La Bahia Hotel & Spa, Santa Cruz’s first luxury property which opened in September 2025 announces that guests can experience four disparate culinary concepts on property. The La Bahia features 155 rooms including 16 suites and is located directly across from Main Beach one block from the legendary Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The property features unobstructed ocean views of the Monterey Bay, rocking a Wes-Anderson-Meets-Art-Deco esthetic. A significant amount of thought was put into the creation of the savory-meets-sweet options spanning the hotel, where everything from caviar to coffee can be found. 

Capitalizing on the hyper-local enthusiasm for nearby micro farms and boutique producers, La Bahia’s food and beverage team, headed up by executive chef Fernando Reyes, who was previously the executive chef at Carmel Valley Ranch and other luxury properties had a wealth of options when it came to creating menu items that were both elevated and accessible culinary experiences.  At sidewalk level, Low Tide Bar & Grill features casual fare across all dayparts and local roaster Cat + Cloud Coffee in addition to craft cocktails served indoors or on a breezy patio with views of the beach. High Tide serves dinner only and is described as “La Bahia’s signature destination restaurant,” offering a Pacific Rim-inspired menu.  American favorites like crab cakes are featured alongside The Umami Forest Risotto, a vegetarian dish utilizing crisp-edged roasted maitake mushrooms. 

Pearl is a lobby-based, London-inspired champagne bar with personalized libations, creative mixologists and wine and spirits. Unique bar snacks include raspberry-filled macarons and ahi tuna sashimi dotted with caviar and serrano chilis. However, the star of the show is the bar’s eponymous cocktail, The Pearl of La Bahia, made with Meyer lemon, vodka and Champagne, with a smoke-filled bubble floating on top. When it pops, a citrusy cloud wafts from the cream-colored drink. Of the eight cocktails on the menu, three can be made without alcohol and of those, the Seaweed & Sequoia is a favorite, made with alcohol-free craft bitters and nonalcoholic vermouth, imitating a woodsy and delicate experience.   

The Plunge offers poolside food and drinks. Small plates and specialty cocktails will be served from a stylish, vintage-meets-chic bites booth adjacent to the pool.  

All three bars – Low Tide, Pearl and Plunge – have their own beverage programs, with their own glassware and unique recipes.   

Designed with a Spanish-Mediterranean aesthetic with an elevated Art Deco interior design flair, the property encompasses one city block (225,000 square feet total) and houses 13,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space, a 4,000 square foot Bahia Ballroom and 5,200 square feet of rooftop deck. A Moorish spa deriving inspiration from the rich sea life that calls the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary home rounds out the guest experience.