Travel Buzz

South Bay Getaways

It’s less than an hour away, but sometimes traveling to Silicon Valley can feel like heading to a different state. Once you get there, here are three hotels offering you a good reason to stay. MIMI TOWLE

Luxe Hack Feeling the need for a bit of Four Seasons pampering? The swanky Four Seasons Palo Alto, popular for dealmakers during the week, is offering discounted Friday and Saturday stays starting at $295 per night. Besides the updated rooftop pool, new additions include the [esc] breakfast spot, with one of only seven Slayer espresso machines in the U.S.; the spot turns into a hip wine bar in the evening. Top off our stay at the on-site and award-winning Quattro, recently voted Best Business Lunch in Silicon Valley. fourseasons.com/ siliconvalleyspasplurge No Passport Needed In downtown Palo Alto and up a flight of stairs, Garden Court Hotel visitors will be surprised to find a European-style refuge so close by. Complete with private patios overlooking a sweeping tiled courtyard, the property has all the requisites of luxe overseas lodgings just hours from home. The 62-room hotel, which underwent an extensive $9 million renovation in 2010, boasts deep soaking tubs, rain showers, Italian linens and Molton Brown bath products. This summer, take advantage of Friday and Saturday packages starting at $215 per night, through September 29. gardencourt.com Spa Splurge Relax in style at Rosewood Sand Hill’s expansive spa, which recently added many new summer-inspired treatments to its spa menu that includes two world-renowned French skin care lines: Maison Caulières, a 300-year-old brand from the Loire Valley, and EviDenS de Beauté, known for its Triple Collagen antiaging formula. Spend the day in the spa or better yet, indulge in the Serenity Spa Package for two, which includes one-night accommodation, two 60-minute therapeutic massages and a $50 breakfast credit at the Michelin-starred Madera; all starting at $710. rosewoodhotels. com/en/sand-hill-menlo-park

SUN ’N’ SKI Is summer skiing on your bucket list? Mammoth Mountain and Squaw Valley will be open in July, and depending on the weather, possibly even longer. So pull out those sunglasses and put some more wax on those skis; your season isn’t over yet. squawalpine.com; mammothmountain.com M.T.

Snap It

Here are three travel photo apps you don’t want to leave home without. LEELA LINDNER

GOOGLE PHOTOS

Best For Storing/Organizing Compatible iOS and Android Price Free

As you candidly snap shots of a Japanese macaque, the last thing you want popping up on your screen is the dreaded “Not Enough Storage” alert. With Google Photos, that problem goes away. Not only are your photos downloaded and stored on the cloud, they are organized, sorted, synched and categorized. It even gives you the option to search for shots by typing in keywords like “food,” instantly pulling up all Instagram-worthy foodie pics.

SLOW SHUTTER CAM

Best For Photography Compatible iOS Only Price $1.99 Haven’t you always wanted to take a photo of a running waterfall that captures the blurring effect of motion? Or that nighttime city shot where the car lights streak across? Thanks to Slow Shutter Cam, now you can. Offering effects that you thought you could only get with a DSLR, Slow Shutter Cam will take your images to new heights, leaving friends jealous and wondering when you had time for photography lessons.

SNAPSEED

Best for Editing Compatible iOS and Android Price Free

Searching for that app that makes you look like you spent four years at New York Institute of Photography? Loved by amateurs and professionals alike, Snapseed, developed by Google, is one of the most popular photography apps out there. Ideal for transforming your photos into art, the app has editing options with results comparable to Photoshop. It also gives users the option to save edited shots as a copy, meaning you don’t have to worry about ruining that original Ansel Adams.

Traditional sloe gin from Spirit Works, sustainable coffee from Taylor Maid and pizza from Vignette make The Barlow a must-visit destination.

Meet the Makers

Tucked away in sleepy Sebastopol is a neighborhood of artisans. From brewers and bakers to ice cream and pizza makers, The Barlow is a unique and delicious find, perfect for summer explorations. thebarlow.net CALIN VAN PARIS

In the Spirit The only makers of traditional sloe gin (red liquor made from sloe berries) in the country, Spirit Works Distillery also crafts traditional

gin, barrel gin, vodka and wheat

and rye whiskey. spiritworks distillery.com Bean There

The arabica

coffee beans at

Taylor Maid Farms are sustainable

every step of the way — even the packaging is environmentally friendly, and the beans are hand-

picked from organic farms. taylor maidfarms.com A Big Pizza Pie Vignette Pizzeria offers Neapolitanstyle pies in mouthwatering varieties like

the Red Eye — Calabrian chili

pesto, local eggs, fresh mozzarella, charred mort-

adella and grana padano. vignette pizzeria.com Do the Brew

Woodfour Brewing Co. is one of The

Barlow’s original tenants. Enjoy original handcrafted brews

— from a crisp and clean Gold Ridge lager to a smooth saison

— along with more than 40 bottled beers from around

the world. wood fourbrewing.com The Whole Pig If you love pork, head straight to Zazu Kitchen and

Farm. Owners and chefs Duskie Estes

and John Stewart

employ a “snout to tail” philosophy in both their pork company, Black Pig Meat Co., and Zazu’s inspired menu. zazukitchen.com

Local Libations

Planning a summer potluck? Consider creating a booze bar where only locally made or sold spirits are served. Here’s a few to get you started. M.T.

HANSON VODKA The Hanson family of Tiburon has been distilling award-winning organic fruitinfused vodka since 2013; its original vodka was just awarded 96 points by the Ultimate Spirits Challenge of New York. This certified gluten-free spirit is distilled in Sonoma, comes in five different flavors and is sold at most specialty retailers in Marin. hansonofsonoma.com

LAUGHING GLASS No mixing needed for these low-calorie margaritas concocted by two Marin moms, Carey Clahan and Sydney Rainin-Smith, who also made sure the drinks were all-natural, vegan and gluten-free. Available in regular or pomegranate flavor, throughout California. laughingglasscocktails.com

SALT POINT A Moscow mule in a can? This great idea was hatched right here in Mill Valley by Marin native Heather Wyatt. You’ll find the funfilled four-packs at most Bay Area Whole Foods and Mollie Stone’s stores. saltpoint.co

SAMMY’S BEACH BAR RUM We’re willing to bet very few people know how to emulate the taste of the islands better than Sammy Hagar, and his eponymous Beach Bar Rum is, ahem, proof. This cane rum sourced from the fields of Hawaii will add a bit of aloha to any gathering. sammysbeachbarrum.com

SANTO This unique black bottle is also the brainchild of Hagar: bonding over a love of tequila with buddy Adam Levine, he found a team to create the world’s first “mezquila,” a blend of tequila and mescal. santomezquila.com