Getting to the Potlatch Hotel

The Domain Hotel is located at 1085 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, California. This is between Wolfe Road and Lawrence Expressway on the Santa Clara side of the city. The hotel is accessible by public transit, most simply by the Valley Transit Authority 22 bus from the Santa Clara Transit Center or the San Jose CalTrain station.

If you're entering the address into an online mapping service or some other pathfinder, be sure to include the "E" for East. The location is between Wolfe Road and Lawrence Expressway close to the city of Santa Clara. If you get an address close to Mary Avenue near the city of Mountain View, that's the wrong half of town!

By Car from San Francisco

Take US 101 south to the Lawrence Expressway exit in Sunnyvale. (It's about 40 miles; or 28 miles from SFO.) Turn right (south) on Lawrence for 2-½ miles, then take the turnoff to El Camino Real. Turn right, and the Domain is just over 2 blocks (¼ mile) ahead on the right.

If facing rush hour traffic from San Francisco, I-280 is a good alternative route. From here it is best to exit at Wolfe Road. Turn left on Wolfe, go 1½ miles to Fremont Avenue. Turn right on Fremont which immediately merges into El Camino Real. The Domain is just over ½ mile ahead on the left; you'll need to make a U-turn.

Driving from the East Bay

Take I-880 south and change to CA-237 west in Milpitas. Go about 5 miles to the Lawrence Expressway exit (same as the Caribbean Drive exit). Go south on Lawrence for 4 miles, then take the turnoff to El Camino Real. Turn right, and the Domain is just over 2 blocks (¼ mile) ahead on the right.

Driving From the South

The easiest route is to take I-280 to the Lawrence Expressway exit (about 7 miles west of downtown San Jose). Go north on Lawrence for 2 miles, then take the turnoff to El Camino Real. Turn left, and the Domain is just over 2 blocks (¼ mile) ahead on the right.

By Bay Area Public Transit

The website www.511.org is your friend for Bay Area transit info. It correlates information from various public transit sites. Specific information on CalTrain (the commuter train between San Francisco and San Jose) is at www.caltrain.com. Santa Clara County bus information is at www.vta.org. The Domain is served by VTA's 22 line. Bus fare is $1.75.

Using CalTrain, go to the Santa Clara station. Walk out through the parking lot to El Camino Real and take the 22 bus northbound (stops at the same side of the street). Stay on the bus past Lawrence Expressway and then get off at the second bus stop past the expressway, the one by the muffler store and the Comfort Inn at Sycamore Terrace. This is just past the Domain on the same side of the street.

If you're at Diridon Transit Center, the Amtrak station in downtown San Jose, you can either transfer to CalTrain to Santa Clara, or simply catch the 22 bus northbound, which passes along Santa Clara Street, one block to the left from the station entrance.

When you leave the Domain, walk up El Camino one block to the first light, Henderson Ave., cross the street, and the sound-bound bus stop is right there.

From the Airports

San Jose (SJC) is the closest and most convenient airport, located 8 miles from the Domain. But it is undergoing major construction, so patience will be needed. San Francisco (SFO) and Oakland (OAK) airports are possible alternatives, over 30 miles away by road. SFO and OAK are also accessible by public transit, though the trip to Sunnyvale is very time-consuming this way.
The Domain does not run an airport shuttle bus.

San Jose (SJC)

By car: ask your rental car agent for directions. The simplest route for those not familiar with the area is to head for US-101 northbound. Drive about 5 miles on 10 1to the Lawrence Expressway exit. Turn left (south) on Lawrence for 2 ½ miles, then take the turnoff to El Camino Real. Turn right, and the Domain is just over 2 blocks (¼ mile) ahead on the right.
By taxi: Fare should be about $30, regardless of number of passengers.
By shuttle: Airport pickups must be reserved in advance. A list of shuttles is at www.sjc.org/travelers/d2d.php. Typical fares to Sunnyvale are $20-$25 for the first person, $6-$9 each additional. Returns may also be made by reservation. By bus: Take VTA bus 10, a free shuttle, to the Santa Clara Transit Center. The bus will let you off immediately in front of the Santa Clara CalTrain station. Walk out through the parking lot to El Camino Real and take the VTA 22 bus (fare $1.75, see "By Public Transit" above). This will take less than an hour most times of the day.

San Francisco (SFO)

By car: See "By car From San Francisco" above.
By taxi: Fare is approximately $120.
By shuttle: Walkup service at the airport is available. List of shuttles is at www.flysfo.com/web/page/tofrom/transp-serv/dtd/. Typical fares to Sunnyvale are $25-$35 for the first person, $6-$9 each additional. Returns may be made by reservation.
By public transit: Take the free AirTrain to the airport's BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station. Transfer at BART to the Millbrae station (fare $1.50; requires changing trains at San Bruno). Get off BART at Millbrae and transfer to the CalTrain commuter train. Take it to the Santa Clara station (fare $6.00). Transfer there to the VTA 22 bus (see "By Bay Area Public Transit" above). This will take about two hours with decent connections.

Oakland (OAK)

By car: See "By car, From the East Bay" above.
By taxi: I don't have figures for this, but it would be well over $100.
By shuttle: Reservations are recommended. List of shuttles is at www.flyoakland.com/shuttles.shtml. Take one that serves the Santa Clara area. Typically only exclusive van service is available to here from Oakland, which will cost about $130 regardless of number of passengers. Returns may be made by reservation.
By public transit: Take the AirBART shuttle bus to the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station (fare $3). Transfer on BART to the Millbrae station (requires changing trains daytime weekdays; fare $4.65). Transfer to the CalTrain commuter train to the Santa Clara station (fare $6.00). Transfer to the VTA 22 bus (see "By Bay Area Public Transit" above). This will take about three hours with decent connections.