DAYS INN

I've been coming to Santa Cruz since the mid 60's as a child and always stayed near the main beach/wharf area. I've been aware of the Torch-Lite for years, and we decided to try it, since we were just looking for a place to shower and sleep for one night. We found it online to be the lowest rate, ($89 in summer season), close to the Boardwalk, and it offered a Continental breakfast - ( only from 7am to 9am, so we missed it. Nicely updated rooms and exterior, with well maintained landscaping and pool area. Our room was small with 2 queen beds, but sufficient. The shower was great - very large and newly tiled. In room amenities included shampoo, soap, plenty of towels, coffee maker (nicely stocked), fridge, microwave, and ironing board w/ iron. All you could ask for.I agree with most of the positive reviews here, yes. The last motel we stayed at in Santa Cruz had curry wafting through the air.)It was nice, overall. more

Pool area was clean and the outdoor pool was warm (heated). Many other pools in the same area are not heated. The room was about average for Santa Cruz which tends to be a scumy town. The hotel is about a 10 minute walk to the Boardwalk and the beach. more

If all you need is a place to sleep and a shower in the morning, it's perfectly adequate. Our room was clean, didn't stink and, given we were on the ground floor, next to the stairs and facing the pool, was surprisingly quiet.There are great places to eat downtown which was a 2 minute drive or a 10 minute walk away. 4 blocks to the Bordwalk and Wharf. My cousin, who lives in Santa Cruz, thinks the neighborhood's a bit sketchy but I've lived in sketchy and this seemed pretty tame. All in all, if I need to hit S.C. for an overnighter like we did this time, I go back - the price was right too more

Everything was alright about that hotel. Staff was friendly, pool was clean, room was cozy and clean. Yes, it is in the "not-so-safe" neighbourhood - but that is also true for any street in Santa Cruz neighbouring the famous The Boardwalk Theme Park. We did not notice anything bad around. And we jogged for about 3 miles on both days we stayed in Best Western Torch-Lite Inn. They also did some renovations in the hotel, everything looked fresh. We did use a refridgerator in a room and a pool. They have a continental breakfast at the hotel, but we did not use it because there were so many bakeries in Santa Cruz area...yummy. The hotel is close to a beach and local fisherman's wharf. In one of the previous reviews someone complained about 4 long blocks to The Boardwalk and beach. That is not true. Consider it as a nice relaxing walk. Everything in close in walking distance. Otherwise you can always drive a mile or two. Overall, the hotel is good for just 100 dollars a night during a season. We would definitely stay there again. more

We just spent the night in Santa Cruz for our son's 6th birthday and had a blast! We reserved the room through Costco and felt it was a great deal for one night especially! The Inn was pleasant, well kept, and the landscape and pool was great and a lot of fun! We were surprised that the room had a fridge AND Microwave. The continental breakfast was perfect for the kids and very helpful. We were close enough to the boardwalk to walk and will definitely be staying here again! more

It's a Santa Cruz motel so i didn't expect much -- but i was pleasantly surprised by this hotel. The room - on the small size but that didn't bother me, clean, the bed was comfortable, lots of channels on the tv, bathroom was decent. it's certainly not quiet by any means but you just get used to it. huge fridge in the room where you can put lots of bottles of wine, beer and other drinks. free parking is also a plus.The best part about the hotel is the location - walking distance from downtown and the board walk. also we really loved the pool. it was never crowded. it's clean and really refreshing after a day at the beach.I never made it to the breakfast since it's from 7am to 9am. Overall i liked this hotel. paid $150 a night (for 4th of july weekend). would stay here again. more

Myself, my spouse, and our tween daughter stayed here for 3 nights. The trip was semi-last minute, so we chose this hotel despite some of the negative reviews, based on location and price. On those two accounts we were not disappointed. For 3 nights (Wed., Thurs., and Fri.) we paid just over $100 a night.Room: We requested (and received) a second floor room. The room was close to the stairs and overlooked the pool. The room was small, but it was clean. The furniture was a little banged up, with nicks in the night stands, etc., but everything was clean and I did not mind walking around barefoot or allowing my daughter to do the same. The room had a desk/table but it was impossible to use the desk and walk through the room to get to the bathroom, again, small rooms. The water pressure was great.. If you are a light sleeper, bring ear plugs and don't plan on staying on a really busy weekend.Amenities: We were told there was a continental breakfast available, but it ended at 9am and we were never all ready before 9am, so I cannot say how it was. The pool was very nice, clean, and not very crowded. In fact, on Friday we were the only people using it. There was no hot tub, sauna, or anything else, just the pool. There were very few lounge chairs, and the one I tried to use was broken, so I ended up spreading my towel on the cement surrounding the pool to sun bathe, which was fine with me. In the room was a mini fridge, a microwave, and a small coffee pot. The fridge came in very handy, we stored sodas and leftovers from dinners out. The coffee pot came with a limited coffee supply (no decaf) but I wasn't concerned enough to call down about it.Location: This is where the Torch Lite really shines. It is 3+/- blocks from the boardwalk in one direction and 3+/- blocks from downtown in the other direction. Both easily walkable by myself, husband, and kid. more

Myself, my spouse, and our tween daughter stayed here for 3 nights. The trip was semi-last minute, so we chose this hotel despite some of the negative reviews, based on location and price. On those two accounts we were not disappointed. For 3 nights (Wed., Thurs., and Fri.) we paid just over $100 a night.Room: We requested (and received) a second floor room. The room was close to the stairs and overlooked the pool. The room was small, but it was clean. The furniture was a little banged up, with nicks in the night stands, etc., but everything was clean and I did not mind walking around barefoot or allowing my daughter to do the same. The room had a desk/table but it was impossible to use the desk and walk through the room to get to the bathroom, again, small rooms. The towels were thin, the shower curtain was thin, and the soap/shampoo was very limited. The water pressure was great. Walls were definitely thin. If you are a light sleeper, bring ear plugs and don't plan on staying on a really busy weekend.Amenities: We were told there was a continental breakfast available, but it ended at 9am and we were never all ready before 9am, so I cannot say how it was. The pool was very nice, clean, and not very crowded. In fact, on Friday we were the only people using it. There was no hot tub, sauna, or anything else, just the pool. There were very few lounge chairs, and the one I tried to use was broken, so I ended up spreading my towel on the cement surrounding the pool to sun bathe, which was fine with me. In the room was a mini fridge, a microwave, and a small coffee pot. The fridge came in very handy, we stored sodas and leftovers from dinners out. The coffee pot came with a limited coffee supply (no decaf) but I wasn't concerned enough to call down about it.Location: This is where the Torch Lite really shines. It is 3+/- blocks from the boardwalk in one direction and 3+/- blocks from downtown in the other direction. Both easily walkable by myself, husband, and kid. more

We went memorial day weekend and i really enjoyed my stay here. There was a lady that gave us everything we needed and more. We ran out of towels, she gave us more.. i needed a cork screw for wine.. she had that. EXCELLENT price for the location! i promise. If you are a marriott type of person, this is definitely not your type of place but if you are looking to sleep somewhere comfortable and WALKING distance to the boardwalk(with 3 small children under 6y old) this is your place. Ask for a room near the pool. more

Wow - this is a jewel of a little hotel. This might be the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in! The room is a little small - but not bad. Nice new carpet, clean, nice people who work here (everyone in this town has been nice). And we got a great deal on Priceline! more