The Aqua Pacific Hotel

This place charged us $350 a night as it was the UCSC move in week. Hundreds of parent dropping off kids and taking the opportunity to check out the awesome town of Santa Cruz. Not too many choices. It’s not a hotel. It’s a motel. The rooms are newly renovated, but very poorly. Paint was good. The sink faucet when turned on sounded like a train coming through the room. There was no shampoo or conditioner in the dispenser that was barely attached to the shower wall. The bathroom is so small that you have to step over the toilet to close the door. The spa didn’t work as advertised. The staff at check in avoided eye contact and any form of courtesy. It’s a shi t hole. Oh. The beds are on metal frames that are about six wider than the twin mattress. That’s was a shin cracker in the dark. That’s about it. We would have been happy had we paid about $69.99 a night. On the good side, we really enjoyed Santa Cruz. Here’s a golden tip. Eat dinner at Special Noodle. Best Asian Food that we have ever had…in our lives.

We had a great two-night stay at the Aqua Pacific! Recently renovated with very nice fixtures and really comfy beds. The owner is always there taking care of guests and doing everything he can for them, while also working really hard to do much of the upkeep. He's a super guy who wants his guests to enjoy their stay above all else. Why give money to some conglomerate, when you can support a great local business? We were given a very good deal on an upgrade to adjoining rooms during a quiet mid-week spell, when the owner saw that we were a family of four. That really made our trip so much better! Parking is easy, and the location is super-convenient to walk across the river to downtown, or to the boardwalk area. Great food locally includes the Special Noodle place a block away and the bakery called "Buttery". We would definitely stay here again.

Absolutely the nicest and most accommodating owner and staff ive ever encountered. TJ and iffy? Treated us and our 2 dogs like family. Jacuzzi tub in our room was so relaxing. Highly recommended. Hurry up and fix the hot tub:). Tell the fish we said hi. Lol.

Easy access to parking. Superb employees! made us feel welcome. the hot tub was broken and the pool looked like it was inside on the website. but we didn't swim because it was too cold as an outside pool. floors needed a mopping. Walking around in our socks showed how dirty the floors were. only one of our rooms had a musty odor. Over all, the two day stay was family and pet friendly. we felt safe and cared for. A fun stay in Santa Cruz.

Aqua Pacific has just opened after a complete remodel. Everything is brand new. Also the hotel is NOT part of a big chain. It is locally owned by a young family. I, personally, like the idea of supporting a family trying to get their business up and running.