We are long-time patrons of Silver Pines Lodge in the adorable, usually quiet mountain community of Idyllwild, Ca. So when we recently had a college graduation needing to be celebrated (my amazing 40 year old daughter who has juggled raising and home schooling her own two children, while working part time, and chiseling away at her own Batchelors of Science degree over a 5 year span), I asked her how she wanted to celebrate her accomplishment. Her only request was to re-live her childhood memories of our family vacations at Silver Pines. That, and plenty of good wine. A great request (as long as we were included).
As I delved into planning this, I discovered that the original Silver Pines Lodge has changed in many ways since we were last there many years ago. First of all, I learned that Chris, the long- time owner who had poured her heart into rehabilitating this delightful historical landmark, and whom we loved, had finally relinquished her ownership and retired. Sad to hear, my first inclination was, would it be as nice anymore? I pressed on.
Silver Pines' new property manager came across as quite friendly and competent. We learned they had also expanded their list of properties. This included the acquisition of the Silver Pines Village, a charming, 11-room B&B-like property just down the street from their original, big rustic lodge. It's quaint, Victorian appearance and mountain charm was quite compelling. It is also a newer, roomier property and appears to be well maintained. This seemed to be the best choice for our family.
While you can easily make reservations online, I had ended up calling their front desk. I had multiple questions before we committed and I am glad I did! They were very helpful.
While not ordinarily an issue in mountain communities, they advertise no air conditioning. Since we were visiting in July when temps might rise to 90-ish, this was one of those rare times when it might matter. I learned that a few of their rooms at the Victorian inn had window air units or swamp cooler units. We booked our two rooms, #20 and #21, for that very reason. But we discovered that once the sun went down, it became tolerable using only the ceiling fans.
The larger of our two rooms (#21) had a small kitchen with stove, full refrigerator, and microwave. We planned to cook several family meals since eating out regularly could become prohibitive. The downfall was that the kitchen was stocked minimally with only a few cooking utensils and one medium-sized glass bowl for serving. We could also have done with more silverware. There were 6 of us total, and there was not enough to accommodate us all. We ended up getting plastic ware from the local market.
Our mini refrigerator in #20 had a tiny freezer unit just large enough for an ice cube tray, but it was all iced up and completely unusable.
We made plans that included using their one propane bbq on the property. If you are making plans to cook, I would consider bringing along a baking sheet and tongs from home.
Disappointing, neither of our rooms provided shampoo or kleenex. There was a small coffee maker and enough coffee for one day in each of the two rooms. We ended up buying some lovely coffee grounds from a local roasters since we tend to be prolific drinkers and unforgivable coffee snobs.
The smaller room, Room 20, has a small shower stall, but no hand-held wand, a feature I tend to appreciate. Room 21 is larger and wheelchair-friendly, with a spacious handicap-friendly shower.
As for seating, the larger room had an awkward, sunken couch, one lounge chair with an ottoman. Instead of a dining table, there were a few wooden stools and a dining counter with cramped access. Outside, two metal patio tables and chairs, with an umbrella, sat out on their large wooden deck that was shared with an adjacent unit. The beds, a queen plus two twins, were comfortable with memory foam mattresses. Lots of extra pillows and blankets.
Walking to the downtown Village is easy. There are multiple restaurants and coffee houses nearby, and some quaint shops to buy mementos and gifts. There are also two groceries nearby.
All in all, our mini vacay was delightful. Silver Pines delivers when it comes to sweet memories of a mountain retreat, but knowing the short comings, we need to plan accordingly. read more