Housing and Community Resources
About the Community
Cabrillo College is located in Aptos; a small coastal community situated near the center of Santa Cruz County. From Santa Cruz, it is only 60 km to San Jose, Monterey or Carmel and approximately 120 km to San Francisco. In addition, Lake Tahoe is only four hours away and Calistoga and the Napa wine country are approximately three hours from us.
Wooded mountains, a spectacular coastline and accessible beaches surround Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is also a part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and offers fantastic opportunities for scuba diving, sea kayaking, sailing and surfing. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk offers the only major seaside amusement park on the entire West Coast.
The world's most innovative tech companies, such as Google, Yahoo!, HP, Adobe and Cisco Systems, are a short drive away in Silicon Valley.
Santa Cruz County offers international students the opportunity to obtain a quality education in a beautiful and safe environment. Visit any of these websites for more information on local events and activities.
Visit Santa Cruz County
City of Santa Cruz
SantaCruz.com
Some fun local activities include taking a walk on West Cliff Drive, going for a few rides at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, visiting the redwoods in Nisene Marks State Park or Henry Cowell State Park, cruise around UCSC, go whale watching, visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium, take a surfing lesson, go bowling at the Boardwalk Bowl, play some disc golf at Delaveaga Park, go fishing (don't forget to get a license!), take a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row, drive to beautiful Big Sur, plan a day trip to San Francisco, go to a Santa Cruz Warriors game, sit on a beach and read a book- the possibilities are endless!
Housing
Because Santa Cruz is such a beautiful place to live, housing can be expensive and difficult to find. International Students can obtain housing information through the following services:
* Students, who do not participate in the International Student Homestay Program, are responsible for making their own housing arrangements. Renting a room in an apartment with other students will cost an average of $1000 per month.
1. International Student Homestay Programs:
International Student Placements
Northern California
Jean Ikeda-Director
199 First Street, Suite 305
Los Altos, CA 94022 USA.
Phone: (650) 947-8879
Fax: 650- 948-1105
Email: office@isphomestays.com
www.isphomestays.com
International Student Services
Sandi Spanfelner-Director
120 Locatelli Lane
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
Office phone: (831) 335-3088
Fax: 831-335-2619
Cell (mobile) phone: (831) 419-9633
Email: sandispan@aol.com
2. Short-term Housing:
Best Western Capitola by-the-Sea Inn & Suites
1435 41st Avenue,
Capitola, CA, 95010, United States
Phone: (831) 477-0607
www.bestwesterncapitola.com
Best Western Seacliff Inn
7500 Old Dominion Court
Aptos, California 95003
Hotel: (831) 688-7300
Fax: 831-685-3603
Reservations: 800-367-2003
www.seacliffinn.com
Rio Sands Motel
116 Aptos Beach Drive
Aptos, California 95003
(800) 826-2077 or (831) 688-3207
www.riosands.com
The Ocean Pacific Lodge
301 Pacific Ave
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
800-995-0289
(831) 457-1234
www.theoceanpacificlodge.com
Watsonville Comfort Inn
112 Airport Blvd.
Watsonville, CA 95019
(831) 728-2300
Fax: (831) 728-3700
https://www.choicehotels.com/california/watsonville/comfort-inn-hotels/ca618
* The companies listed above are not affiliated with Cabrillo College. If you have concerns or issues related to these establishments please contact them directly. Cabrillo College is not responsible for their actions.
Other Useful Housing Resources:
The Santa Cruz Sentinel Newspaper: The Santa Cruz Sentinel is the Santa Cruz County local newspaper. The classified section of the paper advertises apartments, homes and rooms for rent.
Craigslist is one more valuable source of housing advertisements. Visit http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/hhh/ for more information.
Students should arrive in Santa Cruz at least a week before orientation and be prepared to spend a few days at a hotel while searching for housing. Remember that Santa Cruz is a popular vacation destination and hotels fill up quickly during the summer months. Make arrangements early.
* The companies listed above are not affiliated with Cabrillo College. If you have concerns or issues related to these establishments please contact them directly. Cabrillo College is not responsible for their actions.
Transportation
Cabrillo College is easily accessible on the local bus system. Routes 54, 55, 69, 71, and 91 all stop at Cabrillo College. To access a Santa Cruz Metro bus schedule, please visit www.scmtd.com.
All registered students receive a bus pass and may purchase a parking permit through Cabrillo College.
If you are arriving from the San Jose or San Francisco Airports, you may reserve a shuttle to pick you up at the airport. One company that serves both airports and accepts online reservations is the Santa Cruz Airport Flyer. Their website is www.santacruzflyer.com. You may also reserve cars through Uber and Lyft.