 123 reviews

    • Pool
    • Gym
    • Parking
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning
    • Accessible

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  3. Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel3

    Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel

    ★★★★★4.1 from 2,094 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

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  4. Hotel Lucent4

    Hotel Lucent

    ★★★★★4.1 from 270 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Kid friendly

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  5. SureStay Plus by Best Western Mountain View5

    SureStay Plus by Best Western Mountain View

    ★★★★★3.5 from 608 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Pet friendly

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How this list was put together

6 Menlo Park hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Daniel Kovac

Daniel Kovac Central Europe

Takes the same two weeks every August and drives somewhere far with his wife and daughter. Twelve countries, all by road, all in one battered estate car. Plans routes on paper maps.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.