Sea & Sand Inn — Attraction in Santa Cruz

I’m writing this review to help others make an informed decision when choosing a place to stay in Santa Cruz. This was our first time staying at the Sea & Sand Hotel, and unfortunately, it will be our last.

Despite specifically requesting a quiet room in advance, our request was not honored. Upon arrival, there was no one at the front desk to check us in. A sign said, "On a short break, back within 15 minutes," but no one returned. We came back one hour later and were finally able to check in. The staff member had been in the break room the entire time and was fully aware of our presence, yet chose to ignore us. This will be reported directly to the hotel’s management or ownership.

The room we booked—the so-called Luxury Spa Suite—was a major disappointment. The hotel’s website falsely advertised that the room had air conditioning, but it did not. The room was dated, smelled musty, and was extremely hot. We had to open the balcony door just to get some air, which let in constant traffic and ocean noise, making it nearly impossible to sleep.

• False Advertising” Laws in California (Business & Professions Code § 17500 BPC. We will make sure to report this hotel for its false advertisement on their website * obviously there wasn’t any air conditioning in the room at all!

On top of that, the room was full of bugs and flies, which made the stay even more uncomfortable. The hotel grounds weren’t well maintained either—there was visible trash in the landscaping, which gave the entire place a neglected feel. It's also worth noting that the hotel has no elevator, so if you're carrying luggage or have mobility concerns, be prepared to haul everything up stairs.

The complimentary breakfast was another letdown: just cheap cereal bars, gas station-grade coffee, and a few sad offerings of processed cheese and low-quality wine. For the price we paid, it was honestly embarrassing.

The only thing this place has going for it is its natural oceanfront location. Beyond that, the lack of service, cleanliness, honesty in advertising, and basic comfort makes it completely not worth the price—or even a single star.

This was by far one of our worst hotel experiences. We will be reporting the false advertising—especially the misleading claim about air conditioning—to the appropriate consumer authorities.

I hope this review helps others avoid the...

e arrived around 11 am, and asked if early check in was available. Renaldo said no problem! We were in our rooms very soon after that! The staff was soooo accommodating and friendly.

Teenagers next door were making noises until around 2 am. But overall, the soundproofing was ver good.

I had to take 1 point off for overall. We ended up having a group of teenagers stay next door, and they stayed up very late partying on their front patio. The issue is that the hotel rooms don't have air conditioning, but you don't need it if you keep your window open at night, as you go to sleep to the sound of ocean waves. My goodness that was wonderful.

But, because we needed to keep the window open for the cool air at night, we were kept awake by those previously mentioned teenagers. But, to the Sea and Sand's credit, the front desk did go and ask them to quiet down after I called to let them know. The young people did quieten down quite a bit after that, and we were able to finally get to sleep. But, we were woken again around 2 am with a loud yell. Then, it was quiet again.

I think that it would be great to have a "patio curfew" where you couldn't have more than 2 people out on the patio past 10 pm or so. That would help the other guests get better sleep.

Beds were extremely comfortable, and the rooms were very clean.

The biggest reasons I would recommend is the location and the comfort of the rooms. My favorite hotel I have ever stayed at. My favorite feature was the front patio where we could come in after a long day playing in the surf, and sit out in the perfect weather and enjoy our view of the beach. Just sit and read and drink a beer and listen to the ocean. An absolutely outstanding...

I would love to make another trip to this place but unfortunately we had a terrible experience. The property is amazing close to everything, amazing views and the staff was super polite. However we had 5-6 family's that all knew one another with multiple children (10-15) that would run the property unsupervised in the courtyard area as early as 6:30am and continued throughout the entire day. There is no AC so you have to leave the window open so for us, it was while listening to doors slamming, kids screaming and running back and forth, running across the room above us, pretty much everywhere and even knocking on our door every morning. The parents continually drank and partied in the common areas as well. Security was even called on one of the parents on our second day. They left even trash everywhere. We WEREN’T able to enjoy the amenities such as breakfast, cookies or the wine and cheese or the courtyard area because we couldn't wait to leave for the day. When I complained on day 3 of our stay, the staff member was polite, apologized profusely and said she was aware and they were trying to keep it under control. She took my room number and said the manager would be in later that morning. We left again that day and didn’t return till late. No call from the manager/staff at all! The only call we received was the manager calling the next day to our room at 11:10am asking us if we were checking out. We couldn’t even have a few extra minutes to enjoy the property after a miserable weekend!

It wasn't the anniversary trip we had planned for a long memorial day weekend. We left the completely exhausted and couldn’t wait to get home for some...