Capri Motel Santa Cruz — Hotel in Santa Cruz

I typically avoid writing reviews, especially negative ones, but after my recent stay at the Capri Motel in Santa Cruz, I felt compelled to share my experience to prevent others from going through what I did.

To start with the positives, the motel is decently priced and conveniently located close to the boardwalk. The room had a small fridge and microwave. However, these minor conveniences do little to overshadow the deeply unpleasant aspects of my stay.

When I first called to make a reservation, I spoke with Kevin, who identified himself as the manager. He took all my information but couldn't provide a confirmation number or send a confirmation email. This raised a red flag, but I decided to proceed, trusting that things would be in order upon arrival. The check-in process was smooth enough, though I found it strange when they emphasized the importance of locking my car windows, despite the area appearing relatively safe.

The real issues became apparent once I entered the room. To put it bluntly, it was one of the dirtiest hotel rooms I've ever encountered. There was hair on the pillow that clearly wasn't mine, blood stains on the supposedly clean sheets, and the inside of the bed cover was filthy. It was truly disgusting.

Unfortunately, I returned to the room late, after the front office had closed for the night at 10 p.m. (they don’t open again until 8:30 a.m.), so I couldn't request a different room or clean linens. The next morning, I bumped into Kevin again and pointed out all the issues with the room, including additional blood stains on the side of the bed that I hadn’t noticed before. His response was shockingly disappointing. All he said was that he’d inform the maid and the manager, with no genuine sense of concern. It was especially baffling since he had previously claimed to be the manager himself.

As I returned the key—an antiquated, punch-hole style key that they charge you $25 for if not returned—I mentioned that I might write a review. Kevin's response was simply, "Sorry, I'll talk to the maid and manager." Again, this was confusing because I was under the impression that he was the manager.

When I pointed out that most businesses would offer some form of compensation or at least a sincere apology after such a bad experience, he offered me half off my next stay. I couldn’t help but chuckle, as I would never stay at this motel again, nor would I recommend it to anyone else.

This review isn't something I wanted to write, but after such an awful experience and the complete lack of customer service, I felt it was necessary. I'll be posting pictures so you can judge for yourself whether this is a place you'd ever want to stay.

As for me, I’m just glad to have...

I called the motel ten days in advance and made a reservation for two nights. When we arrived they had no record of it. There were rooms available but I had to fill out all the walk in paperwork through a robbery proof window as the lobby was closed permanently. I gave the guy my card then he spent the next few minutes on his cell phone. Then, for some reason, none of my cards would work for the $100 security deposit so I paid that in cash. I guess I was lucky to have had it?||Once in our room it became apparent that we must be on the busiest, noisiest intersection in Santa Cruz and this place is RIGHT next to the streets on either side. The traffic slowed a bit but didn't stop all night (a Friday) and we got very little sleep. I'll be charged for tonight or I'd find another place or just go home tonight.||The only reason I gave it two stars is it's relatively inexpensive (but not cheap), the room was clean and comfortable (but had no drawers or shelves for clothes) and was only three blocks from the boardwalk. ||If you're a sound sleeper I suppose it would be okay but use one of the booking sites to make your reservation!||We don't come to the Cruz often but if we ever do again, I'll pony up the extra $$ and stay in a better spot with...

This was the worst motel I've ever been too. Not only is the motel somewhat run down, the service was terrible. My girlfriend and I were staying in this motel for her sister's birthday. We had all driven in a car to the hotel to drop off our stuff and drink a little. We were going to have only 2 people stay in the room just like we had told the front desk. We then went to the beach and came back to drop off our stuff and get ready to go to our friends house where everyone else was going to sleep. We then get called by the front desk to come down to the office. We went to the office and they told us we have too many people in the room (6-8 people). He then said everyone needs to leave and they can not come back. We were not being roudy or anything but they forced us to leave and wait for our friend to be ready for us to come. It seems like they were constantly watching us and keeping tabs on us when we were doing nothing worng. We also had to give them a 100 dollar cash deposit when we first got there. At the end when they checked our room, which had nothing wrong with it, I could tell they were trying to find ways to keep our money. I do not suggest this motel. The super 8 across the street has given me better experiences...