Our story

Two blocks from the beach and four blocks from downtown, the Santa Cruz Hostel is the perfect location to experience all things Santa Cruz. Set inside of a city park on land donated to the city by a woman named Lottie Sly.

The historic cottages and garden from the 1800’s are maintained by the Santa Cruz Hostel Society. It is a nonprofit organization and every booking helps further our mission to help people of all ages gain a greater knowledge, understanding and love of the world through hostelling!

​The hostel has occupied the cottages for 30 years but the history of the cottages dates back to the 1800s.

“Widows, sea captains, relatives, music, jilted wives, and long-tenure describe the famous owners of the Carmelita Cottages. The property is located at 315-321 Main Street in the City of Santa Cruz near the famous Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk. The two front houses, constructed circa 1872, are among the oldest surviving buildings on Beach Hill. (1) The complex includes six principal structures, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and being renovated into a hostel. Their history has yet to be fully revealed.”