Ocean Gate Inn

Superb

Superb

Exceptional

The balcony was nice

The balcony was nice

The location is great, but too noisy if you get a room with river view Old smelly and moldy bathroom with mushrooms growing on wood parts.

Superb

Superb

Very poor

Exceptional

Exceptional

Very accommodating and answered all our questions Everything was great! No issues!

Very accommodating and answered all our questions Everything was great! No issues!

Pleasant

Disappointing

Poor

Exceptional

I have stayed here before and thought it was well priced for location, room size, cleanliness and accessibility. My room had a balcony looking out at the boardwalk which was nice to feel some fresh air. Checking in was an unsatisfactory experience from the start. I called two weeks in advance to confirm my booking and specifically asked whether a 1 PM check-in would be possible. I was told yes, so I arrived at 1 PM on the day of my reservation expecting a smooth process. Instead, multiple issues arose. First, I was told their scanning machine was down. While I understand that technical issues happen, they took a photocopy of my ID as an alternative. Despite already doing this, I was then asked to return later in the day to try scanning it again, which was both inconvenient and unprofessional given that it disrupted our plans. Additionally, at no point during my earlier phone call was I informed of an early check-in fee. Being charged this fee without prior notice felt misleading. The situation was made worse by the tone of the staff member assisting me. I was instructed to “give him my ID” in a demanding manner, which felt inappropriate. At one point, he noticed a $20 bill in my wallet and insisted that I use it to pay the early check-in fee. I declined and requested to use my card, which was only accepted after unnecessary back-and-forth. Although I was already frustrated by the check-in experience, I hoped that check-out would be more straightforward. Unfortunately, that was not the case. When I returned to drop off my room key, the same staff member asked again to scan my ID. Given that they already had a photocopy on file, and actively checking out, with a schedule to keep, I declined. After another round of back-and-forth, he ultimately said it was fine, making the entire interaction feel unnecessary and poorly managed. Overall, the demanding tone, lack of transparency regarding policies, and repeated inconveniences made this experience disappointing. As a guest on vacation who made an effort to confirm details ahead of time, I expected a higher level of professionalism and customer service.

I have stayed here before and thought it was well priced for location, room size, cleanliness and accessibility. My room had a balcony looking out at the boardwalk which was nice to feel some fresh air. Checking in was an unsatisfactory experience from the start. I called two weeks in advance to confirm my booking and specifically asked whether a 1 PM check-in would be possible. I was told yes, so I arrived at 1 PM on the day of my reservation expecting a smooth process. Instead, multiple issues arose. First, I was told their scanning machine was down. While I understand that technical issues happen, they took a photocopy of my ID as an alternative. Despite already doing this, I was then asked to return later in the day to try scanning it again, which was both inconvenient and unprofessional given that it disrupted our plans. Additionally, at no point during my earlier phone call was I informed of an early check-in fee. Being charged this fee without prior notice felt misleading. The situation was made worse by the tone of the staff member assisting me. I was instructed to “give him my ID” in a demanding manner, which felt inappropriate. At one point, he noticed a $20 bill in my wallet and insisted that I use it to pay the early check-in fee. I declined and requested to use my card, which was only accepted after unnecessary back-and-forth. Although I was already frustrated by the check-in experience, I hoped that check-out would be more straightforward. Unfortunately, that was not the case. When I returned to drop off my room key, the same staff member asked again to scan my ID. Given that they already had a photocopy on file, and actively checking out, with a schedule to keep, I declined. After another round of back-and-forth, he ultimately said it was fine, making the entire interaction feel unnecessary and poorly managed. Overall, the demanding tone, lack of transparency regarding policies, and repeated inconveniences made this experience disappointing. As a guest on vacation who made an effort to confirm details ahead of time, I expected a higher level of professionalism and customer service.

Almost every room has a private balcony. Rooms are large and nicely updated with new furniture, decor and it has a large mini fridge.

Not very nice area and wasn't the cleanest.

I’m disabled and the stairs were just to much. Also the bathtub was small and the curtains were too short.

Sometimes I show up with two cars (mine and my son’s), and the man at the front desk always says it’s fine and never makes a big deal about it. The rooms are clean, it’s in a safe area, and every room even has its own balcony. It’s honestly one of the best affordable hotels in Santa Cruz. Other places nearby have issues, but here the staff truly cares. I’ve had small maintenance issues in the past, and they were fixed right away. Overall, great people, great service, and a comfortable place to stay!

This is my go to hotel when going to Santa Cruz it is a $10 Uber ride from the hotel to the Santa Cruz Beach boardwalk. The hotel is always clean and the staff is extremely friendly. Beds are super comfortable and the rooms are very spacious. Only downfall this trip was the elevator was being maintenance so we had to walk up to the third floor other than that I highly recommend this hotel.

Owner was very pleasant and helpful!

Better than expected, but not by much. However excellent service from Bob.

Bed comfort excellent. No food on premises.

The singular staff member was creepy and made me feel uneasy. The back of the hotel over looks private residents who's yards are just packed with literal trash. The walls were dirty and there were unknown dirty splashes on the walls in the bathroom. The only positive thing I have to say is that the rooms themselves were very large .

Bob gave us great customer service.

Great! Very nice staff, very clean :)

Elevator not working room on the 4 the floor- loud and noisy

Not the hotel’s fault, but the folks in the room next to me were loud until really late and it made for poor sleep. Otherwise, just an average hotel.

The price was outrageous for what the room looked like! Dirty not kept up. I just can’t believe how people can charge this amount and the place is a dump! It should be clean at the minimum, they should take pride in there property not just for the money!!

The man on duty was very nice and helpful.

I enjoyed my stay. place was as expected

It was great stay,view and location

This property is close to many great attractions in Santa Cruz. It is next to a busy roadway that can be quite noisy during the daytime and evening. It gets more quiet in the middle of the night and early morning. Despite having a slightly dirty floor, out of facial tissues, no ice bucket, and no hand soap in the dispenser at the sink, the staff is very cooperative and took care of all of the issues. I asked about the security of the parking lot and their response was to take everything we can into our room so not exactly a boost of confidence there.

Friendly staff

Good

We stayed here many times. Convenient, affordable, and nice staff. However, we noticed that the rooms had been remodeled but the quality gets worse: pipe under the sink is clogged so whatever run down the sink comes back up…gross, shower curtain bar falling down so the curtain cannot keep water in the shower area and wet all over the floor, a bed has a piece of metal sticking out to the side that is very hazardous(my leg got scraped by it), a room got very noisy from cars and also other customers. Last night, we were waken up by other customers who yelled at each other at 2:30am. We want to like this place, but our experience with recent stay is very bad.

I love staying here. They are the sweetest ever

Good

Staff is great, space is safe. A favorite of ours.

The room was comfortable enough but it was a bit dirty and sketchy. Short walk to the boardwalk and a great view of the river though

Always comfortable and friendly

Front desk always willing to help you have a safe and comfortable stay. Very kind manager.

Electrical outlets were not available or did not work correctly, especially around vanity. Lighting was inadequate to do makeup at bath vanity. Lighting throughout room was either glaring white or off- there was no reading-level, comfortable lighting available. There were steel brackets protruding from the bed frame below to out beyond the side walls of the mattress, rough-edged and unprotected, which could easily cut or scratch one's legs or arms severely. I discovered these when I swung my legs out of bed in the morning; luckily, I only brushed lightly across one. Soap dispensers were oddly and incorrectly mounted near vanity and in shower. More bath linens would have been useful; the supply was marginal.

That said, the room was very comfortable. The room was clean and was tidied up well after we came back for the night of the stay. It has a fridge, a microwave, and a coffee maker. It also is pretty spacious and the shower worked well. Overall, it's a nice inn for the price. It is a little old, and it isn't maintained the greatest, so there are better options around the area. Check this one out if you want to save some money and don't mind an antiquated building.

Cheap and ok

Would definitely look forward in staying again

It’s old, but maintained and had A/C. Blankets should be changed as there were cigarettes burns ☹️. Overall OK.

Room was dirty and old

Clearly this place has been recently remodeled. Everything in the room is clean and new, and the room was fairly spacious. My only complaints are: the lighting is so blindingly white, it's like opening a refrigerator- and no table lamps. The wall sconce lighting is too "white" and the charging outlets are on the sconces- how do I plug a phone into that? The other problem is that if you have a lovely balcony view of the boardwalk, and like to open the window to enjoy the breeze at night, be ready for non-stop traffic, guys revving their engines, noisy car radios, etc, all night long. I'd rather pay more and stay on the west side.

short walk to Boardwalk...beach

A little remote from downtown where most restaurants are located.

Parking was terrible. The common area needs some TLC

Housekeeper keep on asking me to say yes if management asked if my room got cleaned up. However, she never cleaned my room.

Over all really enjoyed staying here very clean

Like location and customer service. Interior of room is new. I did not like there is homeless people living in their car at the parking lot. i saw two cars doing this.

You get what you pay for. The property is worn and tired but safe enough and reasonably clean. Traffic noise may bother someSince.

Had an amazing weekend at this hotel staff was excellent room was awesome and it was a decent walking distance to the boardwalk and the price wasn't that bad

Nice staff. Clean room if a bit spartan. TV channel selection is good. Walk to beach/boardwalk is not too far but you have to cross a busy roadway and then walk along it for a block or so before turning toward the beach.

The place seemed a little sandy when we arrived but perhaps that's inevitable. Cleaners did not replenish the coffee, coffee was pretty bad. (Go to one of the many nice breakfast spots nearby.) But otherwise we had a nice stay here. It's not on the ocean but the walk to boardwalk isn't far. With a car you are close to several other calmer beaches, lots of hiking trails, and downtown. It's at a busy intersection with traffic on two sides, but did quiet down at night. King bed was great. Good service, attentive. Pleasant stay for the price.

Grey location and value. Somewhat updated and a great value for the area.

Lovely view of the boardwalk and ocean even though there was a road between the motel and the ocean. Balcony was great and interior decor was well done.

I stayed in the room that had one king size bed with my two little boys and it got us perfectly. The shower had two different heads which was nice. The balcony patio was an awesome feature. My only complaint is that even though it was a non-smoking room, it still smelled like smoke.

The young man on the front desk cause you’re super nice. Enjoy the conversation with him

I have no complaints :) The boardwalk was like a 10 minute walk Definitely worth the stay at oceanGate .

Didn’t like it

No view Low score due to very high pricing and noise level of other guests. Thin walls, no security on sight Very expensive though $200-$300 per night and not even a bar of soap Fridge, coffee maker and small microwave in room Airco worked great Noisy and heavy footed guests all night until 2am People shooting of fireworks around 12am Hard to sleep before 2am

Great price and location

We had a great time! Location is superb and easy access to the beach and other areas

Nice hotel close by the beach but the beds are not for me other than that it’s ok

Close to pier. Beautiful balcony view.

Great experience and clean room!

Was worried when I read some bad pre-pandemic reviews. However there was new flooring, furniture, new bathtub/shower walls, sink/mirror. Some aging features (mostly walls and baseboards). Coastal motels take a lot of abuse. Spaces were clean. Balcony was a nice addition. Good tv selections including HBO. Good place to crash, but if you want something nicer expect to pay double elsewhere.

It was nice

Also, the 3rd floor door to the outside doesn't lock so we woke up to two homeless people sleeping in the hall.

Clean and quiet

It was nice enough for the night

Good location and value compared to other hotels in area. Decent bed. Towels were raggedy. The walls are thin so water and snoring from other rooms heard and location is on a high traffic street (E. Cliff) that is so noisy at all hours with motorcycles, buses and other traffic that make it hard to sleep.

Great value, simple and no frills.

Good distance from the boardwalk, they have cameras on the parking spaces so I felt very reassured about not having my windows broken either.

When I got to the inn, the receptionist guy was so nice and explained everything to me so well. When I got to the elevator it was a bit suspicious, meaning it looked as if it was outdated and I was very afraid I would get stuck in it, but it worked well. The room was "clean", but not mopped or cleaned thoroughly. The baseboards had dust, the bed sheets had stained, FYI bring your own, the restroom was clean and the sink as well. The balcony glass was dirty and the balcony itself had dust and was stained. There was one mirror above a table and that had streaks as if you were going to clean and sprayed but forgot to clean it so it dried wet. My last night at the inn, we kept getting the smell of weed, extremely strong smell, probably our next door neighbors. Overall the beds were very uncomfortable and we found a roach when it was time to tidy up and head home. Will not be booking here again.

The staff was all super nice! Price amazing. View amazing! Updated and honestly really nice I don’t understand why so many negative reviews

Kind management

This was adequate for a couple of nights stay.

Loved my room here and super friendly staff

We have stayed at Ocean Gate many times and have never had a problem. The staff there has always been great.

Staff was very friendly and the room was very clean 10/10

Was an excellent stay, manager and front desk clerk were both were kind and very helpful, parking was awesome, clean inside and out. Balcony was an awesome view and we were a happy family!

Great location. Spacious room. Easy walk to the boardwalk. Slight whiff of left over smoke even though a non-smoking room. Plenty of parking but the spots are a bit narrow. Not great for a large/wide vehicle.

They need a vending machine

And putting up a Do Not Disturb sign on the knob doesn't stop the knocking

It needs an upgrade on the rooms and technically

Excellent zero issues was pretty darn quiet, beautiful view of the boardwalk from the balcony, nice large over 300 square foot room, wooden floors, as much coffee as you wanted just go ask for more bags in the lobby, you can walk down the street to 2 markets, A Little Caesars pizza, a 7-eleven, and your about a 10-minute walk to the boardwalk and maybe a 15-minute walk to downtown. Nice roomy covered parking I mean absolutely worth the extremely low cost. Anyone complaining about this motel needs to just pay more then for something with more accommodations, but if you just want a nice room that's clean has parking a nice view and in a pretty nice location well then stay here!

I had to fix my key the time I stayed at this hotel and the first room after I walk out of the room. I couldn’t go back in asking the person on duty she’s not happy and it’s wasn’t something we wanted but she made its my fault her lock isn’t working properly

If the noise wasnt so loud from the streets it would have been a better rating but overall was great.

The property is somewhat near the Boardwalk however, you have to take like a mile walk. The staff was friendly and informative about the area. The Inn was remodeled. TV, wifi, movies accessible. The room is clean but their towels are dirty and old. Need to replace. Same as their bedsheets. Had a lipstick mark and tearing to pieces. Replace what is needed to be replaced. Thanks

Great stay. Would definitely stay again

Very dirty. No hot water. Blow dryer didnt work. Floors were disgusting. Very noisy couldn't sleep. Will not be back

The room was a bit dingy, the restroom door wouldn't latch without having to slam the door! The trashcan in the room had cigarette butts... it was a non-smoking room! Then... morning came and the blinds did nothing! The sunlight came through almost as if nothing was covering the window. We had no choice, but to get up around 7am. I don't know if I'll stay here again...

I love this place

The office was great in working with us for early check-in. Staff was nice. Room was a usual hotel room. The only negative was my feet were nasty after walking on the floor and had to wash again before putting shoes back on.

Nothing about the place was liked, this hotel was so dirty and filthy. There was mold in the bath tub and the room smelled like cigarettes! Also room service came and made the bed but took all the towels didn’t replace them or the papers for the restroom. It was really noisy and there was people yelling 2 and 3 am. Bad place

We got a room change and the toom we got to stay in had a view of the Boardwalk

Great for your money, very clean and very nice employees

I got a room here because of the location, I was only using it as a place to sleep after a concert. The mattress was very firm, there was a stain on the duvet, and it certainly wasn't a Hilton or Marriott. But I also didn't find anything particularly dangerous or threatening about the hotel, I did not see drug deals or prostitutes or people stealing from cars or anything like this that other people have described. I did not try to turn on the television so I don't know anything about that. I also did not inspect anything with a UV light, I'm not that paranoid. So yeah, if you're looking for minimal basic hotel in a convenient location this will do the job. I would stay here again if I was coming to a concert in Santa Cruz again.

Did not appreciate that kid was districting during check in

Old towels better to be replaced . Thanks

Very clean very easy to check in very comfortable and very close to all the festive needs

It was a nice place to stay with my family

Great place !!

There was a rotten banana in the lobby. It was attracting gnats and looked like it was there for at least a week. The room smelled of smoke and was dusty on the table tops.

Good deal for the price. Older place but low cost. Directly across from the boardwalk, near lots of beaches, easy access to the redwood parks,etc.

Not what I expected. Not worth the price

It was within walking distance of the boardwalk but it was extremely noisy due to road traffic, not well maintained, run-down, things were haphazardly put on walls barely hanging on by one screw, homeless were going through the trash bins on the premises within feet of my car. Parking was difficult, very narrow with pillars on each side.

Santa Cruz has become nearly unaffordable to stay overnight. I took a gamble on this place and it paid off. It’s walking distance to the Boardwalk. It’s very close to everything and has great parking. If you are looking to stay for a short trip, this place will check the boxes. The room had a balcony, which was great! The place is old, but they have updated the paint, flooring, furniture etc. the bed is comfy and the TV has cable. Give it a shot… you may thank yourself!

The hotel room was very nice and the patio made the room feel that much more spacious. Parking was a little difficult with a truck but there was plenty of spaces to choose from! The only downside was the transients helping themselves to the facility, such as using the ice machine in the middle of the night.

Rude

Area of hotel is wonderful! Front desk women really needs a better attitude to be in customer service. Our toilet clogged& was told “house keeping has already left” clogged toilet is not a house keepers job, more like maintenance. Then was told her “husband” is not there and she will let him know. 3 HOURS later I went back down to the office and little to my surprise no one was aware of our clogged toilet. I would rather spend my money somewhere else that seems more grateful for your stay.

We stay here a lot, for the money it is a good deal, it is not very far to the beach. The people running it are nice. If you are looking for something classy try the Casablanca on beach street, pricey but excellent. We mix and match, from excellent to good to nice and bad.

Very close to Boardwalk

For the money its a good deal, it has a good location, the people running it are good people, you can walk to the boardwalk and the Warf to eat.

Smelled really bad they had signs of non smoking but they entrance to the room with stairs smelled awful never again will I stay there

They have everything you need and you have a taco truck down the street a little Cesar’s and a liqour store everything is easily accessible to. The view of the boardwalk is amazing

Great place close to the boardwalk you can sit on the patio and watch and listen to the kids on the roller coaster

Although the room was comfortable and clean we had concerns over security at this property as it was possible for people to enter via the fire exit which did happen during the night.

I have been here a few times and I am reminded why I stay here to just get away. There is everything within a short walking distance and I feel comfortable sitting on the balcony lounging with a beverage.

We stayed for one night as part of our trip. The hotel served as a good base to explore the area. The fridge the room was quiet noisy though.

good for the price, convenient and close enough to the boardwalk

It's not like the pictures

Hotel did have a few bugs, no big deal probably just came from the nearby river. Our room had an amazing view of the river!

We booked this property sight unseen. The view was wonderful, except for the busy street below, but the street sound wasn't too bad with windows closed. However, there is only one person managing the place. The bedspread was extremely dirty, we removed it and asked for an additional blanket - which we never got. The walls were super thin and we could hear people talking, so I recommend turning on white noise in order to sleep. Basically, they need more help as there's only one guy (a very nice guy) running the place...24/7. But it's conveniently located to downtown and the boardwalk.

Front desk staff was very friendly! Room was nice. Bathroom was really nice and updated. Felt very clean

This is the fourth time I came here to just get away from my busy life. I look at the surrounding hotels costing twice as much or more and laugh at those that stayed there. Why pay so much to get so little to stay there. Stay here.