I was very pleasantly surprised by this hotel. My girlfriend and I were visiting Santa Cruz and decided we would look for a place to stay since we drove 5 hours and couldn’t drive back the same day.
Not being familiar with the area, we initially thought our best option would be a hotel that was nearly a 30 minute walk from the Boardwalk. We then decided we needed something closer to the beach, even if it meant sacrificing quality. This is when we came across Fireside Inn. We noticed that it looked a bit dated from the online photos, but it wasn’t a real breaker for us. It was a 3 minute walk from the beach, so we booked our stay, which was also at a great price.
Upon arriving at the location, we were initially confused as to where the hotel was, since none of the buildings matched the photos online. As it turns out, the hotel had been recently painted and looks much better than it does online. The parking situation was very simple, and checking in was easy. Staff was very friendly and even wished me a happy birthday (thank you again!).
The real surprise came once we entered our room. When I say this room was clean, I mean it was CLEAN. It was clearly recently remodeled. Nice paint, clean floors, comfortable bed, heated and lit bathroom mirror, walk-in shower with glass doors, so on. Instead of sacrificing quality like we originally thought, our expectations were actually greatly exceeded.
I will absolutely stay here again next time I visit Santa Cruz.