Hotel Solares — Hotel in Santa Cruz

This has been my “go to” hotel every time I stay in Santa Cruz. I have stayed here with my family at least a dozen times; our first stay being approximately 5 years ago. Sadly, as each year passes, the quality and service declines. The last couple times we’ve stayed, I’ve noticed the run down of the hotel. 😳

We stayed in their family suite with spiral staircase. All of the steps on the spiral staircase are lifting; creating a tripping/safety issue. The blind behind the spiral staircase on the bottom floor is old, worn and broken. There is no privacy door where the tub is so any and all can see you, as you change to get in and out of the tub, and the jets to the tub do not work, either. The window by the commode upstairs is completely broken out and boarded up with thin plywood that can easily be removed, and our room becomes accessible via roof access. The USB ports on the headboards DO NOT WORK, and there are obvious items needing attention in and around our hotel room.

Recently, I put my daughter up in a hotel in Woodland from July 31-August 1, and I joined her for breakfast at her hotel, which consisted of a “hot breakfast,” that offered fresh waffles, cheese omelette, sausage, toast/bagels, oatmeal, fresh fruit, yogurt, juices, milk, etc… the same breakfast I’m used to having when I stay at Hotel Solares; however, too many hotels are using COVID as an excuse to cut costs and reduce the quality of services they provide. Being that I am in a family suite with my five daughters, I went down for breakfast this morning, only to find NO BREAKFAST! When I asked the young lady at the front desk, she replied “we only have apples and oranges.” I said my girls would eat it, so she asked me how many I wanted? I replied, “six.” She responded, “we can only give out four.” WTH? We’re in a family suite, which can accommodate 6-8 people. She handed me four brown paper bags, which consisted of a small danish, a granola bar, a rice crispy treat, and a Capri Sun; where’s the fruit?🤷🏻‍♀️

For the most part, staff is friendly and accommodating, but just like any other establishment, you’ll find at least one staff member who is not so friendly, helpful or accommodating.

Needless to say, I’m am very disappointed in the decline of this hotel, and will be looking for a new hotel to accommodate us for future stays. 😩

*Update 10/12/2021: My review is from our stay in August 2021. Currently, I am disputing a $103 CHARGE to my credit card, which was said to be a pet DEPOSIT on my daughters service animal. Hotel Solares did NOT return my DEPOSIT, claiming it was a PET FEE. You may NOT charge a PET FEE on a SERVICE ANIMAL in California! I stayed here with my family at least 4 times this Summer (2021). I will not be returning to Hotel Solares in the future. I will take my business to an establishment that caters to families, and those with...

*THE STAFF ARE RUDE, ENTITLED, AND STEAL YOUR MONEY NO MATTER HOW CLEAN YOU LEAVE YOUR ROOM!! . .

I stayed at the hotel for four nights and it was HORRIBLE.. . . Thursday Night 1, my friend paid for the room 221. The next day, we checked out only to return the same night.

. . Friday Night 2, I paid for the room 222 and the woman charged me three times, 100 dollar deposit, 81.76 for the room and could not explain why she charged me 55.00 the same night. . .

Saturday Night 3, extended stay costed 91.77. Received no room clean or new towels, so my friend asked front desk male for towels for the pool. Guy gave him dirty towels, so we reused our room shower towels. . .

The next morning, I wasn't feeling well and called on the phone at 10am to see if I could extend my stay one more day. The woman told me I needed to come to the front desk to request. As I spoke with her, she said someone needed that room and I needed to come back around 3. I asked her if I would have to pay a 100 dollar deposit again, she said no. I went up and down stairs carrying my belongings to my truck and waited and waited. . . Sunday Night 4, I returned back at 3pm to a difficult man who told me I had checked out and there was no way of me getting a room without another deposit. I told my friend who had been staying with me and we both went at 6 to speak with him, he was rude and said we should come back at 630 and discuss it with the manager. We protested it was raining and we were really cold and were being delayed on having a room. . . After sitting for about 30 minutes, manager still nowhere to be found, he told us he would waive the room fee if we just put down the deposit and give us a deluxe room. At this point I thought he was being kind, but turns out he just wanted us out of the lobby. . . He charged me for the room, which happened to be room 118 an awfully noisy room by the pool, the deposit of 100 dollars, and 60 for my friends pet who is a service dog without my consent. When I looked at my statements, my account went into the negative and all the plugs to charge my phone in that "delux room" were broken so I couldn't do anything but sit in regret. . . If you stay at any hotel in Santa Cruz, I highly suggest Ocean Pacific Lodge on Pacific Avenue. It's walking distance to the Beach Boardwalk and downtown, but it is further from the Beach Flats and the people here are respectful and helpful. And they charge you once, not over and over again behind your back. I've stayed here 3 nights, they are clean, friendly and ask to assist with...

I gave this hotel 5 stars even though we did have a few issues. To me, no hotel is ever perfect even when paying the big bucks..its all about experience. First, we weren't going to stay in the area because the prices are fairly high..at least not what I call budget hotel pricing. We don't normally stay in hotels while travelling and when we do, everything has to fall in line, especially economically. Just as we were heading to the freeway out of town, I saw this hotel pop up for under $80. We decided to give it a try as it was a mile away, we were hungry and it was getting late. We needed to be in the area for a meeting the next day and the price was right. I walked in and the place was adorable (and so close to everything). The girl at the front desk was kind and attentive and confirmed the price was $79 plus I got an additional 10 percent discount for walking in! $71 in total for 2 queen beds. She was able to give me the room type I wanted and they had a free continental breakfast in the morning. Our room was clean and cute and updated. The weather was cold and rainy so I was disappointed when we realized the heater wasn't working! We had already got comfortable so when the manager gave us the option of a space heater or changing rooms, we chose the heater. It was perfect to heat the room and one of those safety types that doesn't overheat and turns off if pushed over. The internet stopped working for a few hours but I think that was weather related. Either way the manager tried everything to immediately restore it though there was nothing to do about it. So those were the few snafus but the manager was really helpful and apologetic so I didn't ding the hotel any stars on this review. The hotel opens into a courtyard with ice machine and seating and a gated pool. So cute! They are pet friendly too. It was decorated for the holidays and just really comfy. Breakfast was cereal (hot and cold) mini pancakes or waffles, yogurt, fruit and assorted toast and juice. It hit the spot for us. They also have a little market store with snacks and toiletries for purchase.

There are lots of restaurants and coffee within a mile as well

We had a very pleasant stay and were so happy we didn't have to back track to Santa Cruz...