Joyspan [joi-spahn]: How much time within a lifetime that you truly experience joy.  

California’s Central Coast is celebrating the opening of the La Bahia Hotel + Spa, an only-in-Santa-Cruz luxury lodging experience. Embracing the concept of joyspan, the La Bahia features 155 rooms including 16 suites with unobstructed ocean views of the Monterey Bay, rocking a Wes-Anderson-Meets-Art-Deco esthetic. 

Following multiple decades of planning and development, the La Bahia marks an historic first for the City of Santa Cruz while paying tribute to the provenance of the grounds themselves, where a small hotel once stood over a century ago. A series of architecturally distinctive touchpoints can be found throughout the grounds, and a lovingly preserved, original bell tower from 1926 topped with a vintage mermaid weathervane anchors one corner of the property.  

Designed with a Spanish-Mediterranean flavor elevated by an Art Deco interior theme, 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. Four distinct culinary concepts can be enjoyed onsite, and a Moorish spa deriving inspiration from the rich sea life that calls the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary home rounds out the guest experience.