We really enjoyed our stay overall! It is a stunning property, so relaxing and gorgeous. Being able to do yoga under the redwoods, rent out the jacuzzi/sauna, and sleep in nature without camping was amazing. Definitely book the jacuzzi/sauna in advance if possible, as it was a definite highlight! The outdoor shower was really lovely too.
There were just a few things to know in advance- the biggest one was the WiFi, which we struggled with. We had no WiFi or service whatsoever in our room, and the WiFi was really slow for both of us around the property (my partner had a few zoom meetings that he really struggled with). This is totally okay and understandable, and was good to disconnect! But it would’ve been helpful if we’d known in advance for planning purposes, especially when still needing to do work meetings here and there.
Our room smelled a bit musty and both of us had bad allergies whenever we were in there. It was fine when we were outside on the rest of the property, so it may be a dust issue in the room we stayed in. Just a warning to anyone with allergies, as I’d left my inhaler at home and found myself needing it! It was totally manageable, but just something to keep in mind.
The bathroom is farther from the room than I expected, maybe a 3 minute walk. No big deal most of the time, but I got a little spooked when I woke up at 3am and had to walk over, ha! The bathroom reserved for the room is a toilet and sink, with an outdoor communal shower.
This place is way up in the hills of Aptos- it’s a 15-20 minute drive on very remote and unkept roads. I enjoyed getting away from the city, but just something to keep in mind. I’d recommend planning on checking in during the day, as the roads can be treacherous and hard to navigate at night. Also something to keep in mind since during COVID this room has no kitchen access, so we had to go downtown for all our meals which was a lot of driving up and down the hills. Next time we’ll bring a cooler to store breakfast and lunch in!
Overall it was great! The hosts were so nice and responsive, and definitely seem to put a lot of love into this incredible property. None of the issues we had overshadowed the beauty of the property, I think we were both just a little unprepared. I’d definitely return, but would probably want to stay in a different space than the one we stayed at in order to have a kitchen, bathroom, and hopefully less dust. Now that we know the WiFi signal isn’t strong, we can prepare in advance next time we visit! Overall an amazing visit and I totally want to return.