Inn At Moss Landing Point — Hotel in Watsonville Water Treatment Plant

In my travels, over the last decade, I have noticed that the tourism is not extraordinarily strong along the Monterey Bay Coastline. It seems that every year I return to the same destinations just to find all new restaurants and stores. New motifs and brand-new names to learn. There are a few old-timers on THE MONTEREY WHARF like CHRIS’ FISHING AND WHALE WATCHING. Very few hang on during the slow season though and even less remain at the other end of the bay, near The Santa Cruz BEACH BOARDWALK. When I heard that Moss Landing was getting a new hotel, I was admittedly skeptical. I have traveled along Highway 1 all my life. Sure, I noticed “The Stacks”! That is, The Moss Landing Power Plant Stacks. This was the only thought that I ever gave to Moss Landing. Needless to say, I did not think a hotel was the best option for the 200-resident town. The Inn at Moss Landing Point is the newest hotel in all of Monterey Bay. Actually, calling it a “Hotel” somehow cheapens it. This quaint little spot is more than just a place to sleep and has nothing but potential ahead. The Inn is situated on stilts in a marshy area just off Highway 1 outside of Castroville CA. The marsh was dry during our stay, but I plan to return one day. I think I need to experience this place floating! The very first thing I noticed was the walk to the front door. At first annoyed by the length of it, I quickly realized why. The slow meandering walk past the brand new, still unoccupied buildings, is what made this place so special and unique. Each window adorned with “COMING SOON” signs. The décor had a rustic feel with nautical rope and reclaimed barn wood paired perfectly with stainless accents. It was almost as if I was walking on a wharf after hours. I tried to imagine what it would be like one day soon, open and busy. Shops ranging from Spa and Boutiques to a Bakery and even a possible Saloon. Another reason I plan to come back for a second stay. At check in we were greeted by “D”. He became a big part of our stay. He was so warm and welcoming, which is more than I could say for the weather. “D” walked us through the coffee and breakfast area and pointed us to our room. The Inn is dog friendly, so I appreciated the simplicity of the rooms. The rustic wharf feel disappeared immediately and turned to a relaxed beachy vibe. The beds and pillows were amazing. There was something special about being one of the first guest to sleep in them. And the road noise was surprisingly minimal since its on a main highway. Our plan was never to check-in to our hotel first thing upon arrival to Moss Landing. It was to visit East of Eden, but we stopped in to preview the room first. East of Eden was classy and a recommended stop for all 420 enthusiasts, plus it is only a 2-minute walk from The Inn at Moss Landing Point. Our one and only mishap was when we returned to our room. Our door lock battery was dead, and we had no entry back into our room. I do not always think mishaps are a bad thing. It is a chance for me to see what kind of business my money is going to. “D” past this test with flying colors. He responded immediately and without skipping a beat, had us in a 3rd floor / king room that was comparable if not better. Luckily, we had not unpacked on our first stop in. After a few minutes of settling in, the phone rang. “D” had gained re-entry into to our first room and wanted to reassure me that he had done a walk through and did not see any of our belongings. He also offered to allow me to look if I felt it need be. I appreciated his attention to detail. We thanked him and turned in for our first night at The Inn at Moss Landing point. I know I said that The Stacks were the only part of Moss Landing....

TO READ MORE VISIT...

I work for Santa Cruz County and collaboratively with Monterey County on community development, engagement and planning. We were three guests in total, with a confirmed booking for the dates of 04/27/2025 to 04/29/2025. When we entered our room, we were immediately appalled by unclean sheets. They appeared to have “brownish” stains with specks on them and unknown human hair. We expressed our concern to the front desk receptionist, who, after consulting with management, moved us to two separate king rooms as a resolution. The following morning (04/28/2025) around 10:30 a.m., we received a call from the front desk requesting that we move back into the previously contaminated room. Trusting that the room had been properly cleaned, we complied. However, to our surprise we found the same dirty sheets still on the bed, turned over to conceal the contamination. When we brought this to the staff’s attention, a different receptionist responded unprofessionally. He instructed us to "get out of the room so we can put the new sheet in," and remarking "but you were taken care of last night, bro," brushing off the situation. Further discussion followed, to which we were told to leave the premises without resolution. I have filed formal complaints with the Better Business Bureau, the Monterey County Department of Health, and the county supervisor responsible for this district. My primary concern is the clear violation of health and safety standards. The improper handling of unsanitary conditions raises very serious public health risks. If this is how contamination issues are addressed, it is probable other guests have unknowingly been exposed as well.

Edit Response:

I’ve read the response from management and I want to clarify that at no point did I use profanities or was otherwise “hostile”. Was I upset? Yes. But there was no reason to escalate the situation further. I voiced legitimate health concerns as any guest has the right to do when faced with insanitary conditions. It’s sad and disappointing to see the situation being led on with misleading claims and deflection instead of accountability. I stand by my experience, not just for me but for other guests who may have been faced with similar...

I am so torn about this hotel.

The pros: It's obviously a recent model and was done very well. Very clean, modern, and comfortable. Beds are comfy. Rooms well appointed. We got room 103 and it's VERY spacious, which was great for four of is. Despite the location, highway noise was really minimal.

The cons: Room 103 is RIGHT inside the entrance. Like....open the door, and it's the door to the HOTEL. Everyone has to walk by this room to even check it. It's WEIRD.

The bathroom: in this room, it's got a barn door that doesn't remotely close all the way. There is a good inch gap on either side of the door when it's closed and if someone happens to walk in when you're on the toilet, you'll potentially be staring at one another. (The "bonus" to being in the room thats essentially in the lobby was that we used the lobby bathroom a lot instead of the room bathroom because the amount of gap on the door is really unacceptable when staying with more than just your partner).

Check in: They sent me an email saying "tell us when you're arriving". And then another. And then a dude CALLED ME to ask me when I was arriving. I understand the front desk closes at 10 so we intended to be there by 10 but.....I'm trying to have a nice chill weekend on the beach, and I'm not scheduling everything to the second. It was kind of off putting when the front desk dude INSISTED on pinning us down to a specific hour we'd arrive. I haven't had that happen since the early days of AirBNB when you had to physically hand off keys. And there were two or three other parties that checked in around when we did that evening so it wasn't that WE were holding up the front desks evening (and if you're open till 10, be open till 10...when we arrived, they have a sign saying 9). Anyways.....I really didn't like being pestered about showing up.

We stay in the area A LOT. At least once a month. We usually stay in Capitola or Watsonville but tried this for kicks. I don't know if I'd be back purely because I don't want to be pestered about showing up. I have to wonder if we got put in the crappy location room...