We searched all over Santa Cruz for an affordable room near the boardwalk on a weekday and after going next door (which smelled HORRIBLE) we decided to stay at Continental. The room was beautiful. Hardwood floors, flat screen, etc. Cable channels sucked but whatever. We had my 4yr old son with us and were putting him to bed when a BUM tried to WALK into our ROOM! He opened the door, looked in, said "Sorry" and walked away! By the time my hubby got to the door, he was gone. Come to find out, the door doesn't lock unless SLAMMED shut and we just made sure to lock the top lock too. It was noisy & people were walking by the room all night but it was cheap and clean. The breakfast bar was great and it didn't smell at all where we were. It did suck that the pool was across the street and approx. 8ft long by 5ft wide. That is a glorified hot tub as far as I am concerned! All in all, I liked it and will probably be back!

This was our first trip to Santa Cruz as we embark on a drive down the Pacific Coast Highway. I found this hotel in the AAA book which lists it as 3 stars. They have a $78 "walk in" rate during the week so we felt like we were getting a great deal as every other place I called in the AAA book was over $130. Our room is small but clean, feels like we are in Key West. Free internet & continental breakfast. It is within a 15 minute walk to the boardwalk, but it is through a not so nice part of town. We were expecting Santa Monica quality of life, but it feels more like Blackpool, England to us...very run down & disappointing. We would stay at the Continental Inn if the opportunity arose, but chances are we will NEVER return to Santa Cruz, CA.

Booked three days with these people online. The room was fine, but in a bit of a shaky area. The second day we were there, three police cars showed up at the hotel with an ambulance and about 6 cops went into the hotel. All three days, there were some pretty seedy characters hanging out in general area. So, the problem: THEY CHARGED OUR MASTERCARD THE FULL THREE DAYS BEFORE WE EVEN CHECKED IN. Not knowing this, the day we checked out, we told them we wanted the room put on our American Express instead of the Mastercard. They gladly did so, without ever telling us they had already billed the other card for three days. I was told by a Haley, at the hotel, they never bill the card until you check out, (oh really?) she then said, per her manager, who wouldn't talk to me, the fees would not be reversed for 7 days. I left a message for the manager, she never called me back. I called three times, quite upset and was told she was UNAVAILABLE TO TAKE CALLS! The receptionist had one excuse after another, talking nonstop and not letting me say anything. I was absolutely furious. They definitely have the rountine down very well.

I called Mastercard and was told they (Continental) had made no attempt whatsoever to wind down the double charge, but could have instantly taken care of it, had they chosen to. Mastercard actually had to reemburse our account themselves. They are also having their legal department investigate this transaction with Continental. I noticed no other complaints along these lines, but an opportunity to double charge probably hadn't come up in a while. Be very careful should you decide to stay at what I consider a very rude, scam operation.

This hotel was not satisfactory in my opinion. The room has 2 queen beds and I was quoted $210 plus tax. First of all, it was given a AAA rating along with three diamonds...WHY??? As soon as we walked in it smelled like urine. The pull out mirror was broken in the bathroom, there was a hole in the wall behind the toilet, cracks in the tile near the bathtub. The bathroom is small and so is the room. Didn't use the air conditioner because the vent had a pile of dust in it. The room was dusty. Hardwood floors were scratched..EVERYWHERE! At 2:30 in the morning the occupants next door were loud and drunk..college students!! After I complained to management about the room they gave me a 10% discount..whatever!!