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at The Hostel in the Forest
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... makes this place amazing. Candle lit yoga in an all glass room in a forest/wetland that you access by boardwalk - amazing. ...
... into a communal meal as well. We stayed in The Honeymoon suite the first night (just what we were given), and it was...
... female hygene. This means collecting your own trash in your room and taking it home with you. -The 11pm curfew mentioned on...
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Write a reviewStayed here on a whim. The best place I have been, I want to go back! Amazingly chill place to hang out. Yes there are mosquitoes and it is in the swamp in the south but this is what makes this place amazing. Candle lit yoga in an all glass room in a forest/wetland that you access by boardwalk - amazing. Awesome people, food, tree houses, showers open to the trees, lake, domes, library etc. Started out my year long travel adventure on the right foot! I actually travelled inAugust 2012 but didnt review.
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Room Tip: I stayed in Elmo, the chickens roosted in the tree next to me but were kind of loud. It was...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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To me, this place is a destination, not just a stop on the journey. The amazing food, beautiful location and emphasis on connecting with nature left me feeling like a different person. The outdoor showers and outhouses can be disconcerting if you aren't expecting them, but both are VERY clean. I can't emphasis that enough. As others have pointed out, the kitchen is very well stocked, and you are encouraged to cook if you have the ability, as long as you clean up after yourself. There is a 'live and let live' attitude when it comes to bugs in the kitchen, but all of the food is sealed, and everyone washes dishes before they use them, so it isn't that huge of a deal. There is a communal dinner every night, but during my 3 day/2 night stay breakfast turned into a communal meal as well.
We stayed in The Honeymoon suite the first night (just what we were given), and it was beautiful. It did have electricity (at least one outlet and a ceiling fan), but not all of the tree houses do. It was very cold that night, but there were many blankets available.
The property is huge, we spent a day just wondering around it, through the paths and to the lake. The staff frowns upon using phones and laptops in public areas, and I never got any wireless signal.
I highly recommend this place if you aren't too squeamish.
We stayed in The Honeymoon suite the first night (just what we were given), and it was beautiful. It did have electricity (at least one outlet and a ceiling fan), but not all of the tree houses do. It was very cold that night, but there were many blankets available.
The property is huge, we spent a day just wondering around it, through the paths and to the lake. The staff frowns upon using phones and laptops in public areas, and I never got any wireless signal.
I highly recommend this place if you aren't too squeamish.
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Room Tip: ask for a tree house if avalable
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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The Hostel in the Forest is a unique travelling experience that requires one to adjust their expectations of service and accommodations.
Part summer camp, part commune, part rainbow gathering, the 'Hostel" doesn't conform to any standards of customer service that one can expect from overnight lodgings.
The attitude at the Hostel is "we are all guests together". The staff is not there to serve the guests only, it is a shared responsibility of all to maintain the Hostel and help each other.
Any criticisms of the Hostel need to be balanced against the fact that it costs $25 a night per person, and most if not all the staff are volunteers.
I spent three days here with my 9 and 11 year old daughters. My kids were enchanted, my wife - had she joined us- would have hated it.
What to expect:
-A summer camp environment in a beautiful forest/swamp.
-Cockroaches and mosquitos.
-A great freshwater pool and lake.
-Staff members who are friendly free spirits but are not going to wait on guests like paid staff at resorts or B & Bs.
-Composting toilet outhouses, open air showers, bare feet, naked kids, chickens and roosters running free.
-You will be prompted to do chores such as washing dishes, sweeping floors, etc.
-6am wakeup calls from the rooster Pepper. He will loudly crow for an hour or so. On the second day you may sleep through it and by the third day you may kind of like it.
-Standing in a circle holding hands before dinner sharing something about yourself and what you are thankful for.
-Meeting people from around the world. These are mostly young free spirits who are going to do what young free spirits do. Play music late at night, swim naked under the full moon, talk about The Man.
-Smoking and drinking occurs, but drunkenness is discouraged, and everything must be in a glass jar or cup.
-They had daily activities such as Tea with Tom (the founder), Dancing Church, Crystal ceremonies, etc.
-The lodgings are first come first served and it's a crap shoot of what you get. Be prepared to stay in an open floor plan bunk house with a dozen other guests. The other families and couples who were there on our weekend got treehouses, and I think they prioritized single women into the single rooms located in the central domes near the staff.
-There are no trash cans save for female hygene. This means collecting your own trash in your room and taking it home with you.
-The 11pm curfew mentioned on the website is optional. Especially on weekends there will be music and talking in the central area. You can join in, or try and get a treehouse farthest away from central area. The bunkhouse is far enough away that you shouldn't be bothered.
We enjoyed our stay and will come back again. We had as much fun hanging out with the other travelers, exploring the grounds, swimming, cooking and cleaning as we did at Jekyll and Cumberland Islands.
Part summer camp, part commune, part rainbow gathering, the 'Hostel" doesn't conform to any standards of customer service that one can expect from overnight lodgings.
The attitude at the Hostel is "we are all guests together". The staff is not there to serve the guests only, it is a shared responsibility of all to maintain the Hostel and help each other.
Any criticisms of the Hostel need to be balanced against the fact that it costs $25 a night per person, and most if not all the staff are volunteers.
I spent three days here with my 9 and 11 year old daughters. My kids were enchanted, my wife - had she joined us- would have hated it.
What to expect:
-A summer camp environment in a beautiful forest/swamp.
-Cockroaches and mosquitos.
-A great freshwater pool and lake.
-Staff members who are friendly free spirits but are not going to wait on guests like paid staff at resorts or B & Bs.
-Composting toilet outhouses, open air showers, bare feet, naked kids, chickens and roosters running free.
-You will be prompted to do chores such as washing dishes, sweeping floors, etc.
-6am wakeup calls from the rooster Pepper. He will loudly crow for an hour or so. On the second day you may sleep through it and by the third day you may kind of like it.
-Standing in a circle holding hands before dinner sharing something about yourself and what you are thankful for.
-Meeting people from around the world. These are mostly young free spirits who are going to do what young free spirits do. Play music late at night, swim naked under the full moon, talk about The Man.
-Smoking and drinking occurs, but drunkenness is discouraged, and everything must be in a glass jar or cup.
-They had daily activities such as Tea with Tom (the founder), Dancing Church, Crystal ceremonies, etc.
-The lodgings are first come first served and it's a crap shoot of what you get. Be prepared to stay in an open floor plan bunk house with a dozen other guests. The other families and couples who were there on our weekend got treehouses, and I think they prioritized single women into the single rooms located in the central domes near the staff.
-There are no trash cans save for female hygene. This means collecting your own trash in your room and taking it home with you.
-The 11pm curfew mentioned on the website is optional. Especially on weekends there will be music and talking in the central area. You can join in, or try and get a treehouse farthest away from central area. The bunkhouse is far enough away that you shouldn't be bothered.
We enjoyed our stay and will come back again. We had as much fun hanging out with the other travelers, exploring the grounds, swimming, cooking and cleaning as we did at Jekyll and Cumberland Islands.
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Room Tip: Be really nice to the staff.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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We had high hopes for the Hostel when we booked our trip. When we first arrived and walked into the property it seemed great; nice and quiet with beautiful woods. Upon checking in we realized that customer service is not part of their vocabulary, esp if you don't fit the "look" of the staff and most of the guests. When my fiance and I had checked in, we very much felt like outsiders and were being ignored.
We had checked in at the same time as some other couples and were told that we would all be going on a tour together. The "tour-guide" led my fiance and I outside on to the deck and then headed back inside with the other couples. After about 5 minutes my fiance pokes her head around the building and says "they started the tour without us". Awesome, so we missed the kitchen part of the tour. Still have no idea what it looks like.
So we finally meet up with the tour to see the laundry facilities and the "guide" asks the other couples if they want sheets/blankets for their beds (not us). He spent about 5 minutes getting the supplies for them, then comes out and sees us. "Oh, did you want sheets and blankets too?". Duh. And another 5 minutes...
So on we go. Our fellow guests are shown to their own private treehouse. We're then shown to ours. But it's not a treehouse. It's "The Corral". Not as cool as it sounds, unfortunately. The Corral is a ground floor, dark room full of bunkbeds. Our "guide" stops about 30 feet short of the Corral, tells us that's where we're staying and there's an art studio on the second floor, then books it out of there. We breathe deep, and head inside.
:(. Ugghhh, So there's 10 twin size beds (5 bunk-beds) set up throughout the room. All but one have stuff on them. There are two of us. We're also 99% sure this is the staff housing and where they put overflow guests. And we're paying the same rate as the treehouses. So, we decided not to stay and high-tailed it out of there. The staff was nice enough to reimburse us all of our money.
A suggestion for booking would be to ask if people would want a treehouse only, or if everything is booked up you're willing to spend a lower rate for lesser accommodations.
We wanted so badly to like this place. We're in our early thirties and while we believe in the ideals that the Hostel shares we don't look very "hippie-ish" and felt like we were written off/ignored. And the reason for the "Trustafarian" title; all of the cars in the parking lot were pricey new (not very fuel efficient) cars - based on the age of the employees/clientele these were probably the parent's cars.
We had checked in at the same time as some other couples and were told that we would all be going on a tour together. The "tour-guide" led my fiance and I outside on to the deck and then headed back inside with the other couples. After about 5 minutes my fiance pokes her head around the building and says "they started the tour without us". Awesome, so we missed the kitchen part of the tour. Still have no idea what it looks like.
So we finally meet up with the tour to see the laundry facilities and the "guide" asks the other couples if they want sheets/blankets for their beds (not us). He spent about 5 minutes getting the supplies for them, then comes out and sees us. "Oh, did you want sheets and blankets too?". Duh. And another 5 minutes...
So on we go. Our fellow guests are shown to their own private treehouse. We're then shown to ours. But it's not a treehouse. It's "The Corral". Not as cool as it sounds, unfortunately. The Corral is a ground floor, dark room full of bunkbeds. Our "guide" stops about 30 feet short of the Corral, tells us that's where we're staying and there's an art studio on the second floor, then books it out of there. We breathe deep, and head inside.
:(. Ugghhh, So there's 10 twin size beds (5 bunk-beds) set up throughout the room. All but one have stuff on them. There are two of us. We're also 99% sure this is the staff housing and where they put overflow guests. And we're paying the same rate as the treehouses. So, we decided not to stay and high-tailed it out of there. The staff was nice enough to reimburse us all of our money.
A suggestion for booking would be to ask if people would want a treehouse only, or if everything is booked up you're willing to spend a lower rate for lesser accommodations.
We wanted so badly to like this place. We're in our early thirties and while we believe in the ideals that the Hostel shares we don't look very "hippie-ish" and felt like we were written off/ignored. And the reason for the "Trustafarian" title; all of the cars in the parking lot were pricey new (not very fuel efficient) cars - based on the age of the employees/clientele these were probably the parent's cars.
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Room Tip: You don't get a choice...
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful