Pros
- Prime Santa Cruz location across from the beach
- Bed-and-breakfast in historic building
- Porch features views of Monterey Bay
- Many rooms have fireplaces and marble bathrooms
- Free water, coffee, and tea available all day
- Free afternoon wine and snacks
- Free hot breakfast
- Free Wi-Fi and parking
Cons
- Gritty neighboring area
- Small first-floor rooms can get noise from above
- Fee for additional guests beyond two per room
- Staff departs in the evening
- No fitness center
Bottom Line
West Cliff Inn is an historic mansion perched on a hill across from a Santa Cruz beach. A bed-and-breakfast operated by the California-based Four Sisters Inns, it features smallish rooms, but most have a fireplace and modern marble bathrooms. The neighborhood has changed around the Victorian building as of late, and it now borders a mobile home park and has seen a growing homeless population. For more affordable rates, there’s the neighboring Santa Cruz Dream Inn as well as Sea and Sand Inn. They lack the historical personality of West Cliff, but both are set on the beach.
Hotel & Amenities Photos
Amenities
- Cribs
- Internet
Oyster Awards
Scene
The restored Victorian mansion, built in 1877, has hard-wood floors and lovely parlors.
Sedgewick Lynch struck it rich during the California gold rush and built this Victorian house in 1877, overlooking the bay. The stately Lynch house, the first of its kind on the bluff above the beach, was preserved as a historical landmark and converted into a bed-and-breakfast in 2007. A manicured lawn and patios surround the tall white manor. Inside, the high ceilings give the dark hard-wood floors, rich fabrics, and spacious parlors room to breathe. A carpeted wooden stairway leads up to the rooms, with artwork adorning pastel-green walls.
Location
On the bluff overlooking the bay and boardwalk, near an array of attractions
West Cliff Inn sits above the bay on West Cliff Drive, which runs from Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk south along the cliffs. Keep going and it's just three miles to a park and Natural Bridges State Beach. Behind the B&B is a mobile home park and to either side is residential housing. The hotel is within walking distance of downtown Santa Cruz, the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center, and the Municipal Wharf, with its shops and restaurants stretching out into the water. Santa Cruz itself is a community on Monterey Bay's north end, home to an eclectic mix of hippies, surfers, students, and music junkies. The city of San Jose is about a 40-minute drive north.
Rooms
Small rooms with gas fireplaces, marble bathrooms, and iPod docks
The intimate hotel has only 10 rooms, all on the small side with pastel tones and coastal, almost Mediterranean blue and white fabrics. All but one of the units have little gas fireplaces, with one or two sitting chairs. The king beds and wood armoires take up nearly all of the remaining floor space. However, the bathrooms are not as cramped, with marble floors, sinks, and roomy walk-in showers with marble benches. Some spaces also have separate hot tubs and one second-floor room has a private, outdoor hot tub. There's also a small one-room cottage separate from the main house in the back of the property. Each space has an iPod dock and Keurig coffeemaker, but no mini-fridge.
Features
Exquisite breakfast offered, as well as afternoon wine and hors d'oeuvres
It's not right on the beach, but the hotel has views of Monterey Bay and the boardwalk from its perch on the bluff. The second-story porch wraps around the side of the mansion and has particularly lovely views of the wharf. Still, the main attraction is the inn's B&B service, starting with a hot buffet in the morning with selections like artichoke quiche, blueberry pancakes, and Grand Marnier French toast. Cookies are baked fresh every afternoon with wine and hors d'oeuvres served toward the end of the day. Coffee, tea, and water are available any time in the lobby. Staff members depart each evening, so there are no after-hour services unless specifically requested.
Related Hotels
Scene
The restored Victorian mansion, built in 1877, has hard-wood floors and lovely parlors.
Sedgewick Lynch struck it rich during the California gold rush and built this Victorian house in 1877, overlooking the bay. The stately Lynch house, the first of its kind on the bluff above the beach, was preserved as a historical landmark and converted into a bed-and-breakfast in 2007. A manicured lawn and patios surround the tall white manor. Inside, the high ceilings give the dark hard-wood floors, rich fabrics, and spacious parlors room to breathe. A carpeted wooden stairway leads up to the rooms, with artwork adorning pastel-green walls.
Location
On the bluff overlooking the bay and boardwalk, near an array of attractions
West Cliff Inn sits above the bay on West Cliff Drive, which runs from Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk south along the cliffs. Keep going and it's just three miles to a park and Natural Bridges State Beach. Behind the B&B is a mobile home park and to either side is residential housing. The hotel is within walking distance of downtown Santa Cruz, the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center, and the Municipal Wharf, with its shops and restaurants stretching out into the water. Santa Cruz itself is a community on Monterey Bay's north end, home to an eclectic mix of hippies, surfers, students, and music junkies. The city of San Jose is about a 40-minute drive north.
Rooms
Small rooms with gas fireplaces, marble bathrooms, and iPod docks
The intimate hotel has only 10 rooms, all on the small side with pastel tones and coastal, almost Mediterranean blue and white fabrics. All but one of the units have little gas fireplaces, with one or two sitting chairs. The king beds and wood armoires take up nearly all of the remaining floor space. However, the bathrooms are not as cramped, with marble floors, sinks, and roomy walk-in showers with marble benches. Some spaces also have separate hot tubs and one second-floor room has a private, outdoor hot tub. There's also a small one-room cottage separate from the main house in the back of the property. Each space has an iPod dock and Keurig coffeemaker, but no mini-fridge.
Features
Exquisite breakfast offered, as well as afternoon wine and hors d'oeuvres
It's not right on the beach, but the hotel has views of Monterey Bay and the boardwalk from its perch on the bluff. The second-story porch wraps around the side of the mansion and has particularly lovely views of the wharf. Still, the main attraction is the inn's B&B service, starting with a hot buffet in the morning with selections like artichoke quiche, blueberry pancakes, and Grand Marnier French toast. Cookies are baked fresh every afternoon with wine and hors d'oeuvres served toward the end of the day. Coffee, tea, and water are available any time in the lobby. Staff members depart each evening, so there are no after-hour services unless specifically requested.
Hotel & Amenities Photos
Best Rates
Amenities
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Balcony / Terrace / Patio
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Beach
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Cable
-
Concierge
-
Cribs
-
Dry Cleaning
-
Internet
-
Poolside Drink Service
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Separate Bedroom / Living Room Space
Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.
