Santa Cruz, United States

La Bahia Hotel & Spa

Price per night from$380.37

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (inclusive of taxes and fees) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD380.37), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

La Bahia Hotel & Spa Photos

Style

Solar coaster

Setting

Beach Street babe

Explore

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Life at Californian resort La Bahia Hotel & Spa seems to run on slick cruise control — and we’re not just talking about its breezy, seafront locale. Its seasonal beach butlers, four coastal restaurants and Mediterranean-inspired spa let you put yourself on autopilot to make more time for your hosts’ local recommendations and tailored activities. And with its ocean-soundtracked suites, pier-gazing pool and restored bell tower, you’ll soon learn the meaning of coast, in all senses. 

Smith Extra

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$20 hotel credit and 10 per cent off spa services

Facilities

Photos La Bahia Hotel & Spa facilities

Need to know

Rooms

155, including 22 suites.

Check–Out

11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 4pm.

More details

Rates at La Bahia exclude breakfast, which is available at Low Tide or Pearl Coffee Bar for an extra charge.

Also

There are 22 accessible rooms across La Bahia Hotel & Spa, designed to cater to individual needs – you’ll find rooms adapted for hearing, visual and/or mobility impairments. The communal spaces and public restrooms are accessible, there are dedicated parking spaces, however, the pool isn’t suitable if you have limited mobility.

At the hotel

Gym, boutique, charged laundry service and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: smart TV with streaming services, Bluetooth speaker, air-conditioning, Nespresso coffee machine, free minibar, bathrobes, slippers and Le Labo bath products.

Our favourite rooms

When you’re this close to the beach, ocean views from your bed feel like a necessary port of call — plump for a Signature King Suite, which is kitted out in La Bahia’s coastal-cool style, plus some also have a private furnished balcony. Kick it up a notch in a spacious Lighthouse Suite with its separate living area and three outdoor terraces: two balconies and one vast terrace with a fire pit and lounge seating.

Poolside

The outdoor pool, like much of the resort, draws inspiration from vibrant Spanish haciendas, with shades of sunshine yellow, palm fronds and pops of coral pink to match the Californian locale. Nautically striped cabanas, sunloungers and parasols echo your coastal locale, which is the screensaver to poolside swims and siestas, and should you be looking for a dip of the salty kind, the ocean is only a stroll away.

Spa

La Bahia's seafront setting inspires its adults-only, Mediterranean-style spa and holistic treatments. Lymphatic rituals, oceanside facials and surf-recovery massages draw on your breezy, beachy locale, and a fire pit-adorned relaxation terrace continues your sense of calm long after your therapist finishes.

Packing tips

Bring along your inner water baby — this beachfront resort is oriented around its pool, the sea, and the rest of the Californian coast.

Also

In summer, La Bahia’s beach butlers will set up you up in sought-after sandy spots, with chairs, towels and snack-packed coolers for oceanside outings.

Children

Welcome. The suites or Double Queen rooms are best for families, and free cribs can be added to all rooms. Suites and Signature Suites have sofa-beds, and there are kids’ menus at the restaurants.

Sustainability efforts

This Green Key-certified resort eschews single-use plastic; favors regional and organic suppliers; organizes beach clean-ups; collaborates with like-minded environmental partners; has restored the hotel's heritage features, and spotlights artwork from local artisans.

Food and Drink

Photos La Bahia Hotel & Spa food and drink

Top Table

Facing the boardwalk at any of the restaurants — a particularly pretty vignette as the sun begins to set.

Dress Code

Fresh out of the pool or sea flies at Plunge and Low Tide, but dinners at High Tide deserve a bit of polish.

Hotel restaurant

Flow between La Bahia’s host of dining spots, each inspired by the coastal Californian setting. Days might start at island-inspired Low Tide over breakfasts of Japanese-style omelets or golden corn tostadas, before rolling into laidback all-day dining with artisanal pizzas, fresh salads and sharing plates at this casual, streetside brasserie. Come dinner, drift to High Tide for its raw-specialties, ocean views and Asian favorites spun with local produce, such as spicy lobster miso ramen and coconut crab cakes. At alfresco Plunge, dip into classic clubhouse fare — mahi mahi tacos, grilled Caesar salad, brioche-bun cheeseburger — before diving into the parasol-flanked pool; its spritzes and wines by the glass bring equal refreshment. In the morning, you can grab takeaway coffees from lobby bar Pearl.

Hotel bar

Set in the lobby, Pearl takes cues from the champagne bars of London’s hotels, with velvet fringed sofas, leather bar stools and glistening chandeliers. Its polished bites of Gruyère gougères and ounces of caviar pair very well with a concise menu of craft cocktails — you can also ask the mixologists for an off-menu tipple. There are bars at Low Tide and Plunge, too, for sips with a side of sunshine. 

Last orders

At Low Tide, breakfast is 7am–11am; all-day dining is 11am–9pm. High Tide serves dinner 5pm–9pm, Tuesday to Saturday, and lunch at Plunge is 11am–5pm. Pearl opens 4pm–10pm (2pm–11pm, weekends); its coffee bar serves 6am–11am.

Room service

Order dishes to your door between 7am and 10pm.

Location

Photos La Bahia Hotel & Spa location
Address
La Bahia Hotel & Spa
215 Beach Street
Santa Cruz
95060
United States

Set on the aptly named Beach Street, La Bahia Hotel & Spa overlooks sea, sand and Municipal Wharf in sunny Santa Cruz, California.

Planes

San Jose Mineta International Airport and Monterey Regional Airport are each 45 minutes away by road; San Francisco’s hub is closer to 90 minutes’ drive. Staff can arrange transfers, on request and for an additional charge.

Automobiles

This want-for-nothing resort is right on the beach, so you won’t need a set of wheels — other than one of the hotel’s bikes — to get around. If you’re road-tripping down the Californian coastline, however, there’s valet parking at La Bahia for $50 a night.

Worth getting out of bed for

Hear beachfront resort and you might think ‘drop and flop’, but La Bahia Hotel & Spa serves relaxation and action in equal measure. You could start your day with sunrise yoga or a sound bath, before turning Monterey Bay into your water-based playground for private yacht charters, year-round whale watching, sea kayaking or surf lessons. Staff can arrange guided e-bike tours or set out under your own steam — you could head for Santa Cruz’s boardwalk, awash in retro charm and rollercoasters, or towards its pit stop-worthy shops and museums. Further afield, there are vineyards and breweries to dip into, as well as hiking trails in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, and scenic bays such as Natural Bridges State Beach. This just scratches the surface of Santa Cruz and its surrounding area — your hosts can create tailored-to-you itineraries. 

Local restaurants

At Hook & Line, the sinkers are pearlescent oyster platters, fresh seafood and farmers’ market finds, all presented in a lofty, polished dining room. El Palomar plates up Mexican family recipes, such as homemade enchiladas and chicken with mole sauce, in a colorful, bunting-strewn space. Trattoria La Posta spins Italian classics into local favorites with seasonal, regional produce and a selection of fluffy pizzas. 

Local cafés

A twinkly garden or tavern-like interior are the backdrop for sweet and savory pancakes at The Crêpe Place — you might have a Greek or club sandwich-inspired one as your entrée, before rounding off with a cinnamon swirl-style stack for dessert.

Local bars

Sip small-batch creations and signature beers at nautical-and-nice Humble Sea Brewing Co, or swing by Sante Adairius for crisp brews, tasting flights and old-world ales.

Reviews

Photos La Bahia Hotel & Spa reviews

Anonymous review

By Mr & Mrs Smith

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this beachfront resort in California and unpacked their surfboards and retro rollercoaster tickets necklaces, a full account of their coastal break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside La Bahia Hotel & Spa in Santa Cruz… 

It feels counterintuitive to say of a grand resort with a generous number of keys that it’s about the little things, but that's true of thoughtful La Bahia Hotel & Spa on Santa Cruz’s seafront.  

The carefully restored bell tower is crowned by a mermaid-shaped wind vane, a piece of history and reminder of your coastal locale; both also get a nod in the on-site boutique and your minibar, with locally made popcorn and salt water taffy. Staff can set you up in various spots across the resort depending on your mood — sundowners on the quieter rooftop terrace, a picnic on the beach — and even the mixologists at Pearl’s bar can shake up off-menu cocktails to perfectly match your palate. 

This tailored-to-you approach is felt in your hosts’ local recommendations and proposed activities, but there are crowd-pleasers, too: a Spanish-style spa, four coastal restaurants and cabana-dotted pool are La Bahia’s assured big hitters. 

Book now

Price per night from $321.56