Do you ever just need to run away, if only for a night?   I needed escape from the everyday routine.  I know I didn’t want to go too far, but far enough to feel like a mini-vacation.  We decided to go to the Santa Cruz region.  We picked Santa Cruz because 1) Boo has never been there 2) I have only been to the tourist Boardwalk & downtown 3) I heard it’s lovely.   As usual, I like to talk to folks who know the area to get some recommendations on where to eat and what to see.  I used the handy dandy interweb to find a good place to stay.  Here’s what we did.

Accommodations:  Redwood Croft B&B
Room:  The West Room with private patio.
Cost:  $225 + tax (that was with a military discount.  Yikes!)
Rating:  This place got rave reviews online.  I’ll give it an A for location and scenery, a C+ for breakfast and host.  The host seemed a bit… passive aggressive.  It was a bit odd.  Another couple raved about the breakfast, so I was a bit disappointed when plain pancakes and sausage came out.  Overall, we enjoyed out stay, but will likely not return.

          

As usual, when I travel, I look for the best spots to eat.  I got these 2 recommendations from a friend who used to live in the area – and she was on point!

Breakfast (on our arrival morning):  Whale City Bakery, Davenport, CA
I heard the pastries were awesome but we went for a meal and split the Huevos Tortillas which was pretty good.  The coffee was tasty and the outside patio was awesome – and dog friendly!

Lunch:  Pizza My Heart, Downtown Santa Cruz
This place has grown significantly since I visited last.  It used to be a hole in the wall, and now it’s a huge restaurant.  The za was fine, nothing to rave about anymore.

Dinner:  The Cremer House, Felton, CA
If you’re in the Santa Cruz area and don’t want to head downtown for dinner, you HAVE to hit up The Cremer House.  This place is awesome!  The historic building is charming, with a nice wrap around porch for outdoor seating (with heaters).  The inside is super cozy, and you feel like you’re walking into a friends house.  After out late pizza lunch, we decided to go light and split the “Bob Salad” which was amazing.  We also ordered a flight of beer (3 of 8 were good) and the donuts… which were ah-mazing.  The staff is great, and everything else on the menu looked amazing.  Great spot.

On the drive home, we made a pit-stop in a little town called Pescadero to grab coffee and check out the shops, took a shot of the coast, and enjoyed every winding minute of the famous Highway 1.

Great little runaway.  Very blessed to be able to take little vacations – so close to home.

God is good friends.  God is good.