Limantour Lodge — Hotel in Fairfax

I am an avid hiker and backpacker who has been exploring Point Reyes every couple of weeks. So it was nice to learn about this "hostel" during my last trip. I typically stay at the Best Western in Novato the day before and after backpacking because it's a long drive for me. But this would have been cool.

Anyway, my "waterproof" boots were failing me and I was soaked while backpacking and still had one more day to go, so I thought I'd hike down to this hostel and check it out and maybe see if I could pay to use their dryer.

I still had amazing energy as Point Reyes is just so magical to me, so I was smiling, happy, and curious. Wasn't gonna let soggy feet bring me down. I was even thinking about planning group trips up there.

To my surprise, I was met by a lady who sharply asked what I was looking for. She literally caught me outside as I was walking onto the property so I almost thought I was at the wrong place. I asked if this was the hostel, and briefly explained my situation and that I'd like to see if I could pay to use their dryer.

She said the dryers were for guests only. I said that I totally understood and was willing to pay for a night. She gave a loud sigh, as if completely annoyed and bothered by a prospective guest, then said "well the office is closed, and check-in isn't until 3pm." It was around noon at this time. My smile vanished.

She didn't give me any information about rates or anything, and just said that she would try to help me sooner once she got some things done. Hey, I get wanting to get chores done, but isn't your business to bring in guests so that you can make money? This is literally your job, that you chose to do, in HOSPITALITY. I've never heard of a hotel closing their office during the day.

So I had to decide if I wanted to wait that long JUST TO GET ANY INFORMATION. I asked if I could at least sit down at one of their picnic tables as she didn't allow me into the office. She was kind enough to allow me to sit outside but not under the shelter because of a broken window. She did let me know there's free wifi I can hop on.

So I'm sitting there, soaked, and without shelter in the least. I wrung out my 2 pairs of socks I was wearing and made a quick lunch and looked up the place online to learn more.

So I'm contemplating staying the night at this point if I'm gonna pay for it, figuring how long it would take before I could check-in and use the dryer then get back to camp, or if I just wanted to leave and pack the rest of my gear up and get to my car by nightfall as I was done with wet socks.

I didn't want to take the chance of waiting and not knowing what I'm waiting for. And I was kind of thinking I didn't want to spend my money at that establishment because of her rude demeanor at this point.

I put my wet socks back on, and as I was getting ready to leave. She finally said she could talk to me. I told her I think I'm just gonna leave, but I still asked about the place, as I was curious for future events. She gave very little information, it was like I had to pry anything out of her.

She really could have sold me any overpriced dry clothing items they might have had in their gift shop. I don't even know if they had items for sale as she wasn't trying to show or sell anything. She even suggested I ask their handyman for a ride somewhere, anything but stay there. It seemed like she was really trying just anything to disuade me from becoming a guest which was really weird. So my mind was made up. I asked if I could use the restroom before I leave, and she refused because it was just cleaned lol.

It seemed like she realized she was being rude, so to make up for it, she gave a sticker for free and then started talking about how she was going backpacking with her daughter soon. I waited there, listening to her, trying to be polite while holding my full bladder and standing in my soaking wet hiking boots and socks with my big backpack on ready to leave. I had just said I wanted to get back before dark to pack up. Why would you wait until then to try to...

I took my seven year old son to Pt Reyes for three days to escape the busyness of our days and to enjoy nature and tranquility before he starts second grade. It was the first time my son had experienced a hostel like lodging set up and at first he wasn’t too sure about it but by the end of it he saw the benefit of communal spaces and community. We stayed in the Bunkhouse which is two big rooms with about 6 bunkbeds in each. Each room had its own bathrooms and showers. The living room space was lovely. My son and I played board games as we enjoyed looking out the large windows and seeing nothing but beautiful forest. We were frequently accompanied by other guests who played scrabble and we talked about our day hikes and plant and animal sightings. We made great meals in the well equipped kitchen and met interesting people while doing so. The staff are super helpful and are very interested in hearing ways to make guests’ stays more comfortable. Apparently they will be updating the bunkhouse to make it nicer and have already done so to the Meadowhouse and Farmhouse. We look forward to staying in the other houses too. The lodge is just a short 40 minute hike to Limantour beach and close to so many other hiking trails you don’t need to get in your car to access great trails. We enjoyed seeing swallow chicks in their nest and their mamas feeding them every day. At the end of our stay, my son was sad to leave and he made me promise that we will come back to the lodge which I...

Squeezing eight men (on four bunk beds) into a 12 x 16 room with poor ventilation just didn't work, particularly because one of them snored and coughed all night and befouled the air with the germs of whatever illness he had. Isn't there any sort of screening process? Yes, ideally the man would be responsible enough NOT to subject other people to his illness (I discovered in the morning that he was equal parts discourtesy and stupidity), but we can't count on this. He should have been quarantined somewhere, or asked to go to a regular motel, where he'd have his own room. Eventually, I had to migrate out to the couch in the main room to get some sleep. Fortunately, the couch was at least comfortable--much more comfortable than the substandard beds (wobbly frame, short length, thin cheap mattress). I was with two friends. One was on the lower bunk and he got no sleep, and the other was by the window, where he was only able to sleep because he opened the window and had his head as close to the fresh air as possible. For all three of us it was a bad experience. This hostel is poorly designed and managed, which is a shame because the Pt. Reyes region is beautiful and alluring and it should feature a nice hostel. Strange, too, is that while the S.F. Bay Area is filled with intelligent, imaginative, and innovative people, none of these qualities seem to have influenced...