This trip meant no cell reception — which is exactly what I needed.

Earlier this month, my partner and I made a trip about 3-hours out from San Francisco for a pleasant stay at Orr Hot Springs Resort in Ukiah, California – this was my first visit to both a hot springs and this particular resort. Orr Hot Springs has a long-time history dating back to 1867 as a resort times two, but the individual cabin resort was founded in 1938 passed on by an association of hippie community members. Today, Orr Hot Springs is owned by Leslie Williams as a sole proprietor. The tranquil eco-resort is where soaking in mineral waters is the main attraction. Just a short distance up is the Montgomery Woods State Reserve for a nice hike among the redwoods.

Here are some photos of Orr Hot Springs, my visit to Montgomery Woods and the town of Mendocino.

Because the resort does not have cellular reception, I took this vacation to the max by not use my phone for any purpose while staying here. The pictures are from those people that have shared on Google reviews. Credit goes to them. Also, Orr Hot Springs doesn’t allow pictures of the water area – credit goes to the facility for supplying those pictures.

When you walk into the entrance at Orr Hot Springs, this is the the view you get to embrace. The check-in desk, community house and communal kitchen are to the left.

A serene, green grass lounging area to the right. Plenty of chairs available for sitting with a good book. The bathrooms and more cabins are also here.

This is a close view of the communal kitchen. You need to bring all your food & drinks up here; except salt, pepper and table sugar. There is adequate dry and refrigerated storage available and every guest receives stickers to label their containers.

I really enjoyed cooking on that vast stove there with my favorite pan, the cast iron skillet. I didn’t enjoy forgetting to bring my morning coffee, but the adventure taken to find coffee was fun. If you forget any perishable items, the grocery store in Ukiah is about 20 minutes away.

View of more rooms available. These ones are outside the grounds, but close to the main entrance.

This is the start of the sulfur springs on the property. Which are open 24/7.

The first spring – in the back – is the warmest one available. It is hard to see but the showers are there to the right. Left is the lockers and restroom. Massage rooms in the back.

The springs are clothing optional. This was a new experience to me, so it was a bit awkward. But by the end of my 3-day stay, it wasn’t a big deal to be nude among the crowds. No one cares.

Next it heads up to this patio with 2 sulfur tubs available. This is a popular spot. It is probably best to go during off-peak hours to grab a spot. Like late at night because the sky is epic to take in.

From there is another sulfur tub (not shown), the “cold ” pool – which is really a lovely lukewarm temp and has a fountain of the healing waters spraying into the pool at all times. Towards the back is another small sulfur pool, the dry saunas and a cold plunge pool to the right. I am not one to find joy in a claustrophobic, hot space – but I gave the dry sauna a try and was impressed for a good 5 minutes.

This little meditative space is where one can sit to smoke or just take in the quiet space. The deer often showed up at the fence looking for a treat. It was cute because many fawn were present as well.

There are multiple yurts on the property farther back, but this is Yurt 1, located in back of the meditative space shown above. The space is fenced in with its own lounging area.

The bed is quite comfortable and the accommodations are clean. In the morning, the sun shining through the skylight of the yurt was very nice.

Here is a glimpse of Montgomery Woods. It’s about a 2-mile hike around. The beginning has good elevation, then it descends into an easy, flat hike among the big coastal redwoods and ferns.

The pictures don’t do justice.

Photo op.

We ran into a mama and her fawn a few times on the trail. While we didn’t get close, they weren’t bothered by our near presence.

However, I am thankful the bobcat – we later received notice was in the vicinity – did not make an appearance.

This is from the cliffs in the town of Mendocino – an hour drive to find a great bakery and the coffee I was missing earlier. I recommend the GoodLife Bakery for some absolutely delicious baked goods. We overheard that someone drove 3 hours for those baked goods! Sorry no food pictures. Being feral for coffee, we didn’t have patience to take pictures.

Here we hiked along the coast. If I was to live in any coastal town, I think this would be it. The water is absolutely a blue gem, no filter needed.

But it’s also very cold.

We did take a nice walk down to the bottom of this cliff and I waded in the waters. It took some solid time to get used to the temperatures, but it felt so rejuvenating! I look forward to doing this delightful trip again. Especially to detox from phone and soak in the quiet space my body & mind craved. I hear room 6 has a private sulfur tub, but it’s also booked out a good 3+ months for reservations. Just FYI.