Name: Islander Motel Santa Cruz CA
Address: 522 Ocean Street, Westside Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, US
Price range: $85–$356 per night
Rating: 8.15

What guests think

At Islander Motel Santa Cruz CA, travelers find clean, comfortable rooms and a convenient location near downtown and the boardwalk, while service ranges from welcoming to occasionally curt, and facilities are simple with a small pool and tight parking.

Rooms tend to run small, but beds and pillows get high marks; traffic noise affects street-side rooms, while units toward the back are quieter. Overall, expect a clean, budget-friendly base with straightforward amenities.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Parking is limited and spaces are tight; some guests still found it manageable. The small outdoor pool is basic with mixed feedback on temperature and cleanliness; lobby coffee is available.

Related guest reviews

8

JOSEPH

Jul 7, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Not enough parking space

10

Teresa

Jun 26, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

It was a clean motel. Very small parking lots. Cute little pool

10

Douglas

Jun 6, 2024

·

Had a very good stay at the islander ,clean room and bathroom , clean pool , we had a misunderstanding at check in but quickly was fixed , would stay here again ,good location

8

Langley

Aug 10, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Good, clean, no frills hotel. With the cost of rooms in the Santa Cruz area this was a great deal. Definitely would stay there again. Pool could use a cleaning

10

Paul

Jan 28, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great off season value. Extremely comfortable and quiet rooms. Peet’s coffee in the lobby. 5 HBO channels. Cool pool. Local and friendly owners.

6

scott

Aug 13, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Ok hotel. Small parking area. Room was in the back, last room inside an odd parking area. No in room coffee. Host could have been a little more friendlier.

10

Chelsea

Aug 29, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Great stay. Would recommended and stay again. Parking lot was small but easy and felt safe. Check in was very nice and helpful. Quiet room in the back, couldnt hear any street or neighbor noise. Comfortable room and easily walkable.

8

Jennifer

Sep 23, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

It was clean. Staff very friendly. Parking spaces are tough, very small.

4

Larry

Aug 4, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Ii only picked this hotel because it said heated pool. But the pool was cold.

8

MARC

Sep 21, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Small parking lot. Be sure to call ahead with special requests for rooms. They don’t read requests.

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Cleanliness

Reviews frequently praise very clean, well-kept rooms and updated bathrooms. A few noted issues like stained linens or a missed item in a drawer, but these were exceptions.

Related guest reviews

10

Nathan

Aug 29, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great place to stay. You can walk downtown if you like. We had a car so it didn’t really matter. Great service. It’s an older motel but comfortable beds, very clean. It felt as advertised.

4

Jaime

Oct 1, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Okay do the reviews seem on par however i would like to add my 2 cents. Yes the rooms are affordable however i would never stay here again. There was a stain on my blanket and the pool closed very early. The couple who runs this place are the rudest people ever! We were so happy to go on this family trip but they charge extra per person which we did not know. It did not ask us how many people were staying and the front desk guy is super rude and sexist! He would not let me get a work in and talked over me. Very condescending towards women but once by husband stepped in it was a different tone. The woman is an instigator and they were speaking badly about us. The beds were not comfortable at all and its in a shady area. Parking lot is small and the rooms looked alot better in the photos than irl. Super disappointed, would not stay here again.

8

Laura

Jul 28, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

A nice budget option for one night in Santa Cruz for Wharf to Wharf. The room had everything we needed, including a microwave and mini fridge for some heat n eat meals and race day breakfast, and check in and out were quick and easy. Other guests were a bit noisy, but I can’t fault the motel for that. My husband did find someone else’s undies in a drawer as he was double-checking before we left, yuck! Other than that, no issues with the cleanliness of the room, the bed was comfortable and the larger pillows were appreciated, and this was a convenient place to stay with easy access to grocery stores and the freeway. Thanks for hosting us!

10

Kristina

Dec 29, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Spotless. Fells like it’s been newly renovated. Excellent shower. Half a mile to the vibrant downtown. The receptionist was friendly and welcoming.

8

DANIEL

Aug 15, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean and convenient place to stay!

10

Lewis

Oct 23, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

I was amazed. The place was incredibly clean, well managed and quiet. The service was impressive. I will come back!

10

Patrick Richard

Oct 8, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Older motel but kept up and clean. Pleasant staff experience. Excellent morning coffee machine in lobby. Great central location for restaurants, boardwalk, downtown etc.

10

Melia

Sep 1, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The property was clean and the rooms were quiet and well decorated. The beds were cozy and everything smelled good. Overall this was a really nice hotel. Way nicer in my opinion, the best western next door.

10

Lisa

Dec 4, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Clean, comfortable and very accommodating.

10

Andrew

Nov 21, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

I have stayed at this property 20 plus times. It is not fancy but quite clean and the staff is run by a family and they seem to really care. I stay here because I enjoy the owners (the family). Price is reasonable. Bed is comfortable, however the desk and chair is not great but I overlook this because I love the location and the people who work there.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Rooms

Rooms are simple and on the small side, but beds and pillows are comfortable. Noise varies by location—street-facing rooms can hear traffic, while rooms toward the back are quieter; Wi‑Fi generally works well.

Related guest reviews

8

Rick

Aug 4, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

One night stay and perfect location for us. Clean, comfortable and quiet as we had a 2nd story room away from the busy street(223)!

8

Robert

Jun 18, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Very comfortable for a Motel. Conscientious owners are eco friendly. Mattress very comfortable and towels are generous in size. Room was a little small but workable with a round table and chairs. TV cable not working well, I could only get local weather. I watched TV on my iPad. Otherwise comfortable.

10

Haley

Mar 28, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Overall great, just a bit loud because it’s next to a busy road.

8

Anita

Oct 4, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Pleasant short stay. Room was very small but had all the amenities we needed.

8

Bill

Jun 5, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

I stay here often. Some of the room are really tiny but the beds and pillows are great. And location is convenient

10

Russell

Oct 13, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Was clean and nice safe place. Comfy bed and various sized pillows.

10

Patrick Richard

Oct 8, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Older motel but kept up and clean. Pleasant staff experience. Excellent morning coffee machine in lobby. Great central location for restaurants, boardwalk, downtown etc.

8

caspar

Jul 9, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Perfectly good for the price. Lovely pillows. But sadly very noisy next to the main road. All good.

10

Sarah

Jun 22, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Very clean and comfortable. The room was dark at night. The lights in the room are warm style, not that bright white LED type that I hate. Everything worked well (Wi-Fi, AC, water pressure in shower). Have stayed here twice now and would stay again.

10

F. Jay

Aug 16, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Comfortable, clean room. Like having 4 pillows on the bed, 2 more puffy, 2 less puffy. Very comfortable bed. Staff friendly and attentive. Only coffee for breakfast but rather go out for breakfast anyway. Staff gave good recommendations on morning and evening dining. Could not recommend any more highly. Perhaps a bit of highway noise early in the evening that became neglible later.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Service

Many guests highlight friendly, accommodating owners and quick responses to requests. However, several report rude or inflexible front-desk interactions and disputes over policies or deposits.

Related guest reviews

8

Benita

Jun 13, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The staff was very helpful when we realized that it was not pet friendly ; that Expedia claimed. They still allowed us to stay and were very pleasant.

8

Dale

Jul 29, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Good experience overall. Good location. Management was responsive to requests.

4

Jaime

Oct 1, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Okay do the reviews seem on par however i would like to add my 2 cents. Yes the rooms are affordable however i would never stay here again. There was a stain on my blanket and the pool closed very early. The couple who runs this place are the rudest people ever! We were so happy to go on this family trip but they charge extra per person which we did not know. It did not ask us how many people were staying and the front desk guy is super rude and sexist! He would not let me get a work in and talked over me. Very condescending towards women but once by husband stepped in it was a different tone. The woman is an instigator and they were speaking badly about us. The beds were not comfortable at all and its in a shady area. Parking lot is small and the rooms looked alot better in the photos than irl. Super disappointed, would not stay here again.

10

Mark

Mar 26, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Very friendly and knowledgeable office staff.

10

Anita

Mar 1, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Rose was wonderful! Will stay here again.

10

Christine

Jun 24, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Great location, excellent staff, comfortable bed. Older property, however very clean and well kept. Only note is no in room coffee option. Would definitely come back!

2

Esmeralda

May 4, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Overall room was clean. However front staff specifically Moe provided terrible customer service. Upon checking in, he couldn't confirm my booking and my credit card was charged twice.

10

Lisa

Dec 29, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

My go to hotel in SC. Clean Safe and the owners are wonderful!!!

10

Andrew

Nov 21, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

I have stayed at this property 20 plus times. It is not fancy but quite clean and the staff is run by a family and they seem to really care. I stay here because I enjoy the owners (the family). Price is reasonable. Bed is comfortable, however the desk and chair is not great but I overlook this because I love the location and the people who work there.

8

Fredrick

Aug 4, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

When I went to check in, the man at the front desk was kind of a jerk. The rooms were nice, easy parking, and close to pretty much everything, but again the desk man was overall not pleasant

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Location

Convenient for downtown, restaurants, and the Boardwalk, with many places walkable. Being on a busy street brings traffic noise, and a few felt the immediate area is less attractive.

Related guest reviews

10

Diana

Sep 12, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We were in walking distance of Front street and lots of food options.

10

Charles

Jul 28, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

I had the best experience here! Staff were very polite and efficient. I felt very safe here. 10/10 would recommend to family and friends. Very convenient and very close to the boardwalk. Will definitely be staying here next time.

8

William

Mar 30, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

We got exactly what we wanted. A very simple, no frills, reasonably priced room for a night. The lady at the desk wasn’t very helpful with recommendations but it gave us an excuse to explore the town. As it turns out the main downtown area is less than a miles walk across one of the nearby bridges.

10

Kristina

Dec 29, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Spotless. Fells like it’s been newly renovated. Excellent shower. Half a mile to the vibrant downtown. The receptionist was friendly and welcoming.

10

Biswadeep

Jun 16, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Great location and comfortable room

8

Kristy

Feb 28, 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

Clean, no frills. Easily walkable to downtown.

8

james

Apr 6, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

This will sound contradictory, but I both liked and disliked the property location. But I must say that given the purpose of my visit (reason for stay), the location was ideal. I just needed a place that was inexpensive to spend the night. I wanted it to be in Santa Cruz but NOT near the beach. Ocean St. between Soquel and Water was ideal. But ... that area is not the prettiest part of Santa Cruz. But I didn't want to spend the $$ to be in the prettiest part when all I needed was a clean bed and room for the night. For that purpose, the Islander was perfect. And I will definitely strongly consider for future such visits. The staff were great; the room was clean, the bed nice. All worthy of praise.

10

Patrick Richard

Oct 8, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Older motel but kept up and clean. Pleasant staff experience. Excellent morning coffee machine in lobby. Great central location for restaurants, boardwalk, downtown etc.

10

Janine

Jul 31, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Pleasant motel in great location. On a busy street but not that loud in the room. Convenient to downtown and walkable to the Boardwalk

10

Ron

Aug 16, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Close to everything

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Dining

On-site options are minimal: coffee in the lobby and generally no in-room coffee makers. Most guests go out for meals, though staff sometimes offer good local recommendations.

Related guest reviews

10

Diana

Sep 12, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We were in walking distance of Front street and lots of food options.

10

Kelly

Jan 13, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

I liked the price and the owners were very very kind .. will stay at that motel everytime I visit Santa Cruz. The only downfall was ,no coffee pot 😞. But that’s not a problem ,, The Islander motel is awesome

10

Laura

Jul 28, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We loved how comfortable the beds were. Everything was clean and neat, and there were plenty of amenities in the room to have a comfortable stay. Although we drove somewhere else for dinner, there are plenty of places to eat close by.

6

Carolyn

Apr 5, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Beds were comfortable, heater worked well, clean and convenient downtown location. Didn't like- sign in office said there would be coffee available in the morning but manager told us it would not, and there were no coffee makers in rooms.

10

Jonathan

Mar 12, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

0 characters Please add a review Close to the beach boardwalk and downtown restaurants and other entertainment.

10

Patrick Richard

Oct 8, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Older motel but kept up and clean. Pleasant staff experience. Excellent morning coffee machine in lobby. Great central location for restaurants, boardwalk, downtown etc.

10

Christine

Jun 24, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Great location, excellent staff, comfortable bed. Older property, however very clean and well kept. Only note is no in room coffee option. Would definitely come back!

10

Paul

Jan 28, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great off season value. Extremely comfortable and quiet rooms. Peet’s coffee in the lobby. 5 HBO channels. Cool pool. Local and friendly owners.

8

Teresa

Jun 25, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

The motel was clean. Staff was friendly. It was close to boardwalk. Restaurants within walking distance. Only thing we weren’t to happy about was car noise from the busy street.

10

F. Jay

Aug 16, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Comfortable, clean room. Like having 4 pillows on the bed, 2 more puffy, 2 less puffy. Very comfortable bed. Staff friendly and attentive. Only coffee for breakfast but rather go out for breakfast anyway. Staff gave good recommendations on morning and evening dining. Could not recommend any more highly. Perhaps a bit of highway noise early in the evening that became neglible later.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Month	Average price
January	$70
February	$81
March	$84
April	$94
May	$104
June	$133
July	$141
August	$129
September	$110
October	$89
November	$86
December	$74

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18 $356	19 $321
20 $87	21 $85	22 $87	23 $88	24 $88	25 $156	26 $281
27 $91	28 $88	29 $88	30 $88

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $88	2 $135	3 $178
4 $91	5 $88	6 $88	7 $88	8 $88	9 $135	10
11 $91	12 $88	13 $86	14 $86	15 $88	16 $139	17 $176
18 $90	19 $93	20 $93	21 $93	22 $90	23 $135	24 $177
25 $93	26 $93	27 $88	28 $93	29 $88	30 $137	31 $176

Islander Motel Santa Cruz CA

Prices for Islander Motel Santa Cruz CA

Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Room options

Standard Room, 1 King Bed, Accessible

Family Room, 2 Bedrooms

Standard Room, 1 King Bed

Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds

Standard Room with 1 King and 1 Full Bed

Guest reviews of Islander Motel Santa Cruz CA

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property Policies

Check-in instructions

Security deposit

Good to know

Optional extras

FAQs about Islander Motel Santa Cruz CA

Prices for upcoming dates