A Walk-to-Everything Motel at the Beach End of Pacific Avenue
There are not many Santa Cruz addresses where you can leave the car parked all weekend and still do the sand, the pier, the roller coaster and dinner downtown on foot. Bay Front Inn has one of them. Turn left out of the drive and Main Beach and the Santa Cruz Wharf are about five minutes away, the Beach Boardwalk about eight. Turn right and Pacific Avenue starts almost immediately, with its record shops, bookshops, taco bars and coffee houses.
Pick it if you would rather spend your money on the town than on the room: simple air-conditioned rooms with hardwood floors, a fridge and a private bathroom, a front desk that guests describe as friendly and helpful, and a position you can walk out of in any direction. Skip it if you need an overnight reception, a restaurant on site or a guaranteed silent night, because none of those is part of the deal.
What you do get is a proper courtyard: a seasonal pool ringed by palms, a sun terrace, a strip of garden and picnic tables set back from the street, which is where families end up after a day on the rides. Dogs are genuinely welcome rather than tolerated, with ground-floor rooms set aside for them and hard flooring instead of carpet. Bay Front Inn works best for families and couples who want the whole of Santa Cruz within walking distance and are happy with a straightforward room at the end of it.
What Are the Rooms Like at Bay Front Inn?
They are simple, bright and built for beach days rather than for lingering indoors. All 38 rooms are air-conditioned, with heating and a fan as well, hardwood or parquet floors underfoot instead of tired carpet, white bedding over a coloured upholstered headboard, and a private bathroom with a bath or shower, free toiletries and a hairdryer. You also get a fridge and a coffee maker in the room, plus a flat-screen TV with cable and satellite channels. Those are plain cable sets rather than smart TVs, so pack a streaming stick if you want your own films at night.
The choice is really about how much space your group needs. A king room suits two people who plan to be out all day. The two-queen room gives four of you room to spread out without paying for a separate lounge. The family studio adds a bedroom of its own plus a front room that sleeps more, which is the one that keeps grandparents and grandchildren in the same booking, and the superior studio goes further again with a kitchenette, a dining table, a sofa and a balcony. Some rooms sit on the upper floor and are reached by stairs only, so ask for a ground-floor room if steps are a problem or you are travelling with a dog.
Coffee in the Lobby, Palms Around the Pool
The lobby sets the tone before you ever see the room: a reclaimed-timber reception counter, driftwood whales and shell jars on white shelving, a framed aerial shot of the bay, and a rack of boogie boards and floats by the door for anyone heading down to the sand. Alongside it there is a self-serve coffee counter, which is the honest version of what this motel does in the morning. Breakfast is not served, so make it a taco bar or a coffee house on Pacific Avenue instead, both of which are a few minutes away.
Out the back, the courtyard is the reason families rebook. The kidney-shaped pool is heated through spring and summer and closes for the cooler months, and around it sit loungers, a shaded table, a sun terrace and picnic benches under the palms, all of it away from the traffic. Practical things to have straight before you arrive: payment here is by card only, a refundable damage deposit is taken at check-in with photo ID, and the front desk keeps daytime hours rather than round-the-clock ones, so ring ahead if you will be late.
Why Book Bay Front Inn?
Bay Front Inn is at its strongest for families and couples who want to do Santa Cruz on foot, park the car on arrival and forget about it until they leave.
Two days out, one door
Main Beach and the Wharf are about five minutes away on foot and the Beach Boardwalk about eight, while downtown Pacific Avenue starts about a minute in the other direction.
A courtyard, not a car park
The pool is heated through spring and summer and sits in a palm-shaded courtyard with loungers, a sun terrace and picnic tables, set back from the street noise.
Room for the whole party
The family studio puts a separate bedroom and a front room together for up to six, and the superior studio adds a kitchenette, a dining table and a balcony.
Dogs, properly welcome
Two pets up to 50 lb are accepted for a nightly fee, in ground-floor rooms with hard flooring, and service animals stay free of charge.
Check Availability at Bay Front Inn
- Cancellation terms are shown before you confirm
- No booking fees
Interesting Points About Bay Front Inn
- The two halves of a Santa Cruz trip pull in opposite directions from this one door. Main Beach and the Wharf are about five minutes south on foot, the Beach Boardwalk about eight, and the record shops, taquerias and coffee houses of Pacific Avenue start about a minute north.
- Breakfast is not served here, whatever some older travel listings still say. What you get instead is a self-serve coffee counter in the lobby, under a wall of driftwood whales, and Firefly Coffee House about four minutes up the street.
- The pool is heated to 79F through spring and summer only. It is not heated in autumn or winter, when it closes for the season, so a swim is a summer plan rather than a year-round one.
- The televisions are ordinary cable sets, not smart TVs. Pack a streaming stick if you want your own films and shows in the room, because there is nothing to log into.
- The Giant Dipper, the wooden coaster on the Boardwalk about eight minutes' walk away, opened on 17 May 1924 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
- The front desk is staffed roughly 10:00 to 19:00 with no overnight cover, so if your flight or drive puts you in after about 18:30, call ahead and the team will arrange your arrival.
Rooms & Accommodation at Bay Front Inn
King Room
Up to 2 guests · King · 26.8 m²
The right call for couples who intend to be out all day. Roughly 27 m² with one king bed, hardwood floors, a private bathroom with a bath or shower, air conditioning, heating and a fan, a fridge, a coffee maker and a flat-screen TV with cable channels. It sits in the same simple, bright register as the rest of the motel, which is exactly what you want when the plan is beach, Boardwalk and dinner on Pacific Avenue. Note that some of these rooms are on the upper floor and reached by stairs.
Check Prices
Queen Room with Two Queen Beds
Up to 4 guests · 2 queen beds · 26.8 m²
Two beds, four people, same floor space as the king room, and that is the whole point: a straightforward family or friends room that does not cost you a separate lounge you would never sit in. It has hardwood floors, a desk, a fridge, a microwave and a coffee maker, air conditioning and heating, a private bathroom and a flat-screen TV with satellite channels. Best for parents with two children, or two couples splitting a weekend on the beach.
Check Prices
Standard Family Room
Up to 6 guests · Separate bedroom · 53.4 m²
This is the one that keeps a whole family in a single booking. It runs to about 53 m² across a proper bedroom and a front room, so parents can close a door on the children at bedtime rather than sitting in the dark, and it takes up to six people in total. Hardwood floors, plantation shutters, air conditioning, a private bathroom, a fridge, a microwave, a wardrobe and ironing facilities. Cots and extra beds are not available, so build any little ones into the party count when you book.
Check Prices
Superior Studio
Up to 6 guests · Studio with kitchenette · 55.7 m²
The kitchenette and the balcony are the reason to take this one over the family room. The largest option at around 56 m², it is an entire studio with a kitchenette (oven, stovetop, kitchenware and a dining table), a sofa bed, a seating area, a wardrobe, a bathroom with both a bath and a shower, and outdoor furniture on the balcony. It suits a longer stay, a family who would rather cook than queue for a table on Pacific Avenue, and anyone who wants somewhere to sit outside at the end of a beach day. Upper floor, reached by stairs.
Check PricesAmenities and Facilities
In Your Room
- Free Wi-Fi in all rooms and public areas
- Air conditioning, heating and a fan
- Hardwood or parquet floors
- Fridge
- Microwave (in most rooms, and brought to the room on request)
- Coffee machine and tea and coffee making facilities
- Flat-screen TV with cable and satellite channels
- Clothes rack and linen provided
- Not available: Smart TV and streaming apps
Bathroom
- Private bathroom in every room
- Bath or shower, with a shower and tub combination in most rooms
- Free toiletries
- Hairdryer
- Towels, pool and beach towels and toilet paper provided
Pool, Garden and Outdoors
- Outdoor pool, heated and open in spring and summer, closed for the cooler months
- Sun terrace with loungers
- Garden
- Picnic area with outdoor furniture
- Designated outdoor smoking area
- Not available: Indoor pool
- Not available: Spa or wellness centre
- Not available: Gym
Food and Drink
- Self-serve coffee counter in the lobby
- Snack and drink vending machines
- Kitchenette with an oven and a stovetop in the superior studio
- Not available: On-site breakfast
- Not available: Restaurant
- Not available: Bar
- Not available: Room service
Services and Practicalities
- Front desk staffed roughly 10:00 to 19:00
- English and Spanish spoken
- On-site parking, limited spaces and not guaranteed
- Non-smoking throughout
- CCTV in common areas and outside, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers
- Invoice provided on request
- Not available: Overnight reception
- Not available: Lift
- Not available: Airport shuttle
- Not available: Cots and extra beds
Pets and Accessibility
- Pets welcome, two per room up to 50 lb, for a fee of $25 per pet per night
- Ground-floor pet rooms with hard flooring
- Service animals accepted free of charge
- Toilet with grab rails
- Accessible parking space
- Children of all ages welcome
Location and Getting Around
325 Pacific Avenue is the address to have if you want to walk. The motel sits at the southern, beach end of the street, which means the whole of downtown runs away from you in one direction and the sea sits at the other. Head south and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center is about three minutes on foot, Main Beach and the Santa Cruz Wharf about five, and the Beach Boardwalk with its 1924 Giant Dipper about eight. Head north and Pacific Avenue does the rest: bookshops, record shops, thrift stores and a run of good, cheap places to eat.
The local detail worth having is how close the food is. Las Palmas Taco Bar is roughly three minutes up the street, Firefly Coffee House about four, and Big Basin Vineyards keeps a tasting room barely two minutes away. Walk another five or six minutes into the centre and you have Hula's Island Grill and Lupulo Craft Beer House on Cathcart Street, El Palomar and Kianti's further up Pacific. First-time visitors nearly always overestimate the driving and underestimate the walking here: park once, and you can leave the car until you go home.
For getting out of town, the Santa Cruz Metro Center is about a five-minute walk east, and that is where the Highway 17 Express leaves for San Jose Diridon Station every day of the year, with a one-way fare of $7.00. Cowell's Beach, the classic beginners' surf break, is about six minutes on foot; West Cliff Drive and the lighthouse Surfing Museum make a good half-hour walk along the water. Natural Bridges State Beach and its monarch butterfly grove are a short drive west.
- Pacific Avenue shops and cafes: 1-minute walk, the pedestrian-friendly main street of independent shops and taquerias
- Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center: 3-minute walk, free interactive exhibits on the bay and its wildlife
- Las Palmas Taco Bar: 3-minute walk, the closest cheap and cheerful dinner to the door
- Santa Cruz Main Beach: 5-minute walk, the city's flagship sand and beach volleyball strip
- Santa Cruz Wharf: 5-minute walk, a half-mile pier with seafood counters and sea lions below the deck
- Santa Cruz Metro Center: 5-minute walk, the transit hub for the Highway 17 Express to San Jose
- Cowell's Beach: 6-minute walk, the gentle break where most people take their first surf lesson
- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: 8-minute walk, the oldest seaside amusement park in California, open since 1907
- Santa Cruz Surfing Museum: 20 to 25-minute walk, inside the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse above Steamer Lane
- Natural Bridges State Beach: 10-minute drive, sea arch, tide pools and the state monarch butterfly preserve
- Seymour Marine Discovery Center: 12-minute drive, the university marine lab with an 87-foot blue whale skeleton
- San Jose Mineta International Airport: 45-minute drive over Highway 17
Getting to Key Locations
Photo: Noah_Loverbear, CC BY-SA 3.0
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
California's oldest seaside amusement park has been running since 1907, and the wooden Giant Dipper coaster at the heart of it opened in 1924 and has been a National Historic Landmark since 1987. It is about eight minutes on foot from the door, and you can walk in, ride the coaster and the 1911 Looff carousel and walk out again without paying to enter the park. Go in the early evening, when the queues thin out and the lights come on over the sand.
View on Map
Photo: Runner1928, CC BY-SA 3.0
Santa Cruz Wharf
A working pier that runs out into the bay five minutes from the door, lined with seafood counters and gift shops, with a colony of sea lions barking from the cross-beams underneath. Walk out along it for the view back over Main Beach and across to the surfers at Steamer Lane, and look for the viewing holes cut into the deck if you want to see the sea lions rather than just hear them. A storm took out the far end in December 2024, so check how much of the deck is open before you set off.
View on Map
Photo: Dvortygirl, CC BY-SA 3.0
Natural Bridges State Beach
One sea arch still stands off this beach, and the tide pools below the cliffs are the best rock pooling within reach of town. It is about ten minutes away by car, west along the coast. Time it between mid-October and mid-February and the eucalyptus grove behind the sand fills with monarch butterflies, the only state monarch preserve in California.
View on Map
Photo: Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse
The squat brick lighthouse on Lighthouse Point houses the surfing museum that opened in 1986, the first of its kind anywhere, and it looks straight down onto Steamer Lane where surfers have been dropping in since the 1930s. It is a 20 to 25-minute walk along West Cliff Drive from the motel. The walk out along the water is as good a reason to go as the museum itself.
View on MapHow to Get to Bay Front Inn
- Fly into San Jose: San Jose Mineta International Airport is the nearest, about 45 minutes away by car. Monterey Regional and San Francisco International are the other two options, at roughly an hour and an hour and a half.
- Drive over Highway 17: From the airport take CA-17 south over the Santa Cruz Mountains. It is a twisting road with a fair amount of traffic on summer weekends, so leave yourself more time than the map suggests.
- Come off at Ocean Street: Merge onto CA-1 and take the Ocean Street exit into town. Follow Ocean Street to Soquel Avenue, turn right, then left onto Front Street.
- Front Street becomes Pacific Avenue: Keep going as Front Street runs into Pacific Avenue. Bay Front Inn is on the right at number 325, with the blue-and-white sign on the corner of the building.
- Arriving without a car: Take the Highway 17 Express bus from San Jose Diridon Station to the Santa Cruz Metro Center, which runs every day of the year, with a one-way fare of $7.00. From the Metro Center it is about a five-minute walk to the door.
Santa Cruz for First-Time Visitors
This is a beach town with a university on the hill above it, which is why the mix works: a 1907 amusement park at one end of the sand, a half-mile pier full of seafood counters and sea lions in the middle, and a downtown of bookshops, taquerias and record shops behind. The Giant Dipper coaster and the 1911 Looff carousel are both National Historic Landmarks and still running, and you can ride them without paying to enter the park.
Give a morning to West Cliff Drive. The path runs from Cowell's Beach out past Steamer Lane, where surfers have been dropping in since the 1930s, to the lighthouse that now houses the surfing museum, and on to Natural Bridges State Beach. Time a winter visit right and the monarch butterflies are in the eucalyptus grove there, roughly mid-October to mid-February. In summer the Boardwalk runs free Friday films on the beach and free bands on the Colonnade.
Two practical notes. Summer weekends and the September county fair are when the town fills up and rooms go first, so book early if those are your dates. And parking downtown is genuinely difficult in high season, which is the strongest argument for staying somewhere you can walk from.
Ten Things to Do Nearby
A short guide to the beaches, the Boardwalk and the redwood parks, all within reach of the motel.
Is Bay Front Inn worth it?
Yes, if the address is what you are buying. You can walk to the sand, the pier, the Boardwalk and downtown dinner from the door, sleep in a simple air-conditioned room with hardwood floors and a fridge, and swim in the courtyard pool in summer. Skip it if you need breakfast on site, an overnight front desk, or a guaranteed quiet night, because sound carries here and the desk closes in the evening.
What Guests Say About Bay Front Inn
Scores and review counts are aggregated from verified guest bookings on major travel platforms.
Good
The location does most of the work here, and guests say so again and again: close to the pier, close to the sand, close to downtown, and easy to walk between all three. Comfortable beds, clean rooms and a welcoming front desk come up almost as often, and couples in particular rate the position higher than anything else on the property. The grumbles are consistent too, and worth knowing before you book. Sound travels between rooms and in from the street, so a party upstairs or a slamming door can carry, and there is nobody on the desk overnight to call. Parking fills up, especially if you drive out in the evening and come back late. Housekeeping is usually fine but not always, so give the bathroom a quick look when you walk in.
Rated it a good base for the area, close to the pier, the amusement park and the shops downtown. She had a comfortable bed and a clean room, and the only thing she would change was the neighbours letting their door bang shut.
2026-07-22Liked the clean rooms, the pool, the coffee and how near the beach it all is, and had good things to say about the staff. Noisy neighbours kept her awake for much of the night, which was the one thing that spoiled it.
2026-07-15A family stay she summed up as genuinely convenient, with nothing she would change.
2026-07-13Rated the position highly, only a few minutes on foot from the amusement park, and found the room roomy and clean. A party in the room above went on late, and with the desk closed for the night there was nobody to ask them to turn it down.
2026-07-05Travelling as a family, he picked out how near everything is: the sand, the shops, the restaurants and the middle of town. He called the rooms comfy and good for resting. His one suggestion was more parking, since going out in the car can mean no space when you return.
2026-06-21For her the setting was everything. Arrival was slow because the doors stay shut until check-in opens and the queue was long, but she praised the member of staff working it for treating everyone with the same patience and kindness.
2026-06-14Found it quiet and the team helpful and friendly. Her room had a strong smell of bleach when she opened the door, which faded over the evening, and the car park was full until staff found her a space near the pool.
2026-06-11Good to Know Before You Book
The pool is a summer plan
The outdoor pool is heated through spring and summer and is closed for the cooler months, roughly late September until spring. If a swim is part of the trip, travel in the warm half of the year and confirm the pool is open for your dates when you book.
Breakfast is not served
There is a self-serve coffee counter in the lobby, but no breakfast, whatever some older travel listings say. It is no hardship: taco bars, bakeries and coffee houses open early a few minutes' walk up Pacific Avenue.
The front desk keeps daytime hours
Reception is staffed roughly 10:00 to 19:00 and there is nobody on the desk overnight. Late check-in can be arranged, so give the property your arrival time when you book and call ahead if you will be in after about 18:30.
Card only, and a deposit at check-in
Cash is not accepted here. Bring photo ID and a bank-issued card, credit or debit, for the refundable $100 damage deposit, which is released after check-out once the room has been looked over. An early check-in fee of $25 may apply when a room is ready ahead of 15:00.
Park once and leave the car
On-site parking is free for guests but the number of spaces is limited and cannot be reserved, and some rates use an off-site lot about a quarter of a mile away at around $15 a day instead. The upside is that you barely need the car: beach, pier, Boardwalk and downtown are all walkable.
Pets, children and cancellation
Two pets up to 50 lb are welcome for $25 per pet per night in ground-floor rooms, with service animals exempt. Children of any age can stay, though cots and extra beds are not available and guests aged 18 and over count as adults. Cancellation and prepayment conditions vary by rate, so check the terms of your chosen option before you confirm.
Photos of Bay Front Inn
Frequently Asked Questions
Main Beach and the Santa Cruz Wharf are both about five minutes away on foot, and the Beach Boardwalk about eight. The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center is closer still at around three minutes, and Cowell's Beach is roughly six. Older listings describe the Boardwalk as a two-minute drive, which badly undersells how walkable this address is.
There is on-site parking, it is free for guests, and the number of spaces is limited and cannot be reserved. Some rates use an off-site lot about a quarter of a mile away at around $15 a day instead, so check what your booking includes. Guests who drive out in the evening sometimes come back to a full lot, which is another reason to walk.
Pets are welcome, up to two per room and up to 50 lb each, for $25 per pet per night. Pet rooms are on the ground floor and have hard flooring rather than carpet. Service animals are exempt from the fee, and the team ask that you mention one at check-in. Pets should not be left alone in the room.
No breakfast is served, despite what several older travel listings claim. There is a self-serve coffee counter in the lobby, and there are bakeries, taco bars and coffee houses within a few minutes' walk on Pacific Avenue, including Firefly Coffee House at about four minutes. If a listing promises free continental breakfast, treat it as out of date.
The pool is seasonal, not year-round. It is heated to about 79F through spring and summer and closes for the cooler months, roughly from late September until spring. Pool and beach towels are provided during the season, and the courtyard around it has loungers, a sun terrace and picnic tables.
Check-in opens at 15:00, and rooms need to be vacated by 11:00. The front desk is staffed roughly 10:00 to 19:00 with no overnight cover, so late arrivals need to be arranged in advance. Give your arrival time when you book, and call ahead if it changes. An early check-in fee of $25 may apply when a room is ready sooner.
Payment is by card only and cash is not accepted, including at check-in. A refundable damage deposit of $100 is held on a bank-issued card, credit or debit, then released after you leave once the room has been looked over. Photo ID and a card are required on arrival, and the minimum age to check in is 18.
Some accessible features are documented: a toilet with grab rails, an accessible parking space and ground-floor rooms with hard flooring. There is no lift, and upper-floor rooms are reached by stairs only. Roll-in showers and wider doorways are not confirmed, so contact the property directly with your requirements before booking.
There are four: a King Room for two, a Queen Room with Two Queen Beds for four, a Standard Family Room with a separate bedroom for up to six, and a Superior Studio with a kitchenette and a balcony. All are air-conditioned with hardwood floors, a private bathroom, a fridge and free Wi-Fi. Cots and extra beds are not available.
Take the Highway 17 Express bus, which runs every day of the year from San Jose Diridon Station to the Santa Cruz Metro Center, with a one-way fare of $7.00. Get to Diridon from the airport by local bus or taxi. From the Metro Center the motel is about a five-minute walk. Driving takes roughly 45 minutes over Highway 17.
Other Places to Stay in Santa Cruz
Torch Lite Inn
Closer to the Boardwalk than Bay Front Inn and quieter at night, but you lose the downtown half of the walk: Pacific Avenue's shops and restaurants are a longer stroll from Riverside Avenue.
Drift Inn, LLC
Pick this one if you want the beach and the river mouth on your doorstep rather than the town. It sits on San Lorenzo Boulevard, so the sand is closer and downtown further.
National 9 Motel
Better if you are driving through and want easy parking off Highway 1 rather than a walkable base. Everything Bay Front Inn reaches on foot is a car journey from here.
Ready to Book Bay Front Inn?
Summer weekends and county fair dates go first at the beach end of Pacific Avenue. Check your dates and take a room while the walk to the sand is still five minutes.
Check Availability