Strawberry Creek Inn — Hotel in Idyllwild-Pine Cove

For Labor Day, my husband and I decided to take a little road trip and have an overnight getaway in Idyllwild. We searched for places to stay and were so happy to find one last available room close to town. At first, I booked through Hotels.com with the option to pay at the property. About an hour later, I got a call from an Idyllwild number. I had a feeling it was the inn, and sure enough, they were just verifying if I would be staying or canceling. I was so glad they called, otherwise, I wouldn’t have known if my reservation was canceled or if there was an issue with my card. When we arrived, we went to the Idyllwild Inn, but it turned out our reservation was actually at Strawberry Creek Inn. Terry at the front desk kindly explained the mix-up and gave us directions, it was only a 2–3 minute drive away. We checked in around 5 p.m. I later found out they had tried to call me again, but I had been resting after our road trip and stops earlier that day. Since the front desk was already closed, they left us clear instructions and a helpful paper from Terry with photos to guide us. The place itself was so cozy, rustic, and full of charm, it really fit the small pine-tree town vibe we love. The only downside was that the room didn’t have a microwave or refrigerator, but since we were only staying overnight, it wasn’t a big deal. We had brought a cooler for water and food, so that worked perfectly. The inn provided shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand soap, lotion, a hair dryer, and a TV. They also had a jacuzzi, fireplace, and a cute little trail where you could relax and even spot deer and squirrels! They didn’t serve breakfast, but there were plenty of restaurants nearby. We left around 8 a.m. the next morning and called to let them know, but since the office was closed, we just left a voicemail. A couple of hours later, they called me back, but by then we were already on the road. The payment went through automatically on my credit card, so everything was smooth. Since it was Labor Day weekend, we didn’t stress too much and just enjoyed the experience. The only small bummer was not being able to use our drone freely, since California has several restrictions. But overall, it was such an easy and enjoyable trip, and I’m thankful they verified our reservation and made our...

Checked into Strawberry Creek on a Sunday and was told their "2 course, gourmet" breakfast was served at 9. I had class starting at 9 all week. I said if I had known breakfast was at 9 I wouldn't have booked with them. Heather said she could put something together for me - scone, fruit, etc. I asked for earlier sitting (8:30). She initially said yes, then called, 10 minutes later, to say it was a no go. How about refunding a portion of my bill? No. I asked who else to speak to. She said I could email innkeeper and she would forward it to general manager. I send email Sunday voicing my concerns. No response. I email Heather asking when I should expect to hear from manager. No response. I see my "breakfast" on table in my room - apparently delivered while I was registering for class - for consumption Monday morning - scone, apple, orange. I took a photo and emailed Heather saying this is unacceptable. No response. While in class Monday, Tuesday's "breakfast" is delivered - burnt scone, apple, orange, potato chips, orange soda and 2 hard boiled eggs. Are you kidding? I email Heather on Tuesday and say no more deliveries. She responds to this email promptly. - Who runs a business like this? Who delivers breakfast the day before? And it's not even decent food. Ignoring emails from guests? And I was careful to be kind and polite in my correspondence. - Just be forewarned that breakfast starts at 9 (never heard of this late hour for a bnb, and I have stayed at many). This is not posted on their website. They'll "accommodate" you by delivering a pathetic, meager substitute the afternoon before breakfast. - My first email said I felt uncomfortable and unwelcome. This creepy feeling continued for the entire stay. Looked for a new place to stay, but worried about extra lodging expenses on top of dealing, financially, with this disreputable bnb. I couldn't wait to get out of there, leaving early Friday morning. - Oh yeah, and I was charged my room deposit twice. My credit card company told me there was no pending refund, of this deposit, that they...

In mid-September we called the Strawberry Creek Inn to book a two night stay. There was no answer so we left a message and went to the Strawberry Creek Inn web site to book a room for our two night stay. We received an email from the Strawberry Creek Inn with the booking number for our two night stay. We then received a phone call from Nathan, the General Manager of the Strawberry Creek Inn. Nathan confirmed our reservation for the two night stay. In addition to the two night stay we also requested a breakfast add-on. We then received an email acknowledging our request for the add-on to our two night stay. Eleven days later we received an email cancelling our 2 night reservation because there was a 3 night minimum stay. If there was a 3 night minimum stay, we should not have been able to book a two night stay through the Strawberry Creek Inn web site (Mistake 1). If there was a 3 night minimum stay, our 2 night reservation should not have been confirmed by the General Manager, Nathan (Mistake 2). If there was a 3 night minimum stay, we should not have received an email acknowledging our request for a breakfast add-on to our 2 night stay reservation (Mistake 3). If there was a 3 night minimum stay, there should not have been an 11 day delay in informing us about this requirement (Mistake 4). We informed Strawberry Creek Inn about our disappointment regarding this cancellation. We received an email from Strawberry Creek Inn which stated the only thing they were willing to do was change our stay to a 3 night stay and charge us for the 3rd night. Strawberry Creek Inn should heed the words of Sophocles as found in Antigone: “All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.” Idyllwild is a wonderful place to visit and has many great Inns. Based on our experience with Strawberry Creek Inn, we urge all guests who wish to visit Idyllwild to find accommodations with more integrity than...