noplasticshowers

Most college towns have no hotels worth visiting. Staying near a college campus can be a complete drag. But UC Santa Cruz is a welcome exception. Paradoxical? Sure, why not.

Hotel Paradox is in a college town and it does not suck.

CA Route 1

We arrived sunburned and exulted after a 384 mile road trip up the California coast from Los Angeles. Hey, nobody said that college and the arts was going to be easy! The drive was mesmerizing.

Paradox is also self-referential in a sense that the architecture is 100% hamster cage. Holiday Inn, Days Inn, you name it, this is the rectangle. But somehow they pull it off with a design-forward approach and an inclusive feel. A paradox.

Coolest front desk ever

Apparently they read the blog. We were upgraded (really), we were given a bar credit, we were greeted by name. Dang!

Room 534 is situated at the very end of the rectangle and involves two rooms making a suite with a virtual porch on the side. Surprisingly nice.

Time warp to the ’70s

Sitting room with fold out couch

Bedroom 534 (rectangle done right)

Wood

The bathroom has a non-plastic shower. You know how we feel about that around here!

534 has a glass shower with a silver twig handle and a pebble floor

The nicest thing about 534 is the outside space associated with the suite. Just very well done.

The park next door

Virtual porch in 534

So we’ll need to revise our “university towns have no hotels” opinion. A very high four shower heads for the Paradox. Well done!

In other Santa Cruz news, the Oswald is apparently the best bet restaurant-wise in town. Hmm. Not bad, but also not good.

We leave you with more CA Route 1 footage.