The Dream inn was our ideal spot as it overlooked the ocean, yet they wanted a minimum two night stay. Luckily we found a place right across the street that didn't require that. That's how we ended up at Seaway Inn. Less than a mile walk to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk was a big sell for our family. This hotel was really cute. Easy parking, overflow can park next door in the larger parking lot. Staff is super friendly and accommodating. Fair price on the room. Very clean rooms. A lot of up to date renovations. Showers were large. Bathroom had everything we needed. Beds were comfortable. Pillows soft. We opened up our sliding doors on the second floor to a great view of the boardwalk. Beautiful sight. Microwave and fridge in the room. One knock is the lack of a hot breakfast but for the affordable price (compared to the proximity of the boardwalk) that's kind of expected. read more

See all

Great place to stay. Make sure to ask for the room with the panoramic window. It's right above the office and has the best view (and no neighbors). Room was very clean, and the service was great. We had a mixup with the reservations and they were very helpful. We brought our pup with us and that was not an issue, they do charge $50 for the furry kid so be aware of it. Over, great place to stay, the beach and boardwalk was one block away. read more

Seaway Inn - View from the room - Hotels Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

A sweet pet-friendly inn, just a block up the hill from the Santa Cruz pier, boardwalk, and beach! Super convenient location! I think that their 16 or so rooms were recently renovated. All have wood floors, which feels cleaner, and subtle beach decor (and fun mermaid wallpaper in the bathroom!). Our cozy room on the ground floor had one bed with white duvet, bathroom with large stand-up shower, closet with iron/ironing board, mini fridge (helpful!), microwave, coffee/tea pot, and air conditioning. WiFi is free but the connection was spotty for us. Parking is also free in the small lot at the front of the inn. Helpful as street parking in downtown Santa Cruz is metered. The two staff we interacted with were super friendly and kind. We easily walked to the pier/beach and to the shops/eateries across from the boardwalk. If you're looking for a place to stay in Santa Cruz with a pup, this is a solid option. PRO TIP: we sleep with a sound machine on at home and brought one for our room. Helped drown out noise from the parking lot and nearby street, to calm our anxious pup. And helped us sleep too! read more

See all

Friendly and professional staff. Great views from the second floor. Very clean room at a good price. read more

Seaway Inn - Room 228 - Hotels Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

Close to the pier and such an adorable, dog friendly hotel. I love the sea life decor and many luxurious pillows for our beds. It has all the amenities we needed including a fridge, which I love. The massaging shower was another great surprise to my tired Board-walking, fun day. Thank you for your incredibly, kind and helpful staff. We will definitely stay again. read more

See all

This was the perfect place to stay in Santa Cruz due to the location, quaintness, and rates.! I will definitely stay here again!

Small property that is kept clean, maintained, and updated. The Seaway Inn is located within walking distance to the Santa Cruz boardwalk and all its various experiences. The staff upon our arrival were very welcoming and courteous. Throughout our stay they were very friendly and communicative. The property was clean and the rooms were well taken care of. My family and I had a pleasant time and would definitely return to stay at the Seaway Inn without hesitation. read more

I enjoyed my stay here. Really nice room. Close to the beach. Free parking for one car. Staff was very kind.

Great location. Clean. Safe. Friendly staff. Suite has large bedrooms, nice restroom, but very small living room. Parking is tough. But parking is tough everywhere in Santa Cruz. read more

My husband and I stayed at the Seaway Inn for a mid week vacation. We stayed in the King room. The hotel is in a great location - W Cliff Drive and directly across from Cowell beach. The beach boardwalk was just right down the street. We really enjoyed the hotel decor. It was recently remolded. The hotel is very clean and they have free parking - most hotels in the area charge about $35.00 per night for parking. It was also quiet. We were able to walk everywhere including downtown Santa Cruz. We plan to come back during basketball season to see the Santa Cruz Warriors. Their stadium is about a 10 minute walk. We look forward to visiting again soon. Great value for the price. read more

Arrived at 3:20PM. 2 other cars in the parking lot. Told $35 to check in before 4. I said you aren't going to make me wait in the car for 40 minutes are you in a soft tone? The guy says you can wait wherever you want until 4. What bothered me was how he said it. Went out sat in the car till 4. Would have liked to have gone to the wharf to kill time, but there is a very steep hill between the wharf and the hotel. We get to our room on the 1st floor. 5 cars in the parking lot overnight, hotel about 80% empty, but the guy at the front desk puts people with a dog over us. The dog was nervous and the people paced all night. We could hear every step and the dog's constant pacing. Keep my mouth shut at check out. Didn't want to give the guy the satisfaction that he made our stay a nightmare. read more

musty smelling room. housekeeping service needs improvement. stained pillow sheets, dirty ironing board. receptionist not available always

This was an awesome room for us! We are a family of five and it had two queen beds with a couch that turned into a full queen bed as well. Panoramic view of the entire beach with a beautiful sunset and sunrise! Be sure to ask for room 221 because it is amazing!! The lady in the front was super sweet and we definitely will be back read more

Seaway Inn - Window panoramic view room 221 - Hotels Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

We really enjoyed our stay at Seaway Inn! The staff was very friendly and the newly renovated rooms were awesome. Walking distance to the beach and the boardwalk was super convenient! We will definitely be staying here again. read more

We had stayed at this property several times with our family and friends, from 1984 to 2002. We were thrilled to find this motel has new owners and beautifully renovated rooms! The new owners and staff are friendly and extremely helpful, making sure our accommodations and stay met the highest of standards for this type of property. We will definitely be back! read more

Positive: Great location. Walked to boardwalk and downtown. Receptionist was nice and welcoming. Check in was easy. Shower had dual shower head. Room for improvement: The rooms could use new materials or updated. Walls seem thin. Could hear guests upstairs and next door. read more

We had the best time here! we are picky travelers and usually stay across the street at the Dream Inn. We had a small dog with us this visit and found Seaway Inn and will return every time. Clean, comfy, new, quiet, perfect location, gorgeous beach views and i could go on. Front desk staff treated us like friends and went out of their way to accommodate down to the cork screw for our happy hour. Please try them, and ask for rooms 227-230 for the best ocean views. Enjoy! read more

It was our first visit to Seaway Inn. Room was small but clean and quiet and comfortable. Staff was friendly and welcoming! We love the location and would definitely come back! read more

Seaway Inn - Hotels Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I paid for sea view room but the room that we got is just a sliding door that you have to sit in front of the room to look at the beach. Do not pay extra for sea view room. It's not worth it. The room is very tiny and all furniture is very old. The reception is not friendly. Only thing good for this hotel is location that you can walk to the beach. read more

See all

Place is easy to get to and only a short walk to the beach boardwalk. It's an inn, so I expected it to be smaller, but I didn't realize how small. Room itself is big enough for two people and comfortable if you're only there to sleep and move on. Even has patio seats! Downside: biggest gripe was how difficult it was to lock your door. It uses a weird mechanism where you have to make sure the latch is just at the right angle so it clicks to lock. Shower was so tiny my shoulders nearly touched on both sides and nothing inside to place your bath stuff so everything you had to place on shower floor and have bend over to pick up. There was also a small bit of mildew in there. Power to nearly everything in room was unplugged so have to plug everything back in to use. Other than that, bed was comfy, water temp and pressure was great. Oh and more usb outlets than I could possibly use! Just my nightstand had 4 usb outlets! read more

See all

Friendly, quiet, clean, convenient location to jump in the water with a surf board ... Ellie, Matt, Tim were great hosts .... prices were very reasonable read more

The best thing about this inn is its location and proximity to the beach. We didn't have to use a car and we're able to walk everywhere we needed in Santa Cruz. Staff is very nice. From minuses the room is pretty small, outdated and the carpet feels dirty. Shower is tiny. We paid for the ocean view and while technically you can see the ocean, the view is not that great and it it through a front sliding door that is used as a room entrance and a terrace that is shared with everybody who is staying there. Also no breakfast. To check out one hour later costs $35. Overall I would give 3.5/5. Would consider booking here again as a last minute thing but definitely would not pay extra for the ocean view. read more

Seaway Inn - Ocean view - Hotels Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

such a convenient spot near the wharf, boardwalk and some restaurants that wasn't too pricey! I went with my boyfriend and dog - make sure to add the additional pet fee ($50 per night) if you're bringing your pet. The room was clean and everything went well. My boyfriend and I especially liked the dual headed showers haha. We were probably a few mins walk from the boardwalk/wharf and then we walked to the dog beach which was a longer walk (20 mins or so). Would recommend and would go back! :) read more

Clean and sanitized. Comfortable beds good location. Pet fees are a rip off. We were told $50 and we told them two dogs. We had to pay $100. Ruined the first few hours as we blew our fun budget right there. I won't go back for that price. read more

Seaway Inn - $100 dog bed. - Hotels Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

This place is rad. Right across the street from fancy hotel, but a little more low-key, and nice. I live that each window ids angled just-right to see the carousel wheel, classic view. I'm on my porch with chairs, seeing great view. Super nice staff! Walked to everything! They might consider less bulky furniture for the size of the space, otherwise, everything we needed from location, to no bed bugs, to on-site l, safe parking, pooch-friendly, fridge, coffee, and basic tiny scene coffee breakfast. We moved our chairs around a bit. Couldn't be happier! read more

Staff were friendly and helpful. Parking can be tricky being so close to the boardwalk, so they allowed me to leave my car in their lot after I checked out. They also looked up walking directions to the Santa Cruz Warriors stadium. Internet wasn't really working, but it didn't matter since we were so close to all the entertainment and fun at the boardwalk. I would definitely stay here again in the future read more

Inez is honestly the most sweetest, soft spoken and nicest guest service rep that I have ever had while traveling. This inn is a pretty good location located on a hill. Its walking distance from the pier and the boardwalk its just hard walking back. The room I got was the 6person panoramic view. Its honestly beautiful room not quite a beach scene but still nice. The night guest service rep was sweet to we asked for extra blankets. I sadly didnt ask for her name. Room is good size and the bathroom I wish was a littttle bigger but thats ok. Affordable for fitting that many people. Good experience. read more

Location is all that's good about this. Everything else seems pretty low budget. Shower very low flow...fitted with a bit of PVC pipe. Plastic cups for your wine... Made in China toileteries Crappy cable TV...awful resolution. No streaming. They also billed us twice...despite us having pre-paid. Inexperienced employee. They're obviously trying to maximize profit...but sometimes your brand suffers when you do this. read more

Great location! Easy walk to the Boardwalk and W Cliff Drive. Very clean rooms and property. The shower was very large, comfortable beds and easy parking. A few coffee places within walking distance, one just across the street at the other inn. Dog friendly and there is a bag dispenser/outdoor garbage can onsite. Check it ou! read more

Excellent place to stay. Updated rooms and friendly staff. Will stay here every time I come to Santa Cruz.

We wanted to stay near the Boardwalk but didn't want to pay an arm and a leg. We found the Seaway Inn, right across the street from Dream Inn.  We were so happy with not only our accommodations but we also had a great view of Beach St. and the beach. Stephanie was very nice, friendly and so accomodating that she offered us her parking spot underneath the sign, where they're larger than the rest of the lot, since we had a large truck. Thanks, Stephanie! Our room was clean, fairly modern and nice; and it was the end unit on the second floor -- the best room situated for the view. We will most definitely be back and request room 230. read more

See all

I chose the Seaway Inn as a place to stay when I went on a weekend trip to Santa Cruz. I am so glad I did! I was seeking a place with parking that was clean and centrally located. First of all, this is one of the cleanest hotels I have stayed in for a long time - and I am extremely picky about this in hotels! Parking was convenient. I saw in some reviews that the parking spaces were small, but I did not find that to be the case and the parking lot is well organized. My room had an incredible view of the ocean and the Santa Cruz boardwalk. The rooms are a bit small, but not so much that you cannot get around them easily. The rooms have recently been remodeled and look very chic - always a bonus! The hotel staff is also extremely kind, helpful and accommodating, also more so than at many hotels I have stayed at in the past. There are also several good options for dining within walking distance of this hotel. The immediate area also feels very safe. If I visit Santa Cruz in the future, I will definitely try to stay at the Seaway Inn again! read more

The nicest people at the desk, newly remodeled and beautiful view! We stay here everytime we come to Santa Cruz..Love the proximity to everything! Walking distance to our favorite coffee spot, the pier and boardwalk read more

Manager called my 76 year old Mom a LIAR - TERRIBLE Customer Service In a blatant and egregious exchange with the manager Inez, this is my experience: My mom called to cancel 3 hours past the '72 hour' cancellation deadline.She was told by the front office clerk that she would check with the manager about not charging her the 1st night fee. Clerk called back several minutes later and said my mom would NOT be charged. I was on speaker phone and heard this live. The next day, the Seaway manager, INEZ, called my mom to tell her she would be charged. My mom told her what the clerk had said and Inez said there was no record of that conversation - so it didn't happen and my mom was LYING. My mom was charged. I live in Santa Cruz and went to the Seaway in person to talk to Inez. The first time I went, the clerk said she wasn't there and I left my number for her to call me. She NEVER called me. I went in person again and Inez was at the front desk. I sat down and recounted the exchange between my mom and the clerk and asked that my mom be refunded. Inez said no - SEAWAY is a BUSINESS and they have a right to charge for cancellations. This is true, however, hotels survive on CUSTOMER SERVICE and reviews. Inez had the authority to issue a refund, SHE CHOSE NOT TO. She chose a short term gain of $250 rather than a REPEAT CUSTOMER that would have spent $1000 EVERY TIME my mom comes to visit me. THIS IS SHORTSIGHTED and when I pointed this out to Inez the conversation got heated.  INEZ repeated countless times that Seaway is a business. I said the result of that way of running a HOSPITALITY business is TERRIBLE customer service which will be reflected in online reviews and LOST REVENUE FOR YEARS from everyone I would have recommended the hotel to. ADDITIONALLY, this review is based on MORE THAN ONE experience at the Seaway. I have stayed at the Seaway before. The rooms are tiny, the bathroom door did not close all the way, and the sink was very scratched up and clogged and overflowed onto the bathroom floor in the middle of the night. I guess they need every $250 they can get.M read more

Cute little inn right next to the beach! (Technically the beach is across the street but that made no difference to us as we walked around everywhere). Stayed there last weekend when there was a break in the rain. Since we stayed during the off season it was cheaper than it probably is during the summer months, but it was a great price for the location! The staff was super friendly, tiny but clean room. Would definitely stay again. read more

Seaway Inn - Hotels Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I had the best time with my family. The room was incredibly clean, comfortable and just across the street from the beach. The service was excellent and the price was unbeatable. read more

Hotel is located just a brisk walk from the beach and the pier. The rooms were clean and cool. When we arrived in town, we asked to use a restroom since our room wasn't quite ready. The front desk lady informed us they didn't have any available for guests outside of the rooms and advised to walk down to the beach. I was surprised but no problem. When we went to check out, I asked to fill up our water bottles since they have servicing station for breakfast, figured they would have a water line. I was again informed there was no water available but they could give me ice. Just seemed weird that they serve food in the morning, including beverages. It's a nice place and not too expensive but I would opt for somewhere a little more welcoming read more

NO LONGER A FAN! Went to check into the Seaway Inn yesterday only to find out that my reservation had been mysteriously canceled! My family has stayed at this place annually for 20 years during the Santa Cruz Triathlon. We've even brought other family members with us in the past and recommended the place to other triathletes racing in the event we come for. Then --- boom! --- this reservation canceled! No warning. No explanation. No reason. No apology. It didn't matter that we had an email confirmation or a long history with the place! They didn't even seem to care that they'd left us in the lurch! In a panic, we had to go looking for a new room and because it was last minute on Saturday night, we had to pay through the nose for whatever crummy accommodation was left! I'm sure we won't even hear from the management over it. That's fine because our relationship is essentially over now. The West Cliff Inn has new fans though! read more

What a great place to stay! Newly remodeled and excellent staff. Excellent location and a terrific restaurant next-door.

This place is a scam! The view isn't really from the room, you have to go outside in the hallway to see the view which is basically the ocean from far away blocked by another hotel! The service and staff are really unfriendly. The curtains are broken, no soap holders, no new towels & when you go downstairs to ask for new towels they give you an empty bag to pack the old towels & take them down to them! It's very overpriced for what it is! The remote is broken. The king room is tiny. No enough parking. They say that they offer breakfast but it's a tiny mini muffin with bad coffee in a very cluttered room!!! They also charge you extras without disclosing. It was a horrible experience. The worst ever. read more