. The pool looked good and the tennis courts were nice. Somebody poured money into renovations but it was not enough to please us. This place is not going to make it although they are half heartedly trying. Delicious! Travelers tip Stay home. Oh, yes and Gail’s restaurant for breakfast is a must. The highlight of this pricey experience was a local restaurant called Lillian’s Italian - great food, It was the best part of our trip. The boardwalk was under construction and closed down. The small houses by the beach are almost tenements filled with college students. Last but not least, Santa Cruz is a major dive. No scenery to speak of. The nature/hiking trail was just a trail in the bramble bushes amongst some redwoods. The women’s steam and sauna needed a facelift. The exercise room was old, damp and dreary. All of the spa services on the menu were way too high priced. They were not especially good massages either. More than on a cruise ship. We paid way too much for massages. The spa was adequate. We only ate two meals there. Sparse servings, too.00 for a pork chop, a scoop of mashed potatoes and a carrot. We paid $29. The meals were overpriced. It was closed and everyone was forced to eat in the grill/sports bar which was loud and rowdy.The worst part was the restaurant. TV too far from bed to see anything worthwhile.Room security was weak. No machines at the hotel to get a soda. The room had no refrigerator. The heater nor the air conditioner worked. Our room was damp and moldy. Place was terribly overpriced. Expedia was kind enough to let us out of our pre-paid contract. We lasted only 4 nights. My husband and I decided to try this hotel for 5 nights...We would never stay there again.

But otherwise LOVE the private hiking trails, the bed was THE BEST hotel bed ive ever slept on, the food was amazing, and the view was breath taking.It was ok i was annoyed that there was no elevator and it was super muggy, not to mention the hotel lost power the second night we were there and it still wasnt back on when we checked out the next morning.

. A great place to stay in Santa Cruz. We received friendly service from all the staff. The room has obviously been updated although some age still showed. The beds were comfortable.Pleasant place to stay in Santa Cruz We stayed at the Chaminade for two nights while attending a wedding.

. Travelers tip on local attractions The boardwalk in Santa Cruz is nice and the Crow’s Nest restaurant was excellent for a meal, kid friendly as well as good food. Decent place for a night or indeed a few night stop over. Room’s were clean, but breakfast finished too early for us and our two young kids as well as check out being 11. Staff were helpful and directed us to a good restaurant in town. It’s a nice resort with good facilities.One Night Only We stopped here overnight when travelling down highway 1 from san fran to LA.

Yuck!!!. Stay away from the downtown hotels & motels. Given the dumps in downtown, this is the place to stay. Sleep is tough to get if you’re on the ground floor. There was also a drunk in our hallway at 11:00pm on both nights banging on her room door. The problem is that the floors above are wooden and everytime the person above walked around, it was loud.Nice, but noisy on ground floor We had a very nice room.

The only cons: lack of refregirator in a room. Huge clean room with a patio. Great service. Plenty of walking trails.4 star hotel for 2 star price Beatiful hotel in a very nice a quiet place.

.Nice relaxing resort/hotel Nice location, relaxing and good food service.

. Depending on your priorities, ask for a room by the pool OR one by the lobby and restaurants - you can’t have both - they are at opposite ends of the grounds. So we give them an "E" for effort, but they could use some improvements to fine-tune their accommodations and service. The hotel staff was good, but not great - service in the restaurant was painfully slow every time and the girl in the spa gave us "stink eye" every time we came in just to ask for a basketball for the court (definitely the least kid-friendly place on the property). The bathtub was torturous to get the kids into as the door opened right against the tub and I couldn’t get past the toilet. They did give us 2 portable cribs, which worked out well and it was fairly child-proof. However, our room was dark and dank - our room smelled a bit "funny", but not bad enough to change rooms after we’d unloaded our stuff and 2 toddlers.Good, but not great for families The hotel grounds are great - the pool was fantastic for our kids and there’s a grassy area for them to run around.

Travelers tip on dining needs more food available. would like to be able to use the jacuzzi in the spa area because the other gets too crowded with kids and loud people.Nice hotel, needs to keep spa open longer I enjoyed my stay, rooms were a little dark and cramped, very quiet and peaceful though.

. The place is beautiful and the food will not disappoint. And ride the cable car down. Travelers tip on local attractions Be sure to eat at Shadowbrook in Capitola. The bed was very comfortable. The gym is large and easily accessible for a hotel. The tv’s need to be upgraded at these prices. There was nowhere to put our toiletries. This may have been the wheelchair room. The bathroom had a very small counter in it. Take a camera. It’s like another land. You must take the walk into the redwoods. Nice touch. The waitress, who we met earlier when we arrived and went in for a drink, gave us a glass of merlot when they accidentally poured too many.We ate there one night and the food and the service was good. The restaurant is very expensive, especially for breakfast. The grounds are well kept and the young boys at the door never let us touch it! They were always there with a smile. It was quiet and enjoyable.Enjoyable getaway We stayed there in May for 3 nights.

Nice location, nice hotel will definitely go back.

. I did however feel the bed could use a new mattress.I thought the hotel was great I thought the hotel and service were great, the rooms very large and comfortable, and everything very clean.

.Ground Floor Ask for a ground floor room, it gives you a small patio to sit on and enjoy the scenery.

. This happened both monrings of our stay. Stopped by in the morning to have some coffee and had to track down an employee to refill the coffee, crean, and sugar. The prices were extremely high for both the rooms and the food. While it was a large table (9 people), the waitress couldn’t remember who had what. The service in the resturant was very poor. The room was clean and well appointed.The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly The beds were extremely comfortable.

. Our kids were bummed too to find out that all TV viewing is pay per view, even children’s programming. Although we vacation regularly in Santa Cruz and Monterey and the resort location is very convenient we won’t be returning to the resort. After experiencing the friendly upscale experience of other resorts and living in the Napa Valley the experience was just lackluster. We found it odd that no one at the resort greeted each other in passing. The bell staff were prompt, but didn’t go out of their way to be helpful (while we waited for the front desk staff to complete a LONG phone call), so we could check in.Lackluster resort experience We drove onto the beautiful resort property with great anticipation.

. The only thing missing was a refrigerator.I will definitely stay here again.

. Travelers tip on local attractions Riding bikes along the coast is great and not too demanding. It’s just that they don’t seem to be reinvesting in the hotel. The surrounding grounds are beautiful. The ice machine in our building wasn’t working. I’d rather pay a little extra and have these things not be add ons. WIFI and internet connection are extras. If you want a small refrigerator in the room that’s extra. The carpet needed to be replaced. The room and bathroom need to be updated. The room was disappointing.It’s not run down but it’s on its way The staff was nice.

. Great room, great spa, great gym, great staff, great time. The best meal we had was at Chaminade.Simply wonderful We went for the classic Santa Cruz experience; dinner at Shadowbrook and Crow’s Nest, etc.

. It is well isolated and your teens cannot go anywhere without a car. The amenities offered include swimming pool and tennis courts, and spa. This resort looks like it would be a great place to contain your family, but not for the price. TV needs to be updated to LCD types. Landscaping needs to be redone to water resistant planting. Definitely needs to be updated to the "luxury resort/spa" it claims to be and for the prices it charges. This hotel resort has seen better times.Has seen better times.

. Travelers tip on saving a few bucks While not spas, in my opinion there exist better value hotels in Santa Cruz. The pool was supposed to close at 11PM. The following night, arrived back to find a loud, crowd in the pool at 1:30am. They did not. Before permitting the valet to attempt to enter the room with the new card key, he was asked to confirm the key provided me did not work. Called the front desk and waited 10 minutes for valet to arrive. Neither card key worked. Received new room keys, and in a downpour, went to the building with the new room. The manager explained they had some large groups and comp’d breakfast for all three days. The room was not vacant! This was serious oversight of both parties with untold possible consequences. Entered the room and noticed luggage and belongings.Serious Oversight Arrived at the hotel, and after a lenghty wait, was issued room keys.

.which for me, was disappointing... I was pleased with everything else, just the lack of attention to this small detail. I didn’t want to use it. They looked old and worn.Nice My only complaint was that, for a 4 star hotel, I thought the guest robes were terrible.

. Very scenic and secluded, with easy access to nearby shopping and restaurants.A great vacation My wife and I stayed overnight, and had a great time.

. The hotel’s buffet breakfast was very good and the dining room was pleasant. Had we known that, we might have stayed at another hotel. We read that the hotel was undergoing renovation, however, it wasn’t clear that the spa was closed. The room warmed up after an hour or so. we called the front desk and a maintenance man came over and explained the thermostat. The room was cold though and the instructions for the heat were not clear. Our room was large, comfortable, and clean.Very pleasant stay, though spa closed & room was cold We arrived at 9 pm on Christmas day and had a fast checkin.

. Allow extra time to take in all they have to offer. From busy Santa Cruz you head up a steep driveway lined with tall trees to a secluded new world atop a hill over looking the town and ocean. Great for family vacation or reunion.A Real Bargain Considering All The Service! This was a business trip but I am now looking for an excuses to come back.

i cannot wait to get back to the chaminade!!!. the room itself was nicely appointed and fit well with the surrounding santa cruz mountains. the holiday buffet was divine and no one (not even our 8 year old vegetarian) was disappointed. i was very impressed with this, because i know that they were booked to capacity on that day. one call to the front desk sent a staffer in a minivan to escort us to our new room. the first room we were placed in was not easy for me to get to as it was up stairs and i am disabled. the staff was extremely helpful and courteous. i had received info on their holiday buffet and holiday discounts and jumped at the opportunity -- i had been wanting to go there for some time.Relaxing holiday getaway when thanksgiving arrived and no one felt like cooking or even driving to grandma’s house, chaminade came to the rescue.