The Woods Hotel

The pool is such a good Queer and LGBTQ+ safe space, and Michael the Owner and his staff are kind and attentive. I love coming back to The Woods Cottages and Pool for the relaxed vibe, good company, and chance to make new friends. There are lots of fun things to do just a few minutes’ walk away, and the coast is about 20 minutes away for beautiful drives up or down it. I especially like the play area behind the showers. It needs shade cloth, a canopy, or big umbrellas over the spots in direct sun, though. At 90-plus degrees it gets way too hot and spoils the fun. The clothing-optional pool is liberating and sexy to experience. Day passes cost under $20, plus $5 if you bring a furry friend. I’ll keep coming year after year. I love this place.

I haven’t stayed overnight, but I enjoy coming for pool day passes. As of May 2025, a pass was $18. It’s a relaxing clothing-optional pool, with lounge chairs and umbrellas in good condition and enough spots in the shade. They sometimes play music. Alcohol isn’t sold there, but you can buy non-glass containers across the street at Safeway and bring them back. I especially appreciated the shower in the back, where I could rinse off the sunscreen and chlorine before heading home.

I booked this place for the pool, which is how it’s mainly advertised, with hotel rooms as an add-on. But guests aren’t allowed to use the pool. There were no signs showing pool hours online or in person. Instead, they just yelled at me for getting in. I wasted $260. This feels like false advertising. I won’t return, and I’ll spread the word.

The rooms are cute, but at $300 a night off season on a weekday, the pool rules and poor communication were frustrating. You can’t use the pool during a one-night stay, only when booking two nights or more. Nobody told us this, it wasn’t posted on the property, and it wasn’t on the website. Pool access starts at noon, after the 11am checkout, and we couldn’t tell when it closed. It was shut before 8pm, when we arrived the previous evening. Also, if you don’t check in between 3 and 6pm, you won’t get the Wi-Fi details. When we asked a staff member about the pool, they said, “that’s what has been happening all summer,” as if we should already have known. They didn’t seem to care that the pool was one of the main reasons we chose the place. Big red flag.