Fresh Produce, Great Food and Sunsets: Watsonville Online Reviews are Wrong

For our coastal trip, we wanted to stay on the beach and avoid hotels as much as possible. Unfortunately, this approach limited the number of places available to us in Monterey.  Most places were either far from the beach or close to the beach but outrageously expensive.  So, we expanded our search area beyond Carmel and Monterey and found a few places in Santa Cruz and Watsonville.

The online reviews for the Watsonville area looked something like this....

• Watsonville is absolutely NOTHING. Monterey and Carmel are just down the road from Watsonville so book a better place.

• Other than the annual air show, it's a big farming community, so if you really enjoy watching the artichokes grow, it might be your bag.

• If  you want to just hit the hay at 2 p.m. and not even have dinner, this Watsonville is  the place for you.

• It’s a great place if you only want to eat some Mexican food.

Man, did these people get it wrong but don’t tell everyone about this place. We must continue promoting these four false online claims in order to deter crowds and reserve this paradise for those of us who truly appreciate it.

Isn’t ‘farm to table’ an overrated concept?

Since supermarket chains coined the phrase ‘fresh fruit’, their produce must be of superior quality; all packaged and stacked in the aisle and bins. Even though prices are higher a, supermarkets remain the preferred choice for a reason.

Prices were certainly more cheaper at this roadside fruit and vegetable stand on the route to our Airbnb.

Every day on our way back from Monterey, we would stop to purchase fresh fruit. Take a look at the wide variety of fruits available to choose from. The rich soil in this county generates the largest variety of farm produce in Santa Cruz County. With all these fresh ingredients, Watsonville food processors freeze and distribute more fruits and vegetables than any other single area in the United States.

There is nothing like fresh grapefruit to start the morning.

Primary crops grown in the valley include strawberries, apples, cauliflower, broccoli, and artichokes. The strawberries were so plump and juicy; the containers were twice the size as those in supermarkets.

They are proud of their artichoke farming. Virtually 100 percent of all artichokes grown commercially in the United States are grown in California.

How good can the food be if you don’t have to wait an hour for a table?

Stay away because no one wants to eat from food trucks. Am I correct in thinking food trucks are over rated and a quick dying fad? I’d much rather spend a lot of money on restaurant food with generic menus. Who wants to eat incredible Mexican food when it’s prepared using a family recipe.

Is it even a good beach location for sunset if it isn’t packed?

A beach sunset can’t be great if there aren’t hundreds of people trying to take the same picture as you and arguing over parking spots. On 'our' beach there were more birds at the water's edge than people.

No need to park the car, just a quick walk from the Airbnb to the beach.

Sunset beach Watsonville, hard to beat.

Why would you want to run on the beach, it’s boring!

Running on the beach is no fun. You miss out on dodging traffic congestions and waiting for street lights to change.

I miss weaving around tourists, bicyclists and other obstacles.

Maybe it would have been better to stay in Monterey! I doubt it, and for more details, check out Watsonville online.