Ocean Gate Inn

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!!! It is an older building, but you would not know. It is gated…read moreand protected. Right on the water. The views, amazing!!! I highly recommend the second floor rooms. You can still see the view from the first, but they have plants growing up over the fence so it is harder to have the full view. They serve fresh cookies, breakfast in the morning, and always have tea, water, and coffee in the office. It's nice and cozy in there with a couple tables to enjoy your food or drink. There are also tables outside. Unfortunately they do not have a spa or pool. They do have some rooms with a spa tub. Our room was on the smaller size. There are no air conditioners in the room. In the closet was a fan and a space heater. We had our window open at night for the fresh ocean breeze and that kept Us cool enough for an August evening. We had a mini fridge, microwave, and safe in another closet. No coffee maker or complimentary water in the room. That is all located in the office. The bathroom was a great size for two of us. It was stocked with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, and soap. I don't recall seeing a blow dryer. The bed was ok. Not uncomfortable, but not comfortable. Location is great. The pier and boardwalk are all walking distance. Lots of restaurants and shops. The hotel is on a cliff so there is not direct access to the beach. You do need to walk a little bit down the street to gain access, but it is a very short walk. I highly recommend staying here. I can not wait to go back.

Let's start with this place is very cute and well kept, especially the main hotel part. The…read morebreakfast option was great. They advertised with the promise of a "view of the ocean from every room" this is probably true for every room but ours. We stayed in the cottage studio for a weekend which was fine but also not cheap - however needed with our kids and wanted the large patio/balcony. We booked directly on their site and saw the photos and they did not include the reality. Instead of an ocean view we had large plants blocking every part of the view except for the far edges. We were the only balcony with this. It was frustrating as there was no hanging out with a nice view while there. There is also no beach access and the walk up and down the hill to the pier access is steep and tedious. Just fyi. So if you just want to chill and don't care about seeing the ocean stay in the cottage studio, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. We were disappointed.

Dream Inn

3.8

(946 reviews)

I've been wanting to give the Dream Inn a go for a long while. Recently, all of the parts fell into…read moreplace to host our program retreat here ~ and I'm so glad we did! It was just perfect for our small staff gathering, with their Cove Meeting Room right off their on-site restaurant, Jack O'Neill, and the package with breakfast, lunch, beverages and snacks along with the meeting room all included. The rooms are comfortable and every one of them has a wonderful view of the beach and Santa Cruz Wharf (and the Boardwalk a bit farther away down the beach). Love that they offer a complimentary selection of e-books, audio books, meditations and podcasts (QR code to scan right on the bedside table) and that they've eliminated all single-use plastic water bottles on their property. The weather was perfect during our visit in early February. Staff were all friendly and helpful ~ special shout outs to Elaine and Shannon for all of their help leading up to our stay. Would return in a heartbeat!

I have been raving about this hotel for weeks. I haven't…read morebeen here in years and came back with the kiddos and it was literally perfect. It is not a spanking new hotel and a has some wear and tear but you're paying for the location and everything is clean. The service is great. Everyone is nice and helpful so I'm not checking the corners of the bathroom for rust lol it's not that serious. It's CLEAN and the perfect place to stay with kids on the beach. Walking distance to the boardwalk and who doesn't love valet! They had fun activities for the kids at the pool and the poolside service was great. The drinks were good and nachos while tanning and the kids swimming is kinda perfect!

Bella Notte

4.6

(114 reviews)

Place is clean, staff freindly and location is conveninent…read more The only con is that it just needs to be updated a bit. The shower curtain has a funky smell. Otherwise, it's a decent place to sleep.

Great location, can walk through charming and peaceful neighborhoods to a couple beaches. Not…read morereally the type of beaches you can lay out at and tan, more for bonfires or taking dogs. The property is well maintained and the rooms were sparkling clean. Minimalist rooms, no frills but has all the essentials and a great comfy bed. Pillows were fluffy which was great for my daughter but my neck needs a flat pillow and there were no options for that so I had to sleep with no pillow. Not a big deal but worth mentioning for the other flat pillow people out there. The only real downer was the water pressure in the shower. I know it's California and we have to keep pressure down but I also live in California and that water pressure was really really low. And doesn't get very hot. So showers weren't to enjoyable but not a big enough deal for me to remove a star. All the other great things (comfort, location, price, quiet) made up for the shower for me.

Beach Street Inn and Suites

3.8

(332 reviews)

We absolutely love Beach Street Inn & Suites! The location is incredible--right across from the…read morebeach and within easy walking distance of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, restaurants, and shops. It is the perfect place for families who want to enjoy everything the area has to offer. The hospitality is exceptional. The staff members are always warm, welcoming, and helpful, and they truly make guests feel at home. The heated pool is wonderfully warm and comfortable, which makes swimming enjoyable even when the coastal weather is cool. Our children could happily stay in it for hours! The complimentary snow cones are another amazing touch and are always a huge hit with the kids. It is thoughtful details like these that make every stay feel extra special. We are always excited to return and highly recommend Beach Street Inn & Suites to families looking for a beautiful location, outstanding hospitality, and a fun, relaxing getaway!

Great ocean view and an unbeatable location, right across from the beach, within walking distance…read moreto the pier and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Super convenient for everything. The service was excellent as well. They offer complimentary hot chocolate, snow cones, popcorn, coffee, and tea for both kids and adults, which was a really nice touch. Would definitely come back!

Pacific Blue Inn

4.1

(187 reviews)

Cozy ambiance, spacious well designed and well kept rooms. AMAZING staff, genuinely have never felt…read moreso well taken care of in a hotel in my life. I wouldn't stay anywhere else in Santa Cruz. Short walk to downtown and the boardwalk. Nothing comes close in any regard until you're spending about 3 times what this hotel costs, and even then it's a tie at best. Feels too good to be true. No need to look further, stay here when you're coming to Santa Cruz!

Terrible hotel to stay at. The AC in my room was leaking water and it was all over the floor…read more Manager or staff said someone would come and fix it and wipe the floor. NO One came! Very noisy AC . Loud ppl above me and flies everywhere in the hallway . First time staying here and my last. Definitely not worth the $$$$ I paid for! The area is pretty sketchy too. Homeless ppl around. Beware!

Hyatt Place Santa Cruz

3.6

(196 reviews)

We spent a Sunday evening at Hyatt place Santa Cruz. First off, we arrived early and were met by a…read morestellar valet. I truly have never met a valet who was more friendly and helpful. He parked our car, and since we had brought our bikes with us, the valet told us where the car was parked, and how to enter the garage to put our bikes back on the rack and lock them up. He told us that if they were locked on our car, they would not be stolen and it was a safe garage. That was so helpful! Since we had struck up conversation, we asked him where to have dinner. He had several recommendations, and we asked about a local place nearby, which said was one of his favorites. After we had taken our bikes and gone for a long long bike ride, we returned and saw the valet outside the hotel. He questioned us on our ride and wondered how our afternoon had been. Super thoughtful person. Our room was clean and large and very much in line with an expectation from a Hyatt place. Considering this Hyatt place isn't very old, some of the furnishings and fixtures were quite worn. Also, considering that this was a Sunday, the hotel was full. I imagine that this is an often used hotel and many families stay here. The breakfast was as expected, but there was only one hostess, and she really could not keep up the amount of people eating the food. Often, the food was low and the coffee was out three times while we were eating breakfast. When informed, she did replace and replenish things. She was very overworked, and they really needed two people doing this job. I would recommend staying at this Hyatt place. If you are looking to go to the boardwalk or downtown or any place walking or biking in Santa Cruz, this is a good location.

We stayed here in room 103 for a staycation. It was lovely! I was worried about the proximity of…read morethe room to the pool (with a window facing the pool) but with a sound machine and the hours being 10-10, we had no issue. The bed was comfortable and everything seemed clean. The only minor problem was maybe a cleaner smells it smelled like grapefruit and not a great smell. But you got used to it after a bit. The pool was warm and the hot tub was hot! One bummer was that four dumbbells were missing from the dumbbell set. In the case that someone stole them...so dumb. They were two 25s, a 30, and a 35. The breakfast buffet had a large assortment of foods- eggs, sausage, pancakes, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, bagels etc. Only valet parking available!

West Cliff Inn, A Four Sisters Inn

4.4

(145 reviews)

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?

Carousel Beach Inn

3.8

(242 reviews)

We always stay here when visiting Santa Cruz. The location couldn't be more perfect. It has a free…read morebreakfast. The rooms are clean. The staff is always helpful and friendly. We have stayed here for at least 8 years or more. They have revamped the breakfast area again. They have remodeled the vanity area of the bathrooms again. Very nice improvements. The showers look newer, too! My only real issue is the shower water pressure. It's nonexistent. I guess they are trying to save water, but seriously, you're in the shower so long trying to get everything wet and then rinsed, you're using just as much water as you would if it had normal pressure for a shorter amount of time. We stayed in Las Vegas, you know, the DESERT, and had killer water pressure. Why is a place near the ocean skimping out? Fix it. No one should be in the shower 20 minutes trying to rinse shampoo from their hair.

Love this place wouldn't want to stay anywhere else, free breakfast, near parking, walking distance…read morefrom beach and boardwalk BuT however today my finger stinks. After long day beach bumming and eating processed foods caused stomach ache n diarrhea. I ran to my room sweating clinching my cheeks. After the flow of 'stuff' exiting my body fast n furiously, coming out like Lava. The toilet paper at my Carousel Inn was one single god damn ply, ruined my entire day. My left middle f'u finger quietly decided slide poke right through the thin one ply and touched my outer rim, my day is rear ended over. I come here every year and will see you again next year, with Charmin Ultra Strong (not paid advertising). Leaving a roll for next visitor to have a great clean sanitary vacate. Pay It Forward.

Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Santa Cruz - Capitola

4.0

(248 reviews)

Alex is not good, she does not check on people, she's rude, she acts like everything is a problem…read morewhen it's not. Alex only cared about customers when they are men, she made us feel unwelcome to be in the hotel we are staying in! She's not personable at all. Terrible customer service overall. Aimee on the other hand, she is amazing. She checked up on us, made sure our experience was amazing. Aimee needs a raise. Alex needs a downgrade.

We have stayed here a few times in the past. This is/was one of my favorite hotels in the area…read more When I usually stay at this hotel, I try to get the room with the Jacuzzi tub. The rooms have always been clean and they offer a continental breakfast. They do have underground parking. Unfortunately, I have experienced a major issue with this hotel. I had reserved a room and canceled it within their cancellation policy so I wouldn't be charged any fee. Unfortunately, I was charged. I booked a room online through Marriott and I also canceled online through Marriott. I did receive a confirmation email that my room was canceled. And I did have screenshots showing proof of my cancellation and proof of the cancellation policy. I did try to reach out to the hotel to resolve this issue. I called numerous times. Spoke to a few different people at the front desk who were helpful, but unfortunately, the people at the front desk could not reverse the charges or credit me back. I was informed by the front desk that I needed to speak to the manager. I was transferred to the manager numerous times and the manager did not answer and the manager did not return any of my calls. I left a few voicemails regarding the issue along with my phone number, but the manager never called back. I also left messages with the front desk to have the manager reach out to me regarding these charges, and the manager never called back. I don't know who the manager is at this hotel, but it is extremely unprofessional not to return customers calls regarding charges or issues. I had to take up the issue with my credit card and submitted all my proof to my credit card so I could get the money back. Thankfully, my credit card was able to return the funds. I do advise, make sure you have all proof needed if you cancel your hotel reservations with this place because in my case, they did not honor their cancellation policy and still charge me full price for the room. If it wasn't for this unprofessional manager, this would still be one of our favorite hotels in the area. Currently, I'm unsure if I will continue or book at this place again due to my most recent experience.

Hotel Paradox, Autograph Collection

3.4

(762 reviews)

Heading to Santa Cruz, CA anytime soon? Can't decide where to stay? Check out Hotel Paradox, an…read moreAutograph Collection by Marriott. Where you can enjoy the amenities and a beautiful sunset view. This hotel has a gorgeous lobby and restaurant. It's kids and pet friendly. A family oriented hotel. I loved that they offered s'mores at the front desk. Blossom the front desk lady was really friendly. The rooms are really cute. But If you're outside looking at the rooms you would think you're in an apartment building because the walkway/hallway is open to the outside. On the other hand you can walk out your room enjoy to e view of the sunrise or sunset. The location is perfect if you plan to go to Santa Cruz beach boardwalk, it's less than 6-7 minute drive. And if you are an early bird you can find plenty of open public metered parking spots. Note: the restaurant staff. I found one server didn't treat us well. For one we were told to come and pick a table. And we found one but it hadn't been cleaned so she told us to wait at the front (when clearly nobody's even waiting at the front) everyone's just walking around. Then a couple of people came after us and they were seated right away. Was not even told go to the front. Like what? I find that rude. I give this entire experience 4 stars. It was nice but not the best. But I'd come back again.

I'm an idiot. Due to a mental lapse, I accidentally arrived in Santa Cruz a week before my…read morereservation. (So... there's that.) Because the gaff was clearly on my shoulders, management could have shrugged their shoulders and smirked at my blunder. Instead, the front desk team went out of their way to assist me without raising an eyebrow. Calm and friendly, I applaud the professional service I received. As for the hotel itself, the rooms are fresh, modern and clean. When visiting Santa Cruz, I will absolutely stay at Paradox (and promise to show up on the correct day.)

Stuart Event Rentals

4.5

(246 reviews)

They have a great selection. Just don't pay for delivery. It is cheaper to rent a U-Haul and pick…read moreup. They will load into the van. You load it at the end of your event but when you go back, they will unload.

Really great experience with Stewart Event Rentals for a bridal shower at my home. They had…read moreeverything I needed- Chairs with beautiful perfect whilte pads, tables, and super cute dishes for only $1 each! I revised my numbers a few times prior to payment and everything went smoothly. Delivery was prompt, professional and friendly. Will use again. Thank you!

Fun Sky Party Rentals

(16 reviews)

Miguel and Fun Party Rentals truly brought my vision to life. We hired him to transform our lodge…read moreinto an upscale 1920s Great Gatsby-themed party, and the results were beyond exceptional. Miguel and his team handled everything from drapery and stunning chandeliers with lighting to uplighting, linens, and some of the most beautiful statement centerpieces of the evening. Every detail felt intentional and elevated, and there is no way this event would have come together without his expertise and creativity. This was for our nursery school silent auction, and Miguel made the entire process seamless and enjoyable. I even had the chance to tour his warehouse, which felt like a treasure trove of incredible pieces that helped inspire and shape the final look of the event. His team was professional, reliable, and easy to work with, and his pricing was very reasonable for the level of quality and impact he delivers. I would recommend him without hesitation and will absolutely be using him again for future events. Truly exceptional!

We rented tables, chairs, umbrellas, and kids tables for a last-minute small backyard party and had…read morea great experience. Everything was clean, sturdy, and delivered on time. Setup was smooth, and pickup was easy after the event. The umbrellas were perfect for shade, and the kids tables were such a hit. Great communication throughout the process and very reliable service. Highly recommend for any party or event!

All Occasions Entertainment

4.8

(47 reviews)

I had DJ Joey dj my wedding and could not have been more disappointed…read more For starters I should have known to verify things after he tried to tell us there was no "clean" version of our grand entrance song and we may want to change it. I was pretty set on this song so I researched for myself and was able to find the clean version on 3 different platforms in about 60 seconds. Another thing is that I have never heard of a DJ who doesn't take requests... I guess we are supposed to know every song our guests are going to want to listen to beforehand. He was unable to take a request for a song that a lot of our guests wanted to hear. The biggest problem of the night was that he played the wrong song for my father daughter dance. We put the very title of the song and what version on the document we shared with him and even had a meeting to go over all of it. If there were ever any doubts he should have reached out to confirm he had the right song and clarify. I really hope this isn't a thing that has happened to a lot of couples he's DJ'd for because it absolutely ruined the moment. That was one of the moments I was looking forward to most because the song had a lot of meaning being that it was my stepfather I was dancing with. He seemed to be more worried about other things like asking us and all of our vendors if we would have an umbrella for him at ceremony even after we already told him we would take care of it. He also kept saying how he would be like "our second wedding planner" and tried to interject himself into things that did not pertain to him. He should probably focus more on making sure he does the DJ part right. Overall I was very disappointed with the experience and would not recommend him. He didn't even have the curtesy to apologize to me after my husband let him know he played the wrong song.

Joey did an absolutely incredible job at our wedding last weekend. He really set the mood perfectly…read morefor the night and the song choices that were needed for a more upbeat vibe were on point. I would highly recommend using him for your wedding or next big event. Thanks Joey!! -Meg and Ted

Bash Works

(7 reviews)

We hired Sydney for my Grandaughters 1st birthday party. she was very organized and professional…read more She showed up with a smile on her face. And a great attitude we will definitely use her again. Highly recommend!!

Working with Sydney was a piece of cake, and we were beyond pleased with her balloon sculpture for…read moreour high school reunion! It was the perfect place for photo ops, and was a festive addition to our decor. We will not hesitate to use BashWorks again for future events! Thanks again for your warm and professional customer service!

South Bay Party Rentals

(12 reviews)

These guys were amazing! Rented chairs from them for a backyard party. The price was reasonable,…read morethey dropped off the chairs the day before our event which gave us some breathing room to set up. They also cleaned all the chairs the day they dropped off. Pick up was easy. They did all the work. No lifting on our part. They don't have a fancy website. Most of the communication was done thru text. I sent my deposit via Zelle. I did have a conversation by phone with one of the owners. She was really nice and speaking directly with her did put me at ease. 100% recommend.

Thank you South Bay Party Rentals for coming through for my daughter's bday party! This company was…read moreresponsive, reliable, and the pricing was very fair! I love that they had our canopy set up a day before our party, and took it down the day after. Not only was their professionalism was beyond their service, but they also took the time to organize some of our stuff that didn't belong to them. Now that's excellent customer service!

White Rabbit Events

Things to do in Santa Cruz

(5 reviews)

My husband and I had the absolute pleasure of working with White Rabbit Events for our wedding in…read moreJune of 2021. I cannot express how thrilled we were with their services, professionalism, and overall energy! From the moment we contacted them, it was clear that we were in capable hands and what they created for our special evening was absolute MAGIC! Jamie and Eric went above and beyond to ensure that our wedding décor was nothing short of spectacular. We wanted to create a unique and cozy atmosphere, while providing additional seating for our guests and they delivered in spades. Two months advance, Jamie presented us with multiple seating arrangement options with various couches, pillows, and additional decor to supplement each space. Their selection of couches, chairs, rugs, and custom decor was extensive. Every piece was handpicked to fit the vibe of our event. We were able to provide feedback and then together landed on how each area would look and feel, and finalized each item from their inventory. What truly stood out was the level of customization they offered. They took the time to understand our vision and provided multiple options that aligned with it. Even more impressively, White Rabbit provided us with gorgeous, custom signs for the entire event. Knowing our color scheme and decor direction, Jamie took the initiative to design signage and frame everything so it was wedding day ready! On the day of our wedding, the delivery and set up was absolutely seamless. I didn't have to worry about anything. When we finally saw everything set up, we were in awe. The décor completely transformed our venue (a family ranch property in Auburn, CA) into a dreamy, romantic space that left our guests raving about it. It was more than we ever could have imagined. I can't thank Jamie and Eric enough for their incredible service, attention to detail, and their ability to turn our wedding into a truly memorable experience. They were transparent and upfront about costs, which made the planning process smooth. Timely and trustworthy on the day of the event. Quick and efficient on the day of clean up. An absolute dream. If you're looking for a rental company that takes the stress out of event planning and leaves you thinking "Wow, that was so easy!", look no further. They are the cream of the crop. An absolute pleasure to work with, and I truly look forward to using their services again in the future.

I cannot say enough positive things about this company. This is the kind of business I'm happy to…read moresupport, a wife and husband with young kids who want to help make someone else's event special. In the world of party rentals, we found there were many others who would gouge for transportation fees or have enormous minimums that smaller parties cannot afford. We were able to do our event between $500 - $1000 and have the furniture and additions needed to make it look like the 1890s London space we were looking for. During the process, they recommended extra items and also advised against pieces that didn't fit with our theme. I really appreciated how ethical they were and how trustworthy. They came to deliver our items at the appointed date and time on the weekend and picked up the next day. And what's even better? They put them exactly where we needed them! Another local company (won't mention the name) brought the other items hours late and dumped them at the base of our driveway. The difference between White Rabbit and the other Santa Cruz company were astounding, and not in a good way. I highly recommend White Rabbit and no, I was not paid to leave this rating. I'm just that impressed with how wonderful they made my husband's 60th birthday.

Alexis Party Rental

4.2

(117 reviews)

Overall happy with our experience with Alexis Party Rentals. We used them through our wedding…read morecoordinator, and they provided the various rentals needed for our wedding day. The rentals provided were excellent, and looked wonderful on the day. My only complaint was that, the week of the wedding, the linens we had picked out months before were suddenly not available. I'm not entirely clear on how this happened, but definitely was not ideal to deal with the week of the wedding. Overall happy with our experience!

They were so easy to work with. We went in 2 months before our event to look over products and make…read moresome decisions, they quickly added us to the schedule and we were on our way. We were able to make changes to the order up to 7 days before the event and I had a really tight window on when I needed the items delivered and picked up and they came through! The products were perfect for what we needed 2 patio umbrellas & stands (rented separately 12 folding chairs for the patio floral plates, silverware and pretty wine glasses Their prices were reasonable and delivery wasn't too bad at all!

Why does Yelp recommend reviews?

Hundreds of millions of reviews are posted on Yelp, and our automated recommendation software works in the background to showcase the reviews that it …

10 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Matthew R.

0

8

1

1 year ago

This place was definitely not up kept to standards. Either they don't clean the room at all or just don't care enough to clean the whole room. It has great potential and was a spacious room with a nice deck but as said, thumbs down for management. Checked for bed bugs and don't think there were any. Sheets at least seemed clean. Everything else was a horror show. Here's some things that come to mind: - Dirty floor. Found multiple peices of food wrappers, scraps, and who knows what else under the sink, closet, and smaller places. All areas that could easily be vacuumed but haven't! - Metal tissue holder rusted and old looking - While looking under the sink on the floor for scraps as stated above my arm rubbed against the bottom part of the sink. It was as sticky as honey or glue were my arm touched. I needed to thoroughly wash whatever it was off. - TV remote half worked. - Deck door hard to open. Seems broken. I'm sure there was more but don't remember or haven't seen. Overall this place is run down. It needs upgrading and REAL cleaning. Not worth the price at all. I've stayed at places with a shared bathroom that looked much cleaner than this! Only go if desperate but be prepared. Also not sure if this would be a concern to anyone but the manager was saying how they were getting new carpets. But all these new carpets were being kept outside were parking is. If you get fresh new carpets wouldnt you want to keep them clean inside?! read more

Josh J.

386

36

1

8 years ago

This place still sucks ass!! Shady ass front desk peeps trying to take an additional $135 from my wife for "Incidentals." Here is the kicker, those assholes wouldn't give her a receipt!! WTF?? WHO DOES NOT GIVE A RECEIPT? Shady ass hotel owners that's who! They were adamant about it too. To the owners: You have obligations to make that place a decent place to stay for your guests. It seems to me you are cheap ass piece of shit who banks on the tourists who flock to Santa Cruz to make your money! Shame on you! They deserve better. OR you are banking on druggies and prostitutes to help you make your money...believe me, plenty of those in your hood! I know my wife and I will be reporting you to Better Business Bureau. Until than you better open a can of Febreeze you cheap bastard! read more

Pat G.

0

10

0

12 years ago

WORST! STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE AT ALL COST!! Front desk girl was a disrespectful horrible jerk! We booked on Hotwire and when we got there we were told that it would be $100 more than we had paid??!! They would not honor the Hotwire price that we had already paid for and then would not give us a refund!! Total dishonesty and extortion. I would never recommend this place and am contacting Hotwire to file a fraud complaint!! STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!! read more

bre s.

0

9

0

15 years ago

I booked online and my room was 40 a night. I loved the balcony. The heat is radiant in the ceiling and takes a minute to heat up. I love that the river is right there and everything is close enough but still far enough from the boardwalk that you can come and go without to much hassel. The maids may have taken a bud or two thru out the visit but I totally had to much fun and made messes and they deserve it!!! read more

Barry W.

92

58

6

17 years ago

Avoid this place at any price. I'm a retired police officer and had to leave my camp site and stay with my relatives as they did not feel safe, not to mention this place is disgusting. I could give many examples as to why not to stay, but the main thing is all the low lifes cruising thru the parking lot at night, the dope smoking in the parking lot and hall ways. read more

Addisyn B.

0

1

0

5 months ago

It was great it was a nice room with a nice view and didn't hurt the wallet to much lol the man at the front desk was very friendly thank you for letting us stay and have a nice trip. read more

Rebecca R.

196

4

14

7 years ago

DO NOT STAY HERE!!! 0 stars. Our visit to the Ocean gate Inn ended in a full refund and a late night drive home. This room was by far the worst hotel room I have ever seen. read more

Caleb L.

0

1

0

5 months ago

Very nice place to stay not too expensive and very clean, good view from balcony. The man at the front desk was very nice and welcoming.

Nayeli H.

0

1

0

1 year ago

Amazing host very kind super helpful! The room was very nice and clean I will most definitely be coming back.

Cheo C.

40

1

0

14 years ago

Ocean Gate Inn, not even once.

Ocean Gate Inn - hotels - Updated August 2026

Best of Santa Cruz

People found Ocean Gate Inn by searching for…

People who viewed Ocean Gate Inn also viewed

Beach View Inn

3.1

(148 reviews)

•$

A 4 minute walk to the beach, very good value, clean. Friendly staff, I felt safe with my kids…read more Will definitely be back.

Everything except for the location. The size of the room was small and cramped. The furniture was…read morestained and outdated. The inside of the drawers were dirty. The bathroom door can't open all the way and bumps into the vanity. The driveway is extremely bumpy. Also, after being out for a long day, went to the office to ask for some wash cloths and she gave me an attitude saying I should've asked for them earlier!! This is very rude and unprofessional behavior. The only plus was the three minute location to the pier.

Sea Side Inn & Suites

3.2

(40 reviews)

Surprisingly modern and clean rooms, reasonable price and good walkable location to downtown (a bit…read morefarther to the beach but not impossible).

If I could give this place a zero I would. For $400 a night you get dirty hallway floors, two cheap…read moretowels, a broken mirror, patched up holes in the doors. Floors in hallway are ducted taped together. I also got swindled out of my money. They said my credit card did not go through from a third party. So I called and they told me I had to pay double what I was being charged from a third party. I asked the Third party to intervene and try to help resolve the issue. The third party called but the guys at the front desk lied to me and said they never called. These guys are cheats and swindlers.

Continental Inn

3.3

(234 reviews)

My friend and I stayed at the Continental Inn for six nights this July. The Continental Inn is…read moredivided into two separate locations across a main street from each other. The hotel is definitely older but extremely clean which is super important to me but it shows some wear and tear. It's a good value because it's fairly close to the beach and Boardwalk. During the first part of our trip we stayed in the single story motel type in located near the office. I think we were in room 110 and unfortunately there was a lot of noise outside our window worsening each night and our air conditioner was on life-support so we left our window open. This made it a little bit difficult for sleeping. The room and bathroom are a decent size and there's a small refrigerator, (smaller) microwave, dresser drawers, a Keurig, TV and a full length mirror along with I believe an ironing board. It's also located right next to an extra mile gas station which has a lot of items. There were a few things that were not in working order when we arrived and we tried to live with them. When we reported the light was out in the bathroom they came and fixed it immediately. Unfortunately we couldn't get the Keurig to work (no power) because it was plugged in behind the dresser so my friend went down to the office and they moved us across the street to the nicer Continental Inn. We did not know but this building is where the pool is located. This was a much nicer room and I did a video that I will post. There were some better things about the first room and better things about the second room but the second room had a great air conditioner and windows down both sides of the room so a nicer aesthetic and we had a very quiet nights sleep for the rest of our stay. The new room across the street had covered parking where the one near the office you parked in front of your unit. The one across the street had an elevator and was very secure and the original hotel was right by the office so both are secure. The 2nd room across the street also came with the same amenities including a full length mirror and I remember this one had an iron and ironing board. The people that run the motel are super, super, super nice and they try very hard to make it a nice stay. Even though we experienced some problems, I would stay there again. One thing to note the pillows are terrible (I think because they wash them) so bring your own pillow! We went to Ross and bought a pillow.

!!DO NOT COME HERE!!! If I could rate lower I would. Semen…read morecaked onto the sheets when I walk in. Semen caked onto the chair. Dirty toilet, dirty glasses, dirty shower, broken glass in the ice machine, double charged for late check out, harassed threatened physically, threatened to charge me 400$ for a room I did not book, filled a police to discourage their disgusting practices. I am currently trying to remove it from my memory.

Rio Vista Suites

3.2

(171 reviews)

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.

Marea Sol Hotel

3.4

(72 reviews)

Fast checking/out. No frills hotel, yet very pricey. A bit convoluted to get to rooms and parking…read moreis sketchy. Truly not worth $25 per night. Rooftop was okay, yet the flooring was not secure. Very noisy from street, traffic and pedestrians. Yet has good location. For $, I will stay at La Bahia next time.

Tried to contact hotel to explain my bad review and complaints. Got a reply saying management team…read morewould reach out to me. Two weeks later...no response from management. Clearly, they don't care about the customer's experience. I CANNOT recommend this hotel to future visitors.

Capitola Hotel

3.6

(121 reviews)

5 stars for location, being a short walk to the beach, you can basically hear the waves from your…read moreroom and nearby there is walkable restaurants like Margaritaville and Pizza my Heart . When staying here at the Capitola Hotel you can't beat the location and how you can basically walk to anything and everything in the area. While the room for one night ran me $500+ it was worth it because of the proximity of everything around the hotel. Customer service and booking the room was great. Although it was an additional cost for a reserved parking spot, again very worth it. Capitola Hotel has a small lobby that offers continental breakfast every morning. While the main room was small, it still fit a comfy king size bed and the bathroom was huge. Capitola Hotel has 10 different room themes, so each layout is different. Peep the rooms to make sure you are booking the correct room of choice. Only complaint that I have while staying here is, you can't sleep with the windows open because you hear the drunkies from the bar next door and throughout the night you hear nothing but the seagulls mating and talking to each other, even with the windows closed. Didn't get a real good nights sleep when we stayed here. Other than this, I would still stay here again in the future.

Cute little hotel with very nice staff. We were able to check in early. The bathroom was a bit…read morecramped in the room we had but others are fine. Surprisingly quiet for being on the main road across from Sand Bar. Ear plugs provided in the room came in handy when bar music got obnoxious one night. We got reserved garage parking that worked out well. Capitola just doesn't have parking to support the volume of visitors. Continental breakfast is served a bit later, 8:30am.

Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Santa Cruz

3.6

(122 reviews)

I came here on a thursday around 4pm to check in. lots of parking spots. I was greeted by a guest…read moreservice named John/Jon. Super nice, very welcoming, and funny guy. Check in was very smooth. He explained the layout of the place; hot tub, 24hr gym, free breakfast by 9:30am, coffee and water 24hr. After the check-in, I went to my room and is super clean. Lots of towels to use. They do provide body soap, shampoo, and conditioner. For the bathroom sink, I think there was a small hand lotion like a size of a lip balm, bar soap, and a single wipe of makeup remover. Overall, the one night stay was good. Felt very safe. The only thing was that there was some noise outside in the middle of the night where few cars was drifting on the road. Im not sure if they get that often. I also love that there's a beach near by at least a few minutes drive to see the sunset!

Had quick mini staycation with the family. After a long evening at the boardwalk I was excited to…read morecome to the room and relax. We had two connected rooms so the kids can all hang out. Rooms were double beds and spacious. We had a view of the pool area and were surprised people were in the pool at 9pm in December. Even the next morning people were in the pool and it was raining. I deducted a star because in one of the rooms, the tv wasn't working properly. It was hard to change channels and randomly while a show was getting good, the channels were changing to the last show we watched. Really odd. Breakfast was pretty standard but they did have Canadian bacon, egg & spinach bites and a sausage and cheddar biscuit sand-which. Kids always love going for the waffles I would recommend this spot, it was about 15 minutes from the boardwalk

Capitola Beach Suites

3.3

(46 reviews)

Took my daughter to Capitola for a belated birthday weekend and stayed at the Capitola Beach…read moreSuites. I was trying to be very specific with where we stayed as we wanted a great view of the ocean within walking distance of the shops and beach, all without spending an arm and a leg. Check-in was rocky. Their system was declining all of our cards even though we tried four different ones from different banks. Luckily, we had enough cash on hand to pay the balance. The outside of the building was pretty worn down and dirty and the parking spots were SUPER tight. However, Room 6 was absolutely adorable and clean and they had the rollaway bed we ordered ready to go inside the closet. The view was exactly what we were hoping for and we had easy access to the communal terrace! The fireplace on the terrace came in handy since it was chilly and they had latches placed just right on the sliding doors so you could leave it open to fall asleep to the sounds of the ocean, but still be secure and safe. Definitely willing to come back for another trip and would love to check out the top floor!

We booked our stay here for about a week. For the most part, we enjoyed our stay. We appreciated…read morehow close we were to the ocean as well as the views of the ocean from our room. The little kitchenette was very handy, especially when we wanted to heat up our leftovers. For our room (rm 8) specifically, we couldn't get the TV to work and the plug on the outlet to the lamp was always loose. Thusly, the lamp may or may not work depending on whether I'm paying attention to the plug being on the outlet. Due to our length of stay, we expected housekeeping to come through at some point to collect our trash and dirty towels. However, that was not the case. We had to walk down to the office to request for towels and bring them back to our room. Our trash was also overflowing due to the fact that nobody came by to take it out. There are no outlets near the bed (not a deal breaker but an inconvenience) and shampoo, conditioner and shower gel is provided in those push bottles attached to the shower wall. The building is located near a highway and is easily assessable from the back and front. Some concerns about privacy and security but we had no issues during our stay there. If you just want a place to stay with some basic amenities, this would be the place to be; otherwise, look elsewhere.

Sunny Cove Motel

4.3

(70 reviews)

•$

What a beautiful gem of a motel . I won't ever go back to my regular hotel ! This was a very cozy…read morestay and I felt right at home . Front desk was friendly and absolutely awesome . Hotel room ( doesn't feel like a motel ) was super clean , comfortable and adorable . So happy we found this place . Will definitely be coming back !

This motel exceeded expectations. They were very communicative & flexible with the check in which…read morewas nice cuz we were running late. They were also able to provide parking for 2 cars. The room was up stairs, & me & my best friend are both injured & disabled so that was something that we didn't like BUT other than that, it was the cutest retro 2 "bedroom"! It was spacious & included cute retro appliances & small but acceptable TVs in each room. Not to mention, it's a block away from the beach!

Capitola Venetian Hotel

3.2

(110 reviews)