Ocean Echo Inn & Beach Cottages

The Inn and Cottages are a great place to stay. Reasonable prices in the off season and competitive in the summer. They have bagels and fruit in the morn. There is a ping pong table, and there is a laundry service. The best part of this Inn, is the fact there is a great little beach about 100 yards away. The beach is kinda of hidden, also the waves at the beach are great for a board or bodysurfing. The surfers are cool, they give room for the bodysurfers. There are eateries within walking distance, and Capitola is not very far away. Bike route is just outside the Inn on the main road.

I have lived in Capitola for many years and often we rent our home as a vacation rental on Riverview just outside the Village! We have stayed at nearly every reasonable Hotel or Motel in Santa Cruz (including Paradox, Best Western, Fairfield, Depot Hill Inn, etc!) we have even stayed at Ocean Echo about 6 or 7 years ago! At that time it was in bad shape and the Management that existed than did little to maintain or improve the property! We didn’t return until now and WOW! I thought I might be in the wrong place! What an amazing transition! The new owners and/​or Management I think it’s Lee and Deborah are simply «Super Hostesses!» The was a knock on the door around 7pm and there’s Lee standing there with Deborah’s freshly baked cookies! And they were scrumptious and very Xmas Holiday appropriate! See picture! They have my business going forward I promise you! Try The New and Improved «Ocean Echo!» I hope you have a similar experience but probably minus the Xmas Cookies a la Deborah and Lee! PS There may be no better place to stay in ALL of Santa Cruz?! You park your car and walk directly to the beach, nearby stores and restaurants (my personal fav is «Lago Di Como Ristorante! By far the best Italian on the entire central coast with the possible exception of 1 or 2 in Carmel area!

We were looking for a dog-​friendly funky little beach motel off the main touristy strip, and the Ocean Echo turned out to be just perfect for us.
I would advise anyone thinking about staying here to read all the reviews, because it’s a unique little place, and may not be everyone’s cup of tea. It’s an OLD property. If you love old Craftsman beach bungalows and antiques stores and old cars and vintage anything, you will appreciate this little gem. If you love McMansions, big chain restaurants, like your stuff spanking new and trendy, and want to be right in the middle of everything, then this is probably not for you.
The current owners have obviously put a lot of time and care into renovating the grounds and the property. As anyone who has ever owned an older house knows, it’s a constant work in progress! All the rooms are unique, as you can see on the website, so depending on the length of your stay and the number of people in your party, there are number of options to choose from.
We stayed in Cottage #10, the old pumphouse from the farm that originally occupied the property. We chose the pumphouse because we live in a rural area where we have seen pumphouses converted into apartments, guest quarters, man caves, etc, and always thought it would be cool to stay in one (it was!). We were able to save a little money on food by taking advantage of the kitchenette to prepare our own dinner and breakfast. Loved the 12-​cup coffee maker, just like at home (there is a Starbucks right around the corner if you prefer). The king bed was comfy, and the linens in the bedroom and the bathroom were sparkling white, clean, and fluffy. Hot tip: Cottage 10 is a stand-​alone unit, with no shared walls, so much quieter than the average room.
There is a small public beach right down the road that a lot of the locals use, and it’s dog-​friendly. Due to all the rain we had right before our stay, we had to walk around the corner and down to the next street to access it, but it’s an easy walk and a nice quiet little beach.
My only disappointment was having to leave after one night — it seemed like such a waste! We will definitely be going back for a long weekend soon!

I Stayed here this past weekend and our view was ok, but if you want the best view it has to be room #12. Breakfast was good, but more options would be better. The beach was a few steps away and the people were nice they allowed us to check in very early. I would come back again.

What a wonderful place to stay! Our cottage (#16) was absolutely perfect for the two of us. With the beach just steps away, a view from the top deck, and amazing hospitality, we can’t recommend this place enough. Our room was so charming we didn’t want to leave it! Tourists and locals alike, treat yourself to a vacation or stay-​cation and enjoy a special trip at our new favorite place.

Really tried to like this place, but I can’t. It doesn’t have ocean views or partial ocean views as listed. Well, I guess being able to see a bit over the roof tops could be construed as partial. The rooms have been redone and they are still remodeling, but they are old and you can hear everything, dogs barking, kids crying, etc. the beach entrance down the road is in a cove and it is all mud before you get to the beach. To top it off, stay away from the vending machine. Not full and you don’t get your money back, I should know., down a buck!

Without a doubt an incredible place to stay! Deborah was the sweetest and most accommodating to all of my needs. I got married in the area and had a lot of silly requests and she was very easy to work with and allowed me to do what I needed to make my weekend work! The rooms were fabulous and absolutely adorable. I stayed in cottage 12 with my new husband on our wedding night and it was simply magical!
I will definitely be staying here again!

It pains me to write this review, as I have always stayed here in the past and it was usually a decent experience but great location.
However, this time I booked my room on
. I am traveling and have a rental car among several other expenses on my card linked to my hotel tonight account. Hotel tonight said there was only 1 room left so I booked it. When I got there the place was empty so I upgraded to a better room for $ 20.00. The older guy at the front desk charged my same card but he accidentally double charged me for the room as opposed to the $ 20.00 for the upgrade. Mistakes happen, it was late… I get it. BUT, the next morning my bank and Ocean Echo had still shown the double charge as pending, leaving that particular card overdrawn. I called the bank who told me to take it up with the hotel. I showed the old man at the front desk my bank statement and asked what they would do about my card being overdrawn and now every little transaction made could lead to a $ 35.00 overdraft fee courtesy of Bank of America. The older man called some chick, I’m assuming the owner, and her response was I should have more money on my card LOLOL!
I don’t need a lecture on or to be told how much money I should have especially when it was their mistake. They made me call my bank to blame them. I proceeded to show them at least 1k in cash and dumped out all my cards and said not that my personal finances are any of your God
d$&n business, but, had I known you would double charge me I would have provided a different card or paid cash, which I ultimately did anyone for the upgrade.
Even Though I’ve put my family up there several times and have spent well over 1k there this year alone and the place was empty they charged me for the upgrade (which wasn’t much of an upgrade more of a scam to charge more than Hotel tonight) and made a mistake, over drafted my account and then gave me a lecture on balancing my credit cards. I told the guy I didn’t need to hear anything from them about my personal financial situation but he as well as the owner insisted on pushing the conversation and trying to blame anyone (me, the banks) so they wouldn’t have to take responsibility.
These people are snooty as hell and I was willing to look past that due to the location near a dog friendly beach. But there are way better places to spend your money in Santa Cruz.
Also the entrance to the beach from the hotel is flooded anyway, so you can’t even walk to the beach right now anyway as advertised.
So long Ocean echo inn. May your credit cards always be flush with cash you a$$hol#es.
:)

Almost immediately after entering the «suite» the non functioning window shades fell off while trying to close them, which upon check out, we were notified that we would be charged for that.
Additionally, they said there was phantom «red wine» (???) Stains on the bed, but no red wine was consumed! Hard to say there was red wine consumed with no red wine bottles!
Sheisty experience, respect considering they charge hundreds of dollars for mediocre quality rooms and a continental breakfast on par with Motel 6.

One word… adorable. This place is so cute. It’s close proximity to the beach is amazing, and the owner… the sweetest lady. I really loved this place. All the rooms are different. The interiors of the rooms are a bit dated, but they were comfy and clean. There is some great sitting areas around the place, including the deck that our room had. My girlfriends did a little weekend getaway and the four of us really enjoyed our time here. Definitely a cute find in Santa Cruz.

My brother got married here this weekend and the managers couldn’t have been more accommodating. All the guests staying here were from the wedding so we took the place over. Two gas grills we used for a bar-​b-​que Friday night and a deck with grass next to it for a casual party after. Lots of chairs and a table.1″
The rooms were nice. Room 12 had a king sized bed with a deck with an ocean view where we listened to the surf all night. Sat night we moved to room 10, which was pet friendly to dogsit my brother’s dog. This room was more rustic with s full small kitchen and a gated yard. The bed is queensized and up steep stairs but comfortable. Sofa bed downstairs.
The best draw of all is a sweetheart of a beach just steps away. Just lovely.
To sum up — this is not the Ritz — it is a beach motel done up nice with helpful and lovely managers —and a killer location.

Very reasonably priced cute hotel one block from a quaint neighborhood beach. Starbucks one block away. Great common back patio with views of the ocean.

The staff is very friendly, they even gave us a miniature tour so I could decide if I wanted to upgrade or not. Love the rooms. Free breakfast too!

Pros:
The staff is very friendly and was able to let us check in early so we weren’t late for a wedding.
The room is very cozy and clean with cute décor. Nice ocean cottage feel to it.
Can see/​hear the ocean from the attached private patio (I used the screen door at night to listen to waves).
Huge stone tiled shower.
Ping pong table and games available.
The nearby beach is a nice cove that wasn’t too crowded.
Cons:
WiFi rarely worked.
Wished there were more food choices with the continental breakfast (only coffee, bagels, fruit, and yogurt provided).
Sheets and pillow cases were not changed for our 2^nd night

My wife and I love this place!
We have stayed here several times and have always loved our time here. The rooms are very comfortable and welcoming, especially after the major remodels the inn has gone through recently.
The managers, Mark and Betty, are wonderful. They are always so welcoming and are such great hosts… they make you feel like you’re staying at home.
If you’re looking to stay in the Santa Cruz area, I would highly recommend this place! I’m writing this from the bed of one of the rooms while our 3 kids are asleep. Such a great place to stay!

My husband & I stayed here for one night. Mark greeted us with a welcoming smile. He was very friendly and helpful. That evening we were going to have dinner at the Shadow Brook and he arranged for us to have transportation to the restaurant.
We stayed in room #8. The room was very clean, modern, and cozy. The bed was very comfortable!!!
The next day we enjoyed the breakfast. There was fresh doughnut, bagels, fruit, yogurt, hot water, coffee, tea bags.
We sat at the community area. No one was there. We spoke to Betty (property manager/​owner) She was very personable.
I will return with my family.

Ah, the Ocean Echo. Love it or hate it. The owners have worked really hard to upgrade this place and give it charm. The Inn itself is lovely, well appointed with all the amenities we needed. Breakfast was definitely light continental, but welcome. Hosts were very friendly and helpful. Enjoyed the swing on the deck.
Room choice is critical. We stayed in 8, which was nicely decorated and maintained, but a bit dark, and right on the parking lot. Lucky for us it was a quiet Monday/​Tuesday. The nearby cove/​beach is wonderful on a Monday or Tuesday morning, but occupied by parties smoking pot and competing with their stereos on the weekend. The neighborhood itself was noisy with truck traffic and weed wacking — not the fault of the Inn, but an issue for me nonetheless. The location is excellent if you wish to be halfway between Capitola and the Boardwalk — a ten-​minute drive to each.

We have coming to this cove and staying here for years. We have always had the best experience until this past weekend. From the moment we arrived, the staff was very unwelcoming and rude to my entire family. It’s such a shame too because we really love it and we pay a pretty decent amount to stay here. But customer service goes a long way, which is something they were seriously lacking this time. It was an awful experience. We will never stay here again.

Ocean echo sucks ass! Stay away!
We were attending a wine dinner at Cabrillo college back in Oct and needed a place to stay. I’d always thought this looked like a cool place. Made a last minute reservation for Cottage 10. Never stayed before. It sounded nice, 2 stories with King sized bed, and the pics on the website looked nice too!
We paid $ 200 + tax for a room with a supposedly KING SIZED BED, (Cottage 10 FYI) kind of expensive, but everything else was booked so we bit the bullet and went for it. When I look for a room, I always prefer a King Bed, being 6“2″ tall and 250 lbs…+ my girl who is quite petite actually and I’m willing to pay for it.
You pretty much assume that when someone says it’s a King Bed, it will actually BE a king bed. But it was not!
When we got back from our dinner and tried to settle in for the night we discovered that this so called King Bed was actually 2 CHILD SIZED BEDS PUT TOGETHER. TOO LATE! The office was closed and we attempted to sleep… NOT!
So 2 cheap kids mattresses about 5′ long and 2′ wide each and a seam down the middle. between the 2. You don’t realize it till you actually get on the bed.
You gotta be f’ing kidding me?
I’m 6’2″ and my feet hung off the bottom of the bed by about a foot or more,
My girl is only 5’2″ and even her feet hung off the bottom. Trying to sleep sideways was hopeless, you went across the seam between the 2 mattresses. There was no way to sleep at all, Quite simply false advertising!
FYI this is the room that is in a remodeled water tower! BEWARE!
The stairs are super steep like a ladder and not easy to negotiate late at night to get to the bathroom as well. But no problem, Guaranteed, you’ll be awake.
After an absolutely sleepless night, we checked out and went home to sleep., We pointed out to the clerk that they had misrepresented the room to us, and we had not slept at all and now would have to go home and cancel the rest of our day to make up for the lost sleep.
And so, what might they do for us? Let us get a room comped (a different room with a real bed) in the future? A discount for our trouble?
No…they refused to do ANYTHING! Any other place I’ve ever stayed, at least gave me a discount, or comp’d me.
We paid CASH in advance (big F’ing mistake!) since now we can’t contest the charges!
There’s a hotel right next door that looks pretty good. Anything would be good compared to this. Ocean Echo you should be ashamed!
For certain you won’t be getting any repeat business from me, or anyone I know. Really amazing how completely callous and uncaring you could be, but then you already KNOW that the room has 2 kid beds, and just waiting for some sucker to blindly book your $ 200 room and suffer eh? As long as you got your $ 200 it’s all good huh? No I don’t think I so.
I’m sure they’re some governing body I can report you to for false advertising.
You would have done well to nip this in the bud when you had the chance.
Reference: From the website
«Cottage 10 is a quaint and unique two story guest cottage which attracts many guests. It has a KING BED upstairs.»
No, it does not. You outright lied. Attracts many guests? No perhaps it should say «It ATTACKS many guests» since that is how you will feel after a night of no sleep and being robbed of $ 230.
Once in the bed, you realize it would be impossible to get a King bed up the stairs or any normal sized mattress in the room, via the stairs or window. and if you did, it quite simply would not fit in the room! So… lets just throw 2 kids beds together and call it a King and charge more for it! No one will ever know the difference!
Who would image that a hotel would screw a customer in this manner?
In the future, should I ask other hotels, is it really a King Bed? What are the measurements?
Does it measure as shown here in Wikipedia?
or did you make up your definition of what a King Sized bed is to screw unsuspecting customers… once…just once.
Who could ever even imagine to ask if it’s a REAL King bed… who…who would sell you a KIng Bed room for $ 230 and give you 2 kids beds covered up so you won’t know till it too late? And then refuse to do ANYTHING at all?!
The Ocean Echo motel, that’s who!

This hotel is amazingly cool and quaint. While the ambiance is great and the ho/​motel is very well taken care of, you need to set your expectations for what this place is. Simply put, this is a +/​-​12 room boutique motel that was converted (many decades ago) from a turkey farm into an amazing gem of a motel that is located about 200 yards from a secluded locals beach.
The personalized services that the inn keepers Betty and Mark provide rival those at the Waldorf Astoria, but this spot is not a 5* Hilton and you should know that up front. Each room is unique, each is quirky and each has its own special personality. We stayed in unit 8 and were able to tour 4 of the other rooms during our stay and they are each very unique and cool (all recently updated). People that like unique and charming will ABSOLUTELY LOVE this hotel.
Each of the rooms are freshly updated, each had fresh paint, new floors, new beds, great decorations and new high-​end linens. It is obvious that they work hard every day to update and improve the motel. I would guess that when Mark and Betty took over the place it needed tons of attention (and deferred maintenance) and that they have been working every day to make the place better and better.
While there are slight cons here and there (sticking heater thermostat and unusually cold bathrooms) the pros drastically out-​weight the cons. Every request that we had were rapidly taken care of by Mark and Betty, from a personal limo to dinner to the best beach for a bonfire, they hooked it up within minutes.
To sum it up in one sentence «The Ocean Echo Inn is a quaint and quirky seaside gem suited for those looking for personalized service and amazing ambiance in the heart of Santa Cruz».
One note on pricing, while some reviews have mentioned that it is pricey, we found it to be slightly high but reasonable. If some of these reviewers tried running a boutique hotel with only 12 rooms they would quickly find out how reasonable the rates actually are. If your looking for a super cheap budget hotel, go elsewhere. If your looking for a quaint weekend to remember, this may be the spot for you.