Idyllwild, CA

Idyllwild is one of my favorite weekend destinations. Hubby and I have taken road trips there twice with my family; the first time was almost six years ago, right before we became pregnant with Princeton; the second time, was when I was about two months pregnant with Skyler, and in the throws of first trimester morning sickness. Both trips were so very different, but both so memorable. (For the purpose of this blog, we'll have to focus on the first trip, as I was too sick to think about taking photos the second time around.)

We first read about Idyllwild in a brochure we grabbled at a hotel in Palm Springs, on our very first weekend getaway. We were a legit couple of about a month or so, but that trip sealed the deal. We knew we met our match. Adventure was in our blood.

As we drove to explore The Salton Sea, I skimmed through the brochure and we had decided to make that a destination at some point in the future.

What can I say about Idyllwild? I love it!

It's smaller and, in my opinion, better than Big Bear. The town is quaint, but offers some killer shopping! The hiking, mountains and forest are the stuff of dreams, and their dining options do not disappoint. We were quite impressed.

Our first trip to Idyllwild was in honor of my mom's Birthday, and boy did we celebrate.

We stayed at the Strawberry Creek Bunkhouse, now the Idyllwild Bunkhouse. The rooms are woodsy and small, and if your heater doesn't work well, which was the case for us, they are freezing. There is a 9pm quiet time, because the walls are thin. But, the views are great, and there is a delicious breakfast basket brought to your door every morning.

I can't say that we would stay at this boutique motel again, but we enjoyed what little time we did spend there.

On our second visit to Idyllwild, we rented a large cabin with 360 degree balconies and incredible views. Definitely the way to go in Idyllwild. Especially is you are traveling with family.

To celebrate my mom's Birthday, hubby took the family wine tasting at Idyll Awhile, a wine shoppe bistro in the center of town.

And since hubby has never drank a day in his life, he enjoyed all the appetizers, while my mom and I had ourselves a good ole time, tasting away.

Hubby and I did a bit of hiking, and we all enjoyed the sites and sounds that were to be experienced in this beautiful winter wonderland.

It has been a few years since we visited last, but I can't wait to take a return trip.