I've been coming to the Woodland Park Manor for years. I've tried other places in Idyllwild and keep coming back for the serenity and feeling of being in nature. What is most significant about these duplexes is that the style is mid-century architectural post and beam with almost two sides of glass. Sometimes I relax just as much by looking IN the room as looking OUT the windows.

As others have said, these are duplex cottages (5) with one private cottage down a little drive behind the duplexes. There's a courtyard in the middle with trees, benches and games to play, and the swimming pool is off to the side. Each duplex has a large and small side, with a door that opens to make a bigger cottage with three beds if you want to rent both sides. There are also private cottages offsite, but I haven't stayed in any of those.

Each unit has a deck, usually lined by small trees. Squirrels and bunnies run rampant throughout the entire site. You can buy some sunflower seeds and peanut hearts in town on your way to the cottages and spend hours on your deck throwing them to the squirrels, chattering blue jays and an occasional chipmunk.

The family who runs the place is very friendly and quick to provide service. They have books to read, dvds to play, and they can help you pick a good restaurant with their book of menus.

The decor is nothing fancy, and I've always wishes the bedspreads were a little more organic and a little less nylon. I've also always had trouble lighting a fire with the wood you can buy at the motel. Maybe that has more to say about my firemaking skills than the quality of the wood.

But the views through those huge windows, the way the squirrels and jays jump on the roof in the morning to wake you up, the private deck that you can lounge on for hours and the way you're surrounded by wood, both inside and outside your cabin, has always given "me" back to me.

Woodland has several different Cabins - my review is on the Stonewood Cabin
This cabin has the most wonderful location on the hill, with a large deck above the trees offering great view into chain of mountains and the distant valley between them.
The cabin is equipped with high quality furniture, 3 flat TVs, and 3 dvd players. At the living room the TV is Samsung 55" and the DVD is BOSE with BOSE set of speakers!
The kitchen has everything we needed including dishwasher, olive oil, sets of teas.
And there is BBQ on the deck.
The showers are very convenient, and the only complaint I had was the toilet too small.
When we checked in the owner offered us to select DVDs out of their big library for free, and there were more CDs and DVDs at the cabin itself.
The internet speed was surprisingly high, I didn't expect that speed in such a place.

It is always a good experience when your expectations are exceeded. A recent stay here did just that. When renting cabins in the woods in the past, I always expect a few compromises. This is what a "cabin" is about in my mind.

In this case I don't feel like there were any whatsoever. The rooms were clean, well appointed, and in the case of the kitchens better appointed than most hotel rooms in which I've stayed. Add this to friendly staff, and the quite mountain setting, and we're already planning our next stay.

We have just returned from a weekend at the Woodland Park Manor. This mountain retreat was quiet and charming, nestled just off the main strip in town on South Circle.

We experienced great service from the family who runs the little place, and felt very welcomed. It was hard to come back down the mountain afterwards. The cabin was not luxurious, but it was cozy. One side of the cabin had floor to ceiling windows, and the dining table and two comfortable upholstered rocking chairs were strategically placed to enjoy the view. The cottage had a small, well-equipped kitchen, a queen and double bed, and a small bathroom. The beds are divided by a wall, but they are not in seperate rooms. This was not a problem for us but it would be useful for some travelers to know that privacy between the bedrooms was not possible in our room. The inn does provide a seperate area with a third bed for a small upgrade if privacy is an issue.

The peace and tranquility of the location, as well as the presence of a pool made this place ideal for our family. The owners provided a wide range of free video and DVD rentals (new releases and classic favorites), and the rooms had media equipment to watch the movies. Cable TV, which is not usually provided in cabin settings, was a plus because it allowed the boys to watch Nickolodeon and Disney channel in the morning.

If you are looking for an pleasant, affordable stay in Idyllwild this little group of cottages is just the place. The park area outside has a swing and a tetherball for the kids, or young at heart, to enjoy. The pool is medium sized and well maintained. Our kids are 7 and 10, and they enjoyed the fact that the pool depth went to 8 feet. We brought our own diving toys and towels, which worked well.

The only drawbacks that might trouble some travelers were: (1) the low height of the showerhead (2) the uncomfortable bed pillows, and (3) having your room cleaned is not part of the regular service (it is available for a small additional fee). None of these were a problem for our family, but might trouble travelers looking for more luxury.

We paid $105 per night for our cottage, which we thought was an excellent value.