Rio Vista Inn & Suites Santa Cruz

The location was perfect- a five minute walk to the boardwalk and the beach made it possible to avoid the parking costs of the area. The room itself was very nice for the cost- it was private, spacious, and clean. The parking lot was tight, but there were plenty of spots available (there were two parking lots in total). If you’re choosing a room, know that there are two buildings: the Victorian age building (the large one) has most of the rooms, while the smaller building (newer model) has only a couple guest rooms. From what I could tell, the Victorian building was a little noisy, while the smaller building was perfect (little to no noise). Choose your room accordingly. We stayed in room #14, which I would recommend for its space and comfort (the room was located at the front of the smaller house, so it had a nice view of the surrounding area). I would definitely stay here again on any future beach trips. No complaints.

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A cool Victorian mansion with a glass case of historical objects found in the walls during the remodel. An easy walk to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and the Wharf. Lovely stained glass, and cool digital locks on the front door and the guest rooms. Nice assortment of refreshments available downstairs - coffee, tea, sodas, and a large bottle of water to refill your own water bottles. The room was very clean, and there were tall windows with shutters on two sides, and a great view of the San Lorenzo River. Staff was very nice at checkin, and checkout is just signing your name on a clipboard and checking a box if you want your receipt emailed.

It was a very small room - I had to turn sideways to get to the head of the bed, and there was no nightstand on the other side of the bed. I would suggest paying more for a larger room, as the Economy Queen (Room 8) didn’t have any seating other than the bed and didn’t have a luggage rack. (Check out the photos of the rooms on their website in addition to the photos on Booking.com.) There was a lot more noise from traffic than expected - bring your earplugs. The room smelled strongly of Lysol when we arrived, so we had to air it out.

Everything! This place is so cozy and comfortable. The general manager is absolutely amazing and very informative about the property. I got a flat tire on my rental and the rental company was no help getting it taken care of and I was in a pinch for time to get the car traded out before the closest rental place closed. He kindly and nobly offered to change the tire so I could get to the rental place on time. All of this after he allowed me to stay and wait in my room for the rental company which never showed btw! I will definitely stay here again the next trip to Santa Cruz!! Thank you so much again David!!

Great location to everything one would want to do while visiting. Nicely stocked and convenient “help yourself” drink station Loved having codes for entering.

The re was an awful smell for 2 days of my stay from the cleaning supplies throughout the room. No screens in the windows. I had to have the windows open to air out the room. Don’t like being out all day/night only to return to an unmade bed. I just wish this was fine without having to request daily. Very loud & EARLY Outside noise.

The property itself was quiet, the staff was polite, I liked that the smaller house/each room in it had its own key lock entry. There was a fridge and microwave in the room that added convenience. The room smelled very clean and everything in it was clean and tidy.

The air unit was blocked by the fridge, I understand it’s probably the only place that was feasible but it didn’t allow for much air flow. For the room I was in, I had to side shuffle to get to the window near the bed

Extremely friendly and helpful staff, the house itself is beautiful in a fantastic location. My room was a little small, it was fine for me as a solo traveller but could have been a squeeze for two. That being said, I had the added benefit of a balcony to sit on which was absolutely wonderful and I would’ve chosen that over a larger room. The complimentary tea, coffee, water and soft drinks were also very much appreciated.

Nothing.

- Very beautiful victorian aesthetics. - During the entire stay we had basically no contact with any personnel. We arrived a bit late and they seemlessly arranged for us to access the room after their closing hours. For check-out we could simply sign-out on a form at the reception desk. Simple and easy in our case.

- Our room was on the upper floor, limiting the headroom when walking in the room. Watch out to not bump your head! - Related to the second positive point, if you require additional information, I wonder if the hotel can cater to that, given that there is not much personnel present on the premises. For us this was fine as we could get all information via sms contact with the host. - No elevator. Be prepared to schlep your items up the stairways.

We got upgraded for free because we tried to check in a little early and the room wasn’t ready, which was so lovely! The room was very clean, had lots of space and the shower was incredible. The hotel was in walking distance to the boardwalk and also downtown santa cruz which made it so easy to get around. The staff were all so friendly and had so many suggestions for things to do and places to eat/drink. Hands down the best place to stay in santa cruz!

This family-run property is beautifully redone, very comfortable, and walking distance to the boardwalk and other fun things to do in Santa Cruz. We had originally booked the adjacent annex, but were moved by a nice guy at the front desk. I highly recommend staying in the actual house and not the annex-the house is beautiful and comfortable, and rooms very nicely appointed with comfy beds and our room had a jet tub. Private parking lot is a bonus too.

The keyless entry is nice, but you have to remember two slightly longer codes - front door, and then your room. I took a pic of them with my phone so I had them, but the keypad is very odd and makes it hard to key in.

My experience with the front desk person when I first arrived (admittedly 3 hours early) was very negative but he more than made up for it by upgrading my room for no extra charge to what must have been the nicest room on the property. The Inn itself is very lovely inside and the location is excellent, within walking distance of both the downtown area and the boardwalk. Pro tip: If you're arriving before 3 pm, call ahead to give the front desk a heads up otherwise you may end up waiting 3 hours before you can check in (like I did).

Even though I arrived 3 hours early, I was surprised that there was no one at the front desk, and further surprised when I called the hotel's phone line I was connected to the front desk person's cell phone, and was told that since I didn't give them a warning I was arriving early they couldn't provide a way for me to check in. Not waht I would expect from a SERVICE BUSINESS. However, as I shared above, they more than made up for it when I finally checked in by volunteering to upgrade me to a much more spacious and well appointed room without charge,