PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM 45 WHERE TO STAY When you’re ready to call it a night, check out West Cliff Inn, a white 1877 Victorian offering panoramic views of Monterey Bay from half of its 10 rooms, as well as porches with rocking chairs. Breakfasts may feature an artichoke, spinach and feta frittata, while the civilized custom of afternoon wine and cheese is observed in its seafoam-painted parlor. My cheerful yellow room, its bay window overlooking the sea, featured framed watercolors of shells and coral, and a marblefloored bathroom with a spa tub. The sprawling Chaminade Resort & Spa boasts PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF ALINA TYULYU / COURTESY OF TORY LORANCE WEISS cruz over santacruz.org hilltop views overlooking redwood and eucalyptus forests and 156 rooms in orange-roofed Spanish Colonial-style villas. Guests enjoy access to two outdoor hot tubs and pools (all with majestic wooded views), plus tennis and pickleball courts, a spa, Himalayan salt sauna and three miles of hiking trails. The View restaurant serves multicourse dinners with local wine pairings April through October and hosts live music six nights a week. Marriott’s Hotel Paradox, a contemporary-style, 170-room hotel just a 10-minute walk from downtown, emerged from a renovation in October with a forest theme. With a toppled tree trunk for a front desk, the lobby features gnarled benches hand-crafted from entire teak tree roots and 11 tree trunks. Savor honey from the hotel’s rooftop beehives at Solaire Restaurant + Bar, where tastings and talks are offered by Santa Cruz Bee Company. “Normal is just a setting on the dryer,” a thought-provoking sign on my floor proclaimed—a fitting motto for a trip to delightfully offbeat Santa Cruz.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTcxMjMwNg==