What is Downtown like?

Travelers to the Downtown neighborhood in Santa Cruz will be sure to enjoy their stay. Be sure to check out Pacific Avenue and Williams-Reynolds House as part of your Downtown travel plans.

What's the best accommodation in Downtown?

Expedia customers rank Ocean Pacific Lodge the highest for a stay in Downtown.

How many hotels will I be able to find in Downtown?

With 13 Expedia hotels and other accommodations in Downtown to choose from, this is a good starting point for exploring the greater Santa Cruz area.

If I need to cancel my hotel reservation in Downtown, will I receive a refund?

Yes! You'll find that most hotel bookings are fully refundable if cancelled before the accommodation's cancellation deadline, which often is within 24-48 hours of your scheduled arrival. If you have a non-refundable reservation, it might still be possible to cancel it and get a refund within 24 hours of your booking. Enter your dates, click on "Search", then filter by "fully refundable" to view the best deals in Downtown.

Where can I learn more about changing or cancelling my trip to Downtown?

For additional details about updating your trip to Downtown or cancelling it, click here .

What are the top things to see and do in Downtown?

A few attractions you might want to check out while you're in Downtown are Pacific Avenue and Williams-Reynolds House. When you're sightseeing in Santa Cruz, Pacific Garden Mall and Neary Lagoon Park are also worth a stop.

Find hotels in Downtown, Santa Cruz

Where to?

Dates

February 2026

5

March 2026

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Our top choices for Downtown hotels

Ocean Pacific Lodge

Downtown

Sandra

Deluxe Cottage, 1 Bedroom, Fireplace, Garden Area (Cottage 11B) | Individually decorated, individually furnished, blackout drapes

Fern River Resort

8.5 km from Downtown

Echo

￥18,549 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 8 - Feb 9

Best Western Plus Inn Scotts Valley

10.8 km from Downtown

Bree

￥18,781 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 9 - Feb 10

Four Points by Sheraton Santa Cruz Scotts Valley

9.6 km from Downtown

Margaret

￥18,708 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 9 - Feb 10

Masood's Lodge

19.4 km from Downtown

Joshua

￥32,416 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 8 - Feb 9

The Historic Brookdale Lodge, Santa Cruz Mountains

17 km from Downtown

KIM

￥15,506 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 8 - Feb 9

Romantic Room, 1 King Bed, Bathtub, River View | Premium bedding, individually decorated, individually furnished

Captain's Inn at Moss Landing

28.9 km from Downtown

Jacob

￥21,014 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 9 - Feb 10

Hampton Inn & Suites Watsonville

23.8 km from Downtown

mariebeth

￥22,160 total

includes taxes & fees

Mar 6 - Mar 7

Inn At Moss Landing Point

29.3 km from Downtown

Brad

Best Western Rose Garden Inn

24.6 km from Downtown

Luz

￥20,966 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 25 - Feb 26

Fairfield Inn & Suites Santa Cruz - Capitola

5.7 km from Downtown

Zhiwei

￥26,652 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 9 - Feb 10

On the beach, free beach shuttle, beach towels, beach volleyball

Seascape Beach Resort

13.7 km from Downtown

anna

￥50,263 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 8 - Feb 9

Seacliff Inn Aptos, Tapestry Collection by Hilton

10.6 km from Downtown

Listya

￥19,284 total

includes taxes & fees

Mar 2 - Mar 3

Rio Sands Vacation Rentals

11.1 km from Downtown

Jewlia

Inn At Pasatiempo

3.5 km from Downtown

Shana

￥19,562 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 10 - Feb 11

Best Western Plus Capitola By-the-sea Inn & Suites

5.8 km from Downtown

Therese

￥20,449 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 22 - Feb 23

Chaminade Resort & Spa

5 km from Downtown

Andre

￥35,395 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 23 - Feb 24

Hilton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley

7.5 km from Downtown

Miguel

￥18,976 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 23 - Feb 24

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Watsonville by IHG

22.9 km from Downtown

carlos

￥25,650 total

includes taxes & fees

Mar 6 - Mar 7

National 9 Santa Cruz

Westside Santa Cruz, 2 km from Downtown

Scott

￥12,568 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 6 - Feb 7

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Where to stay in Downtown

Find the best Downtown areas and neighborhoods for the activities you enjoy most.

This is a small state park at the northern end of Santa Cruz' scenic West Cliff Drive and a little over a mile from the Boardwalk, wharf and Main Beach. A couple of times a year you can see Monarch butterflies during their migration. They are not in the numbers of years past, but you'll still see some.

If you walk north towards the rocks during low tide you will find some amazing tidepools full of sea anenomes, sea urchins, starfish, crabs, hermit crabs, and all sorts of marine life. The tidepools are on a ledge, so the tide needs to be quite high (>4 ft?) to reach them.

The beach is absolutely stunning at sunset.

#localsecrets

Westside Santa Cruz

Westside Santa Cruz is known for its stunning beaches, and with sights like Monterey Bay and Pacific Avenue, you won't get bored spending a day wandering around this part of Santa Cruz.

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Eastside Santa Cruz

Eastside Santa Cruz is known for its beaches, and you can plan a trip to Monterey Bay and Twin Lakes State Beach while you're in town.

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Nice place to have coffee and watch the waves. Great surf spot. NO bathrooms! #beach #ocean #surf #shops #view

Pleasure Point

World-renowned surf spot with a strong surf culture, Pleasure Point offers picturesque ocean views along East Cliff Drive and a walkable path with separate bike lanes. Enjoy amenities at Pleasure Point Park and nearby 41st Ave commercial district.

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Downtown Santa Cruz

Unique features of Downtown Santa Cruz include the beaches and restaurants. Make a stop by Pacific Avenue or Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History while you're exploring the area.

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CWFJJA USA California CA Santa Cruz clock tower and trolley on Pacific Avenue

Beach Hill - Beach Flats

Beach Hill - Beach Flats might not have many top sights, but Main Beach and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center are two attractions nearby that you can check out.

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