Hostel In the Forest — Hotel in Brunswick

So, let me start: I knew, sort of, what I was getting into. I am /not/ a hippie, but I kinda look like one. I'm a friendly outdoorsman who supports the environment. I have zero problems with a cold shower outdoors, composting toilets, or people who smell like people. I compost (kitchen :-) and garden at home, go "real" camping a dozen times a year, and am probably more of a socialist than any other leaning. This was not foreign territory for me.||||TL;DR:||I have the best wishes for the people there, and I know that others' journeys are not like my own. But all in all, the hostel gave me a bad feeling. The property is wonderful, some of the buildings are amazing, but the owner came off like a creep and the staff was... mixed at best. I'll be at a Motel 6 next time.||||Long version: ||Some of the staff at the hostel were great. They were welcoming, friendly, and eager to help or answer questions. Others were... not great. They seemed to really enjoy being "crunchier than thou" and it definitely felt as though this was the staff's place to hang out and have a good time. From one perspective, I get that. They live here, work here, and are doing their own personal work. From a different perspective, I don't care what your personal beliefs are, but don't glare at me for putting dairy in my tea in the morning. Don't try to engage me in a discussion about _ and then run off because I try to open a discussion rather than just agree.||||Some of the buildings are very, very nice. My favorite time there was sitting in the library. The acoustics are wonderful, the wood is just so nice and welcoming. I stumbled across a book of poetry by a favorite and not-commonly-read writer. It felt kind of special, finding that. I really enjoyed that time, reading and listening to my girlfriend play guitar. Enjoyed it for about twenty minutes, before a band of hippies came in (literally) and started trying to get us to join their party.||||I didn't come here to party in a drum circle. I came here for some repose while I made a tour of the barrier islands. I don't mind a bunch of hippies having a good time, even if they run 'til one in the morning.||||I also like the "no phones in public spaces" policy, but I did not like hearing someone yell "NO PHONES IN PUBLIC SPACES PUT IT AWAY THANKS" twenty times a day. And it was always the same guy, who obviously relished it. I didn't enjoy ducking behind a tree to check the time, or being glared at for reading the morning news with my tea... in my own bunk. Some understanding needs to be established that not every glance at a phone is someone checking their Facebook or seeing if they have new followers on __.||||It is worth noting that their "leader" made me very, very uncomfortable. While I agree with his stated philosophy on a number of things, her personally seemed... off. I noticed that most of the male staff shared certain personality traits prone to being taken advantage of. "Male daddy issues", young men who have little guidance in life and look for a father figure to provide it. Maybe these young men needed whatever life advice the owner was providing, and a respite doing good work in the woods can be great for that.||But the whole thing with him -- little spiritual meetings, invitations to tea at his house on the property... I did not get the feeling of being around someone who offers real guidance. I hate that young men feel compelled into that headspace. It felt more like he was grooming & maintaining workers rather than acting as a guiding light for anyone.||||I have the best wishes for the people there, and I know that others' journeys are not like my own. But all in all, the hostel gave me a bad feeling. The property is wonderful, some of the buildings are amazing, but the owner came off like a creep and the staff was... mixed at best. I'll be at a Motel 6 next time.||||If you're in Brunswick, there is a KILLER fish & chicken place called... if I remember... Jay's Fish and Chicken. Don't miss it if you are...

If you want to carve your life down to the basics for a weekend, this is the place. For 50 years, Tom and his rotating group of caretakers have been providing a haven for adventurers. It's a retreat from day to day life. The staff turns over every few months so they really want to be there. It's not a hotel. It's not a campground. It's a quiet place to collaborate with others on group meal for dinner that's included. It's a place to stop and contemplate where you are, where you've been, and where you're going. The lake is just right for swimming this time of year. Bring bug spray because it is in the woods. Bring food since there may or may not be eggs available in the morning for you to cook for yourself depending on if the chickens are laying. There's a refrigerator for you to label and store food. The total group never got over 20 people when we were there. There are comfortable, clean places to sleep, but they are not climate controlled. The goal is to get away from the norm and to embrace something different. The bathrooms are better than expected, with hot running water. I don't know what it was like before, but it's very comfortable now. The showers are private and open to the elements, looking out into the forest, and into your soul. When you're ready to do some group yoga, the glass house...

Great stay while at the Hostel In the Forest. Wife and I with our 2 girls enjoyed the time there greatly, even though we were only there for 1 night (2days). The dinner they provided was great and the people very open and inviting. A couple things to definitely be aware of before you go:

1. they currently only have compost toilets(apparently more modern ones are under construction) and request that you only use them for #2 and to go #1 on or near a tree. (We're semi-frequent campers, so this was not an issue for us). 2)The tree huts where you sleep are not climate controlled, so if its cold/hot outside then it will be so inside. When we were there, it was around 50F and cold, but they provide extra blankets to insure everyone stayed warm. We stayed in the Honeymoon tree hut, which was very open-air and chilly, but very cozy/comfortable with the extra blankets. I imagine in the hot summer the openness of it would lend itself to cool breezy evenings. We look forward to finding out for ourselves on future trips there.
2. Be sure the read the website and gauge how comfortable you are with their expectations/guidelines. We were and had a great time there.

All in all, a really pleasant time there and we plan to take the whole family...