Timber Cove Resort

The front desk staff at the hotel went above and beyond to make my sister's birthday extra special. Even though I wasn’t the one staying, they made the process seamless by helping me order a bottle of champagne to surprise her in her room. Their attention to detail and warm service made me feel like I was their guest too. They were quick, efficient, and ensured everything was perfect for my sister's arrival. Thanks to their exceptional service, the birthday celebration started off on a high note! Thank you :)

Great part about this place is that it's on the beautiful Timber Cove cliffs. Frontdesk and bar service seem both lazy and incompetent. When we checked in, we asked what our room rate was given we were supposed to receive a discounted rate for an event that was being hosted there. After frivolously searching for 10 minutes, the woman at the front counter informed us that she couldn't tell us but she would email us a receipt that includes what the rate would be. We give her the email, and to this day have not received anything from Timber Cove. After a moment of hesitation given her general inability to answer any of our questions coherently and succinctly, we ask for a printed receipt. She proceeds to print one out and gives us a receipt with a BLANK price. We ask how she could possibly not know how much we're being charged for our room, and what purpose could a receipt without a price possibly serve. She lazily looks around as if she is bored with the conversation and no longer wants to be there. She says she'll let us know later, which she of course never follows up on. Proceed to the evening in the bar area, around 8:30 / 9pm, our friends are informed by the bartender that only well drinks or beers are available because she's winding down. There are at least 20 people making their way to and fro the bar. We then go over to get our own drinks, to which we are informed that the bar is now closed. We ask when the bar closes given the listed hours say "Late," and she tells us that generally when things start getting quiet. This is while looking out at a crowd of again, 20 people all drinking and enjoying themselves both inside and outside. We move on, but when we retire a couple of hours later, we see she is _still_ hanging around the bar, which seems to indicate her job requires her to still loiter around the area. Maybe she doesn't care for tips and can't be bothered, but it was bizarre and felt like someone phoning it in that wanted to collect a paycheck while doing as little as possible. When we checked out, we were finally informed as to the price we were paying: we had been charged the daily rate that was listed on Google Hotel price aggregator for _that_ very weekend, as if we had booked it on Friday morning for a Friday afternoon check-in, despite reserving months in advance. We simply paid and left because we didn't want to be a bother to the event organizers. I'm sure others were similarly taken advantage of, however. Rooms were okay, lacked character unless you got the best suites. If you had a sea view, could be nice. Facing the shore has an extremely mediocre view. Internet was poor and we overhead the kitchen staff talking about how the overall connection was fast but the wifi sucks. Best part of our stay was the burger at the restaurant. Truly delicious. Front of house management needs to be replaced as mentioned. No spirit of hospitality. Overall, this place is overly expensive for what you get and dealing with most of the staff is an exercise in tedium and frustration. There are much better hotels along the coast that are worth how much you would pay for Timber Cove Resort. They want your money but don't want to put in the work for it, making for the worst combination of greed and laziness. Recommend skipping or park nearby to enjoy the nearby hikes, which are not exclusive to the resort.

The views from the property are world-class, but the overall feel of the resort is a tad dated for the price, and this was especially the case in our room. Traveling with our toddler, we opted to stay in the Family Room. The room felt musky upon arrival, it did not appear dirty, but also did not feel clean. There were tons of marks and dings on the walls throughout and the main light fixture overhead had the cord running across the ceiling and had to be unplugged from the wall to turn off. The toilet seat was loose. The pumps for the soap/shampoo dispensers were broken; there was poor natural light and the views were just okay from our room. We had average accommodations for the price paid. The staff was friendly, the grand room offered a nice gathering place, and the food was good. Must get in the car for a short drive to access the local beach - no access from trails that connect to the resort.

We’ve traveled together to so many amazing places—Yosemite, New York, Carmel, Los Angeles, San Diego—but nothing compares to the hospitality we experienced here. From the moment we arrived, it was clear this was a special place. The love and care shown toward our dogs, especially Cesar, were unlike anything we’ve ever seen. They weren’t just welcomed—they were celebrated. Cesar received so much attention and kindness, and it was clear the staff genuinely cared. Housekeeping was absolutely impeccable, making everything feel spotless and comfortable for all of us. Angel, the incredible manager with a Puerto Rican background, treated us to drinks and left a lasting impression with his warmth and authenticity. At the front desk, Puso greeted us with the kindest welcome, instantly making us feel at home. And Sia—there aren’t enough words for Sia. She went above and beyond, feeding us, treating us like royalty, and keeping us entertained with just the right amount of conversation—never too much, never too little, always perfect. Finally, the night attendant made our trip even more magical by letting me place a Christmas ornament on the tree. It was a small gesture that made me feel like I was part of something special, as if I were in my own little holiday story. This was by far our best anniversary trip yet. And when they say “pup-friendly,” they mean it—our dogs were as cared for as we were. We can’t wait to come back.

I booked this resort pretty last minute after our original mini-moon stay was affected by the Big Sur Road closures. I was excited, after looking at all the photos on the website, to stay in the resort and enjoy a “cozy” stay. Immediately upon entering the lobby, we were greeted with the loud noise from some construction that was going on in the main dining room or as they call it, the “great” room. The check-in staff was very friendly, however we were disappointed when we realized the forest view room was actually steps away from this restaurant construction, in what seemed to me more like a motel set up than anything else. For $350+ a night, this felt a little unacceptable, as we could hear the construction from our tiny room. We ended up paying to upgrade to a room that was outside the “great” room, so we didn’t have to deal with the noise. This made our stay totally over expensive and not worth it. To top it off (and this is obviously not the resorts fault but) May gray is in full swing in this region of California, so the views were non-existent and the weather was cold and foggy. The restaurants on site were incredibly overpriced, my husband and I ended up not finishing our $130+ dinner because the dishes were just not good or fresh. We ended up spending the second day at Sea Ranch up the coast, which had much better food for a similar cost. Overall, I would not recommend this hotel. It feels very outdated, there is not much to do during the day when the weather is bad, and it is incredibly overpriced for what you get. The only thing that was good was the staff.