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    Santa Cruz Hostel

    4.1 (58 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 7:00 pm

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    Each bed has this! Super helpful. Each one is in a different spot, but I promise it's there.
    Emily B.

    I would 100% stay here again. The staff was super accommodating and kind. The place was very comfortable and home-y. It had a lot of personal touches to really make me feel welcome. I was given great recommendations for things to do in the area like going to the boardwalk and the Mystery Spot. I LOVED the outside patio with the swing and garden that I forgot to take pictures of. I was bummed that I didn't get a chance to use something from the garden. I really appreciated the attention to detail and the attentiveness of the staff even when they were off the clock. The only issue I had was the fruit flies in the kitchen, but the entire place was incredibly clean and I noticed the effort made to clean each area every day. The kitchen had free coffee, a BRITA, and lots of dishes for use. There was shared food, but not much so don't rely on it to eat. The main contact, Sara, was quick to respond and very helpful. Thank you again, Santa Cruz Hostel! I'll be back. :)

    Jay S.

    Great staff always so patient in answering questions. Great deal, wait best deal in town right next to the beach as long as you don't mind the somewhat unpredictable community living style. 25/night, can't beat that anywhere. Wifi suffice for all my needs. Highly recommend this place.

    Love the floral bedspread
    Matt S.

    This hostel is the perfect place to stay in Santa Cruz. Several buildings surrounded by lovely gardens house dorms and private rooms. We scored a private room with two beds for only $30 each. Bathrooms were shared but there was more than enough bathrooms to accommodate all the guests. The hostel is also known as Carmalita Cottages and the name is appropriate because it reminds me more of a cottage than a hostel. Floral bedspreads, mismatched furniture, 2 minutes from the beach, and it even has a old clawfoot bath tub. The two dudes who checked us in were super cool, friendly, and chilled out. They gave us some solid ideas for things to do in Santa Cruz. A solid budget in Santa Cruz. Recommended.

    Tristan A.

    HOSTEL - Santa Cruz Cottage - Hostelling Intl. Santa Cruz Hostel is a great, safe place to stay, single or with friends. I have stayed at many hostels both in the states and abroad and enjoy this style of meeting new friends and sleeping on the cheap. At hostels there is a common room for lounging about, a dorm (usually a room or two for each gender) , couple or family rooms, or private rooms, common kitchen and helpful staff that will tell you where to visit in their area. Sometimes there are free or inexpensive trips you can visit as a group, and its always a good time. Santa Cruz Hostel is near the boardwalk (yay - good times - go on the wild mouse and the big dipper and don't miss the fabulous merry go round with the brass ring you can grab as you go around) and a quiet and comfortable hostel. Helpful staff. I grew up over the mountain and used to spend a lot of time at Santa Cruz and Capitola as I grew up, so I didn't use the hostel until I moved away from California, and came back to visit all my favorite spots.

    Bottom bunk at Santa Cruz Hostel.

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    Ask the Community - Santa Cruz Hostel

    Review Highlights - Santa Cruz Hostel

    I was given great recommendations for things to do in the area like going to the boardwalk and the Mystery Spot.

    Mentioned in 11 reviews

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    Mission Inn - Standard King Room

    Mission Inn

    3.8(299 reviews)
    1.3 mi
    $$

    We stayed at Mission Inn while visiting Santa Cruz for my daughter's birthday. It was easy to find…read morewith plenty of parking. Stairs to the second floor. The room was spacious and clean. Bathroom was fine. My only complaint was the AC. They also had a hot tub. There's a donut shop located across the street and it's a quick drive to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.

    Update to my review: after finally getting a hold of the manager Rebecca Issa two days after we…read morearrived home, like in other reviews, she attacked us and accused us of harassing her and abusing her. Rebecca's, as it turns out, is in total denial and can't accept constructive feedback. She immediately started yelling and screaming at us on the phone and made excuses for everything that was wrong with the room. She claimed to work 60-80 hours per week but if that were the case, there wouldn't be multiple reports of blood on walls and sheets in the reviews of this hotel. In the end, after she screamed at us for 7 minutes, she hung up on us. The owner hides behind the internet and is basically unreachable. You can learn about him and his connections on ChatGPT however. It seems he also owns a hotel revenue pricing software that is in use here and so it makes their pricing suspicious to me. I've also left reviews on Google, but they keep taking them down. The bottom line: this place is filthy, the management is incompetent and has no customer service capabilities and if you stay here, you will likely regret it!

    Photos
    Mission Inn - Seating Area

    Seating Area

    Mission Inn - Seating Area

    Seating Area

    Mission Inn - Surroundings

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    Surroundings

    Continental Inn - Fixtures were all rusty

    Continental Inn

    3.3(234 reviews)
    0.6 mi
    $$

    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.

    Photos
    Continental Inn - Rust

    Rust

    Continental Inn
    Continental Inn

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    Surf City Inn & Suites - View from top floor looking out to indoor pool (Room 211)

    Surf City Inn & Suites

    1.6(284 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$$

    t came across as impersonal and not very friendly. Our first encounter was that we needed to check…read morein Via a kiosk in the parking lot. Even though there was someone on duty inside, we were directed outside to check in. While checking in we asked for two keys, and we were only given one. It wasn't very pleasant to have to talk to someone on the computer screen in the parking lot. No privacy and nothing was covering the machine. I wouldn't actually call it a kiosk since it was just a box on the sidewalk. The reception area was very uninviting and didn't really have a very welcoming feel. They had plenty of space where it looked like they used to provide some sort of amenities like breakfast or at least coffee, but all of that was closed and empty. The only thing in that area was a table with snacks for sale and even that was not very well set up. Our first room had an overwhelming chemical smell. It smelled like the cleaner they used to clean bathrooms. Fortunately, the staff was able to give us another slightly better room. There was only one small rolling chair. We had trouble with the remote control and went to the reception area to talk to someone at the desk. They said they would be up in a little while, but after an hour we wound up having to leave for dinner. We suggested when we went down there that it was probably a battery that needed to be replaced. Rather than take the time to check that out, he said he had other people he had to take care of first and would come to our room, but as far as I know he never did. The next morning we called, and they said someone would be right up. Again, no one came right up. We waited for 15 minutes, and no one showed. We called again, and finally someone arrived in a few minutes. He pushed the buttons a couple of times and looked at me like I was crazy or stupid, because they seemed to work. I told him to go ahead and push a few more times. Eventually he realized it was the battery. Finally, he replaced the battery, and we were able to watch TV for the next 2 days. Finally, the parking was difficult. We were almost afraid to leave, because when we returned, there might not be enough space. We actually looked out on the street for parking one night, and none was available. By the time we got back, we found one space. The room was very Spartan. There were virtually no amenities. The coffee machine used coffee (tea-type) bags rather than an actual coffee maker (only enough for three small cups). One tiny bar of soap on the sink. Very Disappointed.

    Let me start by saying that we stayed 4 nights for my husband's work. We purposely chose this room…read morebecause of the kitchen and it's proximity to the ocean. We bought groceries for the stay prior to checking in only to find that the freezer wasn't working! The management asked if we could wait a couple of hours for the replacement. We explained that we had purchased ice cream and other frozen items and really couldn't wait. They didn't even offer to move us to a different room. They eventually brought another refrigerator up to our room with a working freezer, but now the fridge wouldn't get cold! I can't make this up! Later, we discovered that the handle on the microwave was broken which posed a minor challenge. Apparently, this establishment spent several months upgrading the property prior to our stay. The hotel had a lot of unhoused people nearby which I feel should be mentioned. Positives - Clean room. Comfortable bed.

    Photos
    Surf City Inn & Suites - Mini fridge and microwave 2 queen bed room #211 which actually had 3 queen beds ! Yes 3

    Mini fridge and microwave 2 queen bed room #211 which actually had 3 queen beds ! Yes 3

    Surf City Inn & Suites
    Surf City Inn & Suites

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    Wellstone Center in the Redwoods - The view from the library house on the property.

    Wellstone Center in the Redwoods

    4.0(15 reviews)
    4.4 mi

    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.

    Photos
    Wellstone Center in the Redwoods - My room at Wellstone.

    My room at Wellstone.

    Wellstone Center in the Redwoods - Inside cabin. I even had my own kitchen!

    Inside cabin. I even had my own kitchen!

    Wellstone Center in the Redwoods

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    Santa Cruz Hostel - hostels - Updated August 2026

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