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The Hostel in the Forest

Brunswick

Address
3901 US Hwy 82, Brunswick Georgia, USA   Map
Location/Contact
Online booking is not offered for this hostel, contact them for availability and reservations (any contact info we have is listed above).
Their Description
 
The Hostelz.com Review
The Hostel in the Forest is not like any other hostel. In fact it is not a hostel to party. It is a place to live in a natural setting with very few trappings of the outside world. Some call it the heaven on earth and it can easily meet the expectation.

Built on one hundred eleven acres, this hostel is the place for self discovery, spiritual healing, or wandering on the beauty of the forest and spending time with the kind of people it attracts. For those who do need to be in touch the outside world, fast food restaurants are as close as a couple miles away. A day at the beach is also a manner of minutes away.

There are eight treehouses/huts and a two-story bunk house mostly have power and the rest plenty of candles. There are three outdoor showers with steaming hot water which drains directly onto the forest floor. The bathrooms include compost toilets. There is library and a glass house used for a quiet moment with yourself. On arriving for the first time, a complete tour is given to the guests. There is also a two-mile hiking trail through the forest. Two spring water lakes on the property are used for swimming, canoeing, or lying in the sun on the floating dock in the main lake. In addition there are two organic gardens.

You may want to go barefoot on the ground. You may find a couple hen's eggs here and there, you may go nude in the lake, you may hang around the fire at night, but you should get back for the dinner. If you stay there long enough, the spirit of the place gets to you and slows you down. Your mouth may even water as the first sound of the dinner bell rings, anouncing that the dinner is ready in thirty minutes usually around seven. The last ring is the five-minute anouncment. The guests all gather in the big dining room to hold hands and introduce themselves. The food is an effort of everyone and is included in the low price of the stay so everyone usually feels responsible to participate in a part.

At night you are sleeping in your bed mostly in a tree house with the occasional breeze. In the morning if the rooster sound won't wake you up, the sun will. There is a kitchen for those who want to cook something and usually the guests hang out in the main lodge.

On special occasions such as the night of full moon, a sweat lodge by the lake becomes the tradition of the hostel. Originated by a Native American descent guest of the hostel this attracts a lot of people to wash their pain and ask for guidence from the spirit. Each three sections are about one hour with a five-minute break outside the lodge. If claustrophobic or you can't take heat generated by the stones which have been sitting on the fire for hours, then this may not be for you. Try to test your strength as it may surprise you there and if you can't stay you are free to leave any time you need to. It is important to participate for the full day process of preparing the lodge. Make the reservation ahead of time if you are attending the ceremony. The participant usually fasts the day of the sweat -- drink plenty of liquids (no alcohol) and at the end he or she jumps into the lake for a reward. Most of the people are in the lodge nude but it is optional.

The Hostel in the Forest also promotes and teaches environmental sustainability and serves as a spiritual retreat, as well as hostel for international and domestic travelers. One can easily give a pause for the fact that this place can easily be a money generating business but it is not. You can easily have your own tree house for about twenty dollars and they try to avoid overcrowding the place with the big dorm facility.

The nearby attractions are Okefenokee National Park (forty-five minutes away), St. Simons Island (twenty minutes away), Howfyl Plantation and Jekyll Island State Park (about fifteen minutes away). You can also take the ferry to Cumberland Island National Park which also is forty-five minutes away.

If your heaven is non-smoking and only vegetarian then you've got the wrong place. Unfortunately it is also a challenge for handicapped guests mainly due to rough forest trails. Try to avoid mosquito season especially in May and June by wearing long clothes to cover your skin. Also if you are addicted to the use of internet then you have to go to the library. This heaven is worth your life but make sure you bring a flashlight.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
July 2006


Ratings & Comments

4.9 Average from 24 Ratings

This is an open forum, and unlike other hostel guide websites we don't censor out the negative comments.
We can't validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site—so take what you read here with a grain of salt.
Comment by Tim, USA
June 2009
5 A place where beauty and peace come easily
The hostel in the forest opened up a new chapter in my life. My first night there was December 31, 1999. I rang in the new year with some good friends and several new friends. The magic of the hostel is powerful -- it attracts soulful, big-hearted people from all walks of life. On every return visit I have met several interesting people. No matter what goes on in life, staying at the hostel allows me to realize that I am not my circumstances. I am neither my thoughts nor my feelings. As well I have learned a lot about living with a small physical impact on the Earth. The hostel isn't for everyone. If you cannot get by without the plushest of accommodations, stay far away. If nature is your bitch, stay far away. If you feel -- or at least have a sneaky suspicion -- that the universe is a magical and beautiful place, then go! Call in advance though -- space is limited.
Comment by Erin, USA
April 2009
5 Natural, Beautiful, Centering
When I first visited in 2001, my friend brought me blindfolded for a retreat from school (St. Augustine) for the weekend. We explored during the day, picked blueberries for the Farmers Market, sunbathed nude in the lake, held a drum circle in the Glass House, and were ourselves for a brief, splendid weekend. Dirt was clearing the ground for his vision that he later completed beautifully. Ever since, I retreated there whenever possible. Now out in CO, I think of it often with love and miss the people and energy there. Definitely one of my favorite places on Earth.
Comment by Marco, The Netherlands
January 2009
3 Good
I stayed for two days in this place in 1996 with my girlfriend (my wife now). In this two days we have found a little group of people which we thought were very special. Still now in 2009 i remember this lovely, peaceful place with high spiritual energy. I hope I will ever come back there. I still carry this people and place in my heart.
Comment by Geoff, USA
November 2007
5 Great Outdoor Experience to Become One With Nature
I visited this place back in the Fall of 1992 after graduating from college with an environmental degree. I met two people from England both just finished their PhDs in Physics and were very interesting to talk with. We took a trip to Cumberland Island for the day and enjoyed exploring together. I then returned two weeks later with my girlfriend and we stayed in the screened house and just loved the feeling of camping out in the woods. Keep up the good work of living an environmentally friendly life and teaching others how fulfilling it can be.
Comment by Adriana, USA
May 2007
5 It is the most wonderful place I've ever been. In the short twenty-four years I've been on this earth, I've traveled a good bit, and no place can even come close in comparison. Browsing the website is all well and good, but you really have to go down there to experience it. Simply walking down the path to the main dome, all your stress just floats away. The staff is super friendly and helpful, and everybody staying there just seems to have the right attitude. They ask you to give a few minutes of your time to help out around the hostel each day, but it really gives you a sense of satisfaction -- helping out, that is. You're giving back what the hostel has given to you. It's really a fantastic place.
Comment by Kate
June 2006
5 I first visited the hostel in November and it seems I've been coming back every other month. It felt like home, I've never been more comfortable staying anywhere other than my own home before. The surroundings are so peaceful and beautiful, the people are so friendly. You'll meet those from all walks of life -- which is the best part to me. The food is excellent and you won't want to leave. Time becomes a distant memory and you won't even miss the 'comforts' of home. I highly recommend staying if you have the chance.
Comment by Simon (humpty)
June 2006
5 I stayed at this place back in 1991 (for over a month!) and it was the single best hostel I have ever stayed in, bar none! I have been through life since staying here, been married, been divorced, got a great four-year-old daughter and now I'm a student again. Life is always changing, but this place is firmly in my memory. I was offered a job to manage this place when the texan who was there had to go home. Sometimes I wish I stayed longer.
Comment by Sean
January 2006
5 The worst thing about this hostel for me is that it's about 9,000 miles away. I stayed there in November for what was supposed to be 2 nights. After my fifth night I had to force myself to leave. How can I sum it up? Imagine a beautiful forset....add in some great food, relaxed atmosphere, stimulating conversation with friendly interesting fun people.....around a dancing camp fire under the stars. And doorknobs!!
Comment by Eric
January 2006
5 I love this place. I remember the first day I walked up to the front porch, it was the most peaceful feeling I had felt in a long, long time. The people I have crossed paths with there make up a big part of my life now. I will never be the same.
Comment by Lynn - an experience you will remember!
October 2005
5 I stayed at this "hostel" more than twenty years ago and remember it fondly. Since that time I have traveled across the world, married, had a child, had a career, divorced and gone back to University. I still remember my stay and the friends I made there as a significant event in my life.
Comment by Stefka
May 2005
5 We love the Hostel. St. Simons Island is just a few minutes away so you can spend the day at the beach and come back for dinner (included with your stay). May and June have biting flies which suck, so plan on wearing long pants and shirts. Many folks swim in the spring fed pool in the nude, which is a normal thing for our family but may not be for everyone else. My children never want to leave and always ask "Why can't real life be like this?"
Comment by ShootingStar
April 2005
5 I have been a part of the hostel family for about eight years. I have experienced time and again the wonder and beauty of the people and situations that the hostel seems to manifest. If you need rest, it's there. If you need a friend, they are there as well. That's the beauty of the place, it's exactly what you need it to be. Today I'm thankful for the memories of love, light and life! Can't wait to go back. What are you waiting for? See ya there.
Comment by Neil
April 2005
5 Simply home.
Comment by Nikki-i
March 2005
5 The Hostel in the Forest has changed me in ways I had sought for yet never found. Each morning I awake to the sounds of the forest and rise anew. With its secluded surroundings and bewildering beauty, this is a haven for transformation and self-discovery. Of course, like anything, it is what you make it.
Comment by Rj
March 2005
5 I've been here several times and I'm coming again, March 22nd, 2005. I look forward to the forest's greeting. It's a friend that never says goodbye.
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