Rio Sands Hotel

One star is too much. It appears to be a cool old motel near the beach, that’s it. This place sucks, it’s expensive and the staff is not trained in hotel management. They know how to book your room and take your money. I was on the bottom floor and the room above me was having some sort of party. Lots of stomping around and loud talking. At 10 o’clock at night it was no big deal. I was able to fall asleep. When it was still going on at 2 o’clock in the morning and even louder, that was a problem. I went to the front desk to complain and the night desk man was less than smart. He really didn’t care that I was up there at 2 in the morning complaining which leads me to think this is normal. He called the room above mine and asked them to keep it down because they got a complaint. How about stop now or you will get kicked out! I went back to my room and it got louder. I’m sure that was on purpose. I went back to the front desk and the idiot working there told me he stood outside their door and it wasn’t that loud. It was now almost 2:30 and it shouldn’t be loud at all. I told him if he wouldn’t tell them to stop that I would and he threatened to call the sheriff and have me arrested. I told him to do it.
This place SUCKS. I will never come back. I hope those of you reading this believe me and stay away. There are plenty of houses to rent right around here for just a little more money.

I booked my stay online, never been to Aptos or had any friends or family stay there. This was by far the best hotel stay my family and I have ever had! Just a short walk to the beach, the pool and spa were right outside our patio door! We got a family suite for two nights on a weekend for less than $ 330 total! The continental breakfast in the morning was outstanding and the hotel staff were very accommodating! My family didn’t want to go home! We will be planning more family vacations soon and will stay here every time! We couldn’t have been happier! Highly recommended!

Living close in Santa Clara, The Rio Sands has been our «go to» place for the past 20 years when we just needed a little break from all the noise and distractions of this valley. This was one of those times I needed a break!
It was midweek and luckily they found available the great king suite with a full kitchen (our family favorite #114) for half the normal rate for November. The staff and manager were so friendly and act like family. They even offered me an early check in!
I decided to made use of their great barbecue area. With a quick trip to the Safeway down the street, I had a nice thick New York steak marinating while my coals heated up… and a nice spicy Bloody Mary with that, as I said, I’m really pampering myself!
My room was very clean and smelled so ocean fresh! (no smoking is allowed in any rooms) except outside in a designated area.
It was great to have a real kitchen, there’s a nice gas range with a full size fridge and a freezer to put my ice cream in. (oh, did I mention I got some ice cream along with those steaks? YUP! told you I was pampering myself) All the years we have been coming here the room décor and furnishings continue to modernize, always with soft, sort of beachy feel. The living room has a cute bistro table a nice coffee table and a couch with cute little pillows, that turns into a queen bed and there’s a little bar that’s open through the kitchen. Hint: If you’re cooking you can get a great reflection shot of the TV off the framed artwork on the wall without having to be in there facing it.
sooo after dinner I took a stroll down to the beach (100 steps away from my room) to watch an amazing sunset. The view was amazing and I was surprised to hear real live acoustic music coming from the outdoor patio of the nearby restaurant «Café Rio». All in all it was a nice backdrop to the sunset, and the 69 degree weather was a nice blessing too for November!
I stood and listened for a minute and pondered taking a seat but I had a date with a steaming hot tub. I grabbed a coffee from the roasting house there at the beach (didn’t want to get to tired before all the pampering was done) and headed back to the room. As I eased into their hot tub and let the steam engulf me and my whole body relaxed under the stars, I couldn’t help but think how lucky I am to have a place like the Rio Sands to run away to.
One pet peeve… because I am usually a «TV» in the bedroom person, I found it a bit inconvenient that I had to watch TV from the living room couch… I ended up falling asleep on it, Uggggggg. But after moving into the bedroom, the bed was so comfortable I had no trouble sleeping through the night.
Their complimentary Breakfast, served in their stunning banquet room with a nice cozy fireplace, cute bistro tables nice artwork and bar, is a perfect way to start your morning… it would also be a great place for an intimate wedding reception or weekly group seminar meetings. Their breakfast offers fresh fruit, breads, muffins, hot or cold cereal, bagels, fresh hard boiled etc and on and on… but I got stuck on their yummy «make your own Belgian waffles» machine (Kosher too! for those interested) ya just pour the pre-​made batter onto the iron, give it a twirl and when it beeps you’ve got an amazing, dangerously yummy, steaming hot Belgian waffle. (Pamper, Pamper, Pamper!)
To highlight my stay they offered a later check out which was perfect and allowed me to enjoy the pool and hot tub amenities again before heading home.
I find it to be one of the nicest and REASONABLY PRICED places for «Mom’s, friends or just yourself» that has all the amenities you could possibly want to get away from all the hustle and bustle. My little one always loved the year round heated pool and hot tub.
I hope my review was informative enough to have you consider becoming part of the Rio Sands Family I’ve grown so fond of over the years
Maybe I’ll see ya there!

This hotel is literally 100 paces from beach and that is what you are probably paying for. The pool/​spa was nice. The rooms were horrible and so was the service. There is NO A/​C and the rooms have dirty carpet, thin walls, noisy outside, picture tube tv’s. Yes picture tube, I didn’t even know these existed anymore. Shower is tight.
Bottom line is if your not looking for a relaxing weekend get away and just need a place to crash that’s walking distance to the beach then these overpriced rooms are for you.
I gave 3 stars because of closeness to beach otherwise would be 2 stars or less. Never going back. I rate Motel 8 higher
Forgot, be patient when trying to unlock your door, you have to insert the key 20 times before it works

The hotel is located at walking distance from the beach.
It’s a nice and clean hotel.
Hotel staff was nice and helpful.
Continental breakfast provided, which is good for family, that way you can have a quick breakfast before heading out.

The family suite fit our needs perfectly. Three kids and I shared the bunk room with sofa sleeper and my parents had the king bedroom. The sofa sleeper didn’t have the typical dagger-​like springs, it was sort of like memory foam and quite comfy. My parents raved about their bed and the kids loved the bunk. Way cheaper than reserving two standard rooms at a hotel and you couldn’t ask for a better location — «100 steps to the beach» (my nephew counted them). Great pool and hot tub. Breakfast was full of carbs but the room in which it was served was lovely. The poor woman working to keep things stocked really did her best. Kids enjoyed it. The furniture in the rooms and grounds seem recently updated and were nice. The bathrooms and doors should be next on the list. We didn’t really use the kitchen due to our two night short stay but appreciated the refrigerator.
Looking forward to our next visit! Loved the beach in Aptos. It was so convenient we just hung out there rather than traveling to other places.

We been coming here for years. A great place to take the family. But I think it’s time to find a new place. These issues need to be addressed before we come back.
1. Later pool and spa hours. 9pm is too early.
2. Get better wifi.
3. New beds in All the units. Not just some.

Wow! What a great, hidden, place! Just steps away from the beach, clean, comfortable and great customer service! Spend a day at the beach and then come back to your room and BBQ dinner by the pool!

I am completely puzzled how this place gets away with $ 200 a night and such great reviews. Broken locks on exterior doors, dust and smudges and no amenities worth the price.
None of the rooms have air conditioning. Santa Cruz is temperate but most people do want to cool off after being in the sun. The room had a queen bed and we were given a yoga mat for our 7 year old to sleep on. The room is a tight squeeze even without the mat on the floor.
The bathroom is ancient and requires multiple flushes. Not enough towels for a family of three to get through one night. The shampoo dispenser is a nice Eco touch but it requires filling.
No remote for the tv.
There is a tiny balcony for one to sit elbow to elbow with neighbors. The lock on the door was broken, and an unscrupulous person could climb easily from one room to another.
The breakfast is yet another puzzler sparse on most things, but a full pumpkin pie provided at 8 am.
I just don’t get it. How are people so fond of this place?

WORST HOTEL EVER!!! Never seen so much stuff crammed into one room (bunk beds, sofa bed, kitchen etc in a 500 sq ft room) — and it was a so-​called «suite»! No AC or Heat — they actually pass out fans at the front desk. We saw a skunk on the back patio which was appropriate because it represented the hotel — stinks! Here’s the kicker: We asked for a late check out (just 30 minutes extra) and Andre (one of the hotel «patrons» at the front desk) told my wife that he was going to call the Sheriff’s dept if we didn’t vacate the room. I’ve never heard such a thing ever and we’ve stayed at 100 hotels over the past 20 years. Nice way to treat your guests. What a joke! CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS there! Don’t let the beach access fool you. We will never stay there again and I recommend you think twice before staying there as well!

I was disappointed!: (My expectation for what I paid for and the room I stayed in was a lot different from what people Unilocaled about. First of all, it’s a motel not a hotel. The bathroom was extremely small. Don’t look on the bathroom counter for your shampoo, conditioner and body soap because there is NO bathroom counter. You will find your items attached to the wall in the shower. Our room did have 2 rooms… bunk bed and pull out sofa in one and queen size bed in the other. Small kitchenette was located about 2 feet from the bed. So be prepared that you will be in TIGHT quarters.
At night we could hear the conversations of the people in the room next to us, the cars and people in the parking lot and the refrigerator humming all night long. I swear, I could hear the snoring of the guy next door too! Our room was on the bottom floor, so in the morning we were awaken by the voices of the people next to us and the foot steps and voices of the people above us.
For the price I paid I was not impressed at all! I will not be back!

This place is «Classic, Clean & Comfy»!!
We have a family of five (2 parents/​3 kids) and this place comfortably suited our impromptu family weekend getaway to the beach. We were able to get the «family suite» which sleeps up to 6 people.
Walking into the room gave me visions of what a motel might have looked like on the set of the movie «Dirty Dancing» set in the 60’s. The place smells of an old hotel (paint, wood) but those are all good things. For us, this is what we expected the Motel experience at the «Hotel Price» in Aptos, CA… we actually got a great deal for the location $ 190/​night; this area usually warrants a room no less than $ 250/​night. This is a small room so don’t expect much more than a very clean room, an insanely comfortable bed (comments to come) and a clean bathroom to shower up after a fun full day at the beach (which is like 100 steps away from the beach!!)
Let me make this comment about the bed… I missed the free breakfast because of this bed! I did not expect that a motel would have such a COMFORTABLE bed (I’m sure this is a Tempurpedic!) I slept like a log and my back felt great after a good night/​partial morning’s sleep! So, if for nothing else, my husband and I would come here again just to get a good night’s rest… who says that when they stay at a motel??? LOL!
Okay, to end, the staff is great (thanks Paige, for booking us very last minute… you we so kind on the phone). We had a wonderful time, we will definitely be back!!!

They have temperpedic beds that are SOOO comfortable. The rooms were very clean and the front desk staff was incredibly helpful.
We had a «mini» crisis and needed to have documents scanned and emailed. They were able to find someone local and really made the task less stressful and easy. It is a short walk to the beach and the Café Rio is a fun place for happy hour and dinner as well. Up the hill off of Rio Del Mar is the Red Apple café that serves great breakfasts if you are looking for something other than what the Rio Sands offers.

*THIS PLACE WILL TRY CHARGING YOUR CARD MULTIPLE TIMES*
When we first checked into this hotel we were very excited. It seemed like a great place and Andre who was checking us in was very nice. The room was clean and the pool was very refreshing. We enjoyed the first evening so we decided to stay another night.
That is where enjoying our stay ended. We got a call to our room saying there was a noise complaint at ten. We didn’t even get back to our room until after ten thirty. We even said bless you to the employee working when he sneezed as we were going up to our room! He claimed he didn’t hear us and would ask us to leave next time because they have a strict one compliant policy. Since the noise wasn’t us in the first place we didn’t have any more problems that night.
I got a text message from my bank saying they thought there was fraud and it listed five charges on the same day. When I called my bank it turns out those five were tried at least four times each!!! When I called to look into it Andre denied doing that, said it was only once, said that he couldn’t talk to my bank, and that there was no employee above him. I called back my bank and called the sands. The bank rep tried to explain my card was already charged and they needed to use that same code again because it was pending and not try to charge it again and he was even rude to her! It finally got to the point where the agreement was the amount that would be charged. I wake up today and he reversed that AGAIN and is trying to charge me $ 40 than he is suppose to. When I call for a manager Andre told she wasn’t in
At the moment but when I asked when she will return I got told there is no one until the middle of next week. This is the worst customer service. It’s a shame what seemed like a great hotel that we would recommend to everyone turned out to be somewhere we need to warn people about.
If you don’t want to spend days on the phone with your bank trying to deal with charges that should have never been made I suggest you find somewhere else to stay.

Having delivered our daughter to a birthday party in Aptos, the wife and I made a spur-​of-​the-​moment decision to find accommodations in the area. I tend to be EXTREMELY thrifty on overnight lodgings — a fact that has occasionally placed me in some rather dodgy conditions — but a quick online search revealed nothing remotely suitable at less than $ 100.
We decided to go have a look at available eateries down by the Aptos beachfront and happened to drive by the Rio Sands. For whatever reason, the Sands did not pop up during my admittedly cursory online search. «Let’s check it out» suggested Mrs. Vander Weide. Walking up to the office from our street parking I was suitably impressed. While by no means a new establishment it was obvious that a good deal had been spent bringing the hotel up to standards at least externally commensurate with the neighborhood.
We approached the front desk to initiate our inquiry.
«Well,» stated the clerk, «it just so happens that we’ve got a special running this weekend. We can get you into one of our rooms for $ 79 and, if you’d like, we’ll upgrade you to a kitchen suite at no extra cost.»
I did the mental equivalent of a jaw-​drop. I was certain we were going to be looking at $ 150 at the very least. All told, the bill came to a few cents less than $ 90. Bill paid, it was time to check into our suite. Another jaw drop. What a freaking bargain. The room was impeccably clean, spacious and well appointed: by FAR the best I’d ever encountered at this price point. By far. Likewise with the free WiFi. The suite included a kitchenette with sink, microwave, full-​sized fridge and gas range. Our balcony overlooked the pool area and cool beachside Aptos neighborhood with the beach itself hinted in the near distance.
After a very restful night — my wife and I both agreed it was the most comfortable hotel bed we’d ever experienced (at ANY price point) — we enjoyed the Sand’s complimentary continental breakfast in their spacious banquet room. Standard fare, really, but more than enough for a guy like me who thinks that a waffle-​maker is the pinnacle of a conti-​brekkie.
We’re coming back. Matter o’ fact, we’re headed to the front desk right now to make reservations for the Thanksgiving break.

Nice place just a block from the beach. Clean rooms, a nice continental breakfast, great patio/​pool area, and even BBQ pits.

Location is good
Clean
Good beds
We will stay here again
Free wi-​fi was excellent which is unusual for a motel
Rates very good Sunday — Thursday

Interesting hotel on the beach!
Not a bad hotel for an older beach-​side location. It is a quick walk to the beach and the cement boat in the national park. The room was nicely appointed, but small. The furnishing were older. The towels, bedding and kitchen supplies were lower end products Nd not what you would find in the major hotel brands. The continental breakfast was a surprise, however did not offer a variety of options outside pastries and waffles; there were hard boiled eggs for protein.
All in all, I would return, however the $ 140 per night was a little steep for this hotel. I will look for a better value.

Emergency reroute to this lodging after fudging reservations at the Best Western. Feels more like a quaint family condo than a hotel. We had a king size bed, full bath, living room space with a sofabed, and a kitchenette complete with fridge and stove. Complimentary continental breakfast with waffle bar. Only negatives were the very thin walls — we could hear every noise our neighbors made along with the car doors slamming of the guests pulling into the parking lot. Also, keep your room keys on you at all times — theyre needed to access the banquet area — and don’t forget to lock the back patio doors. Keeping them open prevents the room key from opening the front door.

My husband and I were a little concerned when we saw this is where «Price​line​.com» sent us. But when we got there, we were so pleasantly surprised. We were actually only planning on staying one night, then move to Carmel, but we ended up staying for 3 nights!
The only thing that bothered me was that the walls were pretty thin… but for the LOW price, we had an ocean view from our patio, it’s only like 100 steps to the beach, FREE WIFI, FREE breakfast, a new Tempurpedic mattress and it was CLEAN.
I would definitely stay here again. :)