The place is a perfect destination for a small escape for two. It wasn't difficult to find the area with the directions given by Stephanie. It does require an off road drive, but only about 100 feet worth. The outdoor shower area was extremely refreshing early in the morning, the warm water came quickly and sufficiently. The compost toilet was interesting, I did not notice any lingering smells and wasn't too bothered by it. But I would understand how some people may not enjoy the experience. My only complaint was that we did end up checking in at about 6pm, after a day which was 104 degrees. The room itself doesn't have any air conditioning and had been sitting in the heat all day, making the room hotter inside than outside. Stephanie was very sweet and left a fan in the room for us, but even then it would only blow hot air. If you know it's going to be a hot day, I would suggest coming early to open up and ventilate the room as much as possible before spending your day in Santa Cruz. Unfortunately, we had done a day at the boardwalk, and by the time we arrived, we were dehydrated and had headaches, so the room being as hot as it was just escalated the issue. Even went downtown to buy a bucket of ice to try and blow cold air into the room through the fan, but still didn't help. It did cool down enough throughout the night, and by the morning the room was a very comfortable temperature. I think placing a window unit to the window facing the hill would significantly help on summer days like this, as then it would provide a/c for guests. I know that's a bit against the whole "retreat" theme, but I shouldn't have lay in my own sweat while trying to have a nice stay with my boyfriend. We couldn't even cuddle much because it was too hot. We both agreed that this area would be phenomenal during the colder seasons, so maybe we'll revisit then.