La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Santa Cruz — Hotel in Santa Cruz

The hotel is new, very attractively designed and equipped. The staff were very courteous and friendly. The location is perfect, only a few minutes walk to the beach and the boardwalk. We felt welcome as a family. The pool and fitness room are very well maintained. Unfortunately, however, I would like to point out things that did not make the stay 100% positive for us: Room: each light had to be switched manually, an overall switch would be desirable. The main light at the entrance was set very dark. Unfortunately, hardly any natural light comes through the window on the first floor, as there is a wall directly in front of it. It was too dark for us. Any room facing the back probably has little natural light, no view either. Rooms on the first floor facing the front look directly onto the pool and you can see into it. Rooms with a sea view are probably only available on the 3rd floor facing the front. It is a pity that we had indicated in advance online check-in that we wanted to be on the top floor, but unfortunately we still got this dark “hole” on the first floor. The bottled water dispenser was broken for the entire stay (3 days). We had reported it, but unfortunately it could not be repaired. Alternatively, we used the free orange-flavored water dispenser for cups with the bottles. We bought snacks and dinner in the hotel's own store. One criticism is that the noodle soups on sale cannot be prepared in the rooms! The containers must NOT be heated in the microwave, but the only cooking option is the microwave in the rooms. Please offer an alternative for sale here. The LaQuinta in Eugene sold noodle soups which can be cooked in microwaves. Due to the temperatures we had to use the heating in the room for a short time, it was very loud and rattled; it may have been defective. The sliding door of the shower did not close completely, probably an assembly error during installation. It was ok for us, we reported it to reception. The TV was defective on the last evening. There was no picture, only sound. It worked again the next morning. We also reported this to reception. The guest room was very intensively cooled. This is of course subjective and everyone wants it differently, but for us it was too cold. Stay: Aug....

👍🏼Pros: Beautiful location close to the pier, boardwalk and restaurants. When we arrived to check in we were greeted very warmly by Christopher. He went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. Best hotel employee we’ve ever encountered. We are Wyndham rewards members and it was slow so he upgraded our room for free so we had an ocean view and private patio. We’ve never stayed at the same hotel twice but want to come back to this location but only if Christopher is working. We enjoyed the breakfast each morning, the pool and our room was beautiful and clean. Newly remodeled hotel with comfortable beds. Mini fridge was already cold when we got there. We had 2 TVs in our room. Christopher personally helping us after we got our car jumpstarted.

👎🏻Cons: We checked out Friday morning and I wasn’t feeling well so my husband requested a late checkout. She said we could have an extra hour. Housekeeping knocked two separate times even after he told them we had a late checkout. After getting ready we tried to leave but our car battery was dead so we walked around to see if it would start later. Came back and tried starting it to no avail. My husband asked the lady (Chanel) at the front if he could get a key card to let the tow truck driver from the car insurance company in through the gate and she responded with a snarky comment asking if we were barely checking in. He said no we just checked out but need to let the guy in to jumpstart the car. She said so you’ve been parked there ALL day & no I can’t do that you’ll have to call from the parking garage when he gets here and I’ll let him in. Then said that sucks to our car being dead. No help whatsoever. When he got there a few hours later my husband called the front desk and it was Christopher and he ran down personally to help us out. The pool is small and only 3ft deep. No hot tub. It would’ve been a perfect vacation but the ending was a bummer. We had the exact same thing happen to us in Pismo and hotel staff sent a guy that worked there to jump start the car so we didn’t have to wait for Farmers insurance which...

My +1 and I stayed here for a few days while in Santa Cruz. Overall, we had a wonderful time that exceeded our expectations.

Driving in Santa Cruz can be tricky, with all the one-way streets, roundabouts and curvy roads. Our GPS led us to the corner where the hotel was at, but the entrance to the lobby was just down the one-way street, going in the other direction. Well... I wouldn't advise breaking any traffic laws, but the coast was clear and we were able to just turn into the entrance without incident. BTW we only ran into this issue once, because the parking is around the corner and that street goes both directions.

Anyway, we checked in without incident. We had requested a one queen bed with a balcony and ocean view, and we found ourselves on the top (3rd) floor in an accessibility room with an extra bed, a balcony, and probably the best view in the place! Though they were a couple rows of buildings in between us and the ocean, we could still see it and we had a view of the street that leads straight to the wharf! BTW, the room was clean and spacious.

The facilities also had a heated pool that I regretfully didn't try (it was freezing and rainy most of the week) and a decent fitness room. Breakfast is served from 6-9 AM, and had scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, 2 self-serve waffle-makers, and continental offerings like bagels, toast, and yogurt. The only thing I would recommend they add is some fresh fruit, but there was still plenty to eat. Considering the cost of eating out in Santa Cruz, filling up on a hearty breakfast was a major convenience.

The only negatives were a few random ants we found scouting out our room, and a mini fridge that worked when it wanted to. Honestly, neither were even worth bringing up to the staff.

Overall, the price was reasonable and we had a great room within walking distance to the wharf and boardwalk. We'd stay here...