I recommend Doris and Glenn's place for those traveling through Palo Alto/Stanford. Although you will likely need a car (for which they provide parking), it is still walking distance from a lot of nice restaurants/cafes on California Street. The neighborhood itself is very beautiful -- quiet and peaceful. We did not meet the hosts, Glenn and Doris, because check-in and check-out are set up to be done independently, but they responded almost immediately to any question or concern we had. The place itself is a rather small room with little natural light, but it definitely serves its purpose. It has everything you would want in a room for one or two people -- a bed, desk, TV (with Netflix), a bathroom, and even a hot plate and silverware to cook small meals with (using the bathroom sink as a kitchen sink). It's very comfortable.