Lush San Mateo lies just thirty minutes from San Jose and twenty-five minutes from San Francisco, making it a convenient and easy-to-reach treat for holidaymakers. The city sits more or less in the centre of the San Francisco Bay Area and is home to an astonishing fifteen beautiful, green parks offering cool stuff like Japanese tea gardens, rose gardens, miniature trains, skating plazas and swimming pools.
Visit the Peninsula for stunning bay views, vast redwood trees and the Crystal Springs Reservoir.
Fine cuisine is a priority here, with something for everyone including excellent Thai, Chinese, Italian, Vietnamese, Persian, Japanese, Greek and Brazilian restaurants. And there's more to see and do...
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Head to nearby Half Moon Bay for stunning coastal views
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More than 800 shops and restaurants to enjoy downtown
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The famous Eugene J. De Sabla Japanese Teahouse and Garden on De Sabla Road
Imagine exploring the fabulously dramatic rocky outcrops of Coyote Park. Relaxing in the glorious sunshine at San Mateo beach. Or spotting rare and endangered wildlife at the famous Bayland marshes.
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Pacific Coast Highway 1
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Coyote Point Park features windsurfing and sailing plus a science museum and a zoo for native animals, ideal for the kids. And, as you'd expect, there's something for everyone when it comes to fine dining. Bars, clubs and a lively nightlife scene blend with natural splendour to deliver whatever you want, whether it's relaxation or stimulation, thrills or mellow, laid-back fun. Here are three classic San Mateo experiences.
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Hike and picnic at stunning Horseshoe Lake and dramatic Skyline Ridge
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Visit the CuriOdyssey museum for interactive science and native wild animals
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Relax and picnic in lovely Laurelwood Park, right next to Sugarloaf Mountain
Treat yourself to all three and you'll go home with a real flavour of the area, its people, wildlife and landscapes.
Wealthy, spotless San Mateo is ideal if you adore the wild, studded with hiking trails, camping, nature parks and lakes, perfect for outdoor activities.
If you want to get up close and intimate with the San Francisco Bay Area way of life, San Mateo is the perfect destination. It delivers a variety of things to see and do and, being close enough to the city for rock 'n' roll, makes an excellent base from which to explore. Grab yourself a slice of real California life in all its wonderful diversity. Spend a day in busy Hillsdale Mall, the biggest in the area. Forget civilisation altogether and head for the wild stuff, with spectacular views of the bay and San Francisco itself. Or, explore the city's fifteen beautiful parks, each with its own unique character. Either way you're bang in the middle of the Bay Area, the perfect location to explore farther afield.
This place offers the same mellow feel and cool vibe as San Francisco... but more laid back. San Mateo is sheltered from the Pacific by the Santa Cruz mountains, which bring warm, gusty breezes throughout the summer. The average high temperature in August is a gorgeous 27C, and the record high for the city is a whopping 41C. It's a diverse place with much the same feel as San Francisco: less big city vibe, more chilled. And don't miss the wild, lovely Sugarloaf Mountain, which has been beautifully preserved, providing 225 acres of stunning serenity for posterity.