In the redwoods just above Santa Cruz lies the legendary Chaminade Resort & Spa, a 1930s Spanish Revival-style hacienda that originally served as a boys school and monastery before being reimagined as a hotel in the mid-’80s.
While the forested 300-acre estate has remained impeccably maintained since then, the passage of time left Chaminade’s 156 guest rooms a little worse for wear. The completion of a major multimillion-dollar renovation this spring has changed that, giving every one of them a polished, earthy palette and locally inspired details.
The Spanish Revival lobby in the main building at Chaminade(Courtesy of Chaminade Resort)
The in-room transformation combined with recent updates in the main building to draw out its original architectural beauty with patterned tiled floors and walls, wood paneling and exposed overhead beams, and distinct, den-like seating areas, have left Chaminade Resort & Spa ready for its close-up once again.
For the uninitiated, the Chaminade deserves an introduction. While it’s just a short drive from Santa Cruz beaches like Twin Lakes and Pleasure Point, as well as Capitola’s New Brighton State Beach, the closest the property comes to the ocean are its views of Monterey Bay.
Chaminade Resort is, instead, a showcase for the other side of Santa Cruz, the Santa Cruz of ancient redwoods and banana slugs. It has not only acres of redwoods, meadows, and eucalyptus groves, but three miles of hiking trails passing through them—on one of which they’ve just launched a monthly forest therapy experience, one of the country’s first certified programs based on Japanese Shinrin Yoku.
Chaminade has three miles of hiking trails and a new certified Forest Therapy experience.(Courtesy of Chaminade Resort)
Back at the property’s center is the Chaminade Spa, 1,700 square feet of amenities that include an exclusive patio and hot tub just for spa guests, a Himalayan salt sauna, steam room, and executive fitness center. Estheticians and massage therapists take the lead in the spa’s individual treatment rooms, where new 45-minute, 60-minute, and 90-minute hydrafacials—a clinically proven skin resurfacing treatment that exfoliates and hydrates—are on the menu alongside seasonal facials and massages (tropical-themed for summer), the blissful 80-minute signature massage with hot lava shells, and a firming gua sha stone CBD facial.
Just outside the spa are the resort pools—yes, plural, one is reserved for adults only—where, in addition to tons of loungers, they have two hot tubs and nine private cabanas (Protip: day passes for the pool are available even if you’re not staying on property). A food truck, The Sandbox, is open on most summer weekends, serving up poolside eats like nachos and sliders. Nearby are the tennis and pickleball courts.The original hacienda houses The View Restaurant & Bar. Its covered, heated terrace with panoramic views, interior dining room, fireside lounge, and bar are open all day, every day for breakfast, lunch, happy hour (3pm to 5pm), and dinner. (Meals can also be delivered directly to your room.) Trained in French technique, executive chef Avram Samuels’ menus are a mix of European-inspired dishes like herb-roasted leg of lamb, chicken Milanese, and wild mushroom pithivier, alongside lighter fare like Dungeness crab cakes, ahi tuna poke, and roasted beet salad. Musicians play live in the lounge or on the patio Sunday through Friday, setting the mood for craft cocktails, as well as low ABV and NA drinks. 
The fireside lounge at The View restaurant(Courtesy of Chaminade Resort)
The updated rooms add the final dimension the Chaminade had been lacking of late. Northern California firm EDG Interior Architecture & Design, who was also responsible for the main building’s gorgeous Spanish Revival revival, understood the assignment: bringing contemporary California style to the historic property’s rooms and suites. They did it with muted, earthy tones in ochre, charcoal, and eucalyptus; with wood-textured, sculptural headboards and leather details; with custom wallcoverings featuring a historic map of the property’s location.
Rooms range from standard kings at 235 square feet to 535-square-foot executive suites with separate living and sleeping quarters; twelve guestrooms are outfitted with kitchenettes and living rooms with wood dining tables, pull-out couches, and built-in window seats to amp up the comfort for families or visitors on extended stays. Pets are welcome, and family-friendly junior suites include a version with a set of bunk beds for the kiddos.
Many of the rooms on both the ground and upper floors have patios, and all are inclusive of resort amenities from ball courts to saunas to high-speed wifi. The BeeKind Gilchrist & Soames amenities stocked in the granite-accented baths are a nod to Chaminade’s honey bees, the hives of which you can now explore on regular tours and tastings by pro beekeepers, Northern Roots Bee Co.
A new guestroom at Chaminade(Courtesy of Chaminade Resort)
These so-called “Hive Dives” are just one of a suite of programming dialed up for the summer that includes giant bubble parties and “dive-in” movies at the pool. For adults, there’s the regular Winemaker Dinner Series, which highlights vineyards from the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay region alongside a four-course outdoor dinner each May through October. April through September, Chaminade hosts the Nashville Nights Concert Series, with musical guests straight from the capital of country. Plus, they can hook you up with local businesses in town to do things like rent boards from the SUP Shack and take a sunset cruise on the Chardonnay II.
As a getaway, Chaminade has always been a classic. With its guest-room glow-up and slate of new activities and spa offerings, it’s become a must for the summer season.
// 1 Chaminade Ln. (Santa Cruz), chaminade.com
A remodeled living room in a Chaminade suite(Courtesy of Chaminade Resort)
