Best Western Plus Capitola and A Little Bit of Santa Cruz

As I mentioned in my last post, I took a quick 2-day road trip with my oldest son to celebrate the end of summer.  School starts back next week and he wanted one last hurrah.  So, we took off for the central coast to one of our favorite vacation destinations, the Monterey Bay.  We stopped in Carmel, but for the other part of our very brief trip, we spent our time an hour north in Santa Cruz/Capitola. 

This time, we stayed at the Best Western Plus Capitola-By-The-Sea, which was appealing due to being in a better area of town for a last minute booking and having decent summer prices.  With taxes and all, the total for our room for 1 night came to a little over $200, which is very reasonable in the area in early August.  We booked a 1-king room with a whirlpool tub because even though it was a few dollars more, I thought my son would have fun with it as a novelty.  We arrived at the hotel for 3PM check-in after getting up at 4:30 AM for our drive and spending the hours from 11-2:30 at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.  Unfortunately, our room was not ready on time.  The man running the front desk seemed stressed, so I just asked when it would possibly be ready and he kindly explained that they were down one housekeeping staff for the day, so they were running behind, but that it would be ready within a half an hour.  We were a little annoyed, but not much can be done, so we hung out in the car for a bit since we were tired and waited 30 minutes.  Our room was ready and we had no problems on the second try. 

Unfortunately, I could tell a lot of people were not pleased.  There were quite a few irate guests, frustrated that they didn't have their rooms right away.  As we were taking our bags to our room, we overheard the manager snapping at the man running the front desk when he was trying to get help with a guest who wanted to speak with a manager.  The manager was rather loud and rude and if I had been alone without my son, I would have probably said something. 

Thankfully, the room itself was decent and clean.  I appreciated the laminate floors, which are probably a lot easier to clean than the carpet you see in a lot of lower to mid range hotels.  The decor felt modern enough and the bathroom had plenty of space.  The bed was a typical Best Western bed.  Not great, but it could have been worse.  I could feel every time my son moved at night.  It was also firmer than I prefer, but I am used to sleeping on a foam mattress, so it's just a different experience.  If you like a firm traditional mattress, you'd be fine.  The pool was decent.  The water felt cool but not too cold and was mostly clean aside from a few dead bees, which I had to pull out.  Also, be aware that there are no towels at the pool.  You have to get them from the front desk.  I missed the memo, so my son and I walked back to our room dripping.  Oops.

The biggest downside to the hotel was the noise.  To be fair, I couldn't hear our neighbors on either side or above (we were on the first floor), so it wasn't the worst experience ever.  And there's quiet hours starting at 10PM.  But, that didn't help me much when my son was asleep by 8PM and I was exhausted.  A family was allowing their children to run up and down the hall screaming while they had a chat outside my room.  After a while, I went out and asked them to either go in their room or to one of the common areas since there was a gap under the door and I could hear everything they were saying. 

The hotel also offers a free breakfast.  My son wanted to go out to the Santa Cruz Diner for breakfast, which was one of my favorites when I was in college, so we didn't try the breakfast, but it looked like pretty standard free hotel breakfast stuff.  Waffles.  Eggs.  Some sort of breakfast meat.  Cereal.

Overall, I would probably stay at this hotel again for a short trip or a trip on a budget.  For a longer stay, I prefer the Fairfield, which is only a block or so away.  It wasn't a bad experience, but it could have been better.

As part of our trip, my son wanted to see some of my favorite sites in Santa Cruz.  We didn't have time to take a hike up at UCSC or visit some of the beautiful redwood forests, but we did have time to see some of my favorite places closer to the beach area.  As I mentioned, we went to the Santa Cruz Diner for breakfast.  The diner is no longer open 24 hours a day as it once was, but they are under the same ownership as they were 15 years ago and the food is still delicious diner fare.  My son had pancakes and a side of ham.  I had a huge meal of eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage, and pancakes (it was my only meal until dinner since it was so filling). 

We also checked out the "Lost Boys Bridge".  If you've ever seen the 1980s classic about vampire teenagers in the wacky town of "Santa Carla", you know the bridge.  In fact, most of the movie was filmed in Santa Cruz.  The bridge is iconic and I always thought it was super cool that you could just walk right up there like the characters in the movie.

Finally, we took a walk along West Cliff Drive, a short stretch of winding road lined on one side by multi-million dollar properties and on the other by gorgeous views from the sea cliffs.  I used to go there frequently to meditate, take a walk, or just to watch the waves.  Once, I even caught a couple of whales breaching right in front of me.  And there's nearly always a sea lion nearby.  Some of my favorite memories are of that place and my son is just as taken with its beauty as I am.

San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission (Carmel Mission)

My son and I took our second mission excursion to learn about California history this past week.  We loaded up the car and road tripped up to the Monterey Bay area.  San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission (or simply the Carmel Mission) is located in the small beach town of Carmel, California.  Known for being one of the most authentically restored of the California mission system, the Carmel Mission boasts the home of the final resting place of Saint Junipero Serra, the founder of the mission system.  It was the second mission of 21 built in Alta California. 

Compared to our previous visit to San Juan Capistrano, this mission's museums were much more simplistic.  There's no standard guided tour or large pamphlet.  Instead you receive a single page double sided brochure with a simple map of the mission and a few highlights.  So, if you're looking for information, this one doesn't have quite as much, but if you're looking to take a little less time and experience one of the most beautiful of the entire mission system, this is the one to view.  I was so taken with this particular mission as a child that I used it for my mission model project when I was in 4th grade many years ago.  The gardens and basilica are absolutely gorgeous.  And unlike some of the mission system, this is still an active church.

Overall, Carmel Mission was a fun trip.  It took us about 30 minutes to view, though I could see spending up to 1 hour probably depending on your viewing style.  I wouldn't go up there just to see the mission, but if you're already in the area like we were, it's definitely worth a little detour.

Later this week I'll discuss the rest of our short trip, which took us to the Capitola/Santa Cruz area.  I'll also discuss my visit to the Ventura County Fair.  Here are some pictures from the mission:

The Aquarium of the Pacific

I've been busy lately with work, but with summer school over, my family and I have been taking quick trips to try to get out of the house and out of the heat.  Recently, we took a day trip to Long Beach and explored the Aquarium of the Pacific.  I hadn't been to the aquarium since it first opened 20 years ago, back when I was in middle school, or maybe a freshman in high school.  It's changed a lot over the years and there's so much more to do there now.  We had a great time and hope to do it again sometime.  Tickets normally run $30 for adults and about $20 for kids.  Through an employee incentive program, we were able to get a "buy 1 adult ticket get 1 child free" plus $10 off adult admissions.  For 6 of us, 3 adults and 3 children, the total only came to $65 including handling fees, processing, taxes, and whatever else is rolled into "fees." 

I don't have a huge report to make on the place.  There are a lot of cool touch tanks including a place to touch moon jellies.  I have never seen an aquarium that allows people to touch jellies before, so that was cool.  There were a lot of hands on exhibits and it was very educational and fun for the kids.  But word of warning--get there early.  When we left at 2PM, it was bumper to bumper traffic with people trying to find parking.  Arriving at 8:30, we had no problem parking and getting in to the aquarium for the 9AM opening.  Here are some pictures from our day:

While you're in the area, check out whale watching tours and harbor tours, or just take a walk around the area.  There's plenty of shopping and some great dining opportunities.  Unfortunately, with limited time (and I get seasick), there just wasn't a chance to check out more.  The Queen Mary is also located in Long Beach and is just a short drive away.  It's a beautiful ship if you're into seeing a piece of nautical history.