Final Daze of Summa’
A few weekends ago the OHBI gals went on one last Summer Adventure before the heat was beat completely. TBH central California won’t show its first signs of Autumn until late October if we’re lucky. Regardless the coast can get a little chilly so we wanted to make sure we soaked up those beach rays before they disappeared. We made our way back to the Santa Cruz area and realized we hadn't set our OHBI toes on that sand in over a year! We couldn’t believe it had been that long. We found some new gems and revisited some old faves. Scroll for our seaside weekend adventure!
Stuffing your Gullet
El Palomar
This is possibly Santa Cruz's best kept secret that can be found in the heart of downtown. The restaurant has a California Mission vibe to it...which sparked a conversation between S & A that not everyone knows what a mission is! So stayed tuned for an upcoming post! This delish spot serves up the freshest Mexican food we've ever had. We're talking about homemade tortillas and fresh salsa! *HEART EYES*
Fair warning, it is a little on the pricey side but totally worth the bills and their portions are the perfect size.
Las Palmas Taco Bar
This taco bar is possibly the best Mexican restaurant for the price and quality of their food. It was so tasty we ended up eating there twice...in one day! The only person who judged us was the head chef but only with cute little heart eyes because she saw our love for her tacos! This spot is a must and we’d recommend getting the ground beef crispy tacos!
Margaritaville
You can never go wrong with taking a short trip to Capitola for a spicy marg. We didn’t snap any pics here because the margs are too delish (and strong) to remember to be a blogger! We took this photo from the year before, we must not have had a second marg on that trip!
Staff of Life Natural Food Market
This grocery store is kind of like Whole Foods but possibly better. They have a cute cafe and outdoor seating attached to the store. S finally found some yogurt she could enjoy. It’s been a long journey finding the perfect yogurt y’all. Most yogurts have a ton of sugar or taste too sour but not CocoYo! You may have guessed it’s made of coconut milk and even has probiotics.
How to Stay Entertained
Beach Boardwalk
A trip to Santa Cruz without going to the Beach Boardwalk is basically unheard of in our opinions. Riding the Giant Dipper is always on the top of our to-do list, along with funnel cakes and boardwalk shakes! This trip was fully intact with our Dazey L.A. and Ban.do gear!
Shark Fin Cove
Have you ever wondered what it felt like to be on an enchanted island? Well Shark Fin Cove Beach will accomplish all of those vibes. This beach was named after the enormous rock formation that resembles a shark fin. This is the only shark you will catch us close to! Depending on the time of day you visit the tides may be low enough for you to walk through one of the sea caves near by. Fun fact, this was the first time the OHBI gals frolicked in our swimmies in the real world and documented it. We’d like to think we broke some serious barriers that day!
Panther Beach
This magical beach is only a few miles up from Shark Fin Cove and a small hike down from the road. It is complete with endless views of the deep blue, multiple caves and tide pools to explore, and cliffs for miles! If you plan to spend the whole day at the beach, this is definitely the place to be.
The Catalyst
This venue has hosted all of the best bands and has given us memories that will last a lifetime. When the stars aligned and we found out an Emo Night was being held here we immediately dug out our old band tees and side swooped our bangs. We had a great time reliving our youth and singing along to bands like Blink-182, Yellowcard, and Fall Out Boy. If you’re near The Catalyst we’d highly recommend checking out their schedule of live bands and events. Relive your youth!
Rest your head
Bay Front Inn
Santa Cruz is not known for it's luxurious hotels or resorts but they are known for a good time in a beach town! Our main goal in picking our hotel location was clean and close to the fun. Bay Front Inn was the perfect spot. We got our steps in on this vacation but thankfully not too many because we were only a mile from the Boardwalk.
Magical Rainbow Building
Unless you win the lottery and have three wishes granted from a genie it is pretty tough to snag one of the rainbow condos. The Capitola Venetian Hotel is in the same alley as the rainbow condos and just as magical! This hotel is in walking distance to Margaritaville, The Sand Bar, and of course the dreamy blue ocean!
Chaminade Resort
This resort sits up in the Mountains about fifteen minutes from the heart of Santa Cruz. There’s nothing like fresh air and a massage to end a weekend of fun! The resort sits on 200 acres of land and has multiple hiking trails that we took full advantage of. If you’re lucky you might spot a cute bunny or Bambi! We ended the night around a fire with a glass of wine over looking the mountains. This place was SHAMAZING!
We had the time of our lives on this little vacay getaway! We hope y’all can take our advice and go on more vacations. Tag us on Insta @OHBIofficial we’d love to see where you’re headed next! Keep adventuring friends.
xoxo
S&A
