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3bd/2ba Cottage w Hot Tub/Bikes/Amenities. Walk to Beach, Harbor, Restaurants

Photo gallery for 3bd/2ba Cottage w Hot Tub/Bikes/Amenities. Walk to Beach, Harbor, Restaurants

Front of house
local neighborhood - harbor and beaches
Harbor Beach
Front path
Front of house

Reviews

9.6 out of 10
Exceptional
3 bedrooms2 bathroomsSleeps 892.9 sq m

Popular amenities

  • Parking available
  • Dryer
  • Barbecue grill
  • Washer
  • Fireplace

Explore the area

Map
Santa Cruz, CA
  • Santa Cruz Harbor
    ‪7 min walk‬
  • Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
    ‪3 min drive‬
  • Santa Cruz Wharf
    ‪3 min drive‬
  • Watsonville, CA (WVI-Watsonville Municipal)
    ‪24 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

3 bedrooms (sleeps 8)

Bedroom 1

1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 2

1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 3

2 Single Beds

2 bathrooms

Bathroom 1

Bathtub · Toilet · Shower only

Bathroom 2

Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Deck or patio
Kitchen
Dining area

About this property

3bd/2ba Cottage w Hot Tub/Bikes/Amenities. Walk to Beach, Harbor, Restaurants

Santa Cruz County Vacation Rental Permit # 181-530
Welcome to the Santa Cruz RockHouse! This iconic river rock beach cottage sits a stone's throw from the Santa Cruz Harbor and many local attractions. From here you can walk to Twin Lakes or Seabright beaches, local kayak or SUP rentals and launches, local charter fishing boats and a small craft boat launch. It is a short walk to favorite local restaurants like The Crow's Nest, The Harbor Cafe, Seabright Brewery, Tramonti's, La Posta and Johnny's Harborside. A slightly longer walk or super short drive/bike ride will bring you directly to the Boardwalk, the Municipal Wharf, or the Live Oak Farmer's Market.

The house has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room, a dining area/bar, a fully stocked kitchen, a patio with grill and outdoor seating and a 4 person hot tub. Includes high speed wi-fi, two flat screen TVs and Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc. It is a fully stocked house which includes all towels, linens, paper products etc. We include beach amenities such as beach towels, chairs, umbrella, wagon, cooler, boogie boards, various wetsuits, surf boards and 4 adult beach cruisers.

Come stay with us and explore this beautiful county. Santa Cruz is famous for surfing and the boardwalk, but Santa Cruz is also blessed with more state parks than any other county in California, has 29 miles of beaches, hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails through magnificent redwoods, one of the oldest wine growing regions in the state, incredible fresh seafood and abundant local organic produce and a farmer's market every day of the week. Ride a bike through wine country, paddle with the sea otters and sea lions, go whale watching or fishing for salmon or halibut. Ride the roller coasters, catch a wave, touch a 1000 year-old redwood tree, or just walk on the beach. Whatever your favorite activity is, you can likely find it in Santa Cruz.

Note that this property is located in a busy area of town and is subject to traffic and street noise. For a quieter option in another part of town, see our other listing at vrbo #764224

Property manager

Paul & Kate Winkler
Premier Host

Languages

English

Add dates for prices

Amenities

Hot tub
Kitchen
Washer
Dryer
Outdoor space
Parking available

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House Rules

Check in after 3:00 PM
Minimum age to rent: 25
Check out before 11:00 AM
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Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17
Family friendly rental
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Events

No events allowed
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Pets

No pets allowed
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Smoking

Smoking is not permitted
Smoking permitted outside

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit and a deadlock
Property Registration Number 231276

We should mention

A car is recommended for transport to and from this property

About the area

Santa Cruz

Located in Eastside Santa Cruz, a neighbourhood in Santa Cruz, this holiday home is near theme parks. Mystery Spot is a notable landmark, and the area's natural beauty can be seen at Monterey Bay and Capitola Beach. Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History are also worth visiting. Make sure you get close to the area's animals with activities such as game walks and birdwatching.
Map
Santa Cruz, CA

What's nearby

  • Twin Lakes State Beach - 2 min walk - 0.2 km
  • Santa Cruz Harbor - 7 min walk - 0.6 km
  • Main Beach - 19 min walk - 1.6 km
  • Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - 3 min drive - 2.8 km
  • Santa Cruz Wharf - 3 min drive - 3.5 km

Getting around

  • Watsonville, CA (WVI-Watsonville Municipal) - 24 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪Crow's Nest Restaurant - ‬8 min walk
  • ‪Los Viejones - ‬2 min drive
  • ‪Peoples Coffee - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪Hot Dog on A Stick - ‬3 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is 3bd/2ba Cottage w Hot Tub/Bikes/Amenities. Walk to Beach, Harbor, Restaurants pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

What time is check-in at 3bd/2ba Cottage w Hot Tub/Bikes/Amenities. Walk to Beach, Harbor, Restaurants?

Check-in begins at 3:00 PM.

What time is check-out at 3bd/2ba Cottage w Hot Tub/Bikes/Amenities. Walk to Beach, Harbor, Restaurants?

Checkout is at 11:00 AM.

Where is 3bd/2ba Cottage w Hot Tub/Bikes/Amenities. Walk to Beach, Harbor, Restaurants located?

Located in Eastside Santa Cruz, this holiday home is within 1 mi (2 km) of Twin Lakes State Beach and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Monterey Bay is 2.7 mi (4.3 km) away.

Reviews

9.6

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 227 out of 298 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 59 out of 298 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 9 out of 298 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 3 out of 298 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 298 reviews

9.6/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

10/10

Communication

9.2/10

Location

9.8/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Aubrie P.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Rockhouse Rocks!

We had so much fun at the Rockhouse. Close to everything, lots of amenities, and the selection of wetsuits were perfect for our kids. Highly recommend!
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Carole and John B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Welcoming home!

Truly enjoyed this cozy, comfortable home. The layout of the house . it allowed all to have some private space to hang out in. The decorating was pefect and made the house ever so inviting. Close to the water … convenient. Talking with the owners was so easy . Thank you! Carole
Stayed 9 nights in Dec 2024

10/10 Excellent

Leah H.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Lovely Place

This was a lovely place. Exactly as advertised.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2024

10/10 Excellent

Xochitl S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Sweet 16

My son decided he wanted a family vacation for his 16th birthday and this was a great location. Super easy check in and great communication. The house was nice, great space, the floors needed to be swept and mopped and there was a load of towels in the dryer, so not sure if the house was clean between stays. Still really nice location, close to what I wanted, and would absolutely stay again. The beach is literally across and down the street, 5 minutes walk away.Highly recommend for families.
Stayed 6 nights in Nov 2024

10/10 Excellent

Vicky W.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2024

8/10 Good

Heather D.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Charming property with Great Hosts

Very cozy and peaceful.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2024

10/10 Excellent

Sherri H.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Santa Cruz

Great location. Really like the restaurant around the corner. Beach coffee shop was fun. Had a ukulele band on Saturday!
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2024

8/10 Good

Katie D.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

obo h.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Santa Cruz triathalon

We had a great time No complaints
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

Gregg S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2024

8/10 Good

Emily B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Mandy P.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Fun Family Trip

Rockhouse was a wonderful place to stay. The house was well stocked in the kitchen and the bedding was very nice. The location was great for the Boardwalk and the beach. The house is on a busy street and the traffic was heavy and loud at times. I had earplugs so that took care of the noise. Only complaint I have is the floors were not mopped. Our crawling baby had black legs and the tops of his feet which we had to clean before going out. A good mopping would have eliminated that. We would definitely stay at the Rockhoyse again and recommend it to others.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Veronica M.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Santa Cruz family reunion

Great property on the Main Street. Busy street during rush hour but plenty of parking. Family was able to rent properties near ours. This location was easy to do a load drop off at the beach then walk down. Location was near places to eat for the kids as well. Love this area! Been coming to Santa Cruz for years!
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Linda P.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Memories forever

Owners responsive, property as represented and better.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Ted T.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Loved the rock house

Awesome house.Great location love to the bikes in the beach stuff
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Natalie M.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Girls Getaway

Cute place, cafe around the corner is awesome and so convenient to walk to. Overall great experience!
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Elena S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great place- great owner

Wonderful place. Three blocks from beach. On a busy street, but quieted down around 10:30 pm. Located in a great spot- close to boardwalk, wharf, and tide pools. Totally recommend ❤️
Stayed 6 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jenny G.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Excellent Choice for being right in the middle of it all!

This was a great property for family. The good-plenty of items to get us started ( and more). Plenty of toilet paper, lots of clean towels ( including beach towels), felt safe and secure with the way the house locked up, big fridge to unpack into, lots of space for the older kids to have a bit of quiet and stare at their phones after a long unplugged day. The great-hot tub was super clean and usable, shower right next to it to clean off sand or oils, etc-kids loved it! A kitchen you can cook in. One of my kids has a food allergy, so we must cook every meal. The kitchen was well appointed, had a large stove/oven, plenty of ‘real’ kitchen items. For those on a budget or wanting to cook fresh fish, you will have no problems with this. It is a little noisy when the beach was clearing for the day, but property starts at a gate and winds around the back to a patio, hot tub, shed area which is compact, but not too small. Putting this behind the house blocks the street noise. Speaking of the gates-you can pulled your car in on the inside of the gate and lock it up. OR, if you had toddlers that you needed to have them run a little bit, you could park to the side of the house during the day and lock the gate and have a little play area in the driveway (bounce balls, etc). The needs some work-not much really. Maybe another fan? For the hottest days. A removable cover for the skylight? The light is wonderful until it isn’t, you know. Best-property owner communicated/helped!
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Meredith K.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great location!

We had a great time in Santa Cruz staying at the Rock House. We were visiting for our daughter’s graduation from UCSC and it was the perfect location for us - near to some restaurants, coffee shops and the beach. We cooked a lot of meals in the kitchen and relaxed in the hot tub too. Thanks for the hospitality!
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Michael L.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Add a title

In SC for a weekend wedding. Great wedding! We were too busy to use most amenities. Big exception- the hot tub. Thanks for your touch of whimsy decor!
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Lynette R.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Perfect for our family

Perfect for our family. We are not that critical so we are thankful for the opportunity to spend some time here. The only struggle was the busy street & that people did not want to stop to let us out of the driveway.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Maria E.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great place to stay in Santa Cruz

This was a great place for five to six adults. Comfortable, very-well located home. Bikes, beach stuff, and hot tubs added to the experience. Washer and dryer were very convenient. Good grill, enough cooking/eating stuff, but the indoor dining setup was a bit tight to seat six together inside. When it was nice outside, we opened the doors to the patio and it was no problem. Overall, a great time, and I'd return.
Stayed 7 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

anne L.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great location

Great house road noise a little annoying but honestly no big deal… nicely located! Clean and good
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Halie C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great location

We had a great time! Perfectly located to the beach and harbor. It was chilly while we were here so the hot tub was a plus for sure. We look forward to coming back.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Sean T.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Very Nice

This was a very nice and fairly priced place. It is close to the boardwalk and downtown. Some reviews talked about the road noise, but we did not find it a big deal. We ran a portable fan in the bedroom at night and it drowned out any road noise.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2024

About the host

Hosted by Paul & Kate Winkler

Host profile image
Our family moved to Santa Cruz years ago looking for a nice place to settle down and raise our daughter. Having lived in the big city for decades (San Francisco and Chicago), we wanted a tightly knit community, with all of the amenities of a big city, and of course a killer location. We couldn't be any happier. Santa Cruz is amazing.

Why they chose this property

So why this property? We have a child and know how difficult and expensive it can be to travel with kids and multiple families. So, we wanted to provide a family friendly place for people to come and experience all of the great things in Santa Cruz. We are walking distance to the beach, harbor and boardwalk and have provided all of the fun amenities that a rental should have for families (bikes, boogie boards, wetsuits, beach chairs, hot tub, etc). All of this for less than the cost of a couple of hotel rooms with much more comfort.

What makes this property unique

Since we are locals, we also have built a great rolodex of some of the best service providers around. We would be delighted to help you arrange massages on premise, book with one of the local fishing guides, arrange in-house babysitting, or just recommend some of our favorite restaurants or hikes.

Languages:

English

Premier Host

They consistently provide great experiences for their guests
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