We recently stayed at the Sand Dollar Inn and had a wonderful experience. The motel is a nice place to stay, and we were pleased that they accommodated our two small dogs. We brought a kennel for our dogs and left them there while we visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which was only a short drive away. The pet charge is $30 per dog per night, which I found reasonable for the peace of mind it provided.
Any issues we encountered were quickly resolved by the helpful staff. We requested two rooms close together, and they were happy to oblige. On our second day, we needed clean towels, and although housekeeping forgot to bring them initially, a quick visit to the front desk solved the problem. The girl at the front desk promptly provided us with fresh towels.
The location is very convenient, being close to Monterey and about 45 minutes from Santa Cruz. We didn't encounter any issues during our stay, but we weren't expecting luxury accommodations either. With a large family, this motel was within our budget and met our needs perfectly.
We plan to return to the Sand Dollar Inn on our next trip to the area.