Wow! The only way to do SC. Top floor. Booked ahead, and every room occupied, Didn't see anyone…read morethough, super quiet. Huge kitchen and main floor. Right down in it, super close to everything Santa Cruz. 2 nights, then onto Ben Lomond the following nights. Impress your darling, be a hero. Go. Now.

I felt like home. I stayed at The Hinds Victorian Guest House while my new apartment is being…read moreavailable. This is a gem. A full size kitchen with everything available. You only need your groceries. It is a very well organized system. Spotless clean. The common rooms are full of history with beautiful antique furniture. The common rooms are big enough you can still have your own privacy. My Bedroom was so comfortable with plenty of room. I slept so well. I loved this place. I want to come back for a stay vacation.

Great house and location! Steps from the beach. Kids had a fantastic time in the game room and…read moreloved the outdoor shower. Biked to the Boardwalk one day and Pleasure Point / Capitola the next. Watched surfers riding huge waves for the first time. Love Santa Cruz. We'll be back.

This is rather simple. The property is average for a beach rental. Were minor issues like sheets…read morenot being changed and full of sand. But over all I decent stay. The issue and a big issue is. Paying a cleaning fee and a security deposit that the owner keeps at their discretion. In our case the house was left clean and good order. No damage or over the edge cleaning. In our case a $250 charge for the owners feeling a dog was at the house. There wasn't outside of a friends half day visit. Bottom line, after renting in Santa Cruz every year for the past 15, you can find better.

+ 1 star for a very friendly staff + 1 star for very…read moreconvenient location - 1 star for price (over $300!) - 1 star for shitty appearance and amenities - 1 star for overall unpleasant experience I would like to start off this review by saying that if we had paid $150 for this room it would have been 4 stars. Location is great, staff is nice, the property is a bit weird, but fine. But we ended up paying $340 for this room, due to false claims and advertisements, and it left me feeling pissed off about the whole thing. My husband and I decided to take a last minute trip down to Santa Cruz on a Saturday morning. We drove all the way down and found that most of the campgrounds were closed for the season and the other ones were full. After a bit of discussion we decided to splurge on a hotel room for the night. I did some Internet searching and found the Rio Vista Inn. I was drawn in by its beautiful photo and description "Upscale, adults-only hotel in a 19th-century mansion offering modern rooms & free breakfast." The price was listed as $190/ night, which was the upper end of our budget so I called and asked if they had any rooms available. The gentleman on the phone said they did in the River View Villa next door. He explained that it was the building next door that had four "suites" in it for $299/night. In my mind I was thinking, "Okay, I guess we can splurge for a suite for the night." So we booked the room. Fast forward to when we check in and find that the building next door is really just some cheap prefab looking house with small bedrooms. Whomever did the build out did a terrible job. There are holes in walls with wires coming through, the toilet isn't properly anchored so just getting on and off of it makes it wiggle, the showers are cheap shower heads with a janky-ass valve that wasn't installed properly so the temperature didn't match what was written on the handle. I don't know about you, but when I'm paying over $300 for a room I expect it to be nice. The bed was a cheap mattress with super cheap pillows. I woke up with my neck and shoulders super stiff from the bad bedding. Cheap pergo floors. There was nothing "suite" like about the place. The whole experience left us feeling bamboozled.

My husband and I booked a room a the River View Villa "Hotel" as a last minute booking for a…read moreromantic weekend. This is not a villa. It was $189 and after fees it came out to $222. For this price you are renting a room in a cheaply renovated house. Yes there is a model looking kitchen with dining table and kitchen amenities. NO silverware. The room comes furnished with a HARD mattress, television, small table located in front of the television, microwave, micro fridge and air conditioner. Off season you can do off street parking but parking if that is not a possibility they use their front lawn as parking. The instructions for parking are coming hit the palm tree then turn the wheel hit the fence and back in. It does not look that easy. Front desk is not available after 9pm. While the location is convenient to both downtown and boardwalk there are what appear to be really shady characters in the surrounding apartments and hotels. Overall our stay was tolerable but we won't visit again do the price and shadiness of the area. NOT A ROMANTIC WEEKEND.

144 Lighthouse Lane has become my husband and I's secret getaway spot, so I'm reluctant to share,…read morebut HAVE to, because you really should know about it if you're planning a trip to beautiful Santa Cruz! It's newly renovated and clean with fresh ocean air spilling in off of the private balcony (a perfect spot to enjoy morning coffee/tea or an evening glass of wine). Linens are high-quality and the bed is as comfortable as one would be in any nice hotel. I should also note that there is free Wi-Fi in the apartment (a must for me these days). We particularly loved the convenience of the outdoor shower (which runs HOT WATER) after walking back from the beach-- Fantastic! The fireplace inside and jacuzzi in the back yard (shared, but no problem) kept us warm when the fog rolled in. Tara & Bill (the property owners) are truly kind, helpful and very easy to make arrangements with. I feel that it is fairly priced and an absolute value. Check out this wonderful, hidden gem!

PLEASE BEWARE!! We stayed at this property for a week in July 2011. The property was nice however,…read moreit does not quite look like the photos. The place had some major wear and tear done to it since the photos were taken. Our trip was ok- however, the main problem happened after our trip. When I emailed the owner to see when I would receive my $500.00 deposit back- I had no response. After emailing her (4-5) times with no response- I finally had to threaten a lawyer before she contacted me. I was told that she was going through a rough divorce and that her husband has frozen all of her accounts. I have an email from her stating that she knew that she owed me my deposit back - and would get it to me asap. It is now May of 2012- and I have yet to hear back from her. Please do not book this property- as I am afraid that it is a scam.

Decided to stay here myself to see what's what. Wellstone Center in the Redwoods sounds like a…read morewriter's paradise, but buyer before - as others before have mentioned, it is assuredly not. (Check the filtered/hidden reviews.) Wellstone is marketed as a retreat center for aspiring writers, but it does indeed feel more like a shoddy youth hostel. The main house may have once been majestic, but it has fallen into a state of disrepair. The accommodations were poorly maintained and unsanitary, with ripped furniture, non-functioning lamps, and mildew in my bathroom. The grounds were in a sad state, with a filthy pool and unusable hot tub that had only a few inches of dirty water. The mattress was so old, uncomfortable, and sagging that I simply didn't sleep. The bedding had some unidentifiable stains that appeared to be fluids, which was quite concerning. When I brought it up with the hosts, they seemed completely unconcerned and dismissed me. The bath towels were old, scratchy, and smelled of mildew. As others have mentioned, the hosts request that you use cloth napkins - which is great, except that they do not wash theses napkins between meals. They instead instructed us to re-use other guests' napkins at subsequent meals, which is dangerously unhygienic. Reminder that I came here to write. It was a terrible place for me to write, in part because there's a loud family that lives in the house, and in part because there were no lights. That's right -- no lights bright enough to read by. A few mood lamps, nothing more. I am not a morning person and do most of my writing in the evenings. At sundown, I was forced to be done with all reading. It was too dark to read my book drafts, which I'd printed out; let alone any primary sources, books I was using for research. Unless you happen to bring a headlamp or a bevy of your favorite floor-lamps, you will also be out of luck. Make sure to read the other reviews that have been filtered out before you decide to apply for this "writing retreat." For me, it was neither a retreat nor a useful place to write. I wish I'd booked a hotel instead. You might want to consider the same.

Beautiful space to work as a writer. Peaceful, delicious food and invaluable feedback from fellow…read morewriters.

My husband and I stayed at Rio Vista Inn & Suites. This is definitely NOT a four star lodging…read moreestablishment nor is there anything luxurious about it. Interior design does not allow for comfort and ease. There is no dresser for folded clothes and no table or chairs. Many room items were broken, damaged or not maintained. The shocker was no maid service unless you requested it. If I listed all the issues, it would take up more than a page. We will never stay here again

We really enjoyed our stay at Rio Vista! It's in a great location that is walking distance from the…read moreboardwalk. We stayed in Room 7, which was roomy & has some nice windows that can be opened for a lovely cross breeze. The bed was comfy and the room was clean. It was mostly very quiet, except that loud cars could occasionally be heard during the night. Our only complaint was the fire alarm going off in the middle of the night. Because of the age of the building (which is very charming!) shower steam can set off the fire alarms & apparently one of the guest came in late & decided to shower without using their fan. Luckily it went off after 20 seconds, but it was quite a startling way to be woken up. We would definitely go back.

I can't say enough about this place!…read more Mary our hostess was so nice welcoming and helpful. She made us feel like we were staying at a friend's house. Our room had an incredible view. I can't believe the description was a partial view. It definitely was more than a partial view. We had a soaking tub with whirlpool jets. A king size bed and a fireplace. A miniature refrigerator, and bathrobes to use while we were there. They have a wine and cheese hour from 4:30-5:30 every evening and it also had chocolate chip cookies and veggie tray. The breakfast in the morning was so delicious with an assortment of breads, homemade granola and muesli, fresh fruit, quiche and fresh baked cake (lemon, banana, and blueberry were the flavors the days we stayed). The location is walking distance to the pier, boardwalk, and downtown. Depending on how far you like walking we walked to Natural Bridge State Park and it was 2.7 miles. The view along the way is spectacular

Five stars. No question... Five stars. After years of being disappointed with accommodations in…read moreSanta Cruz, I stumbled on West Cliff Inn when planning a roadtrip getaway for a night. When I scanned their website I immediately thought I was mistakenly looking at an inn in Mendocino. But nope... right on the edge of West Cliff Drive and just above the boardwalk, this restored Victorian is an oasis of peace, grace, and refined luxury in Lost Boys-land. You can't miss this restored white Italian Revival beauty with a commanding view of the Giant Dipper and the neon glitz of the Beach Boardwalk. Once inside you'll be struck by the high ceilings and windows, clean lines, tasteful color palettes, and spotless housekeeping. We stayed in the ADA room on the ground floor, but I still walked to the top of the stairs just to see the stained glass dome over the ceiling over the stairway. Stunning! The room was not enormous but it was efficient and comfortable and met my mobility needs. Loved the walk in shower with a shower chair. Body wash and shampoo/conditioner are all provided and smelled great. The gas fireplace in the room was welcome as it was still chilly in April. As for hospitality, checking in was quick and friendly. The front desk clerk at check-in was courteous and all smiles. Check-out front desk attendant wasn't the warmest, but nothing that would put me off a return. We enjoyed the complimentary wine and cheese/cracker hour at 430pm and the hot breakfast buffet in the morning was delicious and filling. We had it arranged in advance for in room dining and it was great! If I were to drum up a single critique of this visit it would be that the parking area is tight and requires some care to navigate. There are enough spaces for the number of rooms but... we noticed some guests were not very mindful of the parking space lines. Will I be back? Abso-effing-lutely?