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    Rio Sands Hotel

    3.0 (166 reviews)
    ModerateHotels
    Open 8:00 am - 10:00 pm

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    Living room with rollaway bed.
    Mary R.

    Loved it! I thought it was going to be straight ghetto but turned out not bad at all. We stayed 2 nights. It is super close to the beach and the pool hot tub area was great. Even had a place to grill if we had wanted to. Only thing I would say could have been better would be to have so cups. The place had a small kitchen with full size fridge. However absolutely no cups,plates, bowls, or silverware of any kind.

    No more free breakfast

    Rio Sands has been a destination for our family for about 35 years. The hotel has gone through several owners and overall the improvements have been great. My latest stay had one disappointment after another. Starting with check in. If you wanted to get in early there was a 30$ charge. Went to complimentary breakfast in the morning only to find out they stopped offering it in September even though web site still lists it. No more coffee makers in rooms and yes there is coffee in the office which doesn't open until 9am. Pool now doesn't open till 10am. Love the location, staff is great, I just wasn't prepared for all the negative changes.

    Drive down the hill to hotel

    Charming. Close to the beach, clean and well-designed, quiet... Loved it and will stay here again.

    2 room suite front room

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    7 years ago

    Good, clean hotel in a great location at a reasonable price. Just steps from the beach and some restaurants that are also pretty good.

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    6 years ago

    Maggie and Cynthia took care of us.the customer service is top notch quaint and humble. I can wait to come back

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    Nick Y.

    Thank you for leaving a review! We hope that you can return soon!

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    Page 2 of 5

    Ask the Community - Rio Sands Hotel

    Review Highlights - Rio Sands Hotel

    Walking distance to a great eatery which I'll review separately and to the Rio Del Mar Beach & State Park.

    Mentioned in 6 reviews

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    2.7
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    It is great to see that Sea Cliff is still around and now it is a Hilton Tapestry Hotel. The…read moredouble queen room overlooking the swimming pool. It was great to see ice machines on the outside if the building instead of inside next to a guest room. There is an onsite restaurant and room service is available as well. Overall it was an enjoyable stay and would recommend it to anyone that needs a nice place to stay. Close to the beach and local wineries and hiking trails.

    As a loyal Hilton Honors member who has stayed at properties all over, this was easily the worst…read moreHilton experience I have ever had. This property markets itself as an upscale, high-end hotel, but the service and upkeep are not even close to that standard. Here is a breakdown of the issues we encountered: 1. Check-In Chaos: I booked two rooms under my account, but front desk staff initially couldn't find the second reservation. They eventually realized they had put it under a guest's name instead of mine, despite me being the main booker and paying guest. 2. Zero Elite Recognition: Despite my loyalty status, there was absolutely no recognition at check-in--not even the basic gesture of complimentary bottled water. 3. Abysmal Housekeeping & Room Issues: Our room was poorly stocked; there was no tissue when we arrived, and the shower completely lacked conditioner. To make matters worse, the shower water pressure was so weak it was almost impossible to even wash my hair. 4. Filthy Pool & Jacuzzi Area: We went down around 9:00 AM, expecting a clean facility, but the pool area and jacuzzi were filthy. Dirty towels were strewn everywhere, there were no fresh ones available, and I had to call staff from my phone just to get clean towels brought out. 5. Poor Property Upkeep: The parking lot is incredibly small and tight. Worse, there were dog messes left uncleaned around the property grounds. 6. No Value: For a hotel positioning itself as a premium location, they do not offer complimentary breakfast, yet fail to deliver the basic amenities or service to justify the price tag. At that point, I was just completely done. I expected a seamless, high-quality stay, but instead encountered a total lack of attention to detail and sub-par service. I will not be returning to this property and hope management addresses these glaring issues immediately.

    Seascape Beach Resort

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    Best Western Plus Capitola By-the-Sea Inn & Suites

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    This was an amazing place to stay at. I was not expecting much since I have stayed at best westerns…read morebefore and it's usually just a place to sleep in. Well this place really goes above and beyond. Their rooms are nice and clean, beds are comfortable with plenty of pillows, and I loved how there were two sinks- one inside the bathroom and the other outside. The location was perfect- accessible to everything: food, grocery store, mall, about a 5 min drive away from the water and the pier. I knew they had a complimentary breakfast but this was a whole new level: make your own waffle station, make your own parfait station with fresh berries in individual cups, granola, chocolate chips, cereal, muffins, bagels, English muffins, and bread. They had little individual peanut butter, jellies, and Nutella. If that wasn't enough, they had the hot food with bacon, eggs, and biscuits with sausage gravy. If you need anything, they text you from number and you can text them with anything you need: housekeep services, requests for towels, etc. Will definitely stay here again if staying in Capitola.

    Bella Notte

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    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.

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    Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Santa Cruz - Capitola

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    Everything is exactly right about this hotel. Great price, comfortable beds and rooms, very clean,…read moreexcellent breakfast selection, very nice pool-hot tub-bocce ball for entertainment. But above all, the staff here is top notch! Very kind, helpful, and professional. Alex, at the front desk, went out of her way to help make my birthday weekend here with my friends incredibly special. This is now my favorite hotel in Northern CA and will ALWAYS be my choice when I come back to this area. Thank you so much, Fairfield Inn and Alex!!

    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.

    Rio Sands Hotel - hotels - Updated July 2026

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