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Capitola
Pelican House
(831) 777-6114 Book Now

Same waves, brighter days

Steps from the sand.
Stay awhile.

Three bedrooms, three baths, an elevator, a steam room, and a deck that looks straight out over Monterey Bay. The village is at the end of the walk. The beach is at the end of the street.

Book Now → See the House
4.91★★★★★
Airbnb Guest Favorite
Superhost
Hosting since 2005
Capitola Village · On the creek
From $650 / night · book direct, no platform feesNo minimum stay · pets welcome
“A hidden gem. The deck is exceptional.” Gisele “River and beach views from the deck. Exceeded expectations.” Jonathan, Ripon “Fabulous. Well maintained. Spectacularly situated.” Gary “Perfect Capitola location, pier views, and Sarah is wonderful.” Elizabeth “Walkable to everything. Communicative host.” Glenna, San Francisco “Excellent place.” Israel, Campbell “A hidden gem. The deck is exceptional.” Gisele “River and beach views from the deck. Exceeded expectations.” Jonathan, Ripon “Fabulous. Well maintained. Spectacularly situated.” Gary “Perfect Capitola location, pier views, and Sarah is wonderful.” Elizabeth “Walkable to everything. Communicative host.” Glenna, San Francisco “Excellent place.” Israel, Campbell
G“Stayed here for a family gathering to celebrate a 90th birthday. Gathering spaces and privacy, an outdoor deck ideal for dining, and an unbeatable location.” Gillian, Los Gatos

The House

Three floors. One view. Everyone gets a door to the outside.

Two king suites, a twin room for the kids, an elevator so grandparents never think about the stairs, and a great room that opens end to end onto the deck.

3Bedrooms
3Baths
7Guests
2Parking
1Elevator
1Steam room
2 minTo sand
The great room opening onto the front deck
The great room, doors open
Deck dining table under an umbrella with the ocean beyond
The deck over the bay
Kitchen island with seating for four
Island seating for four
Front door with bougainvillea
Bougainvillea at the gate
King bedroom with white iron bed
King suite
Lower living room with French doors open to the creek
Lower living, onto the creek
Capitola village seen across the creek
Capitola from the creek
01 / 08

01 · Top floor

The great room

Vaulted, bright, and open on two sides. Gas fireplace for the evenings, smart TV for the game, and a wall of doors that fold back onto the deck.

  • Gas fireplace
  • Smart TV
  • Doors to deck
  • Sofa bed

02 · Top floor

The kitchen

A real cook's kitchen. Gas range, full size fridge, dishwasher, and an island the whole family ends up leaning on. Coffee maker stocked.

  • Gas range & oven
  • Island seats 4
  • Dishwasher
  • Coffee maker

03 · Top floor

The deck

Over the beach, the wharf and Monterey Bay. BBQ, an outdoor dining table, and the reason every review mentions the deck.

  • BBQ grill
  • Outdoor dining
  • Bay & wharf views
  • Outside beach shower

04 · Bedrooms

Two king suites

One with step free access, one with its own ensuite. Both quiet, both with real mattresses and real linens.

  • King · step free
  • King · ensuite

05 · Bedrooms

The twin room

Two twins for the kids or the friends, with its own bath. An air mattress is in the closet for guest number seven.

  • 2 twins
  • Own bath
  • Air mattress

06 · Baths

Three full baths, plus the steam room

Walk in tiled showers, a soaking tub, grab bars fitted throughout, and a steam room for after the water.

  • Steam room
  • Soaking tub
  • Walk in showers
  • Grab bars

07 · Ground floor

The lower living room

A second living space with its own French doors onto the creek side. It's where the teenagers go, or where you go when the teenagers don't.

  • Second TV
  • French doors
  • Creek side

08 · Every floor

The elevator

Every floor, every bag, every grandparent. Plus laundry in the house, wifi throughout, air conditioning, two parking spots, and a kayak for the creek.

  • Elevator
  • Washer & dryer
  • A/C
  • Wifi
  • Kayak
  • Pets welcome
The great room with its doors folded open onto the deck

Ocean sounds, ocean views

The Deck. Where your
peace
meets the ocean.

You, a coffee, the sun, and the whole ocean in front of you. No one has ever regretted an extra day on this deck.

Book Now →

Why the Capitola Pelican House

The ocean does
something to people.

There is a reason every doctor, every grandmother and every kid already knows: salt air and a horizon fix things. Somewhere between the first wave and the last light, the shoulders drop, the voice softens, and the week you were carrying gets set down on the sand.

This house was built for that. For play: kayaks off the back door, boogie boards at the beach two minutes away, sand in the car for a month. For healing: the steam room after a cold swim, a soaking tub, a deck where the only notification is a pelican folding its wings and dropping into the bay. For reconnection: one long table, one big room, doors open on every floor so nobody is ever more than a shout from the water.

Leave the laptop closed. Let the phones sit in a bowl by the door. The tide keeps better time than any calendar, and it asks nothing of you but that you show up. Out here the days get longer in the good way, the kind you remember years later and can't quite explain to anyone who wasn't there.

Beach days · good company · stay awhile

Sarah, your host, on the beach at sunset with pelicans overhead

Your host

Hi, I'm Sarah.

I'm the host and property manager of the Capitola Pelican House, and sharing this special little corner of Capitola with our guests is genuinely the best part of my work.

To me the Pelican House is more than a vacation rental. It's a place for families and friends to slow down, be together, live at the beach for a while, and go home with the kind of memories that get retold at every holiday table. So I hold it to a high standard. Years in luxury property management taught me that the difference is in the details, and I take real pride in making sure the house is spotless, comfortable, and thoughtfully prepared from the moment you turn the key. Our guests notice: the Pelican House is a Superhost property and consistently among the highest rated rentals in town.

I'm local to Santa Cruz, and family, wellness, and community come first for me. I love everything about the Capitola lifestyle: mornings by the ocean, walking the Village, a great meal, and those California sunsets that make everyone go quiet for a minute. Most of my time goes to my own family and all that this coast offers, from the sand to the redwoods.

Whether it's your first visit or you're one of our returning guests, my goal is simple: an easy, relaxing, memorable stay. Questions, local recommendations, anything at all during your visit, I'm a text away and always happy to help.

5.0Communication
4.91Overall rating
2005Hosting since

Good people, brighter days

Text SarahBook Now

Capitola Village

Walk everywhere.

Settled in California's oldest seaside resort community, the house sits on Riverview at the creek, one block off the Esplanade. Leave the car in its spot the whole stay. The sand, the Venetian Court, the wharf and every good dinner are within five minutes on foot.

1minRiverwalk trail
2minCapitola Beach
3minThe Esplanade
4minVillage shops
5minCapitola Wharf
12minShadowbrook

305 Riverview Ave, Capitola, CA 95010 · 36.9750° N, 121.9564° W

The pastel Venetian Court on Capitola Beach
Open in Google Maps ↗
Capitola Pelican House305 Riverview Ave · 2 parking spots
Open in Google Maps ↗ Directions ↗

Things to do

From the front door to Big Sur.

WALK · 2 MINCapitola VillageThe pastel Venetian Court, the Esplanade, the beach and the wharf.
WALK · 5 MINCapitola WharfWalk out over Monterey Bay for sunset; watch the pelicans work the water.
WALK · 1 MINRiverwalk & Capitola CreekThe creek runs behind the house and out to the lagoon. Kayak's at the back door.
DRIVE · 6 MINNew Brighton State BeachBluff top campground, tide pools at low tide.
WALK · 12 MINShadowbrookA Capitola institution since 1947, reached by a cable car.
DRIVE · 4 MINGayle's BakeryThe morning stop. Pastry, coffee, and a deli counter.

Eat & drink

Sarah's short list.

Coffee

Verve Coffee Roasters
Santa Cruz's own roaster, the one that put this coast on the coffee map.
Cat & Cloud
Surf town roaster with a serious following.

Dinner out

Zelda's on the Beach
Right on Capitola Beach.
Trestles
A Village fixture, steps from the Esplanade.
Mentone
Coastal Italian and French from David Kinch.
Lago di Como
Northern Italian, white tablecloths, a proper evening.

Casual

La Marea
Café by day, pizza by evening.
East End Gastropub
Pub food done properly, a good list on tap.
Bantam
Wood fired, small menu, changes often.

Ice cream

Polar Bear
The Village scoop shop.
The Penny Ice Creamery
Small batches, flavours that change with the season.

Drinks & late

Apéro Club
Natural wine and small plates.
La Bahia
Dinner and cocktails on the Santa Cruz beachfront.

Wineries

Lester Estate
Corralitos hills, family run, Pinot and Chardonnay.
Windy Oaks
Long standing Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot.

Reviews

Eleven stays. Eleven five star stays.

4.91 / 5
Cleanliness4.9
Accuracy4.8
Check in5.0
Communication5.0
Location5.0
Value4.8

“Stayed here for a family gathering to celebrate a 90th birthday. Gathering spaces and privacy, an outdoor deck ideal for dining, and an unbeatable location.”

Gillian · Los GatosJune 2025 · ★★★★★

“Exceeded expectations. River and beach views from the deck, and everything walkable.”

Jonathan · RiponJan 2026

“A hidden gem. The deck area is exceptional and Sarah is quick to respond.”

GiseleOct 2024

“Perfect Capitola location, pier views, and Sarah's communication was so helpful.”

ElizabethJan 2025

“Fabulous. Well maintained and spectacularly situated.”

GaryAug 2026

“Walkable to everything, and a communicative host.”

Glenna · San FranciscoNov 2025

“Special place, excellent hosting.”

Michael · PasadenaApr 2026

“Convenient parking and close to everything happening in town.”

Joy · MartinezSep 2025
Read every review onAirbnb·Booking.comthen book direct and skip the platform fees.

Rates

There's only one season all year: ocean season.

No security deposit. No service fee. What you see here is what you pay, because you are booking straight with us. Rates shift a little through the year, so the calendar always shows the exact total for your nights.

October to March

Quiet season

$650 / night
No minimum stayPets welcome
Check Winter Dates

April to September

Beach season

$850 / night
No minimum stayPets welcome
Check Summer Dates
$350Cleaning · once per stay
$0Security deposit · none
$200Pet fee · applies to every stay
12%Capitola transient occupancy tax
50 / 50Half at booking · half 7 days before arrival

Book direct

Book with us and save.

Book here

  • No platform service fee
  • Sarah's number, not a chatbot
  • Shorter summer stays on request
  • Same live calendar as every platform

Airbnb

  • Guest service fee added at checkout
  • Platform messaging
  • Fixed minimum stays

Booking.com

  • Platform pricing rules
  • Platform messaging
  • Fixed minimum stays

House rules

Everything you need to know, before you book.

We are so happy to have you. Relax, enjoy Capitola, and help us keep our beach house beautiful for everyone who stays here.

Arrival & departure

Arrive after 3:00 PM · Depart by 11:00 AM. Please respect these times so our cleaning team can prepare the home for the next guests.

Guests & gatherings

Only registered guests may stay overnight. No parties, large gatherings, or events without prior approval.

Be a good neighbor

Please keep outdoor voices and music at a respectful level, especially in the evening. We have full time neighbors nearby.

Parking

Two designated parking spaces are available. Please do not block neighboring driveways or access areas.

Pets

Pets are permitted only when approved with your reservation. Please clean up after pets and keep them off furniture and bedding.

No smoking or vaping

Smoking and vaping are not permitted inside the home. Please dispose of smoking materials safely.

The elevator

Please make sure both elevator doors are completely closed after every use. If it does not operate, check both doors and make sure the STOP button is not pushed in. Children must be supervised.

Beach & sand

Please shake off sand before entering. Indoor bath towels, linens, and blankets should stay at the house.

Home & safety

Treat furniture, linens, and belongings with care. No candles, fireworks, or open flames. Never leave cooking appliances unattended.

Sleeping areas

The downstairs sectional includes a pullout bed. A queen size air mattress is also available. Please use the provided bedding.

Before you head home

Please place used towels in the designated area; put trash in the appropriate bins; wash dishes or load them into the dishwasher; check for belongings and chargers; close both elevator doors; turn off lights and appliances; and lock doors and windows. No need to strip the beds unless specifically requested.

Guest guide

Take the house rules with you. One page, easy to print or keep on your phone.

Download PDF ↓

Please treat our home like your own. If anything is damaged or not working, please let us know right away. Most importantly, enjoy Capitola and make wonderful memories by the beach.

The Hubback Family

FAQ

The questions we get.

How many people can stay?
Seven. Two king bedrooms, a twin room, a sofa bed in the great room and an air mattress. Three full baths so nobody waits.
Are pets welcome?
Yes. Most of our guests bring the dog. There's a $200 pet fee per stay and an outdoor beach shower for sandy paws.
Is there parking?
Two dedicated spots at the house. In Capitola Village that's worth more than it sounds. Park once and walk for the rest of your stay.
Is the house accessible?
An elevator serves every floor, one king bedroom has step free access, and the bathrooms have walk in showers with grab bars.
What's the minimum stay?
There is no minimum stay. Book a single night or a long week; the calendar will take whatever your dates allow.
How does booking work?
Pick your dates below. Our calendar is synced with Airbnb, VRBO and Booking.com in real time, so if it shows open, it's open. Once dates are agreed the rental agreement is signed online. No printing, no scanning. You pay half when you book, and the other half is charged 7 days before you arrive. There is no security deposit.
Where exactly is it?
305 Riverview Ave, Capitola, CA 95010, on the creek, one block from the Esplanade and Capitola Beach.

Book now

Pick your dates.
We'll hold the deck.

Live availability, synced across every platform within seconds. Book here and there's no service fee, and you get Sarah's number.

Capitola feels like home

Prefer to text?(831) 777-6114· Sarah answers.

Or send a request

Tell us when you'd like the house and who's coming.

Sarah comes back with a quote and the rental agreement. No payment is taken on this form.