Back in the mid-80's, my younger brother and I had a bit of cabin fever, and decided to walk from…read moreour grandparents' central Watsonville home, up to Mount Madonna park. We made it about 2/3rds of the way up the winding, two lane road before a passing motorist stopped for us. The driver told us to pile into the bed of his pickup truck, then shortly after dropped us off at the park. My brother and I briefly explored the park, but dusk was approaching. Back in the days when there were public pay phones aplenty, we used a dime (or perhaps a quarter) to telephone our grandparents to ask for a car ride back down the mountain. In our youthful minds, it was just a little adventure, but our grandparents spoke of it for years afterwards.

On a warm Sat at the end of Feb, I hiked with 2 friends on an 8 miles, 700 ft elevation gain,…read moreSprig, Merry-Go-Round, and Tan Oak Loop. Paid $6, parked at the Amphitheater at 9am. Headed over to the ruins of Miller's Mansion. The forest grove sure was pretty and tranquil. The lake was nice but far away. Saw some benches carved out of huge logs, very cute. Too bad we missed the white deer pen. We completed the hike exactly at noon, 3 hours hike.

Wonderful stay at KOA Holiday Campground!…read more We had a fantastic experience at this KOA Holiday campground. The entire place was very clean and well maintained, which we really appreciated. The pool was spotless, and the jacuzzi was warm and relaxing after a long day. What we loved most is that there are so many activities for kids. It's a great place for families -- children have plenty to do and never get bored. The campground is organized, friendly, and comfortable. Everything felt safe and welcoming. We enjoyed our stay so much that we definitely plan to come back again!

The grounds with the trees and foliage are nice. The RV sites are narrow. The place is a lot of fun…read morefor kids. We had a space with a dog run. It was very expensive compared to other KOA sites .

Well I really rarely write reviews but do on occasion when their been wonderful or horrible…read moreservice. Unfortunately this is the later. Let me start of by say the people some of who I have talked to are nice but not all. It start off on check in they don't take cash I don't understood that what so ever. On top of that their ac don't work I mean I called maintenance twice he was short with me while on phone with someone Elsa about something completely unreadable and didn't do anything just say that's how it is deal with it I even ask just for fan nothing front desk is no help the whole stay it was hot in the room The only and I mean this the only nice part was the breakfast they had a decent breakfast I'm not say 5-stars but it was nice This is not what I like to do but if a place is this bad and rude I believe it should be said so other have a chance to be aware My dogs were travel with me this time and the amount of attitude I got from that alone was disturbing

Our family went on another trip and decided to stay in Watsonville California as it is close…read moreproximity to Gilroy Gardens . We have three small children. Our oldest is Five. Our middle child is almost 2 and our youngest is four months old. Gilroy Gardens is located less than 30 minutes from Watsonville California. However, you have to travel through a curvy road in order to get there. It wasn't too bad of a drive and it drops you off right by the entrance of Gilroy gardens Some pros about this hotel- Clean- room was clean & staff was really prompt about tidying up our rooms in the morning and we didn't even have to ask. When we came back to our hotel room, our beds were made in our garbage was taken out and we had fresh towels. Private patio - we stayed in room 101 which was the family suite with a private patio. It had its own gated area and you could eat at the table outside if you wanted to. Pool- we did not swim, but there was an outdoor pool. As a family, it was a big bonus to find a place that had a kitchenette in it and allowed us to have meals in the room. In fact, there's a restaurant directly across the street that while we didn't eat there .. it smelled absolutely delicious. Just ok.. Our kitchen .. had no knives. We could not cut a watermelon. All the tableware was plastic and paper plates. We have stayed at other hotels with kitchens & were supplied with real silverware and plates. My husband was trying to stir our food with a plastic spoon and it melted . All the glassware was plastic too. We also were not supplied with any dishwasher soap . Breakfast- the lady that works there was helpful and nice. However, no waffles which was a bummer. A lot of the hot food didn't really taste great.. there was biscuits and gravy, round eggs and sausage. There was also lots of muffins, bagels and English muffins. There was also fresh yogurt with toppings fresh cut strawberries in the refrigerator. There was chocolate milk , white milk and juice. Plus a neat coffee maker that would make customized coffee orders for you. My actual favorite thing to have there was the fresh yogurt with the toppings. Usually I'm a hot food breakfast person but to be honest it wasn't very good. Our kids aren't picky and they really wouldn't eat it either including the French toast sticks. Our kids basically stuck to chocolate milk , strawberries and the premade muffin because the hot food was just not very edible. The machine that customizes your coffee is also located in the entryway of the lobby so if you want customize coffee other times the day they have it there too The not so great.. There was no trolley to bring your bags to and from the car. We did not know until we arrived and got our room that our room was located on the other side of the hotel. You had to walk down the sidewalk and up through the wooden gate to your private patio. While that is awesome and very private... We also have three small children and getting all of our things and three small children from across the parking lot onto a sidewalk and into our room was kind of a challenge. If our kids were older probably would not be a big deal as they could carry their own bags. We realized later that you can actually pull up your vehicle and parallel park on the street and it's a little bit closer so you can load up your vehicle before you leave. Along with no trolleys, there's also no elevators so if you have to be on the second floor, you're gonna have to bring all your baggage upstairs yourself without the help of an elevator. It was not the hotels fault.. but getting woke up before 8am the first morning wasn't so fun to jackhammer's hammering right outside the window. For the inconvenience, the hotel did add some points to our Best Western account though. The other thing I noticed was our room advertise for up to six people, however with two queen beds and a twin pullout .. it really only sleeps five. It worked out for us because we are a family of 5 and we had a crib, but if you're really counting on it to six people you might wanna consider it. So would we stay again... Maybe but with children that are our kids ages maybe not.

Lots of parking, easy checkin, right next to a drive in Starbucks, super clean, nice gym and heated…read morepool. Beds were comfy and clean bathroom. Breakfast selection was ok, had make your own waffles, eggs, sausage patties, potatoes, fruit, yogurt, breads, muffins, etc. Enjoyed our stay.

WHY I WENT HERE: - business trip…read more THE LOOK (FROM THE OUTSIDE): - located off Lee Rd and W Beach St - located in the same plaza as ARCO and Starbucks THE LOOK (FROM THE INSIDE): - the lobby is pretty open - the seating for the breakfast area is pretty spacious and colorful - the fitness center has all the basics; new equipment and spacious - the continental breakfast has a good mix of hot, cold, and shelf stable items - indoor pool is heated - laundry room available as well, quarters only I believe CUSTOMER SERVICE: - I utilized the Digital Key to check in and check out - the fitness center was annoying with regards to being slightly past 6AM and being unable to use the digital key, so I did have to go to the front desk to get the door unlocked for entry

I love Pajaro Dunes! Beautiful location! Love hosting work events here. Pajaro Dunes team is great…read morewith communication and helping with room preparation.

What a great place to chill. We're from chicago and needed 5nights away from the city and the 95…read moredegree august weather. Perfect. A constant 65 and if you need some heat just drive up to San Jose for a warm up. It was 80 up there. Or drive over to Gilroy. Accommodations could not have been better. Our unit S4 was nice in the living areas and the bathrooms were awesome, in particular the shower. Couldn't have asked for a better vacation. I'll be back.