Nestled deep among soaring redwoods, on approximately 28.4 acres that are surrounded by the protected Mid-Peninsula Open Space District (MPSOD: www.openspace.org), Villa Lauriston is both entirely secluded and convenient to the best services in the San Francisco Bay Area. The estate is reached by means of a two-and-a-half mile private drive that lies just inside the boundaries of the small town of Portola Valley, California, The Villa is approximately 45 minutes from the city of San Francisco, from the San Francisco International Airport, and from the San Jose International Airport:
Google map
Positioned at an elevation of 1,350 feet, and graced with stunning eastward views, the Villa overlooks the San Francisco Bay, Stanford University, and Silicon Valley, one of the most innovative and powerful business and research communities in the world
Schools, Universities and Research Centers
The Lauriston estate lies within the boundaries of the town of Portola Valley (http://www.portolavalley.net/about_pv/index.shtml). Portola Valley’s school district boasts two award-winning public schools (http://www.pvsd.net/). In addition, some of the nation’s premier private schools are only minutes’ drive away, in nearby Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and Portola Valley itself. Stanford University and its nationally recognized research hospital lie close by (www.stanford.edu), as do San Jose State University (www.sjsu.edu), Santa Clara University (www.scu.edu) and numerous other colleges, universities and research centers. The campuses of the University of California at Berkeley and the University of California at Santa Cruz, among others, are within easy driving distance from the Villa
Medical Centers
Villa Lauriston is close to the Stanford University Hospital (www.stanfordhospital.com) and Palo Alto Medical Foundation, and to many smaller clinics and medical centers
Shopping and Dining
Shopping centers from the casual, family-friendly Ladera plaza, located minutes from the Lauriston gate on Alpine Road through the chic Stanford Shopping Center on Sand Hill Road (www.stanfordshop.com), make going out nearly as much fun as staying in. Villa Lauriston is also convenient to many restaurants (we include some recommendations on Figaro’s Corner)
The Arts
A region of extraordinary social diversity, the San Francisco Bay Area is a vibrant center of artistic and cultural activities. Villa Lauriston is convenient to all of them, from the intimate performance spaces of Villa Montalvo (www.montalvoarts.org), the Menlo School (www.musicatmenlo.org), the Stanford Lively Arts Program (www.livelyarts.stanford.edu) and the numerous regional theaters and venues to the world famous San Francisco Symphony and Opera, and A.C.T., the American Conservatory Theater:
www.sfsymphony.org
www.sfopera.com
www.act-sf.org
The San Francisco Modern Art Museum (www.sfmoma.org), the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (www.asianart.org), the San Jose Museum of Art (www.sjmusart.org) and the world famous Tech Museum of Innovation (www.thetech.org) are only a few of the many, many museums and galleries to be found in the area
Airport
San Francisco International Airport (40 minutes)
San Jose International Airport (40 minutes)
Town hall/County
Portola Valley, San Mateo County
Business
Heart of Silicon Valley: Sand Hill road/Menlo Park/Palo Alto and Major business, Google, Apple, Oracle, HP, Sun Micro, Yahoo, Microsoft…….
Approach
The Villa is approached from Alpine Road by way of a private road. After passing through the first gates, one encounters the stone bridge spanning Corte Madera Creek. From the bridge to the villa is a trip of 2. 3 miles and a climb of 700 feet to an altitude of 1,350 feet above San Francisco Bay.
The drive winds through meadows and forests of redwood, pine, oak, buckeye, and madrone. At the end of the private road, the expansive lawn, in excess of one acre, comes into view with its spectacular dolphin fountain at the center. Two massive river gods watch over the lawn from reclining positions under some of the Villa’s spectacular cedars. Looping past this lawn area and passing the reflecting pool, one arrives at a carved stone wellhead at the foot of the granite steps leading to Villa Lauriston. On either side of the entry are mounted large bronze lanterns that were cast by Domain in Paris.
