Mount Hermon

If your inner escapist is yearning for Pacific vistas, forested hikes, and farm-to-table dining, this Mission-style resort in Santa Cruz’s tree-clad hills is your hall pass to getaway bliss. Chaminade Resort’s 156 rooms, 11 villas, four tennis courts, and two restaurants are perched on a hillside overlooking Monterey Bay’s blue expanse.

A $7.9 million facelift in 2016 added a fresh, artistic whimsy to the guest rooms and public spaces here. Historic black-and-white photos adorn the walls, and in-room refrigerators are disguised as vintage iceboxes. Oversize dominoes designate the room numbers. Guest beds are backed by “abacus” headboards—and yes, you can move the beads around for any bedside arithmetic needs.

The resort’s bohemian vibe fits right in with Santa Cruz’s eclectic energy. Take a 15-minute drive down the hill to shop downtown, golf, or stroll the vibrant Santa Cruz Harbor, where you can hop on a boat for a bay cruise. Or just stay put—Chaminade’s 121 hectares are filled with possibilities. Take a swim in the heated pool or breathe warm, therapeutic air in the Himalayan salt sauna. Hike 4.8 kilometres of shady trails. Pamper yourself with a massage or facial. In summer and fall, plan ahead for Chaminade’s farm-to-table dinners, where you can meet and mingle with local food producers and vintners as you nosh your way through five farm-fresh courses paired with Santa Cruz Mountains wine.

Year-round, Linwood’s Bar & Grill and Sunset Restaurant serve enticing California cuisine, and they add a big “bone-us” for dog-loving travelers: a pooch menu that entices canine guests with peanut-butter-and-bacon pup cakes. (And of course, your fur baby can sleep next to you in Chaminade’s pet-friendly rooms.)

While Santa Cruz gets thumbs-up for its hang-loose surf scene, oceanfront amusement park, flawless beach, and classic wooden pier, there’s another giant treasure lurking just beneath the surface. Migratory whales, including grays, blues, and humpbacks, can all be spied off the coast here at different times of year, and dolphins, sea otters, and seals are observed year round. See for yourself on exciting whale-watching cruises, chartered sailing excursions, or—for staggeringly intimate encounters—on guided kayak paddles when waters are calm.

What makes Santa Cruz such a prime spot for whale watching? According to Gary Griggs, director of the Institute of Marine Sciences at U.C. Santa Cruz, the town’s location on the northern end of Monterey Bay puts it on the edge of some of whales’ favorite undersea dining rooms. “The whales are here feeding on sardines, anchovies, and plankton, which have been attracted by blooms of microscopic plants such as diatoms,” explains Dr. Griggs. What’s more, Monterey Bay’s unique geology produces an area of relatively calm bay waters, where, according to Dr. Griggs, “plankton, small fish, seabirds, whales, and dolphins congregate to share in the food.” It makes for a fascinating, lively mix, and a great opportunity to learn more about California’s fascinating and delicate ocean ecosystems.

A wide beach and splashable waves are always inviting; add a colourful boardwalk with rides, games, and music—well, how can you say no? Not many people do—this popular waterfront boardwalk is a summertime ritual for countless California families, a wonderful way for you to relax and play just like the smiling locals. While there are countless attractions lining the historic boardwalk, the big star is the Giant Dipper, a burly wooden coaster first opened in 1924 and generating screams, squeals, and squinched-shut eyes for decades.

These days, it’s not the only thrill ride in town; the boardwalk also features the 38-metre-high Double Shot tower for heart-in-throat adrenaline lovers. For tamer rides, especially for little ones, take a spin on the painstakingly restored 1911 Looff carousel (yes, that’s real horse hair in the tail of your painted steed). A noisy but fun indoor arcade offers laser tag, mini-golf, skee-ball and countless video games. Peace out with a ride above it all in the overhead Sky Glider funicular (providing GoPro-worthy views of the beach, rides, and Santa Cruz Mountains. On Wednesdays in summer, stick around for free outdoor movies on the beach; and on summer Fridays, for free concerts.

The over-a-century-old Santa Cruz Wharf is the longest wooden strucutre of its kind on the West Coast—a staggering 2,701 feet/823 metres long. Walk to the end to get a bird’s-eye view of Steamer Lane surfing to the north. Come at dusk to watch the lights glow on the colourfully lit Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Near the base of the wharf, rent kayaks, standup paddleboards, or motorboats. As you walk farther out on the wharf, strolling past the requisite fresh fish restaurants and souvenir and trinket shops, strike up a conversation with the local fishermen angling for perch, rockfish, and lingcod. Better yet, join ’em. You don’t need a license to fish from the pier; local tackle shops can get you fully outfitted too.

Along the waterfront, you can also join guided kayak paddles, take a whale-watching trip, or join a sailing cruise.

The Santa Cruz Mountains were once a vibrant logging area—and with logging came railways. Today, the logging has largely gone, but one remnant from that bygone time is the charming scenic railway at the Santa Cruz Roaring Camp Railroads. Century-old steam engines take passengers on entertaining rides into redwood country, offering intimate views and big views of towering redwoods. All year round, trains depart from tiny Felton to make an hour-long loop through forests to the summit of Bear Mountain. Along the way, conductors share interesting stories and information about the region and its railway history.

For an entertaining treat, join a themed train ride, offered throughout the year. Consider a ride on the Starlight Evening Train, ride to a campfire supper and sing-along on the Western Moonlight Dinner Train, or root for the hero during a Great Train Robbery. Roaring Camp itself is a recreated 1880s logging camp, with sites including a covered bridge, a period opera house and a classic general store. Kids enjoy watching demonstrations in blacksmithing and making candles by hand.

Daily in summer (weekends in spring and autumn), Roaring Camp also operates a return trip Santa Cruz Beach Train, picking up and dropping off passengers in Felton and at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. 

The trains have both covered and open-air passenger cars. If you opt for open-air seating, consider bringing earplugs or sound-cancelling headphones for babies or young toddlers with sensitive ears. There’s plenty of child-friendly fare available for purchase, but this is one of the few attractions that allows visitors to bring their own food. 

Thomas the Tank Engine stops by once or twice throughout the year. These days are especially popular, so buy your tickets well in advance and get there early.