Fireside Inn Santa Cruz

This is a very well maintained and modernized property and priced lower than surrounding motels at most times. The entire Santa Cruz area is quite expensive on weekends during the summer. The only reason I have it only 4 stars is that the parking is horrendous. Not only is it on a steep hill, most spots are also slanted and quite tight to park in. Crime is also rampant in the area with vagrants eyeballing vehicles daily to steal from so don’t leave anything outside the room that you cannot live without. This applies to the entire area, not just Fireside…

Great location! Had everything we needed for a weekend away. Beds were comfy. Very clean.

Very close to the boardwalk! We love staying here when we want to spend the night in Santa Cruz.

First time staying here and it was really convenient! Walking out the boardwalk through the arcade it’s about a 2 minute walk to the room. Check in was a breeze. Park, check in, and front desk helps you find a spot. Would definitely stay here again.

Place was quiet, close to the boardwalk, staff was very nice, the only complaint would be the AC didn't work.

This is my second time here and once again, pros and cons. The last time we were here, the room were outdated but AC works. Now this year, rooms were renovated but AC didn't work this time. The only complaint was the bed platform makes loud bang noise. I'll definitely be back only if the price is right.

This motel was awful. We spent $530 for 2 nights and it wasn’t even worth half of that. The beds are rock hard, you can feel the springs, and the bed frame is so noisy just getting in/ out and rolling. It sounds like metal hitting against metal. The showers water pressure is so so bad. It took our family of 5 an absolute ridiculous amount of time to shower as the water barely drips out. The water was also barely luke warm. By the time we were 2 showers in the water was cold. The lights outside of the rooms were also so bright that it looked like day time through the windows in the middle of the night. It was so bright and kept our kids up. We had to have housekeeping come in and mop the floors because our feet were immediately turning black walking around after showers. You can tell they don’t clean properly between guests. Also, they feed a whole hoard of pigeons, so if you’re lucky enough and park where they feed, your car will be covered in poop. Absolutely the worst place we’ve ever stayed. Will not be returning.

1 spider in the bed fine, 1 green dead bug found inbetween the pillows ok….bed bug crawling on the bed, no no no packed up and left immediately. Still waiting for a call from the manager because supposedly no “manager” on site. Avoid her at costs. Yeah super close and convenient next to the boardwalk which was nice but I didn’t plan to have bugs in my bed also.

Muy cerca de la playa

We are Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk enthusiasts, and our objective is to stay as close to the Boardwalk as possible, park our car where we stay, and have a place to rest in the mid-afternoon. Did we get those things at the Fireside Inn? Yes, we did. However, we would not come back. Things we liked: - Proximity to the Boardwalk - Room configuration (king bed in the “main room” and separate bedroom with two double beds) - Parking included - Refrigerator (and microwave, though we didn’t use it) in room Things that were disappointing: - The strong smell of Fabuloso cleaner that tries to mask the mildew or mold (we still don’t know which one) stank. My kid’s stuffy that he slept with in his bed came home smelling like that room. So, so gross! - The bath products in the wall dispensers. The hand soap was empty. There is only a 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner. The body wash and shampoo are suspiciously similar. - The window, while operable, had no screen, and given the smell, you REALLY want to open that window. (Notable credit to the plantation shutters though.) - The TVs (there were two) got snowy reception and a very odd set of channels. The kid room has fewer channels than the main room. - The beds felt almost hollow and just sank when you sat. The linens were questionably clean. - The parking is very, very tight. We managed, but many spaces are parallel on an incline. Overall, this place reminds you - you get what you pay for. Pay a little more.