Idyllwild Bunkhouse

The location is great, close to town, and the staff were superb, friendly, and welcoming. Unfortunately, the room at the Idyllwild Bunkhouse didn’t match the listing and needs serious attention. It was unclean when I arrived: the toilet was dirty, the floors were dirty, and black hair was everywhere. There was no bath mat, and the only paper product was toilet paper, with no proper utensils either. The Jacuzzi tub shown in the listing didn’t work, and there wasn’t a plug to fill it. I booked largely because of that tub, so it was a real letdown. The advertised breakfast scones were dry, and we got apple juice. The toilet is only about half a foot from the sink, leaving you to sit sideways, which is uncomfortable and should be mentioned in the room description. This hotel seems to mainly serve Pacific Crest Trail hikers in summer, which is fine, but guests should get an accurate idea of the rooms before booking. The staff and location are excellent. The rooms need better cleaning, maintenance, and honest descriptions.

The owner was incredibly nice and drove us into town and back several times. We had an awesome stay at the bunkhouse, with cozy rooms and plenty of room to spread out between the bedroom(s), private deck, and kitchen. Highly recommend it!

We booked three nights at the Idyllwild Bunkhouse for Thanksgiving with my wife and two kids, and were excited to go, even though the website photos were outdated. We arrived Wednesday night, 11/26/2025, and were assigned room 1. Cleanliness was a problem right away: long black hair in the shower, cobwebs around the room, crumbs on the kitchen floor, and carpets that didn’t look vacuumed. The dishes were dusty. There was a coffee maker but no filters, only instant coffee packets. We tried to put it aside the first night since we were glad to be out of the city, but seeing the room in daylight on Thursday confirmed our concerns. We decided to give it one more night. The mattress was deeply concave on one side, and my wife nearly fell off each night. After a difficult sleep Thursday, we checked out a day early on Friday instead of Saturday. I explained the situation to the front desk. The staff member was kind and helpful through all of this, though a little skeptical and standoffish. She said she’d try to contact the owner about refunding the unused night but couldn’t promise anything. Since it was a holiday weekend, she couldn’t reach him then and said she’d follow up when she could. A week has passed with no communication. The staff were genuinely friendly and helpful. The front desk gentleman even called ahead to tell us the key would be in the drop box, which was thoughtful, and the owner had been very kind when I spoke with him before our stay. The property has real potential and could be a cool spot with some investment, but it desperately needs deep cleaning, new carpets and mattresses, and maintenance for things like mismatched light fixtures and lights that are out. I wanted to love it, but can’t recommend it in its current state. We had to cut our stay short because of cleanliness, and so far there’s been no refund for leaving a day early.

I’ve stayed in a few places in Idyllwild, and this is my favorite. It’s relaxing and quiet, close to the Nature Center and Deer Springs trailhead, with miles of hiking nearby, and still within a mile of town center. The rustic place isn’t a traditional 5-star hotel, but the location, views, value, and hospitality put it at the top of my list. There’s also a kitchenette for when you’d rather stay in and get cozy. Just spent four nights here and already look forward to coming back.