Carousel Beach Inn

First floor room with a balcony and a view of the roller coaster. The staff is nice, the bed is memory foam and just right. The shower has an adjustable head and great pressure. The room has a nice Samsung TV, a charging station, and a nice heat / air unit. Mini fridge, microwave and Keurig coffee maker are also in the room. Who could ask for anything more? Well, maybe less rain.... ☔

Sure it's a 2 star hotel, but the service here is a perfect 10, and the beds are extremely comfy with plenty of pillows. I even had an issue with my Tv glitching in the room and they switched my room to a nicer one no problem at all. Even the maintenance guy was very friendly and professional. Continental breakfast is excellent, good quality bagels and make your own waffles like any best western or holiday inn.

Stayed in room 208. Had a view of the parking lot and Giant Dipper from the balcony. It was really pretty to see it lit up at night. The room was clean, good sized. I felt it was a good value for the location and the room, amenities. The staff were friendly and helpful. There was a little seating area on our floor, patio furniture with vending machines. It was nice. There's an elevator and it is behind a locked gate so, it is pretty safe. Parking lot is secure as well. Free continental breakfast. Free wifi. Located directly across from the Boardwalk.

I chose Carousel Beach Inn mainly for its location and the inviting photos online. The pictures show bright, airy, and modern rooms, but my actual room was dim, with just a single bedside lamp, no ceiling light in the main area, and very few outlets. There weren’t any hangers, and I needed to request an iron from the front desk. A fan would’ve dried my hair faster than the provided blow dryer. The patio is enclosed by a high concrete wall so there’s no real view. Breakfast is simple—waffles, yogurt, cereal, fruit, coffee, tea, and boiled eggs. Some thoughtful touches stood out, like free sunblock at the desk, iced tea and water available all day, and popcorn in the afternoons. However, one thing to note is that there’s no pool here. They don’t charge for parking, which is a plus, but several hotels a block away offer pools for about the same price. Overall, the stay was fine: not terrible, but didn’t live up to the promotion. It’s decent for the location and those little extras, but the room quality and amenities just felt average. I’d rate it three stars.

Great place to stay if you want to go to the Boardwalk! Hotel if across the Boardwalk for easy access. Near restaurants, markets, bowling alley. Hotel is clean and safe and has a continental breakfast. Hotel management ( Michael/Miriam provides a fast response to make your stay memorable). I am a returning happy customer!

This place is the BEST!!! What I mean is good. This hotel gives you free popcorn and free breakfast. Like the best. The room has scamming smart tv’s and a comfortable bed. Would recommend this place. I forgot to mention this place has friendly staff. 100% would recommend it.

Check in and check out or easy. Continental breakfast and free coffee were great. The soundproofing of the room was nonexistent and the bed by far was the most uncomfortable I’ve ever stayed in. However, location made up for it a bit.

Great location and at a great price! I booked 2 rooms and they were able to get us adjoining rooms for our whole party. The eooms were a little worn, but got the job done (rest and sleep!) Staff was friendly for check-in, assisting with refills during breakfasts, and gave us a speedy chrck-out without hassle. I have stayed here before and will continue to do so whenever I am in town.

This should be a 4.5 stars. It does great for a two star hotel and truly is everything it is supposed to be for a hotel of its class. I've stayed in several locations around Santa Cruz and booked this place bc my usual place was fully booked. I liked it and booked again on another visit. This place has a great location next to the Boardwalk and nice views of the amusement rides from the balcony. West side views are better than East but not horrible on East side either. The rooms that I was in on the second floor seemed updated. Unlike many hotels in the area, parking is easy and convenient and there is 24 hour staff. The prices are extremely reasonable. They offer a free breakfast (not at most places), which is pretty good. Each room has a working fridge and a small seating space. The towels and soap products are decent unlike most hotels of its class. It was noisy from other rowdier guests at times (seemed to draw a younger crowd) but this wasn't overwhelming. It's not the Ritz but overall a good pick at a great price.

Nice Time We Had At The TUXEDO Concert And We Were Rite Across The Street Of The Santa Cruz Pier, Beautiful View And Screaming From Riders On Either Roller Coaster Or The Pirate Ship Ride..!! But Thank God It Shuts Down Early And We Were Well Tired And Ready For SLEEP Before Driving All The Way Home To The City Of King, CA But We Had An Amazing Time And Found A Nice Mexican Restaurant Open Early For Our Like. Sleepy Ol' Town Santa Cruz..!! Evaristas Comal Mexican Restaurant..!!! Hats Off To Them We Loved Their Food..!!! But Back To The Carousel Inn, They Had Nice Rooms And A Continental Breakfast To Boot. So I Gave Them A Good Review And Nice Place To Stay If You're Visiting THE BOARDWALK....!!!

5 stars for location. Such easy access to the main entrance to the Santa Cruz Beach boardwalk. Parking is included along with continental breakfast which includes coffee, tea, juice, hard boiled eggs, cereal, toast, bagels, fresh fruit (bananas, apples, & oranges), & my kids favorite the waffle making station. We were on the 2nd floor (room 201) with a balcony and view of the boardwalk. Noise wasn't bad but definitely not peaceful as car alarms and people yelling frequently happened until after 10pm. Small microwave & refrigerator were in the room and bathroom was nicely updated. Everything else reminded me of a motel style establishment, decent but outdated. Convenience is what you pay for here and we'll worth it with children.

This was second time staying at this location. It's been several years since my first visit and this was definitely my last The first thing I noticed was there was no security lock on the door meaning anyone from the hotel or something with the card access could open the door without a second level of security. I was traveling alone and being a female, this was a little concerning. it sounds dramatic, but I used a chair to block the front door. Certainly lacking with the level of security. The state of the room was filthy. Walls were covered in dirt and big scuffs. The floors were so dirty that they turned my socks black as soon as I took my shoes off and walked across the room. The bathroom was no better, the floors haven't been washed in who knows how long. They also don't supply you with any toiletries. They fill up an easily accessible tank in the bathroom, which you can dispense your own soap from. Anyone has access to what's inside it it's not sanitary.

Clean and functional room in an older-boardwalk-adjacent hotel. I could see potentially a lot of noise from the street in the summer but in the winter, it was relatively quiet and fun to people watch from the balcony. I would say the room did lack a coffee maker, the AC/heat did not work, and the bed had a strange metal panel around the base that we kept accidentally brushing against that made a loud kaboom noise. The staff were spectacular: warm and friendly, always cleaning, and very helpful. I can't say enough nice things about staff. Breakfast buffet had muffins, cereal, bagels and coffee, juice and milk. Also hard boiled eggs and yogurts. Standard stuff that is helpful for a budget traveler to avoid a restaurant.

I definitely reccomend this hotel. I looked through a lot of hotels when booking a trip to Santa Cruz, and this fufilled my needs. Inexpensive and close to the board walk. There is a parking lot specifically for this hotel, and while it's not necessarily "private" anyone really can pull in, it felt safe, and private. All the rooms come with a balcony or private patio. We were on the first floor, so had a private patio, it faced the street, but with a tall concrete wall, we felt very safe. We had a view of some of the boardwalk rides which was fun to see when we first go there. The rooms was really cute, with mini fridge, microwave, table and chairs. Comfortable bed. And the bathroom was very cute. The sinke set up made it feel like you were in an apartment vs. a hotel. It had drwaers that pulled out, with towels and makeup remover wipes. Very cute touches. You needed a key to walk into a court yard that led you to the 1st floor rooms, and elevator to 2nd and 3rd floor. Nice to know a key is needed for safety. Every morning the front office has coffee, muffins, bagels, yogurt. A nice touch and some food to get your day going. We enjoyed our stay here, and will likely stay here in the future.

Stayed for one night. Loved how close the inn is to the boardwalk and beach. The room was clean and we liked how there was a waffle station, cereal and other to go breakfast options. We were able to buy discounted wristbands for the rides at the front desk. The staff is friendly and welcoming. The only complaint I have is loud guests. Some women were out on 2nd floor seating area until midnight laughing it up and it echoed through the hall. It would be great if they enforced quiet hours after 10 pm but considering it's the Santa Cruz boardwalk area it's probably asking for too much. Still, the motel is a good value, I would stay again!

The theming is adequate--there are nice carousel horses throughout the property that make pretty good photo-ops and the room itself (at least the one we stayed at) had some carousel horses (albeit a bit creepy--lol) on the headboard. The rooms are clean. The bathrooms have pump containers of soap and lotion near the sink and shampoo & conditioner in the shower. They provided adequate amount of towels on all the towel racks and some additional towels in the drawers underneath the sink--and if we needed more, the front desk provides it. There are also a good number of outlets including USB on the table in between the beds. Our balcony overlooked the parking lot (which was actually nice because we could see our car) and a little bit of a view of the roller coaster at the Boardwalk. Speaking of the Boardwalk, it is literally across the street (within a few steps) of the property. That's definitely cool. Once on the Boardwalk, there is access to the beach as well. This hotel property is awesome for that alone. There is a quick outside shower behind the reception area where you can quickly wash off sand and what-not before going upstairs to the rooms. They offer a continental breakfast at a designated time every morning (please check with the front desk for the exact times) which offers an assortment of baked goods, bagels/cream cheese/peanut butter, cereal/oatmeal/milk, hard-boiled eggs, orange juice and of course, coffee. It's a nice touch. The room also has a small fridge and a small microwave which came in quite handy for us. There is, however, a slight issue with noise. For example, muffled voices can be heard from time to time--I think mostly coming from the door outside. But we could also hear the faint sounds of toilet flushing and showers running. It's not some loud decibel sounds, but it exists and could be an issue for people who want complete silence. For the location and overall offerings for this property, we were happy and satisfied and would most certainly stay here again.

I really love it.the staff was amazing. I stayed there for 3 nights from oct 22 till Oct 25.2024. I like my room I was on the third floor .had a balcony room .saw the big dipper roller coaster. My room was nice to..next time In santa cruz will be staying there.i would want stay for 4 nights .but I have a special olympics flag football in the morning. I like how close I can walk to the boardwalk. It was cool.the weather was very nice

Excellent location and customer service. Before I get into the positives, the only negatives were that some of the outlets didn't work and the metal frame under the beds (which I kept kicking). What an excellent location! It's so easy for the family to go to and from the boardwalk as we're that close. We could hear the screams from the rollercoasters when we were outside our room (but not inside). The hotel is super clean. We saw people cleaning each and every bar in the railings. Sure, it's not super new, but it's adorable. Our room had a microwave and a small fridge. The 2 queen beds were comfortable, and the decor was nice. The breakfast bar was great with plenty of coffee, breads to toast, cereal, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, and a waffle machine/station. Customer service was excellent. Nick checked us in and later got us extra pillows and supplies. Everyone was so nice, all greeted us with smiles. Every year, we take this family trip to Santa Cruz. We'll be sure to stay here again next year

The location is pretty good if you're planning to go to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk which is right across the street. This hotel has pretty much everything you would need for a comfortable stay, a parking lot, fridge and microwave, temperature control, and even free breakfast (though it's pretty limited, especially if you come late during breakfast hours, ie. scones). The place was really clean too, including the bed and pillows. They even had a balcony attached to the room, with two seats. One awkward thing, they only gave us a couple bath towels, and zero hand towels or face towels. Also, be aware that they have thin walls, so you may easily hear kids playing outside or people having conversations next door. Overall, we were happy with our one-night stay and didn't experience any noteworthy problems.

We stayed again at the Carousel Beach Inn. Over the years (decades) I've stayed at just about every hotel there is in SC. No more! The Carousel is my go-to & has been for years and years. Pros: Location! Ample Free Parking Free Breakfast Discounted Wristbands Balcony rooms. Adjoining Rooms. Clean rooms w/ microwave, fridge, table, bathroom supplies. There's truly everything you'd expect in a beachside hotel. One thing I struggled with on our recent stay was the bed pillows! CBI, please update & upgrade the pillows you provide! Please. And if blankets aren't a part of your bedding, could you have them in the room & easily available? I realized at bedtime that a sheet & light cover wasn't going to be enough for me & I had to call a couple of times to get blankets delivered. Lastly, Discounts. AAA, AARP, a Senior discount, or even a Loyalty Plan would truly be appreciated. :)

Location, location, location! My daughter and I came to Santa Cruz specifically to spend a day at the Boardwalk and you could not get much closer than this place! This is a no frills inn but our room had a view of the boardwalk from the balcony and it was clean. They offer a free continental breakfast (bagels, cream cheese, yogurt, fruit, pastries, coffee), free parking, and it is reasonably priced for the area. However, it could be a little noisy. We could hear excited little feet running back and forth in the room above us and, since the Boardwalk was open late at night for a special event, we could clearly hear the spinning coaster across the street and its screaming riders. If we ever plan to come back to spend time at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, we would consider staying here again.

The carpets stink in the elevator and room. Elevator permit was expired, bed and pillows were hard. Door to the room wasn't on properly so we had to slam it to close. Room 201. Will not stay again

This place doesn't claim to be a luxury hotel with all the bells and whistles, if you know that, this place should meet all your expectations for a inn by the beach. The biggest pro in choosing this inn is that it is a one minute walk from the boardwalk! I wanted a place where I could go back often to drop off my beach bag/ use a private restroom/ take a rest, and this place is absolutely perfect for that. It is the closest you can get to the amusement park. If you're not interested in being close to the park, but rather want a view of the beach, there are other (more expensive) options. Check-in starts at 3PM and there is someone in the lobby 24/7 in case you have any questions or need additional items. There is a private parking lot that can fit more or less 15 cars, but we had no problem finding a spot. Parking is free and for hotel guests only. You will receive a ticket to place on your dashboard upon check-in. The only weird thing about the inn is that there is only one elevator with squeaky doors, which was off-putting at first, and we thought that would be a precedent to a run-down hotel room. The room: This is the first time that a hotel room looked exactly like the photos. I was so pleasantly surprised with the space, cute color scheme and minimal decor, and the spacious bathroom. We had a King room with a patio that overlooked the amusement park. The view was mostly the park's parking lot, but I really enjoyed seeing the busyness of the park, the bowling alley across the street, and when the staff test out the rides in the morning. Although the room is right next to the road and park, I had no problem with the noise. There is an HD TV, mini fridge with 3 shelves, circular table with 2 chairs, 2 bedside lamps, and a microwave. Funnily enough, the microwave has a socket and 2 USB ports...I personally would never plug anything into that haha. The bathroom has all the soaps in a dispenser on the wall, so there are no mini individual soaps or lotion, but you do get a lot for your stay and don't have to ask housekeeping for extra. Continental Breakfast: 7:00 or 7:30am - 10am. Simple grab and go breakfast including cereal, yogurt, muffins, bagels, hard boiled eggs, instant oatmeal, and hot beverages. You can dine inside the lobby which has 4 tables. Perks: You can purchase all-day boardwalk ride wristbands at the front desk for a discounted price, a perk for hotel guests only.

First time staying here, very nice and clean. And super close to boardwalk and beach!! Definitely will be back!!

Location may be great , but this place is not the spot. Run down and old , musty smelling and outdated. I was with my wife and daughter , we checked in and checked right out. Dropped another $315 at a place a few blocks away, I would not stay here with my family!!!

So much better then expected. I really hoped it was good as pictured, but I had my doubt. I perused all of the Santa Cruz lodging options near the water and this one was the only nice one that fit into our budget. There area always the Motel 6 type of places, but we wanted a little more. The pictures of this place in yelp are real. The inn is half a block from the entrance of Santa Cruz. It's so close that you can go back and change, even put away packages, go to the bathroom, or take a nap. It's amazingly close. The free parking is real. They have an internal lot and it's perfect for leaving your car for the entire stay. The free breakfast is perfect. It's everything you need to start your day. Coffee and Creamer, Tea selection and hot water, orange juice, and milk. 3 choices of cold cereal and oatmeal with hot water to perk it up. 2 type of muffins, we were told they are best heated in your room microwave. Individual Yogurt cups. A selection of bagels, toasters, butter, and cream cheese. There is nothing hot, but who needs questionable eggs and greasy sausage patties. The ice machine is on the 2nd floor and is near the drink machines behind the elevator. The beds are comfortable, but when you move they squeak like crazy. Due to they are so comfortable I can't really complain. I do think that issue needs to be fixed, but I'd hate for them to then become uncomfortable. Every room has a balcony. We were on the first floor and I was afraid it would be loud with people walking heavy above us, but there wasn't a sound. We had room 101, next to the gate not near the elevator. It was a big concern. The room next to us was vacant. It's used as storage. I thought the gate would bang all night, either no one used it or it was just quiet. Most people used the other gate, next to the elevator. There is also stairs that are near the ice maker and end up across the way near the front desk. Balcony. The upstairs balcony faces the parking lot, either the internal lot or the external lot. If you look left you can see the boardwalk. It was nice, in the middle of the day we got direct so we could lay out on our first floor balcony. They provide 2 balcony chairs and a table. It's very spacious. The front desk was very helpful and the bill was accurate. Each room comes with a good size fridge and a microwave. We were also equipped with a air conditioner that worked. You may be concerned about the noice of the rides. They were on Noon to 7pm as it was spring break. They were very accurate on time. Being on vacation we didn't sleep during that time so it didn't bother us. Most who stay here will spend more time out of their room and if they return early, most don't sleep during the roller coaster hours. Check the schedule and see if it will work with your sleep schedule. As they are loud. I think I covered everything. You need to stay here and enjoy the beach and boardwalk. We may have gotten a fluke deal. We stayed during the week to avoid the crowds and the higher prices. Our deal was $130 a night plus free parking and free breakfast and no resort fees.

Staying here one night in December. The front staff super friendly let us check in a little early. Room was clean and the view was great.

Very good experience, the rooms were very clean and well kept. The Tv was fully functional and it had streaming apps you can choose from. Can't complain about the continental breakfast it was good and free. The walls were pretty thin, but I didn't mind that. The outside looked pretty outdated though. But overall, for the price can go wrong with it would most definitely come back

What a nice place to lay your head on while in Santa Cruz. The rooms are nicely appointed and the location can't be beat. So central to the boardwalk and area restaurants and things to do.

Another great stay at the Carousel Beach Inn! We absolutely love this place! Steps from the boardwalk, the location cannot be beat. Secure and free parking on the property makes everything so much easier. One of my favorite things about this hotel is the cleanliness of the rooms and the property in general. Everything is absolutely spotless! Staff here is welcoming and accommodating. Buy your Boardwalk wristbands from the front desk and you will save some money. Rooms are spacious and have some outdoor space which is wonderful. They all include a fridge and microwave which is great especially when traveling with little ones. The hotel has a continental breakfast in the lobby from 7-10 each morning. Don't sleep on the scones. They were clearly homemade and absolutely delicious. The Carousel Beach Inn is just the perfect place to stay while in Santa Cruz. We can't wait to come back again next year!

Can't get any closer to the Boardwalk. Breakfast was a plus. Rooms are clean. Noisy, but great spot to access Boardwalk with kids.

First time here and my family and I loved it! The front desk is very nice and accommodating. Free parking too. Location is perfect. Right accross the street from Santa cruz boardwalk. Lastly free breakfast. The only things I know some people would complain about is their rooms. Everything is old from the bed stand to the bathroom showers. Example, our bathroom towel bar was missing so instead of two, there were only one. Overall the hotel is old itself. For the price we paid, I'm not complaining. The rooms comes with balcony, fridge and microwave. I think it's great if you have kids. We would buy food and the kids just heat it up because they are too lazy to go out. Lol. Also the front office has all day coffee and snack which is perfect. I definitely recommend this place if your only using the place to sleep and free breakfast for the family plus convenience. I can't wait to come back with the family.

GREAT hotel to stay! It is literally a few steps to the Boardwalk. Clean, staff was super friendly and had great breakfast options. The only reason I am giving 4 stars is the beds. They were not comfortable but definitely can't beat the price and can't complain too much. We will definitely be staying at this hotel again!

If you are looking for convenience this is the place to stay. It definitely was not a $350 a night room. Beds were good, definitely have slept in worse. We had a decent view from our balcony. This was a very quiet hotel which was surprising as we were next to a busy street. The breakfast was okay I mean it did the job. The elevator was scary. I don't think they have had it serviced in a long time.

Perfect location, clean room, free parking in private lot, everyone was nice and friendly, decent breakfast. Why three stars? The squeakiest beds I'd ever slept on, and I got a terrible night's sleep. I spent some of my middle-of-the-night waking hours composing this post in my head. I'd read some reviews complaining about the beds and thought "oh you whiners, what's the big deal?" But as I lay there at 4am trying not to move all I could think about was those reviews, and also wondered whether the owner of the hotel had ever actually spent a night in one of these beds. Also, it's a minor thing but see attached photo -- there's little sense to a blackout shade when you have a normal window next to it. This photo at 6:30am in natural light. Overall though I'd recommend staying here. Just wish they'd oil the bedsprings or something.

This was our second time staying here and we still came away happy. Yes it's a little bit more expansive than hotels further from the boardwalk, but you don't have to pay the $20 day charge for parking in the public lot and everything is within walking distance (gas prices are nuts!) It all came down to location location location. Yes it's a little rough around the edges, but the rooms are comfortable and appeared clean...super helpful and friendly staff and overall, a nice place to stay. Ok so there was an outlet with no cover plate in the room, that sparked when we tried plugging something in, and the TV didn't work (not that we actually had any plans to watch it), and the fan in the bathroom only made noise rather than do what bathroom fans do...but you couldn't beat the location. It could get a bit noisy during the day, but why are you in your room during the day, and not out enjoying what Santa Cruz have to offer? Oh and the location rocked too!

We love staying here and have multiple times in the past. It is super close, the price is right is reasonable, and the breakfast and great. What has changed is something of note... there are street vendors that play VERY loud music until late in the evening. The noise curfew in Santa Cruz is until 10pm. So, if you stay here, you MUST bring earplugs or a noise machine and be aware that you will not have peace in your room in the evening. It's pretty unreasonable. I don't think we will stay here ever again because of this. This is probably our last visit.

Loved this place. Location is wonderful. Balcony view of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Clean, comfortable.

Great location! The staff was cool as hell. Easy to talk to. Great vibe. While we were there we got a call around noon stating they wanted to come in and check for pests(which there wasn't any). When they came, they brought a dog. Kind of made me think of a drug dog or something lol. But it took them a few seconds and they left. The location was right on the beach boardwalk. Our car was super safe and the 24/hr coffee was amazing. I loved the breakfast options too. There is a liquor store right next door. Super convenient. This is a great spot to stay. Next time I come I may hit this place up. We had such a great time!

This was our second time staying at the carousel beach inn and we're planning on coming back soon! During our stay we decided to stay another night, our room was rented out already so we got to experience a different one. Both were nice but I will say the 3rd floor room we had was much cleaner. The second floor room was clean but whoever cleaned room 301 before our stay had an eye for detail and I appreciated that so much! The staff here is top notch. Everyone at the front desk was so kind and wonderful at their jobs. The cleaning staff were all friendly and seemed to be enjoying themselves. I'd return just because of the way we were treated by all the employees. The location cannot be beat. Free breakfast. Parking. Safe, you need your room key to access the elevator to the rooms. Clean. Comfortable. Friendly staff. Come to the carousel beach inn, I don't think you'll regret it!

nice place to stay when at the boardwalk in Santa Cruz. clean rooms and friendly staff. great location - they also offer free breakfast in the lobby.

Definitely a no frills place to stay but for the price and location we will be back. I mean, when I'm in Santa Cruz I don't spend much time in the room. Staff was friendly upon checking in and checking out. We were given the WiFi code and told about breakfast when we checked in. I will say the beds sucked. Not the actual mattress but the metal underneath. My children kept kicking it on accident and I'm really paranoid about getting complaints and kicked out. I had also asked for a late check out 11:30 or 12 instead of 11 but was told no. I even offered to pay a little extra. The boardwalk didn't open until 12. Again, for the price and location we can deal. I was nervous because I booked solely based on the number of stars they had and the price. I didn't see the bug pics until after I booked. Thankfully there were no bugs and the whole room was clean. We had a great view and will be back again. Hopefully we can stay on the same side which faces the boardwalk sign again.

It was a nice last minute spur of the moment place to stay! Pricing was good! The staff was amazing! The guy was having a bad day due to a system issue and he just remained so positive and nice while checking me in. Surprisingly the system started working again and he was able to check me in properly. This was on 02.11.22. The scones were delicious! My family and I got to spend the morning drinking our coffees looking out to the beautiful view from our balcony. I have nothing but positive things to say about this place. I did read the reviews about the bugs and our room was clear of any bugs and the metal bed frames did not make a difference to my family and I. Thank you for an amazing, comfortable, cleanliness, easy process of checking in and out stay here at the Carousel Beach Inn! We will definitely be staying here again soon!

I am only giving this place 4 stars for a couple of reasons but we had a great hotel experience overall. The bed frame is metal and makes a lot of noise when you are moving on the bed. I had my toddler son with us and he banged his knee a few times on the frame while trying to climb on the bed and bruised his knees so parents beware. When my husband was bringing up our stuff to the room, he kept getting bothered by a couple with questions but we aren't sure if they were guests of the hotel or just from the streets. We suspect that they weren't staying at the hotel. The location, however, was excellent. As you can see based on the photo below that our room was right across from the boardwalk. It was so convenient especially when you have kids because, we had to go back to our hotel room a few times a day for reasons such as changing a diaper or because my toddler was tired and fussy. The staff was very friendly which is important to us because it sets the mood for the rest of the vacation. The room decoration was minimal and simple. The best part was the balcony that had the view of the boardwalk. My son loved the balcony. He never wanted to leave the balcony, night or day. Yes, it was loud at times due to the boardwalk rides etc but nothing to the extent where we lacked sleep from it when the doors and windows were closed. We didn't have a good experience with food in the area. One place in particular had terrible food and service. Posted below is a picture of the taco truck that sometimes parked right across from the hotel. The guy tried to charge us $18 for fish tacos when I only wanted 1 fish taco. He decided to make the decision for us and charged us for a platter of fish tacos. So when we corrected him, he said they were out of the one I wanted. We ordered one Carne asada street taco which looked like a mess with nothing on it and a churro which looked like it got cut in half. It was roughly $15-20. Overpriced with bad service. I highly do not recommend this taco truck. Other than that, I would stay at this hotel again. Can't beat free parking and the location.

The moment I walked in to the office to check in the man was completely rude. He immediately stated the amount I already paid for was incorrect and had me pay 50 extra. As we left to go to our room we notice a needle on the ground. I took a picture (same one uploaded) and brought it to the front desk. His response was "oh looks like someone dropped their diabetic needle" I said doesn't look like a diabetic needle to me and he replied with "I'm a diabetic". There was homeless people in & out of the hotel all hours of the night. The only good thing about this hotel is that it's directly across the street from the boardwalk. I was over charged for a disgusting place I paid 500 for 2 nights and barely slept because there was people on drugs screaming & slamming doors all throughout the night.

3 stars because of location and staff being so kind. Me and my husband stayed here in 2019 and it was great! Nice and clean, and a very cute simple room. We came again this year for our anniversary/my birthday, and I was pretty disappointed this time. The bed was sooooo loud and squeeky, a menu non stop kept popping up on the TV, The bathroom had sticky drip spots on the floor by the sink, and there was a small hand towel with brown stuff on it.. Pretty gross. It wasn't a stain either, it literally flaked off. Idk if it was poop or chocolate from a past guest, Probably best I don't know. Lol Either way this last stay was disappointing. We'll be staying somewhere else in the future, because the brown flaky stuff on the towel was kind of a deal breaker for me. Everytime I showered I was so paranoid about if the other towels were even clean. Lol

My wife and I stayed here on June 20th for one night in room 301, we were in town for a friends birthday where we all relaxed on the beach. We checked in at 3pm, set our bags down, and immediately went back down to the beach for the rest of the day. When we got back to the room that night near 10pm, my pregnant wife was tired and wanted to wash the sand off her legs, when we went to look at the shower we found three clumps of hair on the wall, a small pile of soap on the tub, and hair on the bathroom floor. We also found hair on my wife's pillow and a couple of bugs in one of the corners on the ceiling. This is highly unsanitary and not safe, it made us wonder if the room was even cleaned to begin with. I went down to show the front desk employee who was mortified of what we found, he worked with us to get us to the spare room that was open that night. He was very nice, and said he would have a manager call us the next day about a higher discount as all he was able to give us that night was 10% and we all agreed we deserved a higher discount. Now it is June 30th, still did not receive a call from the manager to discuss a discount. So I called and followed up, the manager was out when I called and I happened to miss his call when he called me back. His voicemail said he refunded only 15% back to my card. 15% is disrespectful given we had to pack up near 11pm at night to go to a new room and that we were in a room with clumps of black hair in the shower and pillow. The employee that helped us change rooms that night was nice, but this place overall was unsanitary. We've stayed in plenty of beach towns before, but never have I experienced such a dirty room. We won't be coming back here again and neither will our family. 15% discount is just simply not enough for putting us through that, especially with a 7 month pregnant wife.

We stayed in Santa Cruz at this hotel for 3 nights during the U.S Open(approx 43 miles from Pebble Beach). Because all the hotels in Monterey was either all booked or priced insanely. The hotel itself is pretty nice. The rooms looked freshly remodeled & clean. Bathrooms are typical...small but nice water pressure. It had a fridge and microwave. There were a small grocery store next door and one about half a block down. The boardwalk and beach is across the street. Parking is a little tight. The staff was friendly & cleaning crew was very thorough. Continental breakfast is served every morning. Santa Cruz is really all about the boardwalk. So, if you have children it's a good place for a visit because of the boardwalk/amusement park type atmosphere. But as for adults, I would skip it. Not much for nice restaurants or things to see and the area is actually is seedy.

We always do our annual Santa Cruz trip and stay at the Carousel Beach inn! It is literally steps from the boardwalk and beach which is so great with the kids. We come and go all day when the kids get tired or hungry! They have out door showers which is great after the beach, they also have a great free continental breakfast that Merna tends and she is absolutely an amazing human being! The rooms are always SPOTLESS and smell clean like bleach! Each room has pretty decent views of the boardwalk we've stayed in! They also offer discounted board walk passes on site so you can skip the line! 10/10 recommend especially if you are traveling with kiddos !

Room is supper close the boardwalk. The balcony is nice. Not a room with a view of the ocean just of the parking lot. Room is very basic nothing fancy. Do not stay her if you mind noise, food vendors with there lights shining until one am. I would suggest this place for parents teenagers that want to go back and forth to the boardwalk. I wouldn't suggest this place for adults that are wanted to experience a nice quiet relaxing close to the beach experience. Watch out for your car, while we were there someone was sleeping in there car, came out to our car the gentleman was passed out with a needle in this hand. Told the office we can back hours later and gentleman was still sitting his is car the same way. Room was cleanish. Bedding was fair.

Continental breakfast,right next to the boardwalk,nice staff,and comfortable!. Temperature control was good.

The pictures posted here were definitely not like the room we got. For the price they definitely need to update the rooms. Room was very outdated and had a "dirty/old" smell to it. Toilet seat paint was literally peeling off. Dirty carpet, old furniture, outdated curtains. Location is great so it would he nice to have an updated room. Employees are awesome very friendly and always asking if we need anything. If they updated the rooms it would definitely be a 5star hotel.

The desk warned us it might be loud because of the boardwalk, but I did not find that to be a problem. It's a quiet unassuming place. We had a few niggly problems but none of them were deal breakers. The lamp did not work and the shower was out of body wash. I was able to take the wall-mounted body wash bottle off and refill it with hand soap from the wall-mounted soap dispenser near the sink. The next day, I told the staff about the lamp and the body wash and they fixed both right away. There's some wear on the door, but everything looks nice and clean. I like how the rooms are not open to the public. The doors to the stairs and elevator are gated. There's a person (sometimes) guarding the parking lot. I felt sorry for that person because s/he was sitting in the dark. Our balcony looked out into the parking lot, so no view, but I could keep an eye on my car. I loved the location. We could go to the boardwalk and come back to rest or use the restroom. Their staff is very pleasant. The breakfast is nothing to write home about (muffins, scones, boiled eggs, but no bacon and eggs or waffles), but at least they fed us. Overall, I was very pleased. I would stay here again.

Best location if you're planning to go to the boardwalk and beach,yes,it's an old building and no swimming pool,staff are friendly .i like the linoleum floor that they have,it didn't smell musty in the room,decor is updated,thanks to hardworking housekeepers that room is very clean,they have free breakfast and if you want to buy more stuff,there's a cash only mini store next door ,bowling alley is walking distance too and if you want foods other than what the boardwalk can offer,u can check out restaurants nearby all in walking distance from this place.

So convenient. Right across the street from the boardwalk. Very clean and you know when the place is clean when it smells like Lysol and Clorox. Staff at the lobby are very pleasant.

So after a speedy reply to my review by Lisa King I am very impressed with their customer service. We talked for sometime about the experience my wife an I had while staying there. It turns out we where staying in a room that was on the repair list. I totally understand that things happen, and that somethings can and cannot be avoided, but to me its how they are addressed after the fact. Lisa contacted me with in hours of my review and started a quick investigation into our issues. The whole customer service from the time we arrived to the Carousel Beach Inn to the time of them responding and making right on the situation has been super pleasant. Lisa went above and beyond (way beyond what I was expecting! Truly!!) and because of the kind, friendly, professional experience we will for sure be back for future business. Thank you Lisa!

This is a decent place to stay at if you want to stay somewhere close to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk! The room was clean and we liked that there are non-carpeted floors. (Didn't want to call them hardwood floors because they may be wood-like in appearance only.) We actually had a lot of fun at the nearby bowling alley on a late Monday night - well it was more like the little bar inside the bowling alley for karaoke! Not a far walking distance at all... maybe a block over from the hotel itself. My major cons about the room we had was that the mini-fridge was sooo loud! I had to unplug it to be able to sleep. Upon moving the fridge a bit to reach the plug I discovered that there was some water (from under the fridge possibly) on the floor. The other issue that bothered me is that there was a rip in the screen door that led to the patio - right next to the handle. The screen door didn't even seem to be on the track since it wouldn't close correctly and I couldn't get it to lock. It's after 1am at the moment - so I'll be reporting all this to the front desk in the morning. For a last minute hotel decision close to the Boardwalk I can't be mad at such things - just a few things for I wanted to give you a heads-up about if you want to consider staying here. I'd stay here again. But it's not a luxury room - keep that in mind. 3 stars for closeness to the Boardwalk, Mike the friendly guy who checked us in and being able to park off-street. Would have been helpful if we had been told check out time etc now that I think of it. But oh well **Update - next morning** Changed the rating from 3 stars to 2. The bed wasn't comfortable after all. We both woke up with back pain and felt the springs a bit in the mattress. I also went to call the front desk to ask when check out was since no one told us the night before and upon going to use the phone I noticed there were NO speed dial options for front desk or anything else for that matter. I wanted to give this place 3 stars for closeness to the Boardwalk and how friendly the gentleman who checked us in but the experience we have had with room amenities it had to be changed to 2.