Trip GrapevineTop places, picked by travellers

Surf City · Hotel shortlist

High end hotels on the beach in Surf City

Daniel Kovac

Daniel Kovac Central Europe

Updated 1 September 2026 · 12 Surf City hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Surf City, out of the 12 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 5 down to 4.8.

Across the street from the beach!! 4/3 with Spectacular views & ELEVATOR! is the one I would book myself.

Across the street from the beach!! 4/3 with Spectacular views & ELEVATOR!

Highest rated of the five

Across the street from the beach!! 4/3 with Spectacular views & ELEVATOR!

★★★★★5 from 451 reviews

Across the street from the beach!! 4/3 with Spectacular views & ELEVATOR! comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 5 from 451 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is found under the beach and around $514 a night on the dates we checked.

12 hotels in Surf City qualified for this list and five made it. BETTER THAN HOTEL! 2 Suites!! is the one I would book if the first is full.

Check rates Read more

All five, ranked

  1. Across the street from the beach!! 4/3 with Spectacular views & ELEVATOR!1

    Across the street from the beach!! 4/3 with Spectacular views & ELEVATOR!

    ★★★★★5 from 451 reviews

      Check rates Read more

    • BETTER THAN HOTEL! 2 Suites!!2

      BETTER THAN HOTEL! 2 Suites!!

      ★★★★★5 from 128 reviews

        Check rates Read more

      • Marines peaceful retreat, TheStation @ AbbeyAcres Near Beach with Washer & Dryer3

        Marines peaceful retreat, TheStation @ AbbeyAcres Near Beach with Washer & Dryer

        ★★★★★4.9346104 from 141 reviews

          Check rates Read more

        • “Hampstead Hideaway”- sleeps 6.4

          “Hampstead Hideaway”- sleeps 6.

          ★★★★★5 from 105 reviews

            Check rates Read more

          • St. Regis Resort, Bldg 3, Let The Waves Hit Your Feet & The Sand Be Your Seat5

            St. Regis Resort, Bldg 3, Let The Waves Hit Your Feet & The Sand Be Your Seat

            ★★★★★4.8 from 194 reviews

              Check rates Read more

            How this list was put together

            12 Surf City hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

            Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

            The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

            What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

            Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

            Daniel Kovac

            Daniel Kovac Central Europe

            Takes the same two weeks every August and drives somewhere far with his wife and daughter. Twelve countries, all by road, all in one battered estate car. Plans routes on paper maps.

            Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.