Property managers are rude and had a very mean demeanour, made derogatory remarks about my speech impediment and were just generally rude.

Toured these apartments while up in Santa Cruz as a prospective location for my niece to stay while finishing off her senior at UCSC. Overall, the place is very nice compared to the downtown area. Nice views, adequate amenities--community pool, internet, lawn area, gas bbq picnic area, charcoal grill picnic area, gym, yoga studio, on-site property management office, actual private security that patrols, and a common business area for studying equipped with various office machines. Legit a little pricey, but you get what you pay for. Appears to be in a relatively safe area close to a farmer's market, pharmacy, fast food, and short drive from grocery stores. The unit we toured (similar to the one we will be leasing) had laundry machine/dryer inside, open floor plan, with simple kitchen with major appliances. Common mail center with cluster mailboxes and slot for outgoing mail was on site. Unit comes in with one parking spot which works out for our situation. On-street parking for guests and visitors was within proximity. With my niece, she planned on having three other roommates. Credit checks were required for each student and their co-signing parent. You pay for your own credit checks and put down a $900 deposit to hold your unit. Based on the four roomies, the total amount of combined income had to be approx $25K/month amongst the co-signing parents in order to qualify. read more

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Terrible parking enforcement. Terrible customer service/communication. Overpriced. If you're looking for an apartment go with Chestnut apartments. read more

We just move in and very disappointed , the floor is still very dirty, the electric stove didn't work , there was lots of mold around the plastic liner in the washing machine , this place is expensive 4k a month , at least get everything ready in terms of cleanest before we move in , we couldn't see the apartment before moving in because we are not from here, we are downstairs and the apartment barely have any sunlight because it's under a bunch of trees , very disappointed!!!! I like Noel the manager she's nice great to talk to but so I don't know what happened?? read more

I lived at a 2 bed/2bath apartment for a year. Apartments are pretty good, if a tad bit expensive and old. Pros: 1. Location: Close to the beach, lot of walking/biking options. Getting to the apartments from Highway 17 in traffic may take a while on the weekends but otherwise it's great. 2. Spacious: The apartments have plenty of space and ample windows. 3. Friendly staff: Sylvia and Debra are very nice and super helpful, they listen and try to fix any concerns very quickly. In case of emergencies, they were quick to respond. Cons: 1. Plumbing: My apartment was on ground floor and we had water and waste back up issues multiple times in 1 year (4-5 times). A couple of times, we couldn't use the kitchen for 3-5 days because we couldn't do any dishes. Staff tried to fix it and called external plumber when needed but the issue was never permanently fixed. Plumber pointed out that pipes were too narrow and that was the problem. 2. Apartment age: In addition to plumbing, apartments are showing their age. There was no exhaust in master bathroom, closet doors were creaky and would outright derail randomly. 3. Bad Management: The staff is super good and this isn't their fault, but it felt like the people in office were always overloaded. Now I know this is a common tactic of companies to run a skeleton staff so this is on management, the staff are simply overloaded. read more

This is our second year here as UCSC students. From the very beginning, Silvia and Debbie have been nothing but courteous and helpful. My concerns (although very few since we've lived here) are always heard and handled to the absolute best of their ability. Silvia brings such cheery energy it's very difficult to not smile and laugh when talking to her!! Also shoutout to the Maintenance team! Sean is the man! The whole crew are always so quick with any maintenance request nothing stays broken for long. Overall the complex is in a great spot, with a soothing ocean breeze, and a great team keeping it together read more

Pacific Shores - Apartments Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Debra Ludwig and Silvia Asin have been so helpful and amazing over the last two years that I have lived at Pacific Shores Apartments. I felt they cared about me as a tenant and they went above and beyond to help me anytime I needed anything. I also felt I could call them friends by the end of my stay at Pacific Shores. The management company does a great job here at Pacific Shores. I would also recommend this apartment complex for other reasons. The location is very nice for hiking and beach walks. There is a safeway close by and also the apartments are a nice size. I have really loved living at Pacific Shores. Also, if you read some of the other reviews with 1 or 2 stars of this apartment complex, the issues that are raised are more Santa Cruz wide issues vs. issues with this specific apartment complex. Homelessness and drug abuse are Santa Cruz wide issues. There is not a place in Santa Cruz where this is not an issue. But Santa Cruz is also one of the most desirable places to live in the world because of the wonderful nature hikes and views of the ocean. I loved this apartment complex and walking around near by it, by the ocean and I loved all the wildlife I got to know: Owls, Whales, Cows, Coyotes, Egrets, and other animals were part of my daily life there. But also, I could go get sushi and have enough of a city life to be happy also. I loved Humble Sea brewery for their food trucks and Todal Fitness gym, both in walking distance. This is a great place to live and make memories and the management is top notch and helpful. read more

I have been very disturbed by the lack of professionalism in the management of Pacific Shores apartments. The office staff have repeatedly lost important personal documents and been very disorganized in handling of appointments. Their treatment of black residents, friends and family, has been extremely concerning and I will be looking into legal counsel if it continues. read more

I live at Pacific Shores Apartments and our office hosted Xfinity services with an open house meal served! It was an amazing event! There was even vegan and gluten free options as far as food available for me to eat which is amazing!! The event gave me an updated modem which is lightning fast speed and the Xfinity representative saved me 50.00 a month on my bill!!! It is an amazing place to live and the management is SUPER!! They really know how to treat the residents here at Pacific Shores Apartments! read more

After 15 years here, I am very happy with our present manager and great maintenance crews, two thumbs up! Thanks! Ted French I have been here 17 plus years and it's been the best place I have ever move too. The staff is friendly and efficient. The complex is always neat and tidy. We are close to town but away from town. I love our community. Linda Anderson read more

Long overdue review! We rented a 2b2bath 2017-2020 and all I have to say is how much we miss this place. I love the property management and maintenance team (Christopher and Fernando are truly the best!) They were very attentive, caring and just like family to us. Living here with two small children, we had no issues living with college kids and business professionals. It was very quiet and peaceful. We had an upstairs neighbor who smoked weed, but that's about the only nuisance we encountered. Thankfully they were only there for a year. We enjoyed the location being walking distance to all things outdoors (bike trails, wilder ranch, Seymour marine, farmers market and more)...! We also appreciated the ocean view from our unit. Very nice to wake up and see the ocean from your home each morning. Recommend this place without a doubt. One thing I would point out just like any other coastal living, is that you have to make sure you keep your place ventilated to prevent mildew...! Otherwise, good place to rent. read more

If you decide to rent at Pacific Shores, make sure you don't change your mind. Because once they have your "holding" deposit of $900, it's like pulling your own teeth out to get it back. I even asked not once, but 3 separate times about their refund policy for the deposit in the event I decided to not rent there. They assured me several times it would be immediate and no issues as long as it was within the 72 hr period they give you to accept their tenancy offer. SO DID NOT HAPPEN LIKE THAT. Here's the list of replies I received from the leasing assistant (whose name I will withhold because I actually liked her, it's the company that's slimy, not her) #1 refund will be issued immediately #2 refund will be issued and you'll receive it within 3-5 business days #3 refund will be placed on a 10 day hold to allow your payment to clear, then 1-5 business days after #4 not sure what the status is on the refund but I'll get back to you #5 I put a call into our corporate office to check on the status of your refund After no further follow up from Pacific Shores, I decided to reach out to their corporate office . Several phone call attempts and never reached a human, and was not able to leave a message either. Tried to email the corporate office, but my emails were rejected because I was an unknown sender. Great customer service people! Absolute crap. It's been almost 1 month since they've had my funds and I am still waiting for that damn refund. I do not recommend anyone rent from the price gougers at Pacific Shores for the horrible customer service alone. Another reason to not rent from them, they exploit seniors by charging the highest rent for first floor units. There are no elevators there, and they know senior citizens may find difficulties in having to walk up flights of stairs on a daily basis. They will raise your rent every opportunity given. I know times are desperate in the rental market these days, but please...consider anyone but Pacific Shores as your next landlord. read more

I am new to Santa Cruz, and found this place from rent website. The leasing consultant Faith is so so so helpful, friendly, and especially patient to us not native English speaker. She is definitely one of the best leasing consultant i have met. Thank you so much, Faith. read more

My partner and I live in another property managed by the same company. We love that they allow us to enjoy the pool and hot tub since our property doesn't have these amenities. The staff at Pacific Shores is always so helpful and happy to have us, and the facilities are great! read more

I lived here from 2004-2005, while studying at UC Santa Cruz. Pacific Shores had just opened up, so we were the first inhabitants of our apartment. This was my first off-campus apartment, and I really enjoyed it. Although the architecture may not be that extravagant, I still think it was nice and the price of the apartments was affordable. We rented a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment which also had its own washer/dryer unit and a balcony. The rooms were large and spacious. One thing I did hate about the apartment were these gnats. I think it's because there was a mini swamp type thing next to our apartment, but we'd always have gnats flying around, especially when it was warm--kind of gross if you think about it. We each had our own parking spaces, but there were also street spots for our friends/guests. In the center of all the apartments was the pool/jacuzzi area and the indoor gym. I didn't really make use of the equipment, but the gym was usually empty so you were able to get in a good full workout. I have many great memories at Pacific Shores. I heard after we moved out, the prices went up and things weren't as great. Eek! read more

Another problem. My washing machine has not worked for three weeks. It just stops and turns off every minute or so unless it's empty. Then it works fine! I first reported the problem three weeks ago. It took more than two weeks for the maintenance person to come in. He came in when I wasn't home, which I said was okay, but all he did was run it empty. No problem! He declared it fixed! I tried to do a load of laundry - same problem. And I'm not overloading it at all, not even remotely. So I reported it again. I think it needs an actual appliance repair person, not the janitor. So I'm going on four weeks having to use the coin-operated laundromat ($1.75 per load.) The in-unit laundry was a big reason why we rented this place. Incredibly poor service. read more

My roommates and I are UCSC students who have recently graduated. It has been three months since we moved out of this property. 8000 dollars of deposit--gone. We have called the office about 100 times and have not reached the office. We have visited the office in person and got the response that the deposit check was lost during delivery and another delivery will be made. I requested for a tracking number once available but was denied. The staff there promised to call me in a week to update me on the check but never did. My roommates and I are all out of town to attend our graduate schools, but took out a big chunk of time to visit their office for the deposit back. They just keep telling us that they will reship, or that it is still on the way. For three months we have not seen a single penny. 8000 dollars is not a small amount. Please don't live here unless you don't want to have your deposit back. read more

Mixed feelings about this place. I lived there for about 1 1/2 years. It's hard to tell if miscommunications were due to covid or bad management (the company not the actual manager of the site who is very nice person) but there were so many that it created a lot of stress for me. The location is nice for the wildlife and ocean views, however there are so many homeless vagrants around it's sketchy. I actually had one follow me home and try to kick my door in, I let management know and security know after the guy was arrested but they couldn't have cared less and he repeatedly came back on the property. Forget about getting anything fixed here ever as they are understaffed, you have to really hound them. I lived on the end with a view of the ocean however a dumpster was located below my windows and it was rummaged through at all hours of the night by other tenants(yes neighbors) and drifters... the management company refused to secure it so it was a regular nightly activity. I don't think I slept a full night the entire time I lived there. The pool is not cleaned regularly so I would steer clear. Some nice people and some not so nice people live there...really a mixed bag. I moved to a new place/city for work and being here has shown me how badly it was at Pacific Shores... read more

It's a roof over your head if you don't care too much about style or craftsmanship. Being an architect it peeved me to no end the overall blandness of this place. I was staying in a 2bd/2bath with a hellish roomate (perhaps tainting my opinions of this place) the kitchen was unusually small, it was difficult to cook a medium to large meal in there with no counter space, and don't even try to cook in there with a second person. Other than that the place is pretty typical of block condos. you've go the bedrooms with the closets, and bathrooms. There is a pretty bad mold problem in all the buildings, so beware, you'll be scrubbing you bathroom clean way too often, or if you don't you'll at least wish you did. The pool is too small/shallow to really swim laps in, but there is a hot tub which is nice. My least favorite thing about this place was the location. If you want to feel cut off from the world, this is the place to come. I would not recomend renting here if you do not have a car, and are willing to drive it everywhere. To walk here you have three options, down highway one, down a sketchy one way street w no street lamps, or over a railroad bridge. none of these are good options past sunset. not to mention that buses hardly frequent this side of town. The management was decent here, very professional. Be very careful to read all of your lease before signing it, there are some tricky things they throw in there, especially regarding move-out procedures. oh yeah, and expect them to take an arm & leg out of your security deposit even if you leave the place spotless. read more

Was here for one year with my family and had a wonderful experience. The grounds were always extremely well-kept, Anita and her staff are great and always extremely professional, and the units well-appointed and very spacious. The location is great, being so close to Natural Bridges and Wilder Ranch is great if you have kids. The pool and spa are fantastic as well. Also, one of the usually overlooked perks of the location is that a nice organic farm is located in your back yard. You will find that there are a lot of UCSC students residing here which, for us, was not a problem. Some measure of tolerance is required for the occasional loud resident, but really the worst I experienced was just some kids having fun at the pool later than usual. We have kids that made some noise, too, so it's a give and take in that respect. It's community living, and you're not in a house out in the middle of the woods! This was our "landing pad" in California and we will miss it here! Highly recommended. read more

We have lived here for 10 months and don't feel like we even need to take a vacation. Living here is like staying at a time share!! Anita and Gino in the management office take care of us like we are their spoiled kids. Attending to any request we have had. We had ants at one point and an exterminator was at our front door within 24 hours and we have not seen an ant since. There is no smoking allowed in public areas in Santa Cruz and the apartment complex is supportive. Even allows our pets. We are in heaven. Our third floor apartment with all the amenities including a view of the ocean and pool. Would recommend this complex to anyone. Especially if you like high ceilings, walking to the ocean or having a horse you want to keep close by at the ranch next door. We are so happy to have found Pacific Shores !!! read more

This complex is clean and well maintained by a friendly staff. An appliance broke (only problem in 4yrs) and they fixed it same day, no fuss. The layout is clean and simple with a good size bathroom. Nice pool and gym and community center. Beautiful views from almost every unit (wish I had more than one window). I only gave 3 stars because I strongly disagree with the smoking policy. Tenants aren't allowed to smoke inside their unit but can smoke on their balcony witch sucks for the surrounding non smoker tenants. Second hand smoke from my chain-smoking neighbor would constantly waft in to my unit when ever I had a window or door open for more than 15min.. It was so strong and so often, friends would ask if I smoked when they came over. My neighbor was very unfriendly (complained that I put my toilet seat cover down to loudly or if I vacuumed past 5pm) so she really didn't care she was blowing toxic smoke in my unit. When I asked the management if they could help the situation they said they wished it was a smoke free property but legally they can't do anything. I ended up with a bad case of bronchitis :( If I ever live in an apartment complex again I will first make sure the property is smoke free (many are in Santa Cruz county) and I will also meet my neighbors before I ever sign a lease. Hopefully, in the near future, Pacific Shores will have a NO SMOKING policy or at least a no smoking building. read more

Definitely not a pleasant experience; the residents are loud and eccentric students who love partying on literally every holiday. The apartment and appliances are in need of maintenance and are not efficient. The deposit will not be refunded and the exit clause is highly disadvantageous. Another dangerous and rather ambiguous clause is that of water. You will be charged heavily due to obscure reasons. Moreover, the rent is excessively high despite such conditions. Not recommended for professionals and families. Note: This experience pertains to a 2 Bed - 2 Bath apartment. read more

I do not have much experience in apartment living but we needed a place to live while searching to buy a home. Pacific Shores is by far one of the best places we looked at and location is perfect. The staff at Pacific Shores (Anita, Chris and Fernando) are responsive and very pleasant. The community is wonderful - a good mix of retired folks, families and students. There is a no tolerance policy with noise after 10pm so it's very quiet. There is a pool, gym and hot tub. It's also walking distance to the beach, Seymour Center and there is an organic U-Pick farm next door. We would definitely recommend Pacific Shores! read more

I lived here for the school year of 2009-2010. The management staff is usually very professional, which I appreciate. The apartments are clean and well-maintained. The grounds are depressing. Well-kept, but depressing. Stark concrete. I never spent any time on the porch because literally all you could see from my porch was a bunch of other people sitting on their porches just shy of talking distance away. Quite awkward. Noise was an occasional issue. It doesn't get that cold in the winter. My memories of this place are a little bland. The gym is nice but almost never used, so if that's a priority, go for it. The spa is nice but sometimes crowded, and literally EVERYONE who has apartments around the pool can watch you/listen to all your conversations. This seems more annoying for them than it is for those in the pool. It's a bit on the pricey side, and they raised our rent $50/month at the end of our first year while still offering what we were paying presently to new renters. Because of this, we ended up moving somewhere significantly cheaper (though older, and 2 bed 1 bath instead of 2 bed 2 bath). They kept a good bit of our deposit. They were going to keep a $150 "cleaning fee" and after saying they wouldn't and we came back to demand it. They gave it to us. On the checkout sheet "light cleaning" was $150. "Heavy cleaning" was $250. We scrubbed that place from here 'till kingdom come. If I'd known the maximum charge for cleaning was $250, I wouldn't have bothered. They also kept money to re-paint every wall we'd put a nail in. They do not do touch up paint. They repaint the whole wall. No matter how small the patch. Per policy. So uh.... put all your holes in one wall? They also bleached and re-colored some stains in the carpet... that was our fault. Overall, the place is relatively nice. I don't want to move back, but they're generally professional. Read your lease well, they will stick to it. Oh, and they accept credit cards, but there's a "convenience fee" for that. read more

One of the best places I have every lived in Santa Cruz. Highly recommended. Clean and modern: very unusual in Santa Cruz BTW. Bonus, the place has a huge heated pool, spa, full gym, and business center. Moreover, never heard a peep from adjacent apartments, i.e., it is well built and sound proofed. read more

We lived at Pacific Shores for two years. It was always well maintained and nicely landscaped. We were in the back near the reserve so it was really quiet. We loved the amenities. The office staff Anita, Chris and the forever funny Fernando were great and always ready to help. It is surrounded by Natural Bridges and Wilder Ranch Park. read more

I have never lived in an apartment before and moved here with my family (2 young kids) almost a year ago. We go between trying to find a bigger place (with a yard) and never wanting to leave! Living here is great for a family- with the pool and the hot tub, great places to walk and bike right out the door.The staff is all super friendly and helpful. Maintenence requests have been filled, I'm not kidding, within minutes. I too have had to deal with the cigarettes, mostly butts in front of my door and on the patio, but there are students who live here, and when I told the management they talked to the people who live above us and it got better right away. It is very quiet here, no loud parties, it is not a student atmosphere at all. At night all you can hear is the owls hooting. It is just... a well maintained and a great place to live. I thought I would hate living in an apartment but I actually love it. This sounds like an advertisement but it's true. If they had townhomes with yards, I would live here forever. read more

This is an amazing place. I plan on moving here in the spring, I can't wait. It is right next to the ocean, wonderful facilities, great design, comfortable and reasonable size apartments. I love that Natural Bridges is within walking and bicycling distance. They have a hot tub a swimming pool, an exercise facility a computer room and a bicycle room. read more

Very impressed with this place and the people working there. Beautiful location, quiet, great amenities. Faith, whom we worked with primarily, gave us highly professional and courteous service. She was very responsive, clear and concise. Instructions through the rental process were clear, and we were made to feel welcome. Given the current rental situation in Santa Cruz, that is not a given. Apartment is unfurnished of course but very clean, rooms good size, bathrooms and kitchen in great shape. Very happy to have my son and his friends living here. read more

Hello!!!! I have lived at Pacific Shores apartment for about 5 years now.It's all new. I love it here.There is some real nice people who also live here.It has a computer room with WI-FI.many of the apartments have washers and dryers.In my room it has a SHOWER AND TUB,VERY GOOD HEATERS,microwave,dishwasher,Lots of cable TV hookups,many phone plug in jacks.lots of power plug ins.The rooms are big with many cupboards to put your stuff into them.You have your own parking spot. There is a pool.yes a large pool.BBQ PITS,The place is very very very clean.It looks Very Very nice.It has a covered bus stop right next to the apartments.Save some money,Ask for a year round bus pass from the office.It is very close to the sea,A short walk right down the street is the beach.I would give the place 15.5 stars if there was 15.5 stars to click.I feel like I am living like a king.Yes A king because I am living at Pacific shores apartments.You can to.Hope to see you here soon. The office address and phone number to call or stop by is:1290 Shaffer rd.(831)-4271290 Santa Cruz,Ca. Call me at my apartment and I will tell you more about it here. Steve 831-427-0207 read more

Our family of four lived at Pacific Shores for a year and a half and loved it. The complex is clean and quiet and the staff are helpful. Having nature right next door was important to us and the complex provided that in a special way. Our kids still miss living there and I think that it will end up being one of our all time favorite places to live as a family. read more