Our search lasted almost 2 years for our perfect beach house on the Westside of Santa Cruz! We wanted a remodeled home with 4 bedrooms/3 bathrooms in a nice, quiet beach neighborhood. A home with a great layout for entertaining and suitable for house guests was essential. As parents and children of elderly parents, being within walking distance of the beach with seasonal lifeguards was important to us. Plus, Natural Bridges State Beach has restrooms and showers. Natural Bridges State Beach Park offers great tide pools, stroller and bike friendly paths, park ranger programs for the kids, charcoal bbq grills and is the home to the monarch butterfly nature preserve.
We love bike riding and strolling on West Cliff Drive starting from Natural Bridges towards the Lighthouse Field State Beach, gawking at the surfers at Cowell’s Beach, eating on the Wharf and goofing around at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. In the evenings, we enjoy walking to the Swift Street wineries, restaurants and New Leaf Market (a.k.a. mini Whole Foods) for dinner. The Saturday Westside farmer's market is our source for our morning coffee, breakfast tacos, and local produce. We walk a 1/2 a block from our house to catch the public bus to UC Santa Cruz to participate in university sponsored events from using the sports facilities,, foraging at the Farm, and looking for banana slugs in the redwood forest.
Of course, we do the typical Santa Cruz family activities at the beach and downtown. Historically, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has great summer retro Monday and Tuesday nights with specials on rides and food. Volleyball tournaments, bands on the beach, bowling, kayaking, SUP, and surfing- there is always something happening on the main beach! Downtown Santa Cruz is a must see destination with al fresco dining, street performers, and the iconic Bookshop Santa Cruz.
Capitola Village is a short drive with nice ocean front restaurants and night life.