Throw 'em in the pool
November 18, 2012 10:44 AM Subscribe
Looking for a decent motel around San Francisco/Santa Cruz with a heated pool and lots of teens/preteens hanging out (I have 12 and 15 year old daughters). Also good: inexpensive, no bed bugs, wifi. But the pool and other kids are really all they care about.
SF and Santa Cruz are at least an hour and a half apart. What are you geographic requirements?
posted by humboldt32 at 11:00 AM on November 18, 2012
posted by humboldt32 at 11:00 AM on November 18, 2012
You realize Santa Cruz and San Francisco are like 75 miles apart, right? Where are you actually trying to stay?
Also, like Mr. Me says, it's mostly too cold for pools this time of year (although it's not impossible you may happen upon an unseasonably warm day).
In/around Santa Cruz:
The Dream Inn has a heated pool right in front of the beach and a three minute walk from the boardwalk, and is probably all around the best touristy sort of hotel to stay in in Santa Cruz proper.
Seascape resort in Aptos also has a pool and beach access. It's next to a golf course instead of downtown.
These are both probably the sorts of places your daughters would like to stay. They're also both expensive.
If you're actually going to San Francisco, I'm not sure.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 11:02 AM on November 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
Also, like Mr. Me says, it's mostly too cold for pools this time of year (although it's not impossible you may happen upon an unseasonably warm day).
In/around Santa Cruz:
The Dream Inn has a heated pool right in front of the beach and a three minute walk from the boardwalk, and is probably all around the best touristy sort of hotel to stay in in Santa Cruz proper.
Seascape resort in Aptos also has a pool and beach access. It's next to a golf course instead of downtown.
These are both probably the sorts of places your daughters would like to stay. They're also both expensive.
If you're actually going to San Francisco, I'm not sure.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 11:02 AM on November 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
I've stayed at the Dream Inn. It was nice.
But even Santa Cruz will be chilly this time of year.
posted by rtha at 11:12 AM on November 18, 2012
But even Santa Cruz will be chilly this time of year.
posted by rtha at 11:12 AM on November 18, 2012
The Boardwalk is mostly shut down in the winter, though they do have a fantastic arcade that is open year round.
posted by sacrifix at 11:56 AM on November 18, 2012
posted by sacrifix at 11:56 AM on November 18, 2012
Your question baffles us because Northern California in the winter is bitter cold. Only polar bears will be swimming.
You'd be hard pressed to find a hotel with a pool in San Francisco. I can't think of one off the top of my head right now, to be honest.
Also, I'm not sure where you think the other kids will be coming from. Most will be in school. Kids who are traveling on Winter Break are usually going to Nana's, not San Francisco or Santa Cruz.
This isn't to say that either locations aren't good spots for a vacation, just that packing a bathing suit may not be the best idea.
Chaminade in Santa Cruz is a gorgeous spa and resort. Not cheap, but it will have a lot of activities.
I recommend San Francisco, because even if your kids are bundled up, there are tons of interesting things to see and do:
Exploratorium
Japanese Tea Garden
Shopping
Steinhart Aquarium
Museum of Natural History
Chinatown
Those are some of the things that we did as kids and we still love them today.
There's a Boardwalk with rides in Santa Cruz, but it will be closed for the season. There's the Mystery Spot down there. Funky shops. That's about it.
I like the Nob Hill Motor Inn for inexpensive, excellent lodgings in a funky neighborhood. There's free parking, which will save you about $35 per day in San Francisco.
San Francisco and Santa Cruz are 75 miles, a 2 hour drive and worlds apart. Are you going to a conference or what exactly?
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:09 AM on November 19, 2012
You'd be hard pressed to find a hotel with a pool in San Francisco. I can't think of one off the top of my head right now, to be honest.
Also, I'm not sure where you think the other kids will be coming from. Most will be in school. Kids who are traveling on Winter Break are usually going to Nana's, not San Francisco or Santa Cruz.
This isn't to say that either locations aren't good spots for a vacation, just that packing a bathing suit may not be the best idea.
Chaminade in Santa Cruz is a gorgeous spa and resort. Not cheap, but it will have a lot of activities.
I recommend San Francisco, because even if your kids are bundled up, there are tons of interesting things to see and do:
Exploratorium
Japanese Tea Garden
Shopping
Steinhart Aquarium
Museum of Natural History
Chinatown
Those are some of the things that we did as kids and we still love them today.
There's a Boardwalk with rides in Santa Cruz, but it will be closed for the season. There's the Mystery Spot down there. Funky shops. That's about it.
I like the Nob Hill Motor Inn for inexpensive, excellent lodgings in a funky neighborhood. There's free parking, which will save you about $35 per day in San Francisco.
San Francisco and Santa Cruz are 75 miles, a 2 hour drive and worlds apart. Are you going to a conference or what exactly?
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:09 AM on November 19, 2012
Response by poster: Sorry about the lack of clarity. We're driving down from Portland, our only parameter is we need to be at my brother's in Corte Madera Tuesday by mid-afternoon. We used to live in San Francisco, and the girls have had fun vacations in Santa Cruz before.
Here's what we're looking for: last night, we stayed at a Super 8 in Medford, Oregon. It had a warmer than usual indoor pool with a very fast water slide. Not quite as many peers for my 12- and 15-year-old daughters as we might have liked but otherwise it was perfect.
Culture? Cute towns nearby with a pretty hike or a good bakery? Wonderful. But really the heated indoor pool with kids is all they really care about.
posted by msalt at 11:46 AM on November 19, 2012
Here's what we're looking for: last night, we stayed at a Super 8 in Medford, Oregon. It had a warmer than usual indoor pool with a very fast water slide. Not quite as many peers for my 12- and 15-year-old daughters as we might have liked but otherwise it was perfect.
Culture? Cute towns nearby with a pretty hike or a good bakery? Wonderful. But really the heated indoor pool with kids is all they really care about.
posted by msalt at 11:46 AM on November 19, 2012
Response by poster: Also, it's noon and we haven't left Medford, so Santa Cruz is probably over ambitious. Some motel between Redding and, I dunno, Russian River? San Rafael? I've had fun in weird little Sacramento Delta towns but that's more my adult sensibility.
posted by msalt at 11:48 AM on November 19, 2012
posted by msalt at 11:48 AM on November 19, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Mr.Me at 10:54 AM on November 18, 2012