bonny doon house
Riviera Living Resort:
Located ocean-side in the prestigious wine country of Santa Cruz, California


The Sabankaya Family takes great pride in its Bonny Doon House, a 10,000+ sq ft mission style estate built in 1929, and anyone who is fortunate enough to live in it has access to an endless number of amenities to enjoy. Living in the Riviera Resort comes with the added bonus of experiencing both the natural terrain that surrounds it and the enriched culture of nearby Santa Cruz. The Pacific ocean is just down the street and can be seen from the tower of the house (the surrounding redwood forest has grown too high for the ocean to be seen from the lower level windows anymore).

Less than 15 minutes away, there is the famous Santa Cruz Boardwalk and the University of California Santa Cruz. Within an hour's drive to the south, one can visit Carmel--home of the great Monterey Bay Aquarium. Going north one hour will take you right into the heart of San Francisco, less than four hours east will take you to either Yosemite National Forest or Lake Tahoe.

The resort is located on 14 acres of the most beautiful land Santa Cruz has to offer. There are giant redwoods all around the house, making the neighbors almost impossible to see or hear and blessing this property with a complete sense of solitude. As if things couldn't get any better, there is also the year-round Mill Creek just below the house that winds its way among the trees and down into the ocean. In the photo above, you can see there is a beautifully tiled swimming pool within the luxurious courtyard, with a connecting tiled hot tub just out of the frame. Inside the brickwork to the left, there are two fireplaces: one closer to the house and one just behind the hot tub that is 6 feet tall by 16 feet wide, commonly used for BBQ parties. There is also a wood burning brick oven used to prepare the daily gourmet meals.

SERVICES INCLUDE:

  • In-house/telepsychiatry
  • 24 Hour Staff
  • Transportation to Local Destinations and Medical Appointments

AMENITIES INCLUDE:

  • Organic Menu prepared and served by World-Class Chefs (3 meals/day)
  • Daily Maid and Laundry Services
  • Daily Message Therapy
  • Wet/Dry Sauna
  • Exercise Room and Physical Therapist/Trainer
  • Billiard Table
  • 2,000 Square Feet Underground Wine Cellar
  • Putting Green
  • Horse Stables
  • Hiking Trails
  • Guest Quarters for Visiting Family Members

PRIVATE ROOMS INCLUDE:

  • Jacuzzi Bath
  • Fireplace
  • Patio
  • High-speed Internet Connection
  • State of the Art Entertainment Center
  • Refrigerator/Microwave

This property also happens to be the home of the Bonny Doon Garden Company, a successful flower business proudly owned and operated by Nezih Sabankaya, his wife, Teresa, and their two daughters. They grow flowers and other aesthetically pleasing plants, abounding in every direction. Among other things, the family maintains a small farm with horses, goats, dogs, cats, chickens, and a vegetable garden; this means that in addition to eating fresh, organic food, residents are encouraged to get involved with the activities to the extent they choose. Such activities promote a sense of well-being in many ways:

  1. PHYSICALLY: These activities offer physical exercise, allowing individuals to control both the type and the amount of movement according to ability and desire.
  2. COGNITIVELY: Learning new activities can be educational and fun, giving individuals a chance to experience new things and experiment with different ways of doing things. This can encourage creativity and build self-confidence.
  3. SOCIALLY: Working with others on a task can be extremely therapeutic and rewarding--even for those not experiencing any form of mental illness. Being a team member helps to build specific social skills that can only be developed through interpersonal relations and group problem-solving.
  4. PHYSIOLOGICALLY: This environment offers just the right amount of stimulation. These activities involve all of the senses. While we garden, for example, we feel the dirt on our fingertips, smell the fragrant flowers and the distinct odor of the tomato plant, listen to the birds singing in the trees above, taste the sweetness of an organic strawberry or green bean, and look at all of the wonderful color and textures nature has to offer.
  5. MENTAL HEALTH: Two important aspects of maintaining a sense of well-being are 1) the feeling of having contributed to society and 2) possessing a sense of independence, two things often lacking in the lives of those with mental illness. We take these matters seriously, making it the backbone of all that we do at our Riviera facilities.

The Bonny Doon House is typically occupied by several members of the Sabankaya family, so staying at the Riviera Resort means you are not treated as a client, rather you literally become a part of this warm, entertaining, and hospitable family.

Inside the house are over a dozen fireplaces and nine bathrooms. The dining room contains an adobe fireplace and is suited with a long marble table (custom-made by the Sabankaya brothers), capable of sitting 22 people in its art deco leather chairs.

Who can stay at the Riviera Resort:

Packages can be arranged for permanent residence or temporary retreat.