We stayed at this motel after initially being booked into a different one in the same area (upon site inspection of the other one, decided that we couldn't stay) - what a good decision that was. We stayed 3 nights to be close to a family member living in Boulder Creek. The room was comfortable (albeit slightly small for the 3 of us - one adult, two teenagers), clean and well-equipped. The front desk staff were all very friendly and helpful - I felt very welcomed. The rate included a continental breakfast which provided a range of options, as well as free Wifi in the room, exactly what we were looking for. I'd be happy to stay here again and would certainly recommend it if you are looking for a place to stay in the area.

This was our second time staying at this hotel/motel, the first time was a couple of years ago when it was an Econolodge. We don't usually stay at budget hotels, but given the limited options in the area, this seemed like our best bet and, although we were expecting the worst, we were pleasantly surprised the first time we stayed (when it was an Econolodge) - it was clean and pleasant, not creepy or weird.So, we chose this place again based on our positive last experience, and it did not disappoint. Although basically the same, there are a few improvements/additions since we stayed last. There is a very small sit-down breakfast area with cereal, hardboiled eggs, make your own waffles, coffee, juice, etc. offered from 6:30 to 9:30. As previous reviews have stated, yes it is very small and the options aren't that great , but it did not exist last time we stayed, the included breakfast when we stayed as an Econolodge was basically some packaged danish things by the check-in desk. If you're looking for a decent breakfast though, probably a better bet is to visit some of the local restaurant spots, but if you just want to grab something quick before hitting the road, this is fine (although my hubby did tell me the fruit loops were stale and he had to throw it out, oh well). The furniture in the rooms has been updated, there are new fridge/TV consoles, new bedding, new nightstands/headboard, and they have added a new desk and ergonomic chair (these were not there before). They are fine, standard stuff, we liked the empty fridge as opposed to a mini-bar as it was more useful given the activities we had planned. Wi-fi was great the whole time and free. Bathtub was very shallow but very long, not that great for short people who like to soak after a long hike, but if you just take showers or are just happy to have a tub, I guess it doesn't matter. What you should know before you go: they appear to have some kind of advance reservation discount policy, so the earlier you book, the more likely you will get a cheaper rate - we booked maybe a month or so before our stay and got a standard king bed room for under $100 (less than the same rate we got a couple years ago), but when we looked again, those rooms were booked, and their queen standard rooms were going for $189! - probably walk-ins are even more expensive. Also when we arrived, we were given a room at the very left side of the hotel. This room was very dark because its one window faced toward the side instead the front, and the light was obstructed by some suite/cabin building. Plus, the room seemed cramped and the bed was definitely queen-sized (avoid the side rooms if you can). I'm not sure how we were initially given this room, but I'm not going to speculate - just make your wishes known as the brochure in the room says! Rooms in the motel/hotel facing the pool/street/front have more light, and probably are overall roomier. So, I did go down to request a room facing the front, and the lovely person at the check-in counter readily gave us the room I was expecting. Don't expect to frolic in the pool, it was gross the first time we stayed and it is still gross-looking and algae-y, and they stated in the hotel folder that it was only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day anyhow. The hotel has some BBQ grills which are right next to a tiny creek separating it from a small interesting-looking pink Scottish castle, which I think is for rent? Anyhow, this Ben Lomond is a quirky cool pace to visit and stay when exploring the Santa Cruz Mountain area and when I go again, I plan to stay here.

We were in Ben Lomond visiting friends and, instead of staying with them as planned, we decided to get a room, so we were a walk-in. They did have vacancies, but charged us $260 for one night! What a rip-off. This property is basically a remodeled 2-story motel. Typically, in our experience, a walk-in develops a better rate, but the snotty receptionist would not budge on the price -- she came up with some lame excuse about being booked because something was happening in the area (they still had vacancies when we arrived after 4pm in the afternoon so this excuse was fishy). The room had recently been remodeled, so it was fairly comfortable, however, the promised "free continental breakfast" turned out to be presented in a tiny room with limited seating. When we arrived for the food, we found 2 boiled eggs, a few pieces of bread and one muffin. There was no juice and the coffee had been put away (45 minutes was left in the time allotted to eat). We didn't want to hog what was left, so we just shared one egg. For $260 a night you would think that at least we could get a bit more to eat as they had promised when we checked in. My husband asked if they were going to replenish the food or coffee, but the surly woman said "NO". Wow. The next night we paid $100 less per night in Carmel for a much nicer room with a wonderful free breakfast. I guess the owner of this motel is trying to recoup the remodeling expense. Also, the swimming pool had definitely not been tested for PH lately as it had a strange green hue and obviously had an algae problem!

We stayed for four days. On the second day a large number of construction workers arrived. They woke up at 5:30am and at 6:30 they wiped out the breakfast food supply. At 4pm daily they came back to the motel, drank lots of beer, gathered in groups outside their rooms, and were very loud and annoying. The manager did nothing to quiet them down.
The closet door came off the track the first day and the manager did a lousy job of fixing it. He was a grouch.