Ladera Shell Portola Valley Shell

Pros:
It’s a gas station.
Cons:
The LED sign is totally obnoxious. How did this ever get approved by the city? And why are they even advertising the *prices*? Their prices suck. They should be in fine print, not burnt into our retinas as we drive by.
Bottom line:
Most people only buy gas here when they have to in order to make their drive of shame home while leaving Portola Valley… note the 24 hour business.

It’s a gas station.
Pros: Just off of Hwy 280 on Alpine Road, which is way more convenient driving into Stanford territory. Clean station.
Cons: Limited convenience store selection and a minimum purchase amount to be able to use your credit card for snacks. Considering the cost of gas, this should be waived with a fuel purchase.

Dirtiest restroom I’ve ever come across. Felt I was in a third world country. Grimy floor, graffiti, overflowing trash can, flies…

Ok, so I expect gas prices in Portola Valley to be exorbitant. Fine. What I don’t appreciate is the outright rudeness of the cashiers that work here. I frequent this gas station because I work nearby and have family in the area, and hate having to go inside. The women who work there lock the door at 7pm, and act irritated when they have to get up to let a customer inside, despite the fact that they supposedly close at 10pm. Cashiers are usually on their cell phones while ringing up customers, and are generally pretty unfriendly. I got there at 9:47 last night, the door was locked and the woman working told me she had already closed out her till because she wanted to leave at 10, and still had to empty garbage cans. Really? I’ve worked in retail for a long time and no boss I’ve ever had would be ok with closing out a register during business hours.
When Chevron was nearby, they had the nicest, most helpful employees. I’d love to have them back in Ladera.

As usual, I will always give a gas station that does not have a gas pump auto-​flow devices, 1 star! This is the 21^st century, and no driver should need to suffer by holding a gas pump handle!
The make matters worse, this Shell was charging $ 0.50 more per gallon than the station in San Jose that I gassed up at the week before!!! I paid $ 4.45/gallon for regular, $ 87.61 to gas up my Jeep, ouch!
High Prices AND No Auto-​Flow lever=1 Star

I have to agree with Ryan H. about the lady inside. Couldn’t decide if she was stoned out of it on pills or just knew that it was the only station for miles around so why bother being nice to anyone?
Prices weren’t toooo bad, I’ve paid more for gas in ‘remote’ places but don’t fill up here — and pay by card, we don’t want to overwork the cashier…

Yikes. Lady inside working the cash register was hella rude like always the other day. I try to be empathetic. Sometimes you can catch her in a good mood, rarity. Pet peev: predicting when someone is eager to be an ass.

while Denny… the owner… is a super nice guy, charging mega great googa mooga prices ($ 45 for a simple oil change) is not cool at all. I’ll buy a lotto ticket but no go on servicing…=)

Not sure about Scott M.‘s experience, but I’ve had a lot of success working with the mechanic here (Denny) for the past few years. I’ve done standard oil changes, tire rotations, tire replacement, timing belt replacement, and suspension work… and in all cases, he’s either matched or exceeded competitor quotes. And if something doesn’t need fixing, he’s always been very upfront with me about it (instead of artificially inflating the price). Overall, I’m very satisfied with the level of work here, and would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a good, honest mechanic.

Don’t ever go here if you want an honest mechanic! This guy is the biggest rip off I’ve ever been to. He charged me $ 225. when all he had to do is replace a relay switch, he charged me $ 95. just to diagnose the problem and none of it went towards fixing the problem (poof $ 95. gone) If you need a smog check and your check engine lite is on it won’t smog he knew that (I didn’t) but ran the test anyway and charged me $ 41.75 and said sorry it didn’t pass. I asked what it would take to fix it and he said it will cost $ 95. to diagnosis it. I left and will NEVER GO BACK THERE AGAIN!

On more than a few occasions, I’ve found myself on 280 getting low on fossil fuels for my car, and thank goodness for this kinda secret spot just off the highway west on Alpine Road.
You pay Portola Valley prices (e.g. 10 cents more per gallon than a couple of miles away) but hey, what are you going to do when the gas light comes on?
Good to know, right?

Came home Sunday to find the car car lop-sided…and no, I was sober. A nail decided to lodge itself in my new tire… and leak very slowly. AAA helped put the spare on (I do know how to do these things in theory, but AAA comes oh so fast). Fortunately, all I needed was a plug in the tire, but since it was a Sunday there weren’t any convenient options to remedy the tire. The closest place was the PV Shell. The kind mechanic who saved the tire was so nice, efficient, and had a huge smile on his face. I had no appointment and he had about 4 – 5 cars to work on, yet he took care of me right away (while I went to the grocery store). When I returned not only had he completed the job, but he even screwed the spare back in, which was not his job, but very appreciated. All for only $ 25, a whole lot less than a new tire.
If you’re ever in a jam along 280 in the PEN, the Shell on Alpine will take great care of you (except on Sundays).