Need a place to stay in Santa Cruz? Here are our picks for the best Santa Cruz hotels for group getaways.
Featured photo courtesy of Dream Inn.
Dream Inn Santa Cruz
From girls’ getaways to family reunions, the 165-room, retro-chic Dream Inn Santa Cruz is primed for fun in the sun. For one thing, there’s its beachfront location—the only one in town—just steps away from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. That means rooms and suites in various configurations have the benefit of sweeping views of Monterey Bay from private balconies or patios. The onsite Jack O’Neill Restaurant & Lounge, helmed by executive chef Gus Trejo, serves up California-inspired fare and creative cocktails featuring locally sourced ingredients sure to please everyone in your party. And then there’s the pool deck, a hub of activity that overlooks the beach and bay and is outfitted with a bar and snack shack, and there’s even a daily ice cream happy hour to keep the kids happy.
HIGHLIGHT: A combined 3,500 square feet of event space with panoramic ocean views is ideal for hosting weddings, meetings and other special events.
Seascape Beach Resort
Located in Aptos above a picturesque 17-mile beach, Seascape Resort knows how to throw a party, with numerous indoor and outdoor facilities ready to host events ranging from weddings to corporate retreats for anywhere from 10 to 200 guests. There are plenty of lodging options for group getaways too at the all-suite hotel — the only one in the area — including a variety of suites and one- and two-bedroom villas with a range of different amenities, including balconies and patios, ocean views, kitchenettes, electric barbecues, jetted tubs and sofa sleepers.
HIGHLIGHT: There is so much to do here for groups that like to stay busy: the Seascape Golf Club, The Shops at Seascape Village, restaurants, a fitness center with lap pool, in-room spa services movie nights, beach parties, a poolside pizza oven, bike rentals and beach volleyball. The resort will even build your group a bonfire on the private beach — beach chairs and s’mores fixings included.
Chaminade Resort & Spa
A 300-acre campus with just 156 guest rooms and 3 miles of hiking trails through the redwood forest already gives Santa Cruz’s Chaminade Resort & Spa an advantage when it comes to offering room for active groups traveling together to roam — not to mention the fitness center, tennis and pickleball courts, bocce ball courts, cornhole and disc golf course. But the historic hilltop compound, built in Spanish Revival style in 1930 as a Catholic boys’ high school, recently completed renovation of all its public spaces that not only enhanced its architectural heritage but also gives guests even more choices for outdoor R&R. The resort redesigned Linwood’s Bar & Grill and aptly renamed it the View, greatly expanding its patio seating with vistas of Monterey Bay and, at night, twinkling market lights. Plus, Chaminade boasts two heated outdoor swimming pools, three hot tubs and nine poolside cabanas — easily keeping everyone in your party entertained.
HIGHLIGHT: Accommodations include rooms and suites where families and can spread out — some with generous seating areas, dining tables and pull-out sofa beds. There are plenty of event venues here, too, for everything from weddings to company retreats, as well as pet-friendly rooms and a “pooch patio menu” at the View restaurant.
Hyatt Place Santa Cruz
Offering the modern amenities Hyatt is known for, along with a convenient location near the region’s best attractions, Hyatt Place Santa Cruz’s 106 spacious rooms include one-bedroom suites, and all rooms feature seating areas with sofa sleepers, making this hotel appealing for groups traveling together. There are also numerous event spaces to choose from to accommodate celebrations of various sizes, should a party or meeting be in your future.
HIGHLIGHT: Plenty of perks at Hyatt Place Santa Cruz include free breakfast, a 24/7 Starbucks espresso bar, pool, fitness center, and lobby bar and eatery.
Hotel Paradox
From the moment you check in at the front “desk”—crafted from a giant tree trunk—Hotel Paradox, part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection of hotels, feels apropos for a hotel set right in the heart of Santa Cruz yet surrounded by coastal mountains and towering redwoods. The modern, urban yet woodsy décor extends to the rooms, which are comfortable and contemporary with thoughtful design touches like reclaimed wood headboards, river rock flooring and rain shower heads, and include one-bedroom suites with sofa beds. The expansive outdoor pool deck with a large hot tub, outdoor firepit and plenty of daybeds is a popular gathering place for families and groups of friends traveling together alike, and the onsite restaurant and bar, Solitaire, offers both indoor dining and outdoor seating by the pool, with plenty of room for larger parties.
HIGHLIGHT: Rounding out the amenities, Hotel Paradox is pet friendly, offers bike rentals, features a new fitness center and offers more than 8,000 square feet of event space, all making it an easy choice for hosting group getaways and special celebrations.
Hilton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley
Nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains and surrounded by trees, the Hilton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley feels relaxing and remote, yet it’s only 10 minutes away from Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and 15 minutes from Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. A popular destination for weddings and corporate retreats, the hotel offers a number of different room categories for groups traveling together, including one-bedroom suites, and some feature fireplaces and sofa beds.
HIGHLIGHT: The fitness center; pool and hot tub; 24-hour snack bar; and onsite Stonehouse Bar & Grill, featuring California cuisine, local wines and brews, and a large stone fireplace, ensure everyone in your group feels right at home.
