Babbling Brook Inn

This place is run down to say the least, phones non op , no breakfast as advertised, no lights very dark bathrooms are uhh to say the least non desirable, stay away abandoned, and very unsecure, no staff at desk only notes, water wheel is broken, and grounds have weeds grown over

This was really a very bad experience. I was traveling with my daughter. When we arrived, our room door was open. Not unlocked, open. I checked the room before bringing my daughter in, and discovered that the sliding door for the patio doesn’t lock. Super! We then went down to get our things from the car and we encountered an employee that let us know he knew which room we were in and interacted with my daughter in a way that made me uncomfortable. Literally 10 minutes later, the parking lot was full of police cars with full lights and sirens. Five of them. Half the officers ran up the front stairs, half up the back. A short time later they were removing this employee in handcuffs while discussing for all to hear the circumstances of his arrest. No one from the Inn said a word to any guests or offer any explanation or apologies. I was willing to overlook the obvious state of disrepair that the Inn was in, but this was too much. Open doors, broken locks, sideways stairs, felons for employees. Do yourself a favor and Stay literally anywhere else.

I dont usually write reviews, but in this instance I feel it is necessary. Clearly something has happened in the last couple of years, possibly a change in ownership during COVID, as this beautiful location has gone seriously downhill. I visited this hotel back in 2018 and had an absolutely wonderful experience. Check in was very friendly and informative and offered complimentary cookies along with wine and cheese in the evening. The room was beautifuly decorated and clean, bed very comfortable. Impressive complimentary breakfast in the morning. All of this is expected at this high price point. Now it is barely more than a low-tier Airbnb. Ive had better customer service at cheap motels. Upon arrival there is a lockbox which says to check your email for check in instructions, which I never received. Front desk is practically nonexistent, instead you are supposed to call a number for a random person who I’m guessing is the manager or owner. Our room was very barren with mismatched furniture, broken window blinds, and the wifi name and password on the room card both were wrong. We were texted a blurry picture with the wifi username and password, which worked but was VERY slow. This hotel has become a scam, riding on its former reputation as one of Santa Cruz’s luxury hotels, with the price unchanged. We were seriously disappointed. I would stay anywhere else.

It’s easy to see how this place might have had real charm once upon a time. The Babbling Brook does indeed have a brook, and it is pleasant to hear, and the surrounding greenery is also picturesque. When we checked, in the service was curt best. The young woman who helped us did not tell us her name, and spoke so softly it was difficult to hear. She escorted us to set of stairs and pointed up and said “Your room is up there.” The website offered a buffet breakfast. The lady who greeted us offered know information about this , and the next morning at 7:30 AM there was no sign of staff and no food insight. When we entered the Renoir room, it did not quite match thr pictures online which show a small table and two chairs by the pop-up windows. But there was only a single very old looking chair. The valence above the sliding glass door was gone as well as the oval mirror that should’ve been over the nightstand. It was clean , and the bed was reasonably comfortable. But the room felt as if it suffered from a little neglect.

This place is well located for the Santa Cruz main beach area and meant we could walk there which was good. The place itself is as quaint as the pictures suggest and has loads of character. However, as many of the reviews point out, the pictures make the rooms look nicer than the reality, based on our experience. Whilst clean and with nice linen, the room we had was very tired and sparsely furnished, with Wi-Fi that did not work well or consistently. We were only there for one night so it didn’t matter too much but if they (a) invested in the rooms and (b) had a properly manned front desk this could be real gem.

This B&B used to be great, but it has gone WAY downhill. Do not stay here, and I don’t say that lightly. If this property were listed on air bnb they would be kicked off the platform for being TERRIBLE hosts! My 80 year old mom booked two nights here, when she arrived there was no one to help get the key and she wasn’t emailed any instructions. Finally someone showed up and informed her they didn’t have her reservation even though she showed her reservation confirmation. They then told her they’d accommodate her but she’d have to switch rooms for the second night. Ok. So the next day when she returned to check into her new room, AGAIN, no one was there to help. She finally got a hold of the person listed on the key box who gave her the code to the key box. However when we opened the key box her keys weren’t there. The person said she would come right over. That was 15 minutes ago we are still waiting. Contactless check-in only works if the hotel is organized. This place is not. Don’t waste your money, there are better options.

Worst experience ever! We paid for a room we never got. BEWARE! We booked through ******* and the property sent an email explaining the contact less checking. It was a code to a lockbox with all the other keys to the rooms in it. And our room was not ready. The door was wide open when we got to it and the room was in total disarray. When you called the number provided, you got a voicemail to a Mobile Home park. Leave a message, sure, but you won't get a response. When you ask for a refund to their non-refundable room, you're denied. Please don't fall for this trap.

We stayed here for a long weekend. We arrived late at night, and it was cold and rainy. The room was freezing and damp. As others have said, no one was around to check us in (contactless check-in). It would have been nice to have the gas fireplace on to warm the room and make it feel somewhat welcoming. We cranked up the fireplace, piled on clothes and got into bed. The room was still cold when we woke up in the morning. The room was dated, carpet shabby, bathroom old. Coffee supplies and toiletries were put in small paper shoping bags. We had a room close to the street and we could hear traffic all night long. There were many outdoor lights on all night, and light came in widows that did not have curtains/blinds. The place would have been fine for a $100 or less room, but we spent $300+/night. No food (this is NOT a bed and breakfast). The outdoor area is nice, but the whole place is so unwelcoming, I don't know if anyone actually uses the outdoor area. It's too bad that the owners are not doing more. I would not recommend staying here.

The reviews are sadly accurate. Do not stay here. We booked a room for my aunt here, it was a big mistake. This place is barely “open” and shouldn’t be taking customers. See the other reviews for, unfortunately, the grim details. It is just as they report.