I stayed here during a retreat...it was a little pricey but oceanview rooms generally are. The hotel is older and has a lot of stairs but it is well maintained and the shower is to die for. Double size with a rain forest shower head on one end and an adjustable euro-style hand held shower head on the other end. The hotel is at the "right" end of the street and the two andirondack chairs right outside my door were quaint and perfectly positioned for watching beach volleyball. A little further down the street is the arcade and rides and it's a little busier and not as nice. Santa Cruz itself is a little dicey in my opinion for a woman alone at night.

Visiting Santa Cruz from our home in Honolulu, Hawaii we know a good beach stay when we experience one. Beach Street Inn and Suites was a shot in the dark for us to stay in based on it's great reviews here on tripadvisor. This hotel more than exceeded our expectations :) Kathy at the front desk was incredibly helpful with choosing a room, dinner recommendations, and just about any question we had. We first stayed on the upper deck side of the property, and we felt so spoiled. Extremely clean, modern,and very comfortable, plus a view right out of a postcard. We had a one bedroom suite, with full kitchen, and plenty of room to stretch out, for the 3 of us. The bathroom was very spacious, with a modern double -shower. Even with our room situated by the maintenance area - our room was soundproof ! Parking was readily available every time we returned from our day's adventure. WE LOVED THIS HOTEL. We will definitely stay here again, on our next surf trip out here..!

We had a double queen room which provided enough space for both of us. I liked that we could open the window & still have privacy by using the shutters. It was close to the pier & eating places for breakfast. Free wifi was abysmal. Staff helped out with all our questions. We had a pool room. Ocean view rooms cost a little more & some were down lots of steps.

For $179, I would of anticipated a little more. Our room was dated, which we were told. However the iPod docking didn't work. The bathroom window opened right up to a neighbor, and no no fan so unless I wanted the maintenance dude or whomever to see me in all my glory, I was suffocated in the bathroom. The bed was mediocre. The pool was lacking much of any heat. Front desk staff were nice, but tis place wasn't worth it for us unfortunately.