Alex W.
Stuff to know:||We visited in early September||Crowd: The pools that are a hike away (especially the top pools) are never too crowded. In the smaller pools like the meadow and waterfall pools, we were always alone. The very top pool is much larger and can hold many people, but at its busiest there were only 8 people. Usually we were the only ones.|The main swimming pool gets busier during the mid-afternoon. There are a few chairs to sunbathe on, but those fill up quick. We were a little annoyed that a good amount of people seemed to leave their stuff on a chair to reserve it, then leave the area for more than an hour. The facility could definitely use more lounging chairs by the pool. The pool itself is very large, so there is always plenty of room to swim around.|The Sauna has a steady flow of people going in an out. In the morning and evening, expect at least 2 other people to always be in the sauna with you.|The two hot tubs get pretty full in the night, but we could always still find a spot to sit, even if it was nearly shoulder-to-shoulder. The hot tubs are empty in the afternoon due to the heat.|The main soaking pool is very large and usually has 2-8 people in it, but it was a bit cold for our taste.|Age range was pretty evenly distributed from early 20s to 70s. ||Ammenities: |Every shower had a body soap to use. Hygine products in the bathroom cupboards. |In the pavillion, there are dishes you can borrow and return after using their dish washing station. No need to bring your own pots/pans/plates or dishwashing soap. You can also use their kitchen containing a microwave, stove, and oven.|Right at the gate where you check in there is a tiny shop that has 5 pound bags of ice for sale for $1. They also sell ice cream bars there, dairy-free options too. They have a few snacks for sale, fresh farm eggs ($7), and I saw they even sold tooth brushes in case you forgot one.|There is a food storage cabin if you do not have a room to store it in, but we just stored our food in the car.|There are water fountains in the bathroom and sauna.||Camping:|Check out the map before choosing a tent camp site. We found one along the stream, which was super nice as you could hear it while falling asleep. Some of the campsites are much more remote with a significant walk to get there, but neither of us wanted to carry all of our stuff over there.|Do not underestimate the amount of walking you may do here. I thought I was being lazy, but got 15,000 steps each day just walking between our campsite, car (for food), and bathrooms. Next time we will find a camp site closer to the bathrooms and parking spots.|There is a clothesline behind the bathrooms, but that was no where near our campsite. However, there are plenty of trees at the campsite to hang towels and robes out to dry.||Clothing:|We found that about 80% of people walking between facilites had robes on, us included. I assume less would wear robes in the hotter months. |I didn't notice a single person wearing swimsuits in the hot springs. |Around the entire pool area (pool deck to sauna to bathrooms), most walked around nude. A couple people wore swimsuits in the pool, but I only noticed that the first day. |In summary, you may be the odd one out if you choose to wear a swim suit, but no one will judge.||Other tips:|Make sure you get sunscreen that is safe for natural bodies of water (reef safe is the key word if searching on amazon).|Have a flashlight with a red light setting for walking to the pools at night. There is no artificial lighting beyond the main areas, so it is pitch black once the sun goes down.|No phones allowed anywhere, except at your accommodation and the welcome center. The welcome center does have wifi so that you can check messages/emails.|Find a good spot to watch the sunset! The porch of the sunset rooms is a great dry spot to watch, otherwise the lowest of the top pools is another great spot.|Bathrooms are co-ed. Every shower has a curtain for privacy, but if you want more privacy there are two lockable bathrooms with a shower and toilet. |There is algae in the pools that collects up along the edges. Thats just a part of the natural setting. If you do not like that, the hot tubs and swimming pool are much much cleaner.||Enjoy your visit!
