Timber Cove

After the re-​do the cost of the rooms have doubled.
Ridiculous and greedy.

On December 20^th, 2015, I got into a car accident and my boyfriend and I were taken to the Timber Cove Inn to use their phone since there was NO cell service to call a tow truck. The entire staff was amazingly helpful! We were able to use their landline and a phone book, warm up by the fireplace as long as we needed to, and when the time came for us to meet the tow truck (almost three hours later, might I add), a very very nice English man who I believe to be the manager personally drove us back down to the car.
We did eat at the restaurant during our short stay, and the food was DIVINE! We both had hamburgers and the meat was fresh and perfectly cooked, as were the other ingredients. The waiting staff was prompt and very attentive to our needs. Overall I can’t thank the staff here enough for their help, and I was most impressed to stumble upon this amazing restaurant! We have already recommended them to many friends and heard wonderful things about their stays.
Much love!
Nicole

I booked a room for the New Years Eve party at Timber Cove. The service was great and the room was nice, it was a newly remodeled room in the main lodge with a very comfy bed in a loft. We had a great time partying it up and had a good dinner at the restaurant. Service was a bit slow and portions or quality weren’t up to my standards, I understand the give and take here. I drive an electric car and they even have a 240 v plug for charging, if you bring your own charger. That’s pretty convenient. Missed 5 stars because of restaurant issues and that they don’t have an actual EV charger on-​site. 2016 is here and these remote lodges need to embrace the new transportation world. This would be a big draw to their location.

I was here on 12÷23−24 for my niece’s wedding, having high expectations for our first visit. Check in was normal, no smiles by the employee but I’m ok with a quick transaction. Our room was fine, except for the toilet only bathroom. It was freezing even with the window closed! Our fireplace (in the middle of the room) worked, unlike a few of my friends/family’s. The real problem was with the servers & bartenders. Keep in mind– I’ve been in the service industry for 20+ years. I have held every position from server, bartender, restaurant manager, district manager to corporate operations manager. So yes, I am well versed on how the service industry works. My first interaction was to grab a quick bite before the rehearsal. Nobody was at the bar so I asked the check in lady if I could get food to go. She said «yes, the menu is on that ledge». I grabbed the menu and decided on an appetizer and a side dish. I waited for someone to return to the bar… She finally did. I order the Ribs and a side of mashed potatoes. She said «sorry, that’s from our dinner menu. Here is the bar menu» OK… Quickly, I ordered a Burger thinking it would be «easy». 40min later, she came out with my burger and the ribs. Arggh! I didn’t want ribs as YOU said my order was from the dinner menu. She took them back & took it off my bill. Second interaction was 1hr later again at the lobby bar. 5 employees kept coming in and out, not a single person smiled, said hello or said a single thing to me or my husband. After about 6 min, we ordered 2 draft beers. Easy beverages. We went to the wedding rehearsal and returned about 1.5hrs later for dinner at the restaurant. Nobody seated in the restaurant but hubby and I… Odd but sure, it’s Xmas Eve Eve. Ordered food & wine in a timely manner, ate and waited and waited and waited for someone to come back. A busboy did and we asked him for our check. Our server came back and we gave her our CC as to expedite the process. Fast forward to the next morning, Wedding Day. All was going well until I saw the «Wedding Coordinator»… talk about RBF (look it up if you don’t know). It’s a wedding! Put a smile on and act happy! Ceremony was great, the hot cocoa bar & cheese plates was served promptly (although they used a 2.2L airpot to serve the cocoa out of. Bad choice as this is only about 8.5 full cups and we had about 60 guests). I didn’t get a chance to have any coffee as the 1.5gal container was gone by the time I was able to have hot cocoa, since they had to keep going back to refill it (a 1.5gal coffee server is about 215 ounces, or 25 – 28 full cups of coffee). Now for brunch! We received the French Toast, scrambled eggs, toppings and bacon (way over done!) just about 20min after the scheduled meal time. Then we waited another 15min for the other egg dish (can’t remember what it was as I was full & over it).
In conclusion– the Inn is at a beautiful location that could be A+ with proper customer service, service execution and a bit of «above and beyond» hospitality.

I don’t usually write reviews but I loved this place so much… so here goes…
My husband and I we’re looking for a place not too far from San Francisco where we could spend our Christmas/​honeymoon. We were very lucky to find the perfect experience at Timber Cove Inn.
From the moment we stepped foot inside the beautiful lobby, we were welcomed by Kathy at reception with such warmth and professionalism. I was then taken care of by the wonderful bartender Gabriel, who relieved my car sickness with a soda and bitters on the house. Gina, who also worked the hotel reception was such a delight and made sure we always had everything we needed.
Our room was gorgeous with a gas fireplace and ocean view. VERY comfortable bed and I could live in the bathrobes they provide.
We both found the food to be fantastic at Alexanders. My grilled pork chop was cooked perfectly and by husband loved his Sequoia mushroom chicken. We also ate at the lounge a couple of times and had delicious fish and chips, chicken sandwich and clam chowder.
Christmas dinner at Alexanders was a fixed 3 course menu with choice of mushroom soup or beet salad for first course, prime rib or salmon for main course and dessert was maple cheesecake or apple Craisin a la mode. My husband loved his soup and I enjoyed the beet salad. We both chose the prime rib and it was fabulous. I had the apple dessert and Archie loved his cheesecake and believe me, he is very fussy about cheesecake. We had excellent service from our waiter, E.C. both times we dined at Alexanders.
We will defiantly return to the Timber Cove Inn. Not only did we discover this beautiful Inn but we discovered the extraordinary Sonoma coast. The breathtaking views, tons of beaches, trails and vistas are exquisite.

A great night’s stay for a special event. Dined at the restaurant for dinner. Steak was amazing.
Gas fireplace in the room thankfully as the electricity was out the next morning when we woke up. We have been here several times and it is always a pleasant stay.

TOO MUCH SALT ON THE FISH. During the past 20 years, I have driven up and down the legendary Route One, mainly to the destinations of Salt Point State Park or Mendocino, on about 20 occasions. About 15 years ago, I decided to poke around the lobby of the gift shop and lobby of TIMBER COVE INN, but when I found that the room rate would require that I take out a loan from the bank, I decided instead to stay at nearby FORT ROSS LODGE. Anyway, fast-​forwarding to the present (December 4, 2015), I decided to reward my hiking party with a fancy mid-​afternoon lunch at Timber Cove Inn, after a strenuous day of hiking, climbing, and scampering, along the cliffs at nearby Salt Point State Park.
The lounge has a grand piano in the corner and a fireplace (flamed with gas, not with wood) and a big comfy couch situated in front of the fireplace.
I put on a nice sweater, in order to be more presentable, and found the dining room to be elegant, with the tables cleverly situated to provide a view. There are about a dozen square tables, each angled so that the two people seated at each table could look directly over the ocean and admire whatever boats and whales could be seen in the distance. My table was situated about a foot away from a circular gas-​fueled fireplace, which was much smaller than the fireplace in the lounge. I was glad for the warmth, because I was fresh from several hours of hiking in overcast December weather.
I ordered cappuccino, fish sandwich (which came with french fries), and clam chowder with bacon. The clam chowder was perfect, and was beyond my expectations in terms of flavor and presentation.
The french fries were unusual, in that they had a loosely adhering browned crust. I asked the waitress, and she replied that they were prepared by first baking, then followed by frying in oil. I mentioned to my dining partner that this was similar to a potato preparation which I had at Antoine’s in New Orleans, where aged potatoes (having increased content of dissolved carbon dioxide) are first fried briefly in low temperature oil to create a crust, allowed to cool, and then fried in high temperature oil, to stimulate puffing. Thus, I liked the french fries at Timber Cove because of their excellent flavor, and unusual recipe.
The cappuccino had an inch thick cap of foamed milk, and the espresso used to make it was perfect.
The fish sandwich was way, way too salty, and verged on being inedible. It was my guess that this was due to a one-​time error or to some other glitch.
Altogether, the bill for the two of us was $ 50.00, which if one ignores the apparent error of the «salt-​mine-​on-​a-​plate-​style sandwich» is a reasonable fee, considering the elegance of the dining room and the otherwise excellent cuisine., and considering the remote location and seasonable nature of the business. I turned over the menu, which was printed on elegant paper (not merely a photocopy on ordinary white paper) and noticed that the cost per dinner meal was about $ 30.00. Actually, I was hoping for a more expensive lunch, and so I remarked, «Next time we will arrive at five o’clock, so we can have the dinner menu.»
I noticed from many of the other reviews, some degree of disappointment with Timber Cove Inn. These bad reviews are more in keeping with those expected for OCEAN GROVE LODGE, in Trinidad, CA, which is truly the funkiest and grungiest motel on the Pacific coast. But I cannot comment on the rooms or suites at Timber Cove, since I never stayed for the night.

Restaurant Review Only.
Location — A+. Beautifully situated on coastal cliffs overlooking the ocean.
Ambiance — A. Restaurant interior is a very comfortable lodge-​like setting with ocean views.
Food — B. Food is fine, but nothing special. One would expect more from such a great venue. Lunch menu choices are limited to burgers, fish and chips, salads, that sort of thing.
Service — C. Service is a bit lacking. They brought us two menus for three people; one glass of water when all three of us requested water; too quick at clearing the plates before all of us were finished. No big deal and the servers were pleasant enough, they just didn’t seem to be firing on all eight cylinders.

As soon as I saw pictures of the view from the Timber Cove Inn, I knew we had to stop for 1 night during our recent San Francisco — Sonoma trip. We booked a Cove view suite (Room 405). It’s important to note that they are in the process of renovating their rooms. Our room was renovated and AMAZING! I would definitely ask for 405 next time too. I overheard other people saying they prefer the lodge feel of the older rooms, but we were really happy with our room.
Around sunset, we headed out to the fire pit area to watch the sunset — must have been a slow night because we were the only people out there. But what an amazing place to watch the sunset with a glass of wine… ahhh…wish I was still there! They also sell «s’mores kits» to sit out by the fire pit!
You can’t beat the location and the view of the Timber Cove Inn. What a slice of heaven! I will definitely stay here again if I get the chance.

Wow! This place has been renovated and my room has literally knocked my socks off! :)) The perfectly placed fireplace has a thermostat and it goes up to 90! Watch out! It was about 60 degrees, blue skies and amazing views when I arrived. I was greeted promptly and felt really welcomed by Gena. :) She was incredibly informative, pleasant, helpful and check in was easy and fast. She even offered someone to help with my bags. :)) I walked into my ocean view room, room 209 and WOW! Gorgeous! They have been doing alot of upgrading and remodeling… it’s amazing! 2 tvs… a sitting area, ridiculous comfy bed and stylish bathroom all are perfect, but the vaulted ceilings and view is just the best! I will include pictures! Everyone is so nice and helpful… the property is HUGE and RIGHT on the ocean! Next door is timber cove, where you can launch boats and kayaks! :)) I am in love with trails and stone walkways, paths. …there are so many places to explore! :) The sunset, another unbeatable one! Perfect view from the firepit. Very nice touch. It also has alot of history that you can read about in your room. The room service from Alexander’s was perffff! I will write a separate review there, but oh yummm! Tuna tar tar was amazing!!! And seasonal pumpkin cheesecake… lucky me! The chef is amazing! :) Definitely back and better than ever! :)))

I went on my honeymoon with my husband. We stayed in the newly renovated suite and had the romance package. The room was clean and refreshing (this is coming from a slight germaphobe). It had a porch to sit enjoying the seaview. The staff is friendly both at the front desk and the restaurant. The couples massage was good. The masseuses were friendly. The food is great! The crab cakes and crab benedict were awesome. Not to mention, the steak was juicy and seasoned nicely. I would suggest bringing a ice chest to keep leftovers because they have good portions.

It was a windy day. No beach access. No trails. Just a nice cliff view. Very clean n quiet. Not much people. Rooms were hideous. Shower stall in the middle of the room by the foot of the bed. It sure wasn’t what was offered online. Switch and bait room. Little gas Fireplace keep the room warm. No vent in the bathroom. Well water is salty. Shower water temperature goes hot and cold and hot and cold. Good place for the summer, most likely not for winter. WiFi works great. But no phone service! !!!

I can’t believe this gem only has 3 stars on Unilocal.
From the moment we walked into Timber Cove Inn we were amazed at how beautiful the inn was. The lady at the front desk was very sweet and quick to check us in and familiarize us with the property. We entered our ocean-​view room on the bottom floor and immediately fell in love with the huge panoramic view of the coast. Are you kidding me? This was out of a fairy tail! The room was very clean and well maintained, the bed was insanely comfortable, and they even provided guests with a rechargeable lantern to take on a night stroll (which I don’t recommend doing, read the side not at the end of my review). My only two complaints about the room itself was that there was no fridge and that the huge sliding door in our room fully exposed us to passers-​by. Imagine coming out of the shower only to see a 7 year old girl running across your front porch… We learned our lesson quickly and kept the curtains closed while changing. The fridge is such a big deal because there is literally no other restaurant in the area but the one inside of the hotel, and so the snacks that we picked up from safeway to get us through our stay had to be thrown out the next day. Since they are remodeling, hopefully they read this suggestion and have already thought to install mini-​fridges for guests.
The lounge service, however, was a whole other beast and did not do the rest of the inn’s service and charm justice. NOW, I was there this past labor day weekend so I understand that the hotel was booked solid and everyone staying there was downstairs eating/​drinking practically at the same time, but it’s LABOR DAY WEEKEND, your facilities are booked solid, schedule your ONE bartender a barback for god’s sake! Our bartender was SO SPUN OUT all night. You could see it on her face, hear it in her voice, I felt SO BAD i wanted to help her. BUT there is a certain level of professionalism one has to uphold. No matter how in the weeds you are, you can never let a customer know that you are completely screwed, but she had no qualms expressing her distress to her customers. The manager seemed to be of little help, in fact i could hear their argumentative interactions the whole night, like who could use the aloha system first. This is the reason for the –1star.
Chef Alex, the food was great and came out in a timely manner, I just wish there was a better crew representing your work on the front end of the machine.
I plan on returning here again and again for the many over-​night breaks from the city I will need for the rest of my life. This place is a gem! You’d be a fool to not come back to this place over thin walls or a spun out bartender or crappy wifi. Every other aspect makes the scary drive up highway one worth it all!
side note: I stepped outside the sliding door of our room late night for some fresh air. I could swear that I heard a rattle snake and literally JUMPED back into the room and slammed the glass door shut. Just be careful! It is literally pitch black dark out there after hours.

Recently stayed here for a weekend getaway wedding and have almost no complaints! Check in was easy, reasonably priced, and everyone was very friendly and helpful. I had requested the ocean view room, and it was perfect! Checked out the bar the first night, small but solid beer selection. Liked the female bartender and we had a nice chat with another server/​bartender with a sweet mustache (didn’t catch his name) he recommended some food and good drinks! Went to breakfast the next morning, a little disappointed with the food, and our server Sharon. It took quite a while for her to even greet us and even then she was very short with us, like we had kept her waiting and she was annoyed, and this continued through our entire meal.
When it can down to the actual wedding reception they did a great job! Once it was time for the speeches and toasts there was one server/​bartender that was amazing! EC was the man! Kept our glasses full, and recommended a great drink that I loved! He was friendly and definitely fun! Overall a great experience and would definitely recommend and come back!

You pay for the view, not the room quality.
We stopped here last minute on July 4^th realizing we may not get a room elsewhere. The Inn is settled on a gorgeous cove with unbeatable views. Walking trails on cove and cliff, bonfire, bacci… truly a terrific setting. I was excited to fall asleep and wake up to remarkable views and sounds of the Pacific.
The front desk was very friendly and accommodating, giving us a last minute discount. We paid high $, however, for a spartan room that appeared to be done as cheaply as possible. The bed was the only comfortable item. The walls were unfinished and roof had gaps between the boards revealing insulation. The furniture looked sparse and haphazard, including the balcony where the plastic chairs and table looked like they cost $ 20. The bathroom was Motel 6 quality for the price. The sea-​tasting water was undrinkable from the faucet as well, a problem we did not have with other venues along the PCH.
Around the site, there was construction debris toward the north end that just wasn’t clean or suitable for active guest traffic.
I have a high appreciation for small businesses managing costs. This one did it to an extreme that made us uncomfortable and feel over-​charged. If you’re going to offer 2 – 3 star quality, price your rooms accordingly. We did appreciate the very friendly staff and day-​of deal they made us. The fire pit after dark was a great community experience; we brought our own S’Mores and had a great holiday evening on the cliffs.
If you find yourself stuck without a hotel, book here, enjoy the views and don’t think about value. Watch out for the walls, you’ll get splinters.

This is a review for the hotel. We stayed here for one night for my birthday last night. It was a very cozy stay and the hotel is romantic. The room layout is a little odd, such that all the bathroom fixtures are scattered throughout the room.
The tub is in front of the couch, but you can’t use it because of the drought. The shower is in the corner in front of the bed which is about the size of a shower on a cruise ship. You can also easily watch your SO showering if you’re just casually sitting on the couch. The closet is on the right when you come in, but it’s shared with a toilet. The sink is across from the closet/​toilet room. It was very bizarre.
However, the bed is comfortable and we had a nice view of the ocean. It was lovely hearing the waves crash all night and having so many windows. We had 506 which was an end unit in the strip.
Also, since it was my birthday, we got a coupon for 2 free glasses of wine or champagne or 2 free desserts. We ended up using it in the morning for a cheese plate from local farms and a mimosa. Delicious! If we were in the area I’d come back.
My only suggestion would be to clean the windows better. It was hard to see out of some of them. Also, there were no towel hooks for the bath towels. We had to use a coat rack near the bed to hang them. It would also be nice to get a soap for the shower and one for the sink as opposed to only one.

Magic. Nothing beats this setting. My husband and I plan to return for some alone time and relaxation together– no better place to do it. We just loved the cozy lounge with live music, cocktails and card games by the fire. For a romantic spot with you’re loved one, it doesn’t get any better. I can see why some people have given bad reviews as the place does need some updating, I just hope they don’t jack up the prices too high after the remodel as we’d like to come again and often. I do hope the restaurant gets a renovation as well, the lounge is dark and the menu is very average. But with that, you come to the coast for the gorgeous setting and some relaxing time with nature, this place delivers on that and is so close to Salt Point SP, which is spectacular. Beds are super comfy and the grounds and setting is simply lovely, quiet and peaceful. We will be back.

Special Thanks You’s to the Timber Cove cast and crew — you all did a great job this past weekend. From my perspective everything was perfect and I cannot wait to bring my spouse down for a weekend getaway… and soon!
Thank You Anita at the Bar for the BEST Bloody Mary I have EVER had! (I’m not exaggerating)
Thank you Celeste and other food servers, you were so kind and attentive.
Thank you Jim for your hospitality and individualized attention (and humour)
And thank you, especially, Kathy, Laura, Gena and Margaret for making this Wedding Event some of the best days of our lives!
Sincerely,
Rev. Aaron Jr.

My finance and I love Timber Cove, in fact, we got engaged here. We love it mostly for the personal experiences we have had here together. The first year we came we relaxed so much that we agreed to make it an annual anniversary trip — and this year we got engaged!
I don’t really understand the magnitude of negative reviews. I mean, some aspects are true, the rooms are a little outdated, most of the staff is very friendly but there are a few that are not. We love the front desk receptionist, she really is a sweet lady and has always been so kind to us. The views are amazing from any point on the property, and you can even walk out onto the lookout rock and see seals sunbathing. It is very remote, which we love coming from city living. The restaurant is probably the reason for my 4 star instead of 5. It is pretty good, but expensive and feels slightly underwhelming.
Overall, I really love this place and I hope the «remodeling» doesn’t make the prices skyrocket, because unfortunately we would probably stop visiting.

Pros: perfect location yards away from the beach, cliffs and trails.
Staff is very friendly
Hotel is kept up nicely. It has a cabin type feeling. Very clean, spacious and comfortable.
The view from our room was to die for. We travel a lot– and I cannot remember the last time my partner and I slept so well our first night anywhere. We fell asleep to the warmth of our fireplace. Left the balcony doors open which brought in a the gentle crashing sounds of the waves and seagulls in the distance.
Cons– small hotel rooms.
Needs a little updating but not very bad.
Service is slow in the restaurant
Sometimes a band plays in the evening and the music is way to loud. Good luck taking a nap or dozing off at 8. They don’t shut down until 10.
Wish this hotel had an ATM!
The spa is being remodeled.

Wenn Sie von der Welt für nur eine Nacht oder einen längeren Zeitraum entfliehen wollen, dann ist das hier der richtige Ort für Sie.
Wir waren in unseren Flitterwochen im Timbercove gewesen Inn und fanden die Lage und die Architektur, verbindet sich perfekt mit der Cove in der es liegt.
Das Zimmer war sauber, vor kurzem renoviert worden, neuer Teppich, Farbe, die Betten und die Bettwäsche weich, ein Fenster in Dach über dem Bett gewährt einen Blick auf das Sternenzelt. Auf dem Balkon und im Garten trifft man auf Waschbären.
Auf den Felsen der Cove kann man die Seele beim Blick auf das Meer baumeln lassen.
Ein absouter Traum, Abends brennt der Große Kamin und jemand spielt Klavier