Cowper Inn
Location: 705 Cowper Street, Palo Alto, us
Star Rating: 3 Stars
Property Type: Bed and breakfasts
About this Property
Historical Charm and Modern Comforts
Cowper Inn, nestled in Palo Alto, comprises two meticulously restored historical homes - a Victorian house and a Craftsman-style house. With 16 uniquely decorated rooms, guests can choose from a variety of accommodations. The Carriage House, separate from the main buildings, offers modern amenities like free WiFi, a fully equipped kitchen, and Aveda toiletries.
Delicious Breakfast and Relaxation
Start your day with a delectable homemade breakfast in the charming dining room, featuring a rotating menu of fresh and organic options. Unwind in the serene garden or on the picturesque porches. For those seeking relaxation, yoga and meditation classes are offered throughout the week.
Convenient Location and Thoughtful Services
Just a stone's throw away from Stanford University, Cowper Inn provides easy access to nearby attractions. Guests can also enjoy complimentary newspapers, bicycle rentals, and on-site parking. Book your stay now and experience the perfect blend of history and comfort at Cowper Inn.
Important Information
Guests are required to show a photo ID and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply.
A deposit may be required at the property.
Policies
Check-in: 01:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Amenities & Facilities
- Offsite parking discounted rates available
- Parking
- Air conditioning
- Room service
- Shared lounge/TV area
- Shuttle service (additional charge)
- Outdoor furniture
- Invoice provided
- Free wired internet
- Offsite parking discounted rates available
- Internet access
- Japanese garden
- Garage
- Accessible shuttle
- No accessible shuttle
- Accessible train station shuttle
- No accessible train station shuttle
Rooms Available
-
Single Room with Bathroom
This standard room includes a cable TV, a work desk and ironing facilities.
Max Occupancy: 2 (1 Adults)
- TV
- Hair dryer
- Desk
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Alarm clock
- Wardrobe or closet
- Linen
- Toilet paper
-
Suite
Offering free WiFi, these suites include a cable TV and a private bathroom with Aveda toiletries. Two of the suites offer kitchenettes while the other 2 suites offer access to a full kitchen.
Max Occupancy: 4 (3 Adults)
- TV
- Hair dryer
- Desk
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Alarm clock
- Wardrobe or closet
- Linen
- Toilet paper
- Cots
-
Carriage House
Offering free WiFi, this suite features a fully equipped kitchen, a cable TV, ironing facilities and a private bathroom with Aveda toiletries.
Max Occupancy: 4 (4 Adults)
- TV
- Hair dryer
- Desk
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Fireplace
- Alarm clock
- Wardrobe or closet
- Linen
- Toilet paper
- Cots
-
Executive Suite
The unit offers 2 beds.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
Guest Reviews
- Mark (10/5): - Innkeepers were very friendly and congenial. Our room was spacious, the beds comfortable and the shower was wonderful. The shared kitchen had everything we needed.
- Leslie (10/5): It was delightful - It was nice kind of a Victorian house but bigger and my room is huge loved it will come again in the future.
- Kerry (5/5): Adequate for our purposes but not a luxurious stay. - No breakfast. Good location. Could not get in when I requested. Not welcoming. Tiny room. Needs better maintenance.
- Ning (10/5): Perfectly located, super host Hugo! - The Cowper Inn is perfectly located in the heart of Palo Alto, just a short walk from restaurants and coffee shops, yet tucked away in a quiet and beautiful neighbourhood. The property itself is elegantly laid out, with spacious, comfortable and clean room, that had everything we needed for our visit to Stanford University.
What truly made our stay exceptional was the host, Hugo. He is genuinely one of the kindest and most thoughtful hosts we’ve ever met. I accidentally left my handbag in the room while rushing to the airport, and Hugo went above and beyond—he contacted me immediately and kindly arranged for it to be delivered to me via an Uber driver.
His care and willingness to go the extra mile truly define what a “super host” should be. We are incredibly grateful and would not hesitate to stay here again. Highly recommended! None
- Ratibor (9/5): -
- Günther (9/5): -
- Lorena (10/5): -
- Ragona (9/5): - Location was great.
- Mantas Lilis (10/5): -
- Sarah (9/5): - The location was excellent, and the check in process was smooth (I checked in after hours and it was easy). The room was very spacious and had everything I needed for the stay. Great experience!
- Elliot (7/5): - Good value. Decent room. There wasn’t a coffee maker in the room. That would have been nice
- Javier (9/5): A lovely historic inn in Palo Alto - Charming and historic place very well located. I will come back for sure! Check-in process. As there is no reception it took me a little while to check-in but the gentleman who assisted me was extremely kind
- Maarten (7/5): - Great location, cozy room, comfortable bed. Staff delivered daily bottled water. Bathroom was detached from the room and this was not advertised on Booking. So you had to cross the public hallway to shower etc. Should have been made clear at the time of booking.
- Owen (8/5): Lovely stay, Hugo was very kind, great location and facilities, and would definitely stay again! - Wonderful facility, location, parking (yeah!), and very clean bathrooms. The carpet was grimy--didn't match the rest of the wonderful atmosphere and vibe
- Ruud (2/5): - This is NOT a boutique hotel, as advertised. It is run down, loud and cramped.
- Kondo (10/5): - 朝早く到着したのに、親切に対応してくださり、チェックインできました。スタンフォード大学への出張で使いました。
- Jeri (10/5): -
- Margaret (4/5): Not going back - Location was good My main complaint was that I had not realised when I booked that I didnt have an ensuite bathroom. This was awful for me travelling as a single woman having to leave my locked room several times in the middle of the night to go to a bathroom across the hall where there were two other bedrooms containing perfect strangers. In this day and age it is unacceptable at any price.
- Janine (8/5): Happy we got to stay here - Great location and it was very clean It would be great to have air conditioning or a ceiling fan
- Laura (6/5): - Well located for local restaurants Decor a little tired
- Paula (9/5): -
- Ng (8/5): Very good -
- Carolina (8/5): Very good -
- Jai (8/5): Very good -
- A-n-d (9/5): Superb -
- Onur (8/5): Very good -
- Ana (8/5): Very good -
- Sally (4/5): Property has unmet potential. Quality control and service sorely lacking. - Architecturally pleasant. Housekeeping was good for the first few nights. They scheduled my arrival wrong so I had to wait in the wind and cold for someone to arrive and sort things out. No full-time staff on the premises.
- Robert (9/5): Superb - Location and coziness No alarm clock or usb charger
- Janine (10/5): Exceptional - The location is nice, calm, and in walking distance to downtown with restaurants and shopping opportunities. The welcome was warm, and it felt like home during the stay.
- Markus (7/5): good location, small, charming, light and noise. - Good location in "downtown" Palo Alto. There are two redwoodtrees towering in front of the old wooden building. The house is a charming alternative to motels. Modern shower! Not too far from bus and CalTrain station. In case you have a car, there is a parking lot at the back of the house.
My key was in an envelop at the entry, no interaction with any human (is this a good or a bad thing?). At night many different lightsources from outside and the hallway shine into the room. The sink in the bathroom has little room left above to wash one's face. The walls inside the house are not well isolated accustically, since there are many rooms in the house other people can be heard talking etc. No breakfast offered :-(
- Kathleen (9/5): Superb -
- Jp (9/5): Superb -
- Glenna (9/5): Great sleep, restful and would visit again. - Local was great. Instructions as to where to park after hours, we're very clear.
We needed some extra blankets and I texted a gentleman in charge after hours. He kindly brought up extra blankets.
Bathroom was awesome! Impeccably clean! Rooms were great... Quiet, nice and dark, and, beds were awesome, too. Refrigerator was nice and cold. Cozy, well lived and well loved restored 100+ year old home! There are many room choices!!! Stairs were as all older homes are... a bit challenging. But, not being in a rush was the key🙂 I wish they had the beautiful breakfast the once offered. Would have loved to seen the living area and other parts of the home, too! Wanted to add a couple other photos 😏.
- Maria (9/5): Superb -
- Henry (10/5): Exceptional -
- Jonas (9/5): Superb - The room was nice and clean. Easy check in process. My room was very close to the main door and the noise of other guests entering the property was a bit annoying. Nothing terrible though.
- Eleni (9/5): Great location, cozy place - Very nice place, clean, cosy and comfortable room.
Great location.
- Kyle (1/5): Too warm, too old, everything terrible. - Nothing Too warm, too old, everything terrible
- Weimin (10/5): Exceptional -
- Cecelia (10/5): The Cowper Inn is a relaxing oasis in vibrant Palo Alto - EVERYTHING was perfect. The Yoga Studio was certainly a highlight!
- Sara (6/5): Be prepared to read all details before booking. NO BREAKFAST - The bed was comfortable and the bathroom was spacious. Very close to the main street of PA. The neighborhood is pretty quiet and a nice walk. 1. The amount of noise at 7:45am. I tried sleeping in after a long week of conducting training classes and the Inn decided that starting laundry was more important. You can also hear almost anything that is happening outside especially when the caretaker was watering at 10:50pm right outside my window. They should change their checkout to 9am since they won't let you sleep in. This was every morning, I only tried to sleep in on my last day.
2. The shower did not have ANY water pressure. I had to lean forward to get under the water. I've posted a picture.
3. Though the products were fine, I didn't like how there were industrial-size Body wash/S&C available.
4. NO BREAKFAST - It was originally on the listing but when I was confirmed, it said that breakfast was no longer available. I tried looking for other hotels but, not knowing it was Stanford's graduation, there were no other hotels available. You would think at 500.00 a night that something would be available.
5. Coffee offering is a joke. Don't expect any kind of coffee service in the room. Mismatched cups, no condiments, etc. made it feel like I was staying at a friend's guest house.
6. The check-in process was a nightmare. They use Quickbooks so if you have a daily limit on your bank or CC, you will need to call the bank before checking in so there's no issue.
7. If you are traveling for business, this is not the place to stay. This Inn is more of a bed in a fancy, historic house.
- Iwona (8/5): Great option for a downtown Palo Alto work trip. - Spacious room in a great location at a reasonable price (for Palo Alto standards). Good quality Nespresso coffee in the room, fridge, iron, good wifi. Clean, quiet room with ample natural light. Seamless check in and check out process including free one-hour late checkout. Only a couple of minor things: the water look very long to start running warm, no lotion in the room.
- Joe (9/5): Superb -
- Jo (3/5): Poor -
- Lillian (10/5): Perfect - Cowper Inn is top-tier! Extremely comfortable, charming, and clean. I had everything I needed in my room—from coffee, to fresh towels, to a big bathroom—and more. The manager/owner gave me a warm welcome and got me situated right away. Would stay again in a heartbeat.
- Florian (9/5): Relaxing. - The bedroom was very cozy. There is no lobby.
- Karen (9/5): Lovely small hotel in heart of downtown Palo Alto - Charming small hotel in heart of down town Palo Alto. So refreshing versus the modern characterless hotels elsewhere in the city Nothing
- Marc (7/5): Good -
- James (6/5): Adequate, but will look elsewhere next time for place that has breakfast. - Great location. Breakfast no longer offered. That was a big reason I chose Cowper Inn
- Eric (9/5): Superb - Location is perfect in the heart of Palo Alto. Staff was nice. I did not try the breakfast. Room heat was dicey, but adequate, just hard to set.
- Mark (10/5): Exceptional -
- Dorthe (10/5): Amazing, I highly recommend staying here - A small boutique hotel, in a quiet but central location with plenty of restaurants nearby. The carriage room was cozy and spacious. The owner is extremely friendly and helpful.
- Suellen (3/5): Cowper Inn is no longer an Inn, now is just a bunch of rooms being rented using the internet - Room was charmingly decorated and spotless. Amenities were dismal: no staff, no office, no public areas, no cable or TVs, no breakfast, cheap in-room pod coffeemaker that didn't work, box of tea from Trader Joes, no creamer or sugar, soap and shampoo from Costco, no lotion.
- Megan (8/5): Very good - The host was friendly and helpful and the place was quiet. I especially appreciated the location, which was walking distance from downtown and the office where I was working.
- Allison (10/5): Exceptional -
- Berna (10/5): Wonderful place to stay at Palo Alto - I stayed there for 15 days. It was a wonderful place to stay at Palo Alto. It was really comfortable, clean and very well equipped. Great location.
Hugo was an amazing owner! He is so kind and helpful. Strongly recommended, I would definitely stay again.
- Aileen (10/5): Exceptional -
- Douglas (7/5): This is a beautiful, old, historic property which I would consider staying in the future. - The Cowper Inn was a clean inn that resides in a beautiful old and historic home. It is convenient and close to Palo Alto and Stanford University. The room that I stayed in did not have an attached bathroom. This was a minor inconvenience to me, but it may be for others. My room was also located on the upper level facing West (the street). Since this is a beautiful old home (1896), it has no air conditioning which may get warm during the summer.
- Patrick (2/5): I won't be returning to this location. - The location was convenient for my stay. The property manager was agreeable and the rooms were cleaned daily. It's called a 'Bed and Breakfast', but there's not breakfast. There was no AC, so my room (and especially the common area) was stuffy/uncomfortably warm and it was difficult to fall asleep. I opened the windows and eventually cooled off, but then the outside lights shone into the room. At a minimum, fans should be in the rooms. There was no iron or ironing board. My clothes generally come out of a suitcase wrinkled and it's nice to be able to iron them. The water pressure in the shower was abysmal and it took 10-15 minutes of running before the water warmed up. The toilet was the shortest toilet I've ever used.
- Maria (7/5): Good -
- Senem (10/5): Exceptional - The host very understanding and lovely
- Magdalena (9/5): a charming home from home - this place oozes charm! I loved the atmosphere and the comfort. the home-like vibe makes you feel like you actually live in Palo Alto. the location is superb for the town and Stanford Uni and campus. there was great coffee in the room and it was good to see large toiletries’ bottles resulting in waste
the owner was super friendly and helpful
Photos