Costanoa Coastal Lodge and Camp, Pescadero

My family and I recently stayed at Costanoa for two nights. The whole atmosphere of the place has potential but does not live up to the price they are asking. Costonoa is a nicer version of a basic campground. It is not what you would view on their website. That place doesn't really exist. You can find a place like what the website presents with better service at Disneyland. My family and I went to the Saturday breakfast to find a complete madhouse. The whole thing was very unorganized. They appeared not to have enough servers as we waited 30 minutes for the young man to bring back a simple latte. Then it took him another 10 minutes to bring our juice. I think we got our food after about 50 minutes. The food was nothing to rave about and the restaurant was full of screaming kids. I don't understand why management in that restaurant wouldn't just have the correct amount of people to make it run smoothly. There were many unhappy people that day and maybe someday they will figure out how to properly run a restaurant.

Costanoa is in a beautiful spot in Pescadero right along the Pacific. There are several beautiful hikes along the beach and the bluffs, as well as inland towards the foothills. As several other reviewers have noted, both the Cabins and the Lodge are quite pricey. However, if you're willing to spend $260 a night (with a two-night minimum on weekends) the rooms are clean and cozy. One word of warning - be very careful about doing an event here. The events team is extremely difficult, and changes the terms of the contracts constantly. Guests calling in will find it nearly impossible to get a room booked, and you can expect to be consistently overcharged for every small item in your event. Costanoa makes a great weekend getaway, or try their full moon night special rates. Just be very careful if you're ever tempted to hold an event there.

Really like the tent cabins and the location can't be beat. Food is basic. Great place to go with a group of families. Kids seem to love it.

The comfort stations were not maintained (no fire in the fireplace). The tent (in the Cypress area cost=$260/night) was small, rickety and creaked. The bed was very uncomfortable and there wasn't much to do at night. We expected to relax with peace and quiet, but instead the crickets and stars were interrupted by a wedding and live band. For this reason Costanoa chooses to block off the spa because they don't want you to disturb the wedding guests, so don't expect to sit in the jacuzzi until the wedding is over if you happen to visit on a Saturday night. Also, the walls around the spa are high so you can't see any of the great scenery. The location and view was amazing, but overall not worth $500/night for a hotel room or $260/night for cold tent (you have to walk through the dark to the bathrooms in the middle of the night). There is white table cloth dining in the evenings and no where to get a cup of coffee and chat. When my guest and I walked into the restaurant (remember that most of the area is a camp) we were told that we could not get a cup of coffee to go because the bartender was too busy. When we pushed, we discovered that he was the bartender and wasn't busy at all. He was very irritated that he had to help us. There were also a ton of screaming children (and I have a three year old, but for some reason it was very very bad here) I was given a weekend at Costanoa as a gift and would never pay to visit again. Just stay in Pescadero or downtown Santa Cruz - it's so cute there.