We spent just one night at the Red Cottage Inn. Upon arrival I was particularly struck by the friendly welcome at reception. Our room was roomy, very clean, well appointed with a small, and very private, patio garden. The newly-decorated bathroom did not contain a bath, but had an excellent shower. The bedroom contained a king-sized bed (with choices of soft or firm pillows), a refrigerator and microwave, together with a flat screen TV. On the patio was a table and two chairs -- perfect for enjoying a glass of wine in peace and quiet. High speed Internet is available free of charge, and there is plenty of free, safe parking available within a few yards of the room.

Breakfast choices included hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, fruit, cereals, croissants, bagels, bread, etc. Also available throughout the day are freshly brewed coffee and a large selection of teas. Check-out was efficient and the lady on reception was extremely pleasant and friendly.

The Inn is within walking distance (about 1 mile) of several excellent restaurants on Santa Cruz Avenue; alternatively, if you have a car it is about 2 miles to the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, or about 2.5 miles to the vibrant and bustling University Avenue district in Palo Alto where there are numerous outstanding restaurants.

My only negative comments: the refrigerator in the room was very noisy and we were woken up several times in the night when it kicked on and off; also, the room either contained a perfumed air- freshener, or the cleaner used on the room was highly scented. I would suggest attention to that detail on behalf of those guests who have perfume allergies. We slept with the patio door wide open all night which helped alleviate the problem.

Other than those two minor criticisms, I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone visiting the Palo Alto area who does not wish to spend a small fortune on a large, impersonal hotel. The Red Cottage Inn has very reasonable rates and the customer service is second to none.

We stayed 6 nights at the Red Cottage Inn & Suites during the graduation of our son in the Stanford University.
We've found clean, nice and quiet hotel with reasonable & honest prices , 10 minutes to drive from the Stanford University and very friendly staff.
We were surprised to received a bottle of wine as a congratulation gift to the graduation of our son

We stayed 3 nights. Ours was the only dog (pay extra fee for pets). Our room was in the single story building which means we had a little private patio in the rear which came in handy. We were visiting family and had 2 guests over for pizza. There was room to pull the table & 2 chairs in off the patio and have our meal together.
My hubby is a motel 6 kind of guy so very difficult to get him to stay anywhere else. Since the location was convient for his daughter to visit us, I think he'll consider it again. I would stay there every trip if up to me.
Sits back off the road. Was quiet and I felt safe.

We learned about the Red Cottage Inn on TripAdvisor - and this was a great choice! We have to give them all 5 star ratings - we will be back!