After the overcharged tourism of Monterey, the unassuming community of Santa Cruz, 75 miles south of San Francisco, comes as a surprise. Although in many ways the quintessential Californian coastal town, spread at the foot of thickly wooded mountains beside a clean sandy beach, it has grown considerably in the last few years, having recovered from the destruction wrought by the 1989 earthquake. In the Sixties, the Merry Pranksters turned the local youth on to LSD long before it defined a generation in San Francisco's Summer of Love, and the area is still among the most politically and socially progressive in California. It's also surprisingly untouristy. No hotels spoil the miles of coastline; most of the land is agricultural; and roadside stands are more likely to sell apples or sprouts than postcards and souvenirs. The Santa Cruz Boardwalk , one of the last surviving beachfront amusement parks on the west coast, is the main focus for visitors (May-Aug daily 11am-10pm; rest of year hours vary, unlimited rides ). Although it can get packed on weekends with teenagers on the prowl, most of the time it's a friendly funfair, where barefoot hippies mix with mushroom farmers. The star attraction is the 80-year-old Giant Dipper , a wild and rickety wooden roller coaster that has been ridden by more than 45 million people. Hotels in Santa Cruz |
Santa Cruz hotels
