Suite Spot: Chaminade Resort & Spa, Santa Cruz

A summer home built at the turn of the 20th century, a farming retreat for monks, a Catholic boys’ high school, a school for developmentally disabled children.

Long a favorite of corporate gatherings, the complex of Mission-style buildings holds new appeal for leisure travelers, thanks to a recent $8 million redesign, playfully inspired by Santa Cruz’s industrial heritage, Silicon Valley and its own legacy as a place of learning and recreation.

On the mountain side of Highway 1, close to its nexus with Highway 17, the Monterey Bay-view resort lies within a few miles of both adult attractions — the nearby DeLaveaga Golf Course, Soquel’s Antiques Row and several wineries — and all-ages enticements such as colorful Capitola and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

The 156 guest rooms, numbered with oversize dominoes, now sport full-size abacus headboards above feather beds with down duvets, granite baths with walk-in showers and open-style vanities; and, in an homage to the city’s 173-year-old tanning industry, locally made bedside drum tables, deep red accent walls and oversize leather chairs.

The region’s railroad history also gets a nod from lamps, mirrors and coffee tables that suggest locomotive wheels, cogs or railroad ties. .

Other on-site diversions: a full-service day spa, heated pool and whirlpool, four tennis courts, sand volleyball court, spacious fitness center with yoga, Zumba and Pilates classes, 3 miles of nature trails and two restaurants.

Dogs on leashes are welcome on the patios at Linwood’s Bar & Grill and Sunset restaurants, which also have canine menus; up to two pooches can spend the night in select rooms, for a $150 cleaning fee.