subject: A Los Gatos Getaway [print this page] Everyone needs to get awayEveryone needs to get away. Planning a getaway isn't hard, especially in the Bay Area. Whether you're looking to retreat to a luxury hotel in the City or dive into a spa in Berkeley, you options are never numbered and never out of your price range. Now, if you're looking for something a touch more homey or quaint, then I'd like to suggest a restful weekend in Los Gatos.
Once a hub for the wheat, milling, logging, and canning industries in the 19th and early 20th centuries is now an emerging high tech hub. Furthermore, it is swiftly becoming one of the more popular tourist destinations in the area. It boasts one of the best-preserved, most picturesque downtown areas in all of California. The intersection of cafe culture and rural attractions has lured its fair share of tourists from San Francisco and San Jose.
A Los Gatos getaway will invariably involve a stay at a bed and breakfast or any one of the local hotels offering a slice of something different to guests from across the Bay, and to be fair, across the country. A horse-drawn carriage ride down Main Street, a lovely dinner at any of the fine bistros, or a nightcap at one of the cafes are all in order in the City of Cats. And the best part is you don't have drive back to San Francisco at the end of it!
Los Gatos has remained one of the best kept secrets of the region, managing to build it's getaway reputation by word of mouth. It's nestled on the outskirts of the Santa Clara Valley, hemmed in by San Jose and Campbell. What was once a sleepy little town has become the exclusive neighborhood of handsomely paid Silicon Valley executives and engineers.
The town enjoys the lion's share of beautiful terrain in the valley. This gives residents access to a series of lush parks, dense tree lines and generally more moist conditions, unlike its baked neighbors to the north. Comparisons with the lush areas of Marin County are not in short supply.
