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Bay Front Inn

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Traveller (156)
Room & Suite (36)
Pool & Beach (7)

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About

#13 of 25 motels in Santa Cruz
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value

Everyone needs a place to lay their weary head. For travellers visiting Santa Cruz, Bay Front Inn is an excellent choice for rest and rejuvenation. Well-known for its family-friendly environment and proximity to great restaurants and attractions, Bay Front Inn makes it easy to enjoy the best of Santa Cruz.

As your “home away from home,” the motel rooms offer a flat screen TV and air conditioning, and getting online is easy, with free wifi available.

Guests have access to a picnic area and a sun terrace while staying at Bay Front Inn. In addition, Bay Front Inn offers a pool and free breakfast, which will help make your Santa Cruz trip additionally gratifying. And, as an added convenience, there is free parking available to guests.

While staying at Bay Front Inn, visitors can check out Boardwalk's Cocoanut Grove (0.5 mi) and Mark Abbot Memorial Lighthouse (0.5 mi), some of Santa Cruz's top attractions.

If you’re looking for an Italian restaurant, consider a visit to Tramonti, Lillian's Italian Kitchen, or Cafe Mare, which are all conveniently located a short distance from Bay Front Inn.

There is no shortage of things to do in the area: explore popular gardens such as UCSC Arboretum and Ocean View Park.

Bay Front Inn is sure to make your visit to Santa Cruz one worth remembering.

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Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Free breakfast
Bicycle rental
Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )
Non-smoking hotel
Picnic area
Paid public parking on-site
Parking
Wifi
Outdoor pool
Vending machine
Sun terrace
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Room features
Air conditioning
Microwave
Flatscreen TV
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
2.0 of 5 stars
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
584Reviews3Q+A100Room tips
Traveller rating
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Marian M wrote a review Feb 2024
17 contributions13 helpful votes
+1
The room was in need of paint, cleaning, better mattress and a refrigerator that doesn’t run all night. Couldn’t turn off refrigerator as it would have defrosted. Hair dryer did not work. Nonsmoking property but many guests smoke pot outside. Marie at the desk was nice.
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Date of stay: February 2024
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Teri B wrote a review Aug 2023
Santa Barbara, California3 contributions3 helpful votes
We arrived at the hotel at 1:30 hoping to get into our room a little early after a four hour drive to Santa Cruz. We were surprised to see that there was a sign on the door saying the lobby was closed until 2:30. The sign also said that early check-ins would be charged a $15 fee. That was a new one for us... We went for a walk and returned at 2:50 to find that our room wasn't ready. We waited outside and finally got our key a little bit after 3:00. While checking in, I asked the clerk about the included breakfast and he said that it wasn't really breakfast, just pastries and fruit. The way he said it made it sound like it would be something like packaged muffins and a banana. I asked about the time and he said the food was put out at 10:00. Wow, most breakfasts are finished by then. I asked why it was so late and he said the lady who was responsible just showed up whenever she wanted. The room (#116) was next to the (noisy) pool and smelled of chlorine and bleach. The bed was comfortable, but the pillows were overly thick, lumpy ones - luckily for us we brought our own. We tried to log in to the wifi, but we kept getting kicked out. I called the office a couple of times, but no one answered. I took the iPad to the office at 3:30 to get some help and there was a sign on the door saying the office was closed for 15 minutes. I went back at 3:45 to find the clerk eating a burrito that he had obviously gotten for a takeout meal. Now mind you, he started his shift at 2:30. Why he thought it would be a good idea to close up after being there an hour, I have no idea. Anyway, he said that all the hotels in that block share the same password so we should use one of the other hotel networks. Not exactly secure. We finally found one that worked, but it was slow. There was no chair in the room or anywhere to sit other than the bed. The A/C was loud and annoying, but it was difficult to keep the window open due to the loud pool people. There were signs all over saying the pool closed at 9:00, but of course no one was there to enforce the policy. Later, we went out for the evening and when we came back, the hotel parking lot was completely full. We had to park on the street which had meters from 8:00 AM to 8:00PM. In the morning, we got up and put coins in so we wouldn't get a ticket. It all added to the annoyance of the whole experience. The icing on the cake was when almost exactly two days later, I got a return call from the office. I couldn't pick up, but the voicemail message said that they saw I had called (about the wifi) and they were returning my call. Two. Days. Later.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Bear G wrote a review May 2023
1 contribution
Free breakfast was advertised but not provided. Clerk was not available. No phones. Dogs in swimming pool. Gross and pretty sure illegal. Staff witnessed and did nothing. Nobody available for checkout either. Unsure if deposit will be returned.
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Date of stay: May 2023
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: Maybe get the health dept to post a no dogs in pool sign.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Anna L wrote a review Oct 2022
Dublin, Ireland3 contributions
We stayed at the Bay Front Inn in September and our car was broken into while being parked in the hotel parking lot. The person at the reception said the owner will email the footage of the video cameras but he never did. I tried to call the hotel many times but they never call back. Hotels.com who I book from tried it as well with no success! I am still waiting to get my money back! In addition, the rooms are small, don't look anything like the photos and it's very loud. I would avoid that place at all cost!!
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Date of stay: September 2022
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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dorilynn wrote a review Jul 2022
Tucson, Arizona11 contributions
my family has traveled all over this country and this hotel by far was the WORST we've ever stayed in. felt like a 3rd world cheap hotel with an expensive price tag ($300) there was no one on the property to check us in or to a submit complaint about our room. other patrons were loud & noisy. service truck was parked in handicap spot without a designated handicap sign on rearview mirror or license plate. i'm senior with knee problems and needed that spot. room was dirty. bathroom was disgusting. we were on lower level and hallway looked like a dungeon.
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Date of stay: July 2022
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Room Tip: don't make reservations at this dive!
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Steven R wrote a review Apr 2022
San Jose, California2 contributions
BEWARE - Booked room via Expedia with no issues. I checked in and was told $100 would be held on my card for incidentals, which is pretty standard. I noticed the following day I was charged $185, I waited to see if it would be lifted, but it was charged. I spent over a week trying to get a hold of management with various staff (Lennon, etc.), saying my name was already saved for management to call. I tried calling again, and now they don't pick up the phone; I left messages with no luck.
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Date of stay: April 2022
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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rubicon wrote a review Feb 2022
Forestville, California99 contributions62 helpful votes
first of all BFI website is difficult to find. Being in tourism I always book direct. I made my reservation online. My receipt/confirmation gave no indication of limited hours. I tried calling BFI several times and kept getting the same message--they were closed. I had a confirmed receipt of my reservation. We arrived approximately 7:25 in the evening, No one was at the front desk, and the door was locked. I saw a small sign on the window that said if you came after hours(??) then contact Casa Blanca. I called that number--recorded message said they were closed. My wife, a cancer patient was not feeling well and wanted to get settled somewhere ASAP. I ended up booking a room at a hotel around the corner which of course had 24/7 front desk person. After I booked a room, moved in I finely got a message and email from BFI that had directions on how to get to my room. I texted back and said I already had a place. They charged my credit card anyway. Then said they tried to contact me--they didn't. there were no messages on my home phone or my cell prior. Bay Front Inn was the no show, I should not have been charged. Very bad customer service. This is from a long time customer, now no more.
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Date of stay: February 2022
Location
Service
Room Tip: don't let them put you in the back corner room, dark area, concrete area dirty rest of the...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Abbie G wrote a review Oct 2021
Bradley, California247 contributions69 helpful votes
We saw the ratings on this hotel (not on Trip Advisor) and most of them were 2-3 star. I was hoping it wasnt as bad as the ratings said and it wasn't. Yes, it is just mainly a motel with only two levels but it worked for us. I can't say it was quiet because it really wasn't. We were in the room right behind the office so we heard everything including a barking dog at 845am and anyone talking and walking by. I only took away one star because the bed was a king and was huge and pretty comfortable, the TV was also big and they had a refrigerator and microwave in the room which was much needed because we had leftover dinner and also ordered doordash. Although I didn't take a shower, it's actually a huge tub with the shower and I don't see that often in hotel or motel rooms. It rained last night and you could hear the rain falling and it was so nice. We were about a 5 minute drive from the Boardwalk and really close to food places. And Boardwalk Bowl. Very fun night and this hotel room was very comfortable over all.
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Date of stay: October 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: We got a bottom floor and my guess would be to get a top floor to drown out some of the noise of...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Mary F wrote a review Jul 2021
1 contribution1 helpful vote
First of all the price was higher than quoted on the internet but I could not get in to book the rooms, so I called it in. When we checked in the gal did not state the price and when we left no body was in the office to get our final bill. I found out how much it was when I finally got hold of someone to send me the bill, after I already had send a email to send it to me and of course no response. The rooms floors were dirty, no internet connection, the ac did not work, the remote to the TV in one room was broken, two guests in each room and just enough towels for one guest and no one around to get extra towels, shower drain not working and etc. Too many things to mention. Thank god we only stayed for one night. I want my money back!!!
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Date of stay: July 2021
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Room Tip: Skip this hotel!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
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Connor M wrote a review Jun 2020
1 contribution4 helpful votes
Go somewhere else. The Bay Front Inn has proved to be a hellscape of modern lodging. On a trip with my partner and her father we arrived, having booked on Expedia, to a receptionist that was unaware of our stay. It was two king bed rooms - no big deal, he punches in our info and gets us our rooms. While at first glance our room seemed perfectly livable for our one night stay, the longer I looked around the more the facade began to unwind. Broken glass in the picture frame. Frayed wires sticking out of what would be the bottom prong of the fridge's plug. Towel racks were not adhered to the sink counter and slid off at the slightest pull. Lamps near the bed do not work. The WiFi password posted on the inside of the door is incorrect. Stains and scuffs, everywhere. However, this initial experience of destitution was only setting the stage for the real problem, which began at 4am. The neighboring room was making far too much noise on the shared balcony of the hotel, and would not listen to any requests to quiet down. Upon one of the many times coming out to ask for the conversation to move, my partner's father was locked out of the room. He had the key, mind you, but the door lock simply stopped accepting any cards, with a periodic red blinking light the only indication that something was wrong. Going down to the main office/lobby, we find that there is no receptionist, the door is left completely unlocked, and every number posted we called went straight to voicemail, including the emergency lockout number (which we could HEAR ringing in the unattended office). By the time we had been locked out for 2 hours, I had to use the bathroom, and so I went into the empty lobby to use the staff bathroom as it was the only one available for me on the property. I am absolutely appalled to find that not only is this bathroom filthy, but there is NO soap whatsoever, which comes as a complete and utter betrayal towards the supposed "care" that this inn has claimed to take during COVID-19 procedures. The legality, or lack thereof, of such practice was enough to make me disgusted and irate. Beyond my own trepidations, this unattended lobby was a glaring target for crime, with a plethora of electronics left behind an unlocked door. By the time it was 9am, still no one had showed up, answered any calls, or given any indication that we were going to be helped soon. This prompted a call to the police, born both out of frustration for our situation as well as genuine worry that this hotel attendant left the lobby in some sort of crisis, hence the open door with no security. After some back and forth with the authorities, we are informed that the owner of the hotel is on the way. When he arrives, he claims to only be the fixer-upper, here to let us into the room. After he used a master key, we finally had access to our room, five and a half hours from the start of this endeavor. He takes our info down, leaves it at the front desk, and tells us that someone will be in contact to handle compensation for our troubles. Only once he leaves do we discover, from a regular resident of the hotel, that he was indeed the owner of the establishment, and had outright lied to us. We learn that his son manages the place, and there is no apparent or consistent work schedule, nor reliable communication at any given time. There are not even any cleaners present in the building and it is 10:05am at the time of writing this review. Our car keys were stuck inside the locked out room, along with a wallet and any means to go enjoy a normal day with friends. It is, at best, an embarrassment to consider this sinkhole of human decency a legitimate hotel business. We came to Santa Cruz, a familiar former home town full of good company, to get away from pre-existing stress. The Bay Front Inn has instead catapulted us into a brick wall of inconsideration, deceit, dereliction, and immobility. I would sooner attempt to sleep on the side of the highway. I would sooner prod a hibernating bear awake to try and sleep in their cave. I would sooner pull a tooth out than to ever have to expend my energy waiting for the most basic of accommodation that this rancid shack failed to provide. To any employees outside of the owning family, you deserve a better job. To the owner who decided that a beach-side hotel should instead be run like a frontier town dying of Cholera, you deserve no success. Do not give this business your money. Go anywhere else.
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Date of stay: June 2020
Location
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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PRICE RANGE
S$103 - S$158 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
bay front hotel santa cruz, bay front motel
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaSanta Cruz
NUMBER OF ROOMS
38
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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BAY FRONT INN: UPDATED 2024 Motel Reviews, Price Comparison and 174 Photos (Santa Cruz, CA) - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Bay Front Inn
Which popular attractions are close to Bay Front Inn?
Nearby attractions include West Cliff Drive (0.04 km), Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center (0.3 km), and Boardwalk Bowl (0.5 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Bay Front Inn?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free breakfast, and a pool.
What food & drink options are available at Bay Front Inn?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast during their stay.
Is parking available at Bay Front Inn?
Yes, free parking and paid public parking on-site are available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Bay Front Inn?
Conveniently located restaurants include Jack O'Neill Restaurant & Lounge, The Picnic Basket, and Ideal Bar & Grill.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Bay Front Inn?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Are pets allowed at Bay Front Inn?
Yes, pets are typically allowed, but it's always best to call ahead to confirm.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Bay Front Inn?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English and Spanish.
Are there any historical sites close to Bay Front Inn?
Many travellers enjoy visiting San Lorenzo River Railroad Bridge (0.9 km).
Is Bay Front Inn accessible?
Yes, it offers wheelchair access. For specific enquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.