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Surf City · Hotel shortlist

The best hotels in the old town, Surf City

Daniel Kovac

Daniel Kovac Central Europe

Updated 1 September 2026 · 92 Surf City hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Surf City, out of the 92 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 5 down to 4.9458613.

C.W. Worth House Bed and Breakfast is the one I would book myself.

C.W. Worth House Bed and Breakfast

Highest rated of the five

C.W. Worth House Bed and Breakfast

★★★★★5 from 347 reviews

C.W. Worth House Bed and Breakfast comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 5 from 347 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 a 3 star property and found under old town.

92 hotels in Surf City qualified for this list and five made it. Condo Riviere Stay Downtown! Walk everywhere! is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Parkinga real consideration if you are driving in

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All five, ranked

  1. C.W. Worth House Bed and Breakfast1

    C.W. Worth House Bed and Breakfast

    ★★★★★5 from 347 reviews

    • Parking
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

  2. Condo Riviere Stay Downtown! Walk everywhere!2

    Condo Riviere Stay Downtown! Walk everywhere!

    ★★★★★4.9458613 from 360 reviews

      Check rates Read more

    • Cozy Blue Bungalow Walk Downtown! Free parking!3

      Cozy Blue Bungalow Walk Downtown! Free parking!

      ★★★★★4.9551973 from 304 reviews

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      • Showstopper 3 BD heart of downtown historic district. No cleaning fee!4

        Showstopper 3 BD heart of downtown historic district. No cleaning fee!

        ★★★★★5 from 204 reviews

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        • 1 BR Condo with Water Views + 2 Minute Walk to Beach5

          1 BR Condo with Water Views + 2 Minute Walk to Beach

          ★★★★★4.9653845 from 221 reviews

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          How this list was put together

          92 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.