Road Trip to Monterey Bay/Santa Cruz Part 2

For our recent trip to the Monterey Bay/Santa Cruz area, we chose to stay in the quaint little town of Aptos, just south of Santa Cruz.  We wanted to avoid the beach traffic in Santa Cruz because, as former residents of the area, we knew how bad it could be getting around the town on a high tourist day.  Aptos is a cute area, one of the more affluent parts of this region, and provides access to both beaches and forest hiking.  We stayed at the Best Western Seacliff Inn, which is within walking distance of beaches and a grocery store for your food needs.

The hotel is right off of Highway 1 and easy to access.  I am always skeptical of Best Westerns as some of them are wonderful and others are severely lacking.  However, with a AAA discounted price at $143 per night and free breakfast, our family was sold.  In Santa Cruz or Monterey, even cheaper motels frequently go for $200+ per night and can occasionally be in unsafe areas (especially in Santa Cruz).

Best Western Seacliff Inn was one of the beautiful Best Westerns we have ever stayed in.  I will say that it's an older hotel and the walls were a bit thin.  This was not really an issue for us, but I did feel a little bad for our neighbors our first night as my toddler daughter had a bit of a tantrum trying to fall asleep.  However, I will also mention that each room comes with one pair of good quality earplugs and you can ask for more at the front desk.

Aside from noise issues, I have no complaints.  Our first floor room came with a lanai, which in our case backed right up into the parking lot.  Perfect for bringing our luggage in without too much effort.  There are also rooms with a pool or courtyard view for a higher price.  On the second floor, you get a balcony instead of a lanai.

My children loved the pool.  It's heated, but not super warm, so depending on how warm you like your pool, you may or may not be happy.  There's also a cute little koi pond by the restaurant.  My older child had fun watching the fish swimming by.  Overall, this was a great hotel for the price.  I would gladly return again.  Sorry, no pictures of the hotel this time.  But, you can get a pretty good view on TripAdvisor.

On the first full day of our trip, we drove down to Monterey to enjoy the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Dennis the Menace Park.  The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the best aquariums in the world and if you have an opportunity to go here, don't miss it.  There are otters, various fish, jellies, and more, all on exhibit for you to see.  My favorite have always been the octopus, jellies, and large fish (the tuna are especially impressive in size).  The aquarium also has interactive exhibits for kids and many learning opportunities.  It's a great place to go for children and adults of all ages.  And, as an added bonus, Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf are within walking distance along a beautiful path.  I recommend parking at the wharf and walking in so you can see all the area has to offer.

After our excursion to the aquarium, we went about 2 blocks away from the wharf to one of the best parks I have ever been to--Dennis the Menace Park.  Located on Pearl Street, this park offers fun for kids of all ages.  They have the standard equipment you'd expect for a park, including sets for toddlers, young children, and older kids.  In addition, there's a huge roller slide, tunnels, a small hedge maze, rock climbing, and a train engine.  Unfortunately, you cannot explore the train engine anymore (when I was younger, you could), but it's still a fun sight to see.  My kids could spend hours here just running off all their energy.  Parents might wear themselves out, too.

In the third and final part of this trip report, I will discuss highlights of Santa Cruz, including the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, exploring West Cliff Drive, the best taco stand I've ever been to, and taking walks at UC Santa Cruz.