Staying at The Hotel Hershey: Woodside Cottages Review

If you're familiar with Hershey, Pennsylvania, you probably know about the beautiful Hotel Hershey, located just minutes from Hersheypark. But have you ever heard of The Woodside Cottages at The Hotel Hershey? We've been visiting Hershey for years and we always wondered what the cottages were like. They sit behind the hotel, essentially in their own little neighborhood. Well, we finally had a chance to experience them ourselves, and I'm so excited to tell you all about them! This is not a sponsored post (just an honest opinion, from me to you, so read on)!

Oh, and by the way, if you're looking for a review of The Hotel Hershey itself, and not their Woodside Cottages, then you might want to take a peek at my other post, detailing the other rooms at the hotel. Be sure to read my review of The Hotel Hershey!

What are the Woodside Cottages at The Hotel Hershey?

On The Hotel Hershey's website, the cottages are described as 'The Hotel Hershey's most premium accommodations. Interiors feature upscale furnishings, marble bathrooms, and native stone hearths exuding an intimate, cottage grandeur.'  They are located behind The Hotel Hershey, and they even have their own shuttle bus stop. Most cottages are within walking distance to the hotel. You get your own private parking space, too. In fact, all cottages include:

• exterior porch with private entrance
• adjacent parking
• oversized bathroom with rainforest shower head
• Keurig coffee maker
• (and more, see website for details)

You can reserve a room with a King bed or two Queen beds. There is also a special Meeting Cottage that is available for corporate and social groups. But let's focus on the standard cottages for now, shall we?

A cottage houses four separate rooms (basically in each 'corner' of the cottage), and if it has a lower level, there are two rooms located below (each with a separate entrance - see photo). You can view a map of the cottage layout on The Hotel Hershey website to better understand this.

Hershey Hotel Woodside Cottages lower level room

The center part of the cottage contains a great room/common area with a stone fireplace, a wet bar with fridge and access to an exterior back porch.

Hotel Hershey Woodside Cottages - view of entrance to main common room

It's a little confusing, but unless you book all four rooms (or all six, if you're that lucky), you do not get access to that center common area. We booked one room in a cottage. We had our own entrance that looked like this:

Walkway leading up to an entrance at The Hotel Hershey Woodside Cottages 

There was a door within our room that led to the common area, but it was locked (because we didn't reserve the entire cottage, do you see what I'm saying?). The Jersey Grandma kept saying to me,  So if someone reserves the other three rooms, you're going to hear them next door in that common room?!   No, no, no. It doesn't work like that. It's all or nothing. You reserve all the rooms, you get the common room. You reserve one and someone else reserves one, no one gets that common room. Understand?

We also had our own parking spot right out front, a few feet from the entrance to our room, which was wonderful.

Accommodations at The Woodside Cottages

When you step up to your cottage room porch, you'll find that you have your own entrance, rocking chairs, a window, even a porch light- it looks like a little home!

Inside, we were greeted by a spacious interior that was clean and beautifully decorated.

There was a large wall unit complete with a Kuerig machine, coffee and hot chocolate pods, TV, DVD player, and a mini refrigerator. If you needed ice, all you had to do was dial 0!

Around the corner from the bedroom was a large closet and changing area with full length mirror (as well as the locked door that would lead to the common area).

The Woodside Cottages Bathrooms

Okay, I can't lie. The bathroom was one of the best things about The Woodside Cottages. I mean, just look at it!

Yeah, that's a television up there by the ceiling! So you can sit in the sunken tub and watch TV if you really, really wanted to! The sunken tub came complete with all of the awesome chocolate soap amenities that the Hotel Hershey is known for.

The toilet was in its own separate little room with a closing door...

and the shower, although hard to tell from this picture, had a rainforest shower head.

So that was pretty amazing!!

Pros and Cons of staying at The Hotel Hershey Woodside Cottages

We stayed at The Hotel Hershey Woodside Cottages from Saturday to Sunday during their Winter season, so the pool was closed and the weather was chilly (although not freezing). There are pros and cons to staying here, so let me just run through a few things.

Pros

• The cottages are beautiful, meticulously kept and spacious.
• Having a parking space right in front of your residence was amazing. You could run out to your car if you needed something. You didn't have to worry about finding a spot in the parking lot. You didn't have to walk far to load and unload your luggage. If you are traveling with a large family, a lot of luggage or many small children, you can see how beneficial this is!
• The cottages were super quiet. I mean, think about it, there are no elevators, no housekeeping walking past your door, no other guests slamming doors next to you or across from you. *Note that if you reserve a cottage room on a lower level, there is a possibility you might hear people above you. If this is something that bothers you, be sure to mention this when making your reservation.
• If you want a romantic getaway as a couple, this is a great choice! You can even book a cottage at the end of the culdesac, which is probably the most quiet/private of them all. 
• Most cottages have close proximity to the outdoor pool, Harvest restaurant, putting green, s'mores pit and athletic areas. You still have to walk, but it's not far. In the warmer months, this is a huge plus!
• It feels more like a home than a hotel room. In my opinion, this room was large enough to feel like a small condo or apartment, rather than a hotel room.
• If you rent out the entire cottage with family or friends, can you imagine how much fun that would be? Although pricey, you get what you pay for! Mr. Jersey Momma compared it to renting a shore house or a house in the Outer Banks. Obviously, it's not the same thing, but the concept is there.
• The shuttle bus has a pick-up/drop-off location near the cottages, so you don't always have to walk around to the front of the hotel if you are going to Chocolate World or Hersheypark
• The bathroom was amazing, as I mentioned before. The regular rooms in the Hotel Hershey do not have sunken tubs like that, nor do they have Kuerig machines (not in a standard room).

Cons

• It will cost you! I'm not going to get into pricing here because it varies so much based on when you stay, how many rooms you reserve in the cottage, and what type of room you reserve. But you do get what you pay for- this is a top notch hotel with top notch service, and I'm speaking from experience, comparing numerous stays here.
• From what I've heard, cottages book up quickly, so you have to reserve them well in advance.
• Some people might not mind walking, but for others, walking back and forth (or driving) to the hotel itself might become tiresome. Remember, you can't run downstairs to the souvenir shops or restaurants. The indoor pool and spa are not right within your reach. You can get there, obviously, but you have to walk or drive over.
• When we stayed at the cottages, the weather was mild, especially for winter. But if you go during the colder months, just remember that the hotel is not attached to the cottages. 
• A lower level cottage room could be a little noisier than others. I did not stay in one, but from reviews I read online, it is possible to hear people above you. 

The Hotel Hershey offers packages and specials. Certain times of the year they offer cookies and milk at bedtime and their room service is always phenomenal. So be sure to take advantage of these items if it's something that interests you!

If you liked this post, please check out my other Hershey articles and share with friends!

The Hotel Hershey vs. Hershey Lodge : Which to Choose? Part 1 (highlighting Hershey Lodge)

The Hotel Hershey vs. Hershey Lodge : Which to Choose? Part 2 (highlighting The Hotel Hershey)

Christmas in Hershey : A Review of Christmas Candy Lane

A Review of Hershey Sweet Lights and Hershey's Chocolate World

Let's Visit Hershey Gardens!

What is The Hershey Story Museum? 

If  you have any questions about any Hershey stays, please feel free to email me. I always try to answer questions honestly, so ask away!