North America / North America Hotels / United States of America Hotels / Santa Cruz Hotels /

The Best Family-Friendly Hotels in Santa Cruz

Where to Stay for a Family Vacation with Kids in Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz, California

Santa Cruz, California is a great family-oriented vacation destination, so if you're looking for kid friendly hotels, we've got plenty of suggestions. After comparing many of the hotels in the area, below is our list of the best family-friendly hotels in Santa Cruz for your next vacation based on amenities, previous guest ratings, location, activities, and price. So, even if you're traveling as a family of 4, a family of 5, or even a large family, you can find the best hotel that meets your needs. After all, when traveling with children, you're probably looking for kid-friendly features such as swimming pools, game rooms, kid's activities, and extra space. Of course, it also helps to have a kitchen so you can cook some family friendly meals, and extra bedrooms if you have a larger family. Many of the top family friendly hotels and resorts in Santa Cruz will offer some of these features, so you're in luck. If you're looking for where to stay as a family in Santa Cruz, here are the best family hotels.

It's filled with beaches, parks, playgrounds, and museums that kids and adults will enjoy. Highlights for many families include visiting the boardwalk, playing around at Seacliff State Beach, entertaining the kids at Seymour Center at Long Marine Lab, and taking in the beauty at Natural Bridges State Beach.

(Prices are listed in U.S. Dollars.)

Dream Inn Santa Cruz

4-star Hotel with prices starting at $396 (before taxes) - See All Prices
Terrific for a Family Vacation to Santa Cruz
  • High Quality: guest ratings are higher than average.
  • Outdoor pool
  • Family rooms
  • Heated pool
View Prices on Kayak Hidden Price
(Click to Reveal)
Location on Map

View more photos

Located at 175 West Cliff Drive, Dream Inn Santa Cruz has great rooms from $396 (before taxes). It offers an outdoor pool, room service, a restaurant, a bar, and parking. It has a terrific 8.80 rating out of 10 from previous guests who have stayed here. Only 0.9 miles from the city center, families will especially love hiking, laundry services, golf, a hot tub, and laundry facilities at this family-friendly hotel. Getting room service delivered is always a nice luxury.

Family-Friendly Hotel Amenities
  • Outdoor pool
  • Laundry service
  • Laundry facilities
  • Bicycle rental
  • Family rooms
  • Heated pool
  • Refrigerator
  • Family-Friendly
More Great Amenities
  • Room service
  • Restaurant
  • Parking
View Prices and Reviews


View hotels on the map:

West Cliff Inn, A Four Sisters Inn

3-star Hotel with prices starting at $260 (before taxes) - See All Prices
A Kid-Friendly Hotel in Santa Cruz
  • Great Value: the price is lower than average for 3-star hotels.
  • High Quality: guest ratings are higher than average.
View Prices on Kayak Hidden Price
(Click to Reveal)
Location on Map

A great place to stay is West Cliff Inn, A Four Sisters Inn which has nice rooms starting at $260. Offering scuba diving, snorkeling, hiking, golf, and a hot tub, it also has a great guest rating of 8.80 out of 10 from many previous guests. It's located at 174 West Cliff Drive. This kid-friendly hotel is also nice because it offers free parking, bicycle rental, a tour desk, a refrigerator, and balconies which families with kids will enjoy. Also, it's just 0.9 miles from the city center. That hot tub is terrific after a long day of sightseeing. It's also less than the average price for family-friendly hotels, so it's a great value.

Family-Friendly Hotel Amenities
  • Bicycle rental
  • Refrigerator
  • Family-Friendly
More Great Amenities
  • Snorkeling
View Prices and Reviews


Hotel Paradox, Autograph Collection

4-star Hotel with prices starting at $242 (before taxes) - See All Prices
A Top Family-Friendly Hotel
  • Great Value: the price is lower than average for 4-star hotels.
  • Outdoor pool
View Prices on Kayak Hidden Price
(Click to Reveal)
Location on Map

View more photos

We found Hotel Paradox, Autograph Collection to be a great place to stay, and the price starts at $242. We loved that is has an outdoor pool, room service, a restaurant, a fitness center, and a bar, and it also has a terrific guest rating of 8.00 out of 10 from previous guests. It's located at 611 Ocean Street. You'll also find parking, pet-friendly rooms, a hot tub, a tour desk, and air-conditioning which visitors with kids will love. And this family hotel is just 0.6 miles from the center of town. The pool here was very nice, relaxing, and fun. It's a great value, too, because it's less than the average price for family-friendly hotels.

Family-Friendly Hotel Amenities
  • Outdoor pool
  • Refrigerator
  • Family-Friendly
More Great Amenities
  • Room service
  • Restaurant
  • Parking
View Prices and Reviews


Pacific Blue Inn

3-star Hotel with prices starting at $166 (before taxes) - See All Prices
Terrific Place to Stay with Kids in Santa Cruz
  • Great Value: the price is lower than average for 3-star hotels.
View Prices on Kayak Hidden Price
(Click to Reveal)
Location on Map

With terrific rooms from $166, Pacific Blue Inn, at 636 Pacific Avenue provides parking, hiking, golf, pet-friendly rooms, and a pool table. Its terrific guest rating is 8.60 out of 10 from previous guests staying here. Travelers will really like this fun hotel which also offers horse riding, bicycle rental, tennis, air-conditioning, and private parking. It's located just 0.5 miles from the city center, too. It's a great value, as the price is less than the average for family-friendly hotels.

Family-Friendly Hotel Amenities
  • Bicycle rental
  • Family-Friendly
More Great Amenities
  • Parking
  • Pool table
  • Tennis
View Prices and Reviews


Ocean Echo Inn And Beach Cottages

Inn with prices starting at $274 (before taxes) - See All Prices
Recommended for Families
  • Great Value: the price is lower than average for 3-star hotels.
  • Family rooms
View Prices on Kayak Hidden Price
(Click to Reveal)
Location on Map

Ocean Echo Inn And Beach Cottages has a great guest rating of 8.50 out of 10, and offers hiking, rooms with kitchens, rooms with kitchenettes, laundry services, and golf. The great rooms here start at $274 before taxes and depending on the season. It can be found at 401 Johans Beach Drive. Furthermore, it also offers pet-friendly rooms, free parking, family rooms, air-conditioning, and a microwave, which is nice for families. Just 2.4 miles from the city center, this relaxing hotel is a terrific choice. We find the kitchenette here to be a great way to get a good breakfast and save time and money. We found the price of this hotel to be a great value because the price is less than average for family-friendly hotels.

Family-Friendly Hotel Amenities
  • Kitchen
  • Kitchenette
  • Laundry service
  • Family rooms
  • Refrigerator
  • Family-Friendly
More Great Amenities
  • Microwave
View Prices and Reviews


Sea & Sand Inn

3-star Hotel with prices starting at $441 (before taxes) - See All Prices
A Great Hotel for Family Fun
  • High Quality: guest ratings are higher than average.
  • Family rooms
View Prices on Kayak Hidden Price
(Click to Reveal)
Location on Map

The great guest rating of Sea & Sand Inn is 8.90 out of 10. This place has rooms with kitchenettes, a hot tub, free parking, family rooms, and air-conditioning. Prices for the terrific rooms are from $441, and it's located at 201 West Cliff Drive. We also love the a 24-hour desk, a microwave, a refrigerator, balconies, and private parking which are great for families with kids. And since it's just 0.9 miles from the center of the town, the location is great, too.

Family-Friendly Hotel Amenities
  • Kitchenette
  • Family rooms
  • Refrigerator
  • Family-Friendly
More Great Amenities
  • Microwave
View Prices and Reviews


Also, take a look at the family-friendly hotels in nearby destinations: San Francisco, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Palo Alto.

For more terrific hotel ideas in Santa Cruz, make sure you also see Best Pet-Friendly Hotels in Santa Cruz, Best Hotels for First Time Visitors in Santa Cruz, Best Hotels for a Weekend Getaway in Santa Cruz, Best Hotels for One Week in Santa Cruz, Best Hotels for One Night in Santa Cruz, Best Romantic Hotels for Couples in Santa Cruz, or Best Business Hotels in Santa Cruz.


How much do family-friendly hotels cost in Santa Cruz?

Santa Cruz Average Family-Friendly Hotel Price
$297

Visitors will find a large range of terrific family-friendly hotel choices when planning a visit to Santa Cruz, California. The price of these family-friendly hotels can vary according to location, type, and amenities. The average family-friendly hotel price in Santa Cruz, California based on data from 6 hotels is an affordable $297. If you're interested in more information about hotels here, see our guide to hotel prices in Santa Cruz.

The average prices of our suggested family-friendly hotels by star rating:

  • 4-star hotels: $319
  • 3-star hotels: $285


Budget Your Trip
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. On this website you can also find travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.
About BudgetYourTrip.com
Share This Page

Some of the links on this website are sponsored or affiliate links which help to financially support this site. By clicking the link and making a purchase, we may receive a small commission, but this does not affect the price of your purchase.