We woke up each morning in Santa Cruz, CA to a light fog glazing the pacific coast. The seas fragrance filled the dewy air and pastel colored succulents adorned the oceans neighboring cliffs.

Santa Cruz (which translates to holy cross) sits along the northern edge of California’s Monterey Bay, about an hour south of San Francisco and approximately 5 hours north of Los Angeles (LA).  It’s a perfect stopping point if traveling the pacific coast highway (PCH) or as a single stop destination.

Santa Cruz has a little bit of everything one might imagine California to be except, Hollywood. A hip, laid back vibe roams the atmosphere and a friendly, courteous energy stands prevalent in the community. One can find surfing, hiking, beach-volleyball, wildlife viewing, wine tasting, fruit picking, a diverse music culture, unique shops, friendly locals, seaside bon fires, a heavenly selection of eateries and so much more.

And perhaps one of the greatest parts of all (if you’re anything like us) is just how pet-friendly Santa Cruz is! From beaches to breweries and even restaurants, Santa Cruz makes it easy for local pet owners and those traveling with pets to engage in the towns expanse of activities. The local magazine helpfully lists where you can and can’t take Fido. Some hotels offer amenities like a dog run, specialty dog treats or even a dog food menu.

We stayed at The Seaway Inn on West Cliff Drive and just across from Cowell Beach. Though there was not a dog run or speciality dog treats, it was about 20 minutes (north on West Cliff ) walking distance from the dog beach. This was incredibly ideal for us and our high energy dog, Styx. He requires much more than a dog run and absolutely loves his canine friends, so the dog beach rated very high with us and it’s not the only one within the greater Santa Cruz area.

For us humans The Seaway Inn was also, perfect. Located in walking distance to restaurants and shops along the wharf, just across the street from the main beach and Cowell beach (a good place to surf if you’re an amateur like me), the iconic boardwalk, the historic surfing museum and so much more than one can experience in 4 days.  The hotel itself was cozy and comfortable. The only downside was paying for an ocean view room and having someone else use your balcony and furniture everyday, pretty minor issue really!

(By the way, the above photo just happened to be one of those ‘moments’ but a metal pole from a nearby fence caught my lens, partially obstructing the surge of water against the cliffs. Darn! Just a part of the game!)

So, if you haven’t pick up on it by now, I highly recommend visiting Santa Cruz or moving there, ok maybe that’s just me California dreaming again, but really it is a place that offers much for many just like its climate and soil grows a medley of plenty!

What activities or vibes draw you to visit a place?

Food? Culture? Activities? Climate? Chance?

As always, thank you for joining me here!

I appreciate you all so much ♥♥♥♥

On Instagram? Lets Connect @Divinei

p.s. I am not affiliated or compensated with/by posted links but merely giving an honest review of my experience.