Every year, Jonny and I try to find a new festive activity to add to our list of holiday fun. Some of these things make the cut for a yearly tradition, others are a fun one time thing and we leave it at that. However, when I heard about the ultra festive Après Winter Lounge located at the Four Seasons Palo Alto, I had a feeling this would be a very special holiday destination that I would want to share with all of you. Spoiler Alert: I was right.
One thing that I loved about driving up to the Four Seasons Palo Alto was that was tons of free visitor parking. As someone that is used to very bad and expensive parking conditions at SF hotels, this was a huge plus. The Après Winter Lounge is located on the outside (on the patio) of the Four Seasons Palo Alto’s hotel restaurant, Quattro. We were greeted with such hospitality upon arrival that we felt right at home immediately. When we stepped out on to the patio, it felt like we were transported to a cozy and festive winter wonderland. The details that go into the Après experience were fantastic. From cozy blankets that were draped over chairs, to the personal fire pits to keep you warm outside, to the individual chalets (you need to specify if you want to dine in one of these when you reserve you spot), to the holiday movies that screen each night, everything is perfect. We immediately got into a festive mood and were so excited for our first Après experience.
Jonny and I were shown to our private chalet, which was beautiful. It was chilly outside when we went but once we were inside the chalet, we didn’t feel cold at all as we had our own fire pit to keep us warm. Jonny and I went a little crazy and ordered one of everything off of the Après menu, which is all winter and holiday inspired (love!). The drinks looked fantastic but sadly only Jonny could indulge since I have a baby on board (he got the Fireside Old Fashioned). We also ordered the “spiked” hot chocolate “unspiked” and loved cozying up with our hot drinks by the fire. Food wise, we ordered the fondue, which honestly I had been dreaming about, a delicious sizzling cheese dish, the french onion soup, the Wagyu burger and truffle fries, a house made ricotta, and the make your own s’mores for dessert. You guys, the food was incredible. So perfectly on theme for a festive winter dining experience and just what you would want to indulge in on a cold night. My favorite was the fondue (I basically ate all of it myself) and I loved the french onion soup as well. Honestly, everything was great and I highly recommend going with a big group so that you can try everything because we ended up having to take food home because neither of us could eat anymore. We were so full but just kept eating because everything was so delicious.
One of my other favorite parts about the Après experience is that they show a different holiday movie every night. The private chalets have their own TVs so you can watch the movie and enjoy delish food and drink from there. They even have a large projector (pictured above) that shows the same movie for the non-chalet guests which is so fun for everyone! Also, every night, the Après lounge gets even MORE festive as they create a snowfall for the guests to enjoy. I mean, does it get any more magical?
I highly recommend making a reservation for the Après experience ASAP as spots are filling up quick. Weekday spots are probably easier to get as I have a feeling weekend reservations are more popular, but many of you told me that you were able to make reservations easily, which is great! Honestly, the ambiance is incredible and Jonny and I felt like this would be such a fun place to take friends and family (super kid friendly) during the holiday season. We were blown away by the hospitality of the staff and the incredible service throughout the night, even when every table was filled.
A huge thank you to the Four Seasons Palo Alto for hosting us for dinner at the Après Winter Lounge this holiday season. We cannot wait to come back soon!