Best Western Inn Santa Cruz
Hotel Class: 
2.5 Stars - 50 Opinions
126 Plymouth Street, Santa Cruz, California, 95060, United States
60%
of people enjoy staying here
50 Opinions
- Excellent
- 8
- Very Good
- 12
- Average
- 10
- Poor
- 7
- Terrible
- 13
More about Santa Cruz
Photos
Natural Bridges Beach near Santa Cruz
Haunted House, Santa Cruz Boardwalk
Coast at Davenport
Jogging and Walking Dog near Lighthouse
Forum Posts
WINTER VISIT
by nashcots
We are visiting California, San Jose, in November this year but would prefer to see the coastline-we have been looking at Santa Cruz as a possible place to stay-I would prefer something small, not too expensive? Any suggestions? Also, what is the weather like? Will we need VERY heavy clothing. We live in London, so November in London is very cold and wet - will it be better in California??
Thanks
RE: WINTER VISIT
by squidly2
I agree that Santa Cruz is a better place to stay than San Jose for scenery. In San Jose, November will be warm, around the 70'sF. I usually carry a light fleece jacket because the coast can be 10-20 degrees cooler. At night it can get down around 40F, but unless you plan to be outside you shouldn't need your heaviest coats. (Sorry these are in degrees F, some day the US will catch up to the rest of the world with the metric system!!)
RE: RE: WINTER VISIT
by Jamesr3939
November will be a great time to visit the area. Expect fog along the coast in the AM until about 11:00 or 12:00. It is damp but not usually cold in November.
You might also want to look at the cities of Marina, Seaside, and Moss Landing. They are on the coast more towards the Monterey area. All are further from San Jose if you are driving back and forth the commute is very bad on Hwy 17. Scotts Valley is closer to San Jose and next to Santa Cruz but not exactly on the ocean.
You will not need VERY heavy clothing but I would have a light jacket handy and if it is waterproof that would help with the light fog in the AM or if you get caught outside in a rain shower.
RE: RE: WINTER VISIT
by karenincalifornia
We just returned from Santa Cruz, and I don't have a personal recommendation for a place to stay, because I didn't care for our place (in Scotts Valley), but if you check out a website like tripadvisor.com you'll find all kinds of reasonable hotels/motels in Santa Cruz. Possibly even a reasonable B&B.
Don't stay in Scotts Valley. It was nothing to write home about. Just an overdeveloped suburban community with strip malls and more development underway. We were really disappointed with the area and wished we had stayed in Santa Cruz or Capitola (right next door to Santa Cruz). Check out my new Santa Cruz page - that might help you make a decision about Santa Cruz.
Your London winter attire will work fine in Santa Cruz. It could be rainy, but you could also have some nice days in between. You won't need VERY heavy clothing (like parkas). But do bring a fleece jacket and a light rain coat. Bring shorts just in case. You never know. You might be lucky and hit one of those fine November days!
Have fun!
Karen
RE: WINTER VISIT
by HarryL
There is a very nice B&B in Santa Cruz that was much cheaper than any other I found there - hotels are not cheap in SC. It's called The Adobe on Green Street. They have a web page at www.adobeongreen.com.
Travel Tips for Santa Cruz
Volunteer Fire Fighter Pancake Breakfast
by atufft
The Santa Cruz Mountains have a terrific potential for infernos due to the large number of high value, but low code enforcement, realestate that mingle within the redwood forests. By late summer, the forests are particularly dry and redwood branches and needles pile on the ground and rooftops of tinderbox cabins. In addition, the fire fighters are trained for emergency rescue and health response. In the many remote corners of these mountain roads, a good quick response is not easy. Not surprisingly therefore, volunteer fire fighting is an important community asset, and a way for locals to share company. During pancake breakfasts, tourists are welcomed to view the shiny red fire trucks, one or two of which are typically antiques from a bygone era. The procedure calls for paying between $5- and $10, and then running the line of fire fighters who dish out the pancakes, sausages, and eggs. Coffee and tea are also part of the breakfast. In the past, the Felton Fire Fighters held theirs on Mother's Day and used the Felton Covered Bridge as a venue, but now they use the firehouse itself. Further up into the mountains along Hwy 9, the more quaint hamlet of Ben Lomond fire fighting force uses their firehouse, which is right on Hwy 9 and easy to find. Ben Lomond Pancake Breakfast is typically around the 4th of July weekend. Both are considered a tax deductible contribution.
Beautiful north coast beach
by trvlrtom
The coast from Santa Cruz to San Francisco is great for exploring beaches. There are several parks along the way, and many other unmarked beaches also. A fine one, with a natural tunnel leading to a long and usually unpopulated beach surrounded by interesting sandstone cliffs, is this one. It's been called Panther Beach, and Seven Mile Beach, and is located seven miles north of Santa Cruz from the last stoplight, at Western Drive. If you get to the Bonny Doon Road turnoff and beach, you've gone about one mile too far.
Heading north from Santa Cruz, there is an unmarked, unpaved cut off on the left for parking. At the end you turn left to walk across the railroad tracks and take the path down to the beach, about 30 yards. The tunnel to the longer beach is to the left.
Monarch Butterfly Preserve in Santa Cruz
by yooperprof
Natural Bridges State Park is California's only official Monarch Butterfly Preserve. It is in an important place on the migratory path of monarchs as they fly south toward Mexico along the coastline. The fall is the best time to see dense concentrations of the beautiful "danaus plexippus": "Starting early in October, the Monarch Butterfly arrives in this area on its yearly migration from the colder Northern nesting grounds. It gathers in clusters in Eucalyptus trees from which it flies in search of food on days when the temperature is above 55 degrees. At temperatures below this a dislodged Monarch may fall victim to insects or field mice since it cannot fly. The monarchs may remain here until March when the warmer days trigger a Northeasterly return migration."
Really, Monarch Butterfly migration is one of the marvels of nature.
Totally Over Rated and Trendy!
by atufft about Costa Brava Downtown
Costa Brava has great service, but recently when I ate dinner with my wife and niece, I came to understand how friendly service can turn into a joke at the customer's expense. The wine list is average--nothing special--and the food too imaginatively described. For example, a large plate described as a Venezuelan prawn pasta, turns out to be nothing more than a modest bowl of rigatoni with a few shrimp sprinkled with parmesan cheeze. The dish was priced at $16-, but really such a meal could be had anywhere else in the country for about half that price. My Ahi with Pengang salsa, turned out to be basically overly cooked tuna (it might as well have been albacore from a can) on a few leaves of lettuce and some kind of red tinted salad dressing. For this I paid the outrageous sum of $16.50, for a very modest portion of tuna and lettuce. So all told, we ended up paying double what the meal was worth even in the high rent district of Santa Cruz. I can't complain about the service at Costa Brava, but the management needs to find a fairer deal for the customer in terms of food value.
Update--I've been informed that this restaurant has closed down. No doubt another trendy restaurant will fill this void on the main drag of Santa Cruz. I can't knock the basically good wine list, a glass from which I manage to drown my sorrows for having been conned by fancy language and small portions. I realize that this review counters what other's have said here, but really there are a lot of better deals in town. For one, the trendy downtown district overprices itself relative to the long established and tradition bound restaurants on the pier, but if Costa Brava represents downtown, I'd definitely head for the pier.
On a sunny day, go lie down on the grass
by matthieuxjames
Find your way to one of the many parks here, or to one of the beautiful fields overlooking the Pacific Ocean, spread out a big picnic blanket, lie down, and watch the clouds go drifting by...best if accompanied by a lunch, preferably including some red wine and dark chocolate.
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Best Western Inn Santa Cruz
We've found that other people looking for this hotel also know it by these names:
- Best Western Santa Cruz
- Santa Cruz Best Western
Address: 126 Plymouth Street, Santa Cruz, California, 95060, United States
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