$100–150

The four-room Adobe on Green Street (103 Green St., 831/469-9866, www.adobeongreen.com [1], $132–242) offers lovely bed-and-breakfast accommodations close to the heart of downtown Santa Cruz [2]. The location, within walking distance of the Pacific Garden Mall [3], lets you soak in the unique local atmosphere to your heart’s content.

A unifying decorative scheme runs through all four guest rooms—a dark and minimalist Spanish Mission style befitting Santa Cruz [2]’s history as a mission town. Each room has a queen bed, a private bathroom (most with tubs), a small TV with DVD player, and lots of other amenities that can make you comfortable even over a long stay.

An expanded continental spread is set out in the dining room each morning 8–11 a.m. Expect yummy local pastries, organic and soy yogurts, and multicolored eggs laid by a neighbor’s flock of chickens. In keeping with the Santa Cruz [2] ethos, the Adobe runs on solar power.