Slaving Away In Sunny San Jose

More and more, travelers journey into the Silicon Valley for business trips. The software giants Adobe, McAfee, Intel and Microsoft all have branch offices or headquarters in this city. While on my most recent trip, my schedule relegated me to the outer commercial district in north San Jose, rather than the bustling downtown areas where one can find numerous high rise buildings. Even so, I experienced both ends of the lodging spectrum and the dining options available at these establishments.

I plan to add to this journal as I frequent the area in the next few years. In the meantime, I have recorded my first impressions from my first trip.

Quick Tips:

Do some research before you go if you want to explore the hidden San Jose. As a business traveler, my schedule dictated the extent to which I could discover local treasures.

To really enjoy your trip, take an excursion north to San Francisco and outer areas. The climate drastically changes from the desert-like San Jose to the foggy and temperate Bay Area. The drive up the 101 Freeway coasts past inlets, creating dramatic vistas.

Best Way To Get Around:

San Jose does not differ from most suburban American cities. Its layout requires one to drive if your destination spans the Bay area. However, San Jose has a terrific public transportation system. A light rail called the VTA glides through town. Check out www.vta.org for more details.

What I had really wanted to do was stay at the Sheraton in Sunnyvale but high occupancy prevented me from doing so. At any rate, my company booked me into the Fairfield Inn by the San Jose Airport.

I entered the lobby, while small, resembled a nice living room. The hostess promptly checked me in and offered me Otis Spunkmeyer cookies. She also informed me that I could get complimentary breakfast every morning at the Garden Terrace.

My room featured a queen size bed, a small balcony that beheld a view of the parking lot, a TV, and a coffee maker. From what I could decipher, the air-conditioner had two settings: wind and gustier wind.

In the bathroom, I found a lone bottle of Physique shampoo and soap. At the end of my day, I wanted to take a hot shower and climb into bed. However, the Fairfield Inn limits its hot water so I took a freezing cold shower instead. I immediately called the front desk and they told me to talk to the manager the next morning. When I did call back, the manager told me that they were having problems with the hot water heater and to take a shower now instead because they would have had hot water.

While I originally imagined airplanes flying overhead, the sound of saws and construction greeted me in the mornings. Apparently, Fairfield Inn will add another structure to the front of their property.

I decided that all work and no play made me just plain boring. So while I do not consider exercise play, I thought I would make use of the exercise room and shed some calories. The exercise room featured a treadmill, stationary bike, two elliptical trainers, and various weight machines and free weights. The staff had not restocked the towels in a while and I managed to take the last one. A TV entertains the dedicated athletes while the rest of us gazed out the window across the pool.

With complimentary breakfast and Internet access, and a room rate of $119 a night, my company found a terrific deal. The Fairfield Inn lacks the little details and the pleasantries that might keep a loyal customer’s attention. It also lacks one very big detail for those craving something other than a freezing cold shower. If this doesn’t bother you, this hotel provided the two key components for a business traveler: a comfortable bed and a place to work. Always book on the top floor if possible, to prevent the sound of heavy footfall and noise overhead but you won’t escape the sound of construction no matter which floor you choose. If basic items like hot water and attentive management service rank high on your list, you may want to select a different venue.

Hidden away behind residential housing sits the Hayes Mansion, a California historic site. This beautiful, two-storey, white mansion acts as a full-service conference center. Our company decided to hold its annual conference in San Jose for its proximity to the Silicon Valley. Hot and reminiscent of a typical, unassuming suburban community, San Jose does not seem to offer much in terms of unique, luxury resort destinations. However, the Hayes Mansion compensates, with character to spare.

The actual mansion, with over twenty rooms, serves as the meeting center, complete with break out areas and a business center. It also houses the main dining room, the Silver Creek Dining Room, as well as the gym and spa. A swimming pool adorns the grounds, along with manicured gardens. Behind the parking lot lies a fenced in lot with tennis courts and a children’s playground. This area needs some attention as it resembles an overlooked campground, and does not blend in well with the well-tended grounds of the mansion itself.

I found my room in the main ballroom building. Two buildings adjacent to the mansion provide well-appointed guest rooms for conference attendees. While the noise from the ballroom below permeated the lobby, the rooms’ insulation protected my sensitive ears from the revelry. Request a room on the third floor to avoid the footsteps overhead. However, on the second floor, I barely heard much stomping from above.

A comfortable king sized bed greeted me upon my entry, as well as a small alcove with a coffee maker to the right of the doorway. A refrigerator would come in handy for all of the leftovers that I planned to accumulate. The bathroom, clean and bright, featured a large enough tub for soaking after a long day of meetings.

The hotel provided Internet access. However, the connection did not work properly and jammed up my laptop. I opted to use the business center instead. Beware of the complicated room connections.

After our meetings, my need to work off the calories I ingested during the lavish meals propelled me to the gym. The size of the facilities impressed me. I hopped onto an elliptical trainer and proceeded to work my way through 40 minutes of cardio agony.

The Spa At Hayes Mansion connects to the gym through the restrooms. Inside, a quiet room, complete with lush fabrics and exotic accessories, invites spa guests to wait for their treatments. I also found the sauna and steam room in the restroom.

I recommend this property to anyone planning a conference. Brace yourself for the cost. The Hayes Mansion does a superb job of hosting business events but the price will overwhelm those who do not expect it.

While it might not be appropriate to say that I was pampered during a business trip, I must admit that the Hayes Mansion provided for my every need during my stay. Just don’t tell my boss of the Hayes Mansion’s attributes. He might get the idea that I didn’t work.

Ever have too much good food? It’s annoying when it happens. Imagine a smorgasbord of delectable vittles in front of you and your stomach will not accommodate another bite. Prepare yourself because you will experience such an annoyance at Viaggio Ristorante Mediterraneo.

After a couple of days of non-stop meetings, our group needed to relax and dine. Tucked away in a corner of Saratoga, California, Viaggio focuses on the Mediterranean region but to me, the menu felt decidedly Italian. We began our feast with an antipasti buffet comprised of marinated scallops, shrimp topped with a medley of chopped vegetables and seasonings, sliced salami and pepperoni, olives, and calamari with bay shrimp.

Before I could overindulge in my starter, the lobster bisque I ordered arrived. The piping hot, creamy blend of lobster and spices warded off the chill from outside.

My main entrée, the seafood ravioli, may seem nondescript on paper but its presentation and flavor redeemed itself. Mussels in their shells encircled three large ravioli stuffed with a savory mixture of garlic, seasonings and fish. The ravioli sat in a creamy tomato base with salmon, scallops, shrimp, and calamari.

Do sample from the wine list. Our host generously ordered two types of Cabernet Sauvignon and a Chardonnay. For dessert, I tried the moscato d’asti, which replaced any need for me to consume all-too-fattening goodies off of the dolce platter. My companions tried the tiramisu, chocolate layer cake, fresh berries, cheesecake and cappuccino. Our server also brought me a sample of what she called “the red moscato,” which tasted a lot like the raspberry Bonny Doon Framboise. Nevertheless, the moscato d’asti did more for me.

Allow the servers to pamper you. Ours did a marvelous job, although some in our party felt she force fed them. Viaggio’s servers enthusiastically enjoy the food and want to share it with their patrons. The overally experience certainly entices me to return on my next trip to the Silicon Valley.

Price-wise, expect to pay between $20 to $30 per entrée.

While this does not exactly pass for a restaurant, I should say a few words about the newly upgraded Deluxe Complimentary Breakfast available at the Fairfield Inn. Guests of the hotel may eat breakfast from 6am to 9:30am in the Garden Terrace, a small dining room equipped with microwave ovens, a toaster, juice dispenser, and coffee maker.

The menu includes the basic offerings at a continental buffet spread. However, the added features of hot soup with udon noodles and rice for Asian travelers, bacon, eggs, and pancake wraps upgrade this selection to “deluxe,” according to the hotel description. Yet, my description thus far cannot possibly fully convey my feelings when I saw the actual food.

While the buffet provided for hard boiled eggs, someone had shaped the scrambled eggs into discs. I have never seen disc-shaped scrambled eggs. The pancake wraps looked like corn dogs, and for good reason. The maple flavored pancakes on a stick concealed a breakfast sausage inside. I took one bite and put the item down. The bacon also came in a disc but not like Canadian bacon slices. This bacon truly resembled regular bacon but someone had pressed the strips and molded them into a circle. Please see the photograph for more precise details.

While unnatural, the disc shaped food came in handy when I decided to construct an English muffin sandwich. In all honesty, my meal rivaled McDonald’s best Egg McMuffin.

Tables filled the dining room, with a TV in the corner blaring out the latest news from CNN.

We could toast bagels, waffles and bread at the toaster, grab yogurt and milk from the tiny tabletop refrigerator, slather on butter and jam on croissants, and take coffee or juice to go. I grabbed a chewy granola bar for the trip home.

For complimentary fare, this meal sufficed and then some. While it does not compare to the breakfast buffets at four star hotels, it filled my stomach and prepared me for the day ahead.

While one can choose from a few dining options while staying at the Dolce Hayes Mansion, know that your diet will never survive under these taxing conditions. From the Silver Creek Dining Room to the outdoor catered meals, the Dolce Hayes Mansion will destroy any attempt to stick to a strict eating regimen, and that is precisely the way I like it.

Upon our arrival, we filed into the Silver Creek Dining Room where breakfast and lunch buffets fed the guests. Lunch ranged from salads to sandwich fixings to hot entrees of fish, chicken, potatoes, vegetables and other items. While the main courses, cooked to serve mass quantities, did not necessarily draw oohs and aahs from the diners, the desserts did. Choose anything with chocolate and you couldn’t lose. The chocolate cake I nabbed during our second day made me wish I had not just taken half a slice but the entire cake. We plotted how we could smuggle the entire thing out of the dining room and back to our conference hall but alas, the cake had disappeared when we returned to execute our devious plan.

Breakfast met my definition of a deluxe buffet, complete with eggs benedict, bacon, fresh pancakes or waffles or French toast, fruit and an omelette bar. Not once did I feel as if my stomach needed sustenance during me entire stay.

While breakfast and lunch did much for my feeling of getting what I paid for, it wasn’t until dinner when I truly realized the magnitude of the Hayes Mansion’s catering department. Taking advantage of the cloudless September evening, the staff served our meal outdoors. Starting with a robust salad, we took a break with champagne glasses filled with fresh mango sorbet to cleanse our palettes. Promptly afterwards, the staff brought out my perfectly cooked filet mignon. Tender and delectable, I savored the flavors as the juices flowed down my throat. It’s a crime, of course, to enjoy food this much but if I have to, this may as well be the place.

I found out later that the Hayes Mansion is a popular destination for holiday parties and corporate celebrations during the Christmas season. No wonder, the food, surroundings and service make for an unforgettable experience.