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    Surf Motel & Gardens

    3.3 (281 reviews)
    ModerateHotels

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    We stay at surf gardens so often. It is so comfortable. Family friedly. Pet friendly. Quiet at night.

    The furniture
    Bubba M.

    The rooms are quite old and worn. Breakfast is literally just cereal. But every channel was in Spanish call front desk. They did nothing about it on a Saturday night $187.45 for the room.

    The charge plate
    Alan C.

    I got a room for $79 out the door, midweek after Labor day. That's darn good for Fort Bragg! I arrived, and the clerk, who I believe was also the owner, was very friendly. He checked me in, and told me where my room was. It is an older motel, but it's obvious that it has been renovated. My room, including the bathroom, was spotless The TV had a good picture. I was worried that my WiFi might not work well, because I was about as far from the office that I could be. I've had that problem before at other older motels, , but it worked great, with speed fast enough to stream video. I did not hear any noise whatsoever, There was,also a desk so I could work on my laptop, plenty of plugs to charge my gear, and even a "charge plate" built into the desk. If your phone is compatible, just lay it on top of the charge plate, and it will charge your phone. The motel has a snack and soda machine near the lobby. (when I was there, it didn't have any diet soda, only water.) It also has a guest laundry available. Breakfast was Hot/cold cereal, fruit, toast, pastries, juice, coffee, and hot chocolate. It was fine for me. If you want something else, there are places from Mickey D's, to Denny's, and on up the line in town. 2 minor details that aren't worth taking off a star. I was going to make a pot of coffee, but when I opened the machine, there were 3 used coffee pouches inside. Please make sure that the machine is cleaned. Also, on the bed, it was just a little firm for my personal taste, but I still got a good night's sleep. I would stay here again without hesitation. Thanks!!!

    condition of the power plug for the hair dryer in our room.

    Terrible customer service. We were there on-time for our 4pm check-in, and the room had not been cleaned yet. When we brought this to the attention of the person working their front desk, they said there is nothing they can do and did not know how to change our room. We had to wait another 50 minutes for the room to be prepared for us.

    Late night Taco Bell in the gazebo after the Glen Blair Bar train run.

    Yeah pretty good. Nicely cared for. Secrets: - EV Charging, they have 110 and 220 Nema 14-50 plugs you can use for free, but you need to bring your own cable. And there's only 1 of each, so someone else might be using it. - Dog friendly (extra $20) with Fenced in dog run. - Lots of Solar panels if you're into that. - Quiet. - AC/Heat worked great. - Wifi Was good. - No Resort Fee. - Fish cleaning area if you're into that. - Only give you 3 pillows, ask for more

    Emmy A.

    BED BUGS!! they moved me to a second room and saw exoskeletons there as well. They refused to refund my stay.

    Beautiful flowers on the grounds
    Liz F.

    Lovely gardens greet you as you enter the property. This is an older property, but they have updated the rooms. I love the light/reading light/plug/usb ports on each side of the bed and at the desk -- very handy. And they have things that are handy for hotels including refrigerator and small freezer and microwave. They upgraded the bath area as well with granite counter, new fixtures and nice wood framed mirror and also a spacious walk in shower. As mentioned before they have a central garden area with gazebo -- for picnics maybe. The price was reasonable for California. Don't forget to use your AAA card to get bonuses. I got a king bed for the price of a Queen with my AAA card. Breakfast was just coffee, pastries and bananas -- nothing fancy. I did ask for extra towels and pillows and they said ok if I came to get them. That was ok because the office is close to all rooms. I did like that all the rooms are one story, so no stairs. And we could park right in front of our room.

    Ivy S.

    This motel is not bad for what it is. Simple accommodations for a quick little stay. Its a motel so the room was clean but like most motels, the accommodations are noticeably worn. The bathroom was the best remodel of a motel bathroom Iven seen. Someone really put some thought into the bathrooms and they were great. One of the main reasons we stayed here was because they take dogs at a reasonable price. This motel is very dog friendly. They have a perfectly sized little dog park outside to run your dog around. Plenty of open areas to take walks as well. Distance from the wharf area is perfect. Its just a quick drive down the road to food and shops. I would really recommend a stop here for a simple stay. Especially if you have a dog with you.

    Smoke detector had low battery and kept beeping.

    I don't usually leave negative reviews, but these rooms were completely unacceptable. Two words: bed bug. We arrived and were given the wrong room, which is no big deal. After settling in we noticed the smoke detector was not mounted and the battery was low. The shower also looked dirty. The real issue started when I tried going to sleep. My forearm got itchy and I noticed a small bite. Concerned, I looked at the sheets closely and found what appeared to be a bed bug. To make matters worse, I found a bunch of webs under the bed frame. We asked for a new room and the new room had hair in the sheets and a piece of someone's nail. It didn't seem like they washed their sheets at all to be honest. Worst experience I've ever had at a motel.

    Pillows in closet floor
    E P.

    The staff was very friendly and helpful. The space was great for families. I liked the separate bedroom. The beds were comfortable and clean as were towels. The kitchen adequately stocked. The grounds were nice. That said, it was filthy. Spider webs, gnats on ceiling, greasy spoon rest. The carpets was vile. Clean pillows on the closet floor. Missing light fixtures. Patches on bathroom wall not painted. Recliner won't recline. Back missing on remote. The blinds were disgusting. I have included pictures.

    Ashley L.

    False advertising. The pictures make it look like there are available kitchen facilities and there are not. The room was disgusting. The carpet was sticky and the bathroom had blood on the door frame.... As soon as you pull in. You see piles of junk as if it were someone's front yard. Honestly it looks like a flop house. I brought my family here for a wedding weekend.....we stayed for a total of 30 mins before hightailing it out of there. I would not recommend it. The pictures are deceiving. The staff was accommodating however, and they gave us our money back.

    Horse shoe court, bbq, gazebo and fire pit next to the fenced dog park.

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    2 years ago

    Dirty room! Apparently the maids don't clean the rooms. Management refused to discount our room! Don't stay here it's a freaking dump!

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    Page 1 of 8

    Ask the Community - Surf Motel & Gardens

    Review Highlights - Surf Motel & Gardens

    “There is a nice size dog park between the fish cleaning station and the fire pits.”

    Mentioned in 11 reviews

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    Beachcomber Motel - Locks attach to Pudding Creek bridge next to hotel

    Beachcomber Motel

    (402 reviews)

    $$

    For an anniversary present, I selected this place to stay because it has such magnificent views of…read morethe ocean and red one of the greatest walks along the shoreline you'll find anywhere. The outside looks very modest, but when you get into the rooms, they were clean comfortable and offer nice places to sit outside while you have your lunch and look at the water and hear the ocean waves breaking below. I would return to this place in a minute. Everyone that worked here was helpful and nice. And I would recommend if you're going there go to the south end of the building and on the second floor they have an outdoor sitting area where you can look at the ocean and have your lunch under canopies. Enjoy this place we will be back. If you're ever in Fort Bragg, be sure also to visit the nearby glass beach. It's really famous and it's fun to poke around there. You can also catch the skunk train easily from this location.

    When is "Free wifi" not free?…read more When it barely works at all... So my wife and I stayed in a pet suit, while our son was in the middle of the resort, and our daughter was at the south end. Nobody had wifi that worked well. You'd get maybe a minute or two connected, then offline. There's no AC, but the pet suite had a decent cross flow of air. The kids rooms however did not, just a small bathroom window near the front, and a sliding glass door near the back. Not really something you can securely leave open all night. The rooms themselves were clean and well maintained, offering a TV, a microwave and a mini fridge. Staff was very responsive, we called for extra towels and coffee, received them right away. Key cards seemed to be an issue for us and other guests. We had to return to the front desk several times due to non-functional cards. We saw several other guests return as well. Location is pretty nice. Right by the shore and at the south end of town. There's a handful of bikes for rent which is nice. Several places to eat well within biking distance, including a Denny's. The firepit area and BBQ's though, need to have some sort of reservation system. We had one family monopolizing one corner. All in all, a fair balance of positives and negatives except when you get to the price. You're paying on the high side, so you expect a little better. The pet room was fun though, our dog enjoyed having her own little spot to go in and out.

    North Cliff Hotel - da Sunset

    North Cliff Hotel

    (297 reviews)

    $$$

    The Road trip continues, before we left home on our trip I went through the days and realized I had…read moremissed booking our Sunday evening hotel. Oh...glad I checked, I thought I had booked this place, I had the screen shot but I never booked it? Turns out my reservation was at a different hotel and my confirmation probably went to my "junk" folder, so they didn't charge me for the missed reservation. Just as well...I went online and booked the other hotel I had found on line and with the room I wanted. We were married last month and this was our honeymoon hotel. Restaurant walking distance across the bridge, assigned parking. A very nice room, large and yes a spa tub looking out over the Pacific. We needed the soak after dinner and had a good rest, good mattress, very clean. We were up early for a look see at Glass beach (don't expect to find any glass) The view was Northwest Pacific perfect and a good easy trail too. Gotta dodge the fire's south off highway one, next stop is Pelican Inn in Muir Beach. Worth the price Thank you it was lovely Martin-Foodguy

    Walt from Walt's Adventures reporting from Mendocino, California from the North Cliff Hotel…read more This hotel is moderately priced, has great views, and did I mention the balcony and fireplace? They do offer a grab and go style breakfast with muffins and oatmeal and OJ. My tastes would prefer eggs and waffles but their lobby is somewhat limited on space so no strike against them. Some hotels don't offer breakfast. Besides, they sell wines which would go nicely on the balcony. I am unsure if they have a pool or hot tub but they do have specific rooms for dog owners and even provide them with their own gift basket... which I have never experienced before. I have a new hotel in the area and I highly recommend them.

    Beach House Inn

    Beach House Inn

    (141 reviews)

    $$

    Decided to stay for a weekend getaway. It's pretty nice. My mom and I had a pretty good experience…read morehere. The gal at the front desk that checked us in was very nice. It is pretty close the trestle bridge. The beds were pretty comfortable. The hotel is within walking distance to Glass Beach. Which was pretty nice.

    It's clean enough for a hotel that gets constant wear and tear from people going and coming from…read morethe beach. I stayed in the room with a king size bed, fireplace, balcony viewing the estuary and the large soaking tub. The headboard on the bed wasn't cleaned. The greasy hand prints were... discouraging... disgusting. The king size bed is very bouncy. Doesn't squeak though. The highway can be a frequent source of noise but past 9pm the town goes silent. Our dog was nicely welcomed by staff when we arrived. They gave us a doggy kit that included two dog treats, a sheet for our pup to relax on as we saw fit, and a couple of doggy waste bags. Woman at the front desk was very friendly and helpful; I think her name was Anna. One of us lost our room key and staff was eager to help us get a new key card to get into the room. I passed the cleaning staff a few times while they were cleaning other rooms and they were pleasantly kind as well. To update my review further: There was no replacement roll of toilet paper in the room and House cleaning started cleaning our room before we checked out. Front desk was annoyed when we brought this to his attention. I was going to be generous and give this place 4 stars but the lack of interest or humility by the front desk really irritated my husband and I so 3 stars is my honest review. Shame. Place has potential to be so much better.

    Harbor Lite Lodge - Sink and Mirror

    Harbor Lite Lodge

    (236 reviews)

    $$

    What a nice lodge. We found it on our companies website as one of the approved lodging options. It…read moremust be on multiple state websites as Cal Fire had a big presence here too. We called ahead to see if there was a restaurant on sight. There isn't one, but they have a sister restaurant that is about 3 min away that if you get their coupon you get 20% off. It's only 3.5 stars on Yelp so we passed and ate on our way. We were running late so that was really our only option to get lunch on our way to work. On the phone they asked us our arrive time and according to the gps it said 1hr and 12 minutes. She said she'll try to have our room ready as people were just checking out now. We arrived at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, May 4th 2026. To our amazement our room was ready, we weren't expecting that as we were so early. It was a blessing as I had to get to work in the room, we can work remotely sometimes. They also upgraded us to a room with a view. And it's a remarkable view of the ward and harbor. You can hear the sea lions, I believe barking at each other and many species of bird singing. There is a balcony with chairs you can sit out on too. The room has its own thermostat which keeps the room toasty warm on low and it's quiet. I can't recall what kind of unit it is but it's in the blood bad it quietly pushes hot air out. The room has a kireg type machine with sorted coffee, large mini fridge and freezer, and microwave. There is a desk and lounge chair and big screen tv with multiple channels. The shower/tub and toilet is separate from the vanity. The light to the tub/ toilet are is on the outside and the fan is extremely loud, so loud that it will wake up your mates who are in a deep slumber, so that's a minus. They have a ground floor that requires no steps and has a ramp that goes around to additional rooms. Other than that there are a lot of steps and no elevator that we've seen. So if you don't do stairs pick the ground floor and walk in on the lobby side. The lobby has all day tea, coffee, hot chocolate complimentary. They also have snacks and drinks for purchase: rice a Toni, Mac n cheese, spaghetti o's chicken noodle soup, tuna/chicken and crackers, chips, jerky oatmeal, and cold cereal. As for drinks they have juice boxes, milk, Gatorade, matcha, ect. No alcohol that I could see. The wharf is a 15 min walk or 3 min drive and they have seafood restaurants there. Across the street is Homestyle cafe for breakfast and lunch and you're a few min from downtown. This is a great location.

    My husband and I stayed here for 4 nights and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. It was affordable for…read morethe duration we stayed. The majority of this area (Mendocino/Ft. Bragg) is ridiculously expensive. We opted for an economic stay versus an expensive, luxury stay since we were going to spend very little time in our room. We stayed in room 319 on the second floor. We had a room with a balcony overlooking the harbor and highway 1. Be forewarned, this hotel is definitely outdated, but it had everything we needed: it was fairly quiet, had a comfy bed, good water pressure, and was clean! Since our room was closer to the highway, it was a bit noisy with the sliding glass door open, but was fine once it was closed. It didn't bother us at night. Your room will also not be turned in daily, but they give you plenty of towels and the garbage cans are big so it was fine for our stay. Overall, we we'e very satisfied and recommend this hotel if you are staying in the area.

    Noyo Harbor Inn - Perfect brunch

    Noyo Harbor Inn

    (116 reviews)

    $$$

    This place is awesome! Noyo Harbor Inn is a gem! My wife wanted to visit Mendo, but everything…read moreunder $1000 a night was sold out. We sort of randomly chose Noyo Harbor Inn and we love it! The location is great! The rooms are clean and comfortable. They provide a Nescafé machine and pods, including an entire French press coffee set up with grounds. It's incredible! I loved the balcony, and hearing the sea lions barking in the distance was great. Also the off leash dog beach is less than a mile away, it's a nice beach with calm water protected by the marina entrance. Give this place a shot!!!

    Lovely property and outstanding restaurant, but rooms need updating. My wife and I have stayed at…read morethe Noyo Harbor Inn four times and keep coming back for good reason. The property itself is lovely and welcoming--especially with our dog. Staff have always been friendly and accommodating of pets, which we really appreciate. The restaurant (Harbor View Bistro & Bar / Tavern) is the real standout. We love the food, the ambiance, and the views over the harbor. It's consistently one of our favorite places to dine on the Mendocino coast.That said, the rooms are showing their age and are in need of a major refresh. On our most recent stay the bed was not comfortable, and the room overall needed a lot of TLC. Given the higher-end price point, we expected the accommodations to match the quality of the restaurant and the charming grounds.We still enjoy visiting and will likely return for the food and setting, but we'd love to see the rooms brought up to the same standard as the rest of the property.

    Holiday Inn Express Fort Bragg - Single bed suite

    Holiday Inn Express Fort Bragg

    (141 reviews)

    $$

    We had a great time at the Holiday Inn Express during the 4th of July weekend…read more There was plenty of parking up front when we arrived. We were promptly greeted by Dimitri at the front desk. He was super nice and checked us in quickly. He informed us where the 24x7 coffee/tea/hot chocolate station was and that breakfast was served from 6:30 am to 9. The hotel has one elevator that was in good working condition. We arrived to our room and were immediately amazed by the balcony forest view. We could also see the bridge and the ocean in the background. I highly recommend reserving a balcony forest view room. We loved it. Overall the morning complimentary breakfast was great, the room was fresh and clean, and staff were super friendly. Thanks Holiday Inn Express Fort Bragg!

    We had been coming to this hotel for several years for Labor Day weekend, but unfortunately, after…read moreour most recent stay, we won't be returning. We experienced a series of issues that made this stay particularly disappointing. To start, the pool was closed for renovations, yet there was no notice of this on the hotel's website or anywhere during the booking process. We were then placed in a section of the hotel where the hot water had been turned off, and our room had a horrendous smell. When we brought these issues to management and asked whether some compensation could be provided for the inconvenience, we were met with an extremely poor attitude from the manager, which only added to our frustration. Overall, this was a very disappointing experience, especially given that we had stayed here for Labor Day weekend for years. We'll be considering other options next year.

    Surf Motel & Gardens - hotels - Updated September 2026

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