Chaminade Resort & Spa
A secluded 300-acre hilltop resort with redwood forest trails and expansive views of Monterey Bay.
The verdict
Pick a traveller type to re-weight the scores and re-rank the rooms around what you actually care about.
Chaminade Resort & Spa is a Mission-style property set on 300 hilltop acres overlooking Monterey Bay and the Santa Cruz Mountains. Visitors regularly praise the tranquil forest setting, on-site hiking trails, and lively Sunday brunch. However, guest rooms suffer from dated furniture and dark decor, while the dining room draws persistent complaints about high prices and slow service. 761513
Every line below traces back to something a traveler actually wrote — open a line to read the original sentence and follow it to the source.
What travelers noticed
- The 300 wooded acres of redwood and eucalyptus forest provide expansive views of Monterey Bay and the Santa Cruz Mountains. 7156
- Guests appreciate the secluded hilltop setting with direct access to hiking trails and close proximity to DeLaveaga Park. 7
- Rooms provide generous layouts, comfortable beds, and rustic wooden balconies looking out over the forest. 13
The catch
- Dining draws sharp contrasts: some praise the spectacular Sunday brunch, seared scallops, and lemon drop martinis, while others report unoriginal menus, expensive entrees, and hour-long waits for brunch dishes. 6
- Bathrooms receive mixed marks, described by some as sleek with BeeKind toiletries and fluffy white towels, while others criticize dated orange walls and basic shower-tub combos. 136
Who it's for
- — Sunday brunch with ocean and mountain views
- — Couples seeking secluded redwood hiking trails
- — Guests wanting spacious rooms with forest balconies
Skip it if
- — Light sleepers needing soundproof rooms
- — Travelers wanting modern, updated room decor
- — Diners expecting fast or budget-friendly meals
Seen on camera
1 moments · 1 video · Chaminade Resort & Spa
Each moment is pulled at the second a cited reviewer said the words. Play it here, or open the original video at that timestamp.
“Good night. It looks The light looks so beautiful here.”
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No loyalty-earning direct rate was found for these dates, so the lowest cash rate is shown first.
Prices shown are an estimated range, not a live quote — the booking site confirms the real rate for your dates.
This sits inside our estimated range for this hotel.
Confidence: low · modelled estimate, not a live quote. Check the supplier for the real rate on your dates.
Score breakdown
How the 80/100 is built, category by category — each one with the strongest thing travelers actually said, and the source it came from.
Bathroom
81Location
90- “Immaculate golf courses, sandy beaches, and bustling downtown Santa Cruz are all within reach, making it the perfect location for your next road trip.” 15
- “Offering an American restaurant plus a tennis court, a summer terrace, and massage therapy, this Santa Cruz resort is conveniently located close to a boat dock.” 14
Room
75- “The guest rooms are large, well-appointed, creative, and functional with plenty of seating room.” 6
- “The clever, bohemian decor ranged from a cabinet styled like an antique refrigerator that housed the mini-fridge to the measuring stick-inspired coat rack. But the pièce de résistance was the headboard - an abacus!” 6
Service
81- “The staff at Chaminade was exceptional - helpful and friendly from morning to night, throughout every area of the hotel.” 6
- “But certainly not great and absolutely not a reason to go. However they do serve a few fool drinks, have free valet parking, a very nice ambiance, great service and a decent view.” 10
Bed & Sleep
79Nothing quotable yet on this one — the score leans on the rest of the coverage.
Where it is, how to reach it
Details checked 2026-08-30
Where it sits
Chaminade Resort & Spa and the 1 other hotel we cover in Santa Cruz. Hover a marker for the hotel; click to open it.
Stay value
How this property reads against the hotels we cover alongside it. Measured on review evidence, not on a nightly rate.
Falls short of what $$ usually buys
Scores 8 points below the mid-range median of 88, across 581 hotels in the same bracket.
- This hotel
- 80
- Bracket median
- 88
- Index median
- 90
Based on 581 comparable hotels.
Which room to ask for
What reviewers say about where to sleep inside this building — by room number where one is named, and otherwise by floor, wing, aspect and position. Every line opens onto the quotes behind it.
No reviewer has yet described a room, floor or aspect specifically enough to act on at this property. Room intelligence appears here the moment they do.
Where travelers agree — and don’t
The topics reviewers split on most. A wide bar means your experience depends on which room you get — or whose opinion you trust.
View the 41 things travelers said behind this verdict▾
Quotes run exactly as travelers wrote them — spelling and all. We trim for length, never for tidiness.
- “Immaculate golf courses, sandy beaches, and bustling downtown Santa Cruz are all within reach, making it the perfect location for your next road trip.” 15
- “Offering an American restaurant plus a tennis court, a summer terrace, and massage therapy, this Santa Cruz resort is conveniently located close to a boat dock.” 14
- “Always a fan of a Sunday that begins with bubbles, the Chaminade Sunday brunch is an indulgence extraordinaire.” 6
- “Walnut Ave Cafe has a much better brunch but you can't beat the views of the Chaminade.” 10
- “While at Chaminade Resort & Spa, we had drinks and appetizers at the bar, dined at Linwood's Bar & Grill, attended a special event, and experienced Sunday brunch at the Sunset Restaurant - and the food and the service were spectacular.” 6
- “However, the food is unspectacular and I notice that most resort guests gather here for a time then disappear to one of the many wonderful restaurants in nearby Capitola and Santa Cruz.” 11
- “For some French toast and Benedict's took over an hour. My Benedict was cold. No espresso drinks either. Total fail for a brunch spot imho” 10
- “Chaminade is known for its spectacular Sunday brunch and locals flock here to dine with resort guests on Sundays, drink mimosas and look out over the ocean.” 11
- “The food was superb and plentiful doesn't quite describe the multitude of offerings.” 6
- “Start your day in style with a gourmet breakfast in the fresh mountain breeze.” 15
- “The food is outstanding and the Sunday brunch was one of the best we've experienced.” 6
- “I promise Chaminade is not worth it. I don't mind paying good money for a good meal. But there food is awful. And service isn't any better.” 10
- “Dinner restaurant and bar with gorgeous views of the Santa Cruz mountains” 13
- “After coffee, we'd wander out to the back of the resort to watch the day come to life and take in those stunning views of the Santa Cruz hillside and Monterey Bay in the distance.” 6
- “Super small unoriginal menu.” 10
- “I promise Chaminade is not worth it. I don't mind paying good money for a good meal. But there food is awful.” 10
- “Food is edible. But certainly not great and absolutely not a reason to go.” 10
- “There's also a restaurant on-site with a large outdoor patio offering beautiful views of the Santa Cruz mountains and 12 meeting rooms.” 13
- “But certainly not great and absolutely not a reason to go. However they do serve a few fool drinks, have free valet parking, a very nice ambiance, great service and a decent view. It's a classy spot to chill with a cocktail and enjoy the view.” 10
- “Tried Chaminade years ago. The Valet parking smashed my truck, then claimed it came in like that. Management stiffed me.” 10
- “But certainly not great and absolutely not a reason to go. However they do serve a few fool drinks, have free valet parking, a very nice ambiance, great service and a decent view.” 10
- “Chaminade's on-site facilities earn high praise (and so does the staff).” 7
- “I would discover that the service at Chaminade is excellent. The entire staff is friendly in a California way - unpretentious, personable and professional, aware of your presence and anticipating what you need without being invasive.” 11
- “The service is wonderful. The staff exudes a genuine joyfulness that sets the tone for arriving guests.” 11
- “But there food is awful. And service isn't any better.” 10
- “The Valet parking smashed my truck, then claimed it came in like that. Management stiffed me.” 10
- “The staff at Chaminade was exceptional - helpful and friendly from morning to night, throughout every area of the hotel.” 6
- “Perhaps good marketing & the view is nice, but the food is expensive and subpar.” 10
- “Buy honestly for the prices they need to step up their game.” 10
- “Super small unoriginal menu. Pricey and verrrrry slow.” 10
- “Buy honestly for the prices they need to step up their game. Chaminade is the perfect candidate for a Michelin star restaurant in SC.” 10
- “Pricey and verrrrry slow. I ate with friends a few weeks ago. For some French toast and Benedict's took over an hour.” 10
- “Blue-and-gold patterned carpeting and red accent walls make for an overall dark feel, while lodge-inspired decor such as leather chairs and heavy headboards feel a bit dated.” 13
- “To make the most of the scenery, travelers recommend requesting a room with a patio. However, no matter which room you stay in, you'll find trendy, colorful decor and contemporary amenities such as Gilchrist & Soames bath products, flat-screen TVs and wireless internet access.” 7
- “Décor is dated, the colors mostly muted brown and while the beds are comfortable, the furniture definitely dates back to the 1980's.” 11
- “Escape to Santa Cruz and relax in your well-appointed guest room with resort or forest views, many featuring spacious patios to enjoy the fresh mountain air.” 15
- “The guest rooms are large, well-appointed, creative, and functional with plenty of seating room.” 6
- “The clever, bohemian decor ranged from a cabinet styled like an antique refrigerator that housed the mini-fridge to the measuring stick-inspired coat rack. But the pièce de résistance was the headboard - an abacus!” 6
- “Best for weekend couples, less so for anyone needing soundproof rooms.” 12
What we still don't know
What we can’t tell you yet, said plainly. These close as we read more coverage of this hotel.
- No reviewer has named an individual room number here yet.
- Nothing reliable said about room types.
- Nothing reliable said about floor level.
- Nothing reliable said about building or wing.
- Nothing reliable said about which side it faces.
- Nothing reliable said about view.
- Nothing reliable said about position on the floor.
- 10 sources carry no publication date, so we cannot tell how current they are.
Ask about Chaminade Resort & Spa
Answered only from the coverage cited on this page. If nobody has written about your question, it will say so rather than guess.
How much we read
Deep coverage · 19/100We read 0 sources for this property, covering 0 traveler mentions, boiled down to 0 traveler insights worth knowing. Last checked 2026-08-30.
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Sources
Everything quoted on this page, grouped by traveler insights, outlets, and video & podcast. Counts beside each group show everything we’ve read of that kind; no one kind can carry the score on its own.
5 of 5 summary lines above are traced to specific quotes. The rest summarise the read as a whole rather than any single document.
View all 15 cited sources▾
Everything quoted on this page.
- 13Chaminade Resort & Spa - Oyster Hotel Reviewsoyster.comReview site2024-08-10Ageing7 quotes used
“Bathrooms are worse, with orange walls, granite floors, and shower/tub combos.”
Read originaloyster.com - 10Chaminade question : r/santacruzreddit.comForum thread2021-10-09Ageing20 quotes used
“Walnut Ave Cafe has a much better brunch but you can't beat the views of the Chaminade.”
Read originalreddit.com - 6A relaxing retreat at Chaminade Resort & Spa in Santa Cruzcooladventures.comReview site2016-02-06Ageing13 quotes used
“Always a fan of a Sunday that begins with bubbles, the Chaminade Sunday brunch is an indulgence extraordinaire.”
Read originalcooladventures.com - 11Chaminade Resort – Step into Old California above Santa ...craziculture.comReview site2014-06-02Ageing6 quotes used
“However, the food is unspectacular and I notice that most resort guests gather here for a time then disappear to one of the many wonderful restaurants in nearby Capitola and Santa Cruz.”
Read originalcraziculture.com - 3Chaminade Resort and Spa, Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay ...nancydbrown.comReview site2012-06-01AgeingRead originalnancydbrown.com
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