Hicksville Pines Chalets & Motel

This review isn’t based upon a stay, but for the grand opening event, instead.
I had RSVP’d to attend the event, via FB, mainly because I had stayed at/​loved, the propert in Joshua Tree.
The event details mentioned that there was no parking at Hicksville Pines, but a shuttle would take you from Village Market. Many of us came from Los Angeles and Orange Counties, so we weren’t exactly sure how this would work. A few of us went into the market and the rudest guy ever just verbally harrased several of us about not parking at his market or we’d be towed. We repeated over and over that we didn’t park there. He even went off on the shuttle driver. Totally unprofessional (avoid the mean guy at Village Market, with a beard).
Anyways, we arrived at Hicksville and enjoyed touring the trailers. My understanding is that while they’re open, much work is still being done. The only negative I could see was how hot it was inside each cabin. Idyllwild isn’t known for their heat, but we visited during mid-90’s and there didn’t seem to be AC in the cabins. I could be wrong.
The themes were great and while I can’t recall all the names, the romantic honeymoon type one with the big circular bed and heart shaped tub was cute. We also liked the Haunted Mansion and the game room/​arcade style one.
The event had free beer and several bands playing. They had no food, so we (and others) had to leave early. I kept joking about if they sold beer and ordered tons of pizza to sell for $ 2 a slice, they’d have made quite a bit.
I can see that a future coffee shop place will be opening on site and the rec room was cool. It had a very large tv/​gaming console, shuffleboard, dartboard, and mini arcade. My kids will love this place.
We plan to book soon, for early fall. Can’t wait.

Hats off to the staff at Hicksville. We were greeted when we got there and showed the grounds and got to check out the Haunted mansion room loved it! The Mondo Trasho loved the pink flamingos and the Divine picture. The Christmas room was fun loved the leg lamp, Dolly room was cute with all the wood accents and the honeymoon suite the heart shaped tub and water bed! We stayed in the Room 420 and had a great view of the mountains from the bedroom. I can’t explain just how amazing the artwork is in the bedroom with or without the black light. Spotted Bigfoot! And the little gnome on the shroom! The bed is comfy it’s cool that it’s sunken into the floor. Vending machine is a plus!
The TEEPEE! Best part of the whole place! Light a fire and hang out at night or just kick back during the day. The grounds are under construction for the big grand opening next weekend which is understood and didn’t bother me.
Only reason I didn’t give 5 stars no music in the bedroom (speaker system set up, found some records but no music player) we just logged into Pandora on the amazing huge TV in the living room. XBOX didn’t work I called and emailed the staff and didn’t think anyone was going to pay attention since it was almost 10pm… Knock knock we get a visit from the staff and he tried to fix it and even offered to buy an online game for us to play. I declined but I do appreciate the effort.
Love all of the details everywhere and can’t wait to visit again. I am sure once the location is completed I won’t be able to book a room! I highly recommend everyone that would rather stay off the beaten path, stay at Hicksville!

I am writing this review in May 2016, based on my stay in the «Dolly» room in March 2016. So it’s possible a couple of the issues I encountered have maybe been fixed by now. OK, disclaimer aside, now onto my review…
While The Dolly is now available for travelers to stay in, much of the Hicksville Pines property is currently being remodeled, which means that most of its pop culture-​themed rooms are still being worked on. It also means that the complex is a challenge to find from the road: as the clerk who checked me in told me, «We used to have a really cool sign, but we had to take it down,» and it has yet to be replaced. So while the views from the cabin are impressive, the one leading onto the property is a bit understated.
Making a reservation at the Dolly is a crapshoot, since the Hicksville Pines web site currently includes no photos of the room, instead featuring two 1970s-​era stock pictures of the singer. So when I arrived and laid eyes on the room in person for the first time, I was conflicted, feeling both enamored with its character but also a little underwhelmed relative to what I’d expected to see for a cabin devoted to a personality so large.
First, let’s talk about what the room does have. Clearly the designer was looking to give the place a real Tennessee mountain home feel, starting with lots of wood — wood stove, wood tub, even a wood-​barrel sink. The wood-​framed king bed is perched one step above the main floor, on a platform of sorts that is cordoned off from the rest of the room by a wooden rail. Though the bed sits on a plush patch of pristine carpet, the flooring in the remainder of the cabin is — what else — wood.
Among the highlights I’d been looking forward to seeing was the vintage Dolly pinball machine, which is situated in a corner of the room. While the lights worked when I turned it on, the machine itself did not play, and when I called to ask whether it worked, a clerk casually concluded that the previous occupant must have broken it. So while I did not get to play it, the pinball machine did end up doubling as a pretty sweet nightlight.
Thanks to a small record player in the room, I was able to get my music fix by playing the vinyl copy of Dolly’s greatest hits that came with the room. The other two records provided by management: selections by Barry Manilow and Barbra Streisand. Thankfully I brought a couple of my own records just in case, but in keeping with the spirit of the occasion listened to the Dolly album three times. Because it only felt right listening to «My Tennessee Mountain Home» while looking out on the California mountains spectacularly on display right outside the door.
The wood-​barrel sink works well and is a creative design, but the wood tub seems more an exercise in style over substance. In addition to a pesky wooden seat inside the tub that did not appear to be removable, the shower curtain is far too long for the tub, meaning you will have to either keep it inside the tub while you shower (and end up standing on it) or keep it outside (which means water will get all over the floor). Guests are warned during the reservation process that soaps and shampoos will not be provided, but towels are — provided that you don’t mind using a pair of striped beach towels that, quite frankly, don’t do much to complement the room’s décor.
Charming wooden fixtures, record player, pinball machine — what else could you ask for? Well, how about curtains? That’s right — the room comes with no window coverings whatsoever, meaning visitors risk being peeped at night and blasted by the light of the rising sun in the early morning. Hopefully this gets resolved before much longer — you will definitely want to enjoy the view out the window, but you will also want to be able to decide whether you want to allow anyone outside their own view in.
Once completed, Hicksville Pines will be a very nice gathering spot, probably more for the 20s and 30s crowd than families. The property’s owner has invested handsomely in an amazing rec room that features two pinball machines, shuffleboard and ping-​pong tables, a bar, and a giant-​screen curved TV. There is also a hot tub and plenty of space for cooking, both at a table with individual grills and a teepee with grilling areas.
According to the property’s Facebook page, all of the rooms should be completed and open for business in time for their official grand opening party in June. But if you want a sneak preview, The Dolly is open now. Just remember that, even during the summer, it gets cold at night… so don’t forget to pack your coat of many colors.

Just got back today from our one night stay at Hicksville Chalets and Motel and I already miss it! My fiancé and I booked the Mondo Trasho room during their discount day, so $ 80 instead of $ 150 a night. We were greeted by Anthony, who was amazing! He gave us a tour of everything and was extremely helpful. We even got there a little early and he was so accommodating! Our room was adorable and trashy chic complete with a velvet portrait of Divine and AstroTurf in the bathroom. The recreation room had two pinball machines, a ping pong table, shuffle board and a TV with a Wii and cable. We spent a lot of time at the pinball machines! The jacuzzi was so relaxing and tucked away a little bit so it was quite and surrounded by trees. For dinner we barbecued some veggie dogs, made friends with our neighbors and went into the teepee where we started a huge fire and roasted marshmallows. The perfect little weekend getaway!
Some people are saying that things seemed unfinished, honestly it didn’t bother us at all. The place is new and getting settled so if you can’t handle a little construction or like to complain — just don’t stay and spoil it for others!
We can’t wait to come back, already planning our next trip! Thank you Hicksville!!!

My boyfriend and I stayed in the still under construction Haunted Mansion themed room on April 19. Even though the room still needs a few things added (the Doom Buggy bed is not yet installed), we loved the overall look and feel of it! My favorite parts are the hitchhiking ghosts and the stretched portraits.
The room is on the ground level, and the window did not have any curtains. Anthony, the inn keeper, gave us a few towels to hang up. Problem solved. :)
When we checked in, Anthony gave us an awesome tour of the property. We got to peek inside all of the other rooms, and the views from the upstairs rooms is amazing. I cannot wait to stay in the Dolly Parton, Christmas, and Honeymoon Suite when everything is said and done.
The hot tub is a great feature, and we took advantage of it last night. Very relaxing. We also loved the rec room, which features ping pong, shuffle board, pinball machines, a huge wall mounted tv with Netflix and WII, and a not-​yet-​ready juke box. Rec room is open 24 hours a day!
This is going to be a wonderfully unique retreat once it is all finished. I enjoyed my stay, even with it being a work-​in-​progress. Thanks, Hicksville!

My friends and I just had an awesome weekend at Hicksville Pines staying in the Great Northern Lodge room, which is the the twin peaks themed one. We had booked the room with a 50% off deal, and we knew that the Hicksville Pines location is still a work in progress and none of the rooms were 100% complete yet, including ours. This just made it into a little more of an adventure for us and it was actually kind of cool seeing a little bit behind the scenes and be part of a work in progress. I’m really excited to see what this place is like once most of the theme rooms are closer to 100% finished (I’m really excited to stay in the Haunted Mansion room once the Doom Buggy bed is installed!)
Right now the whole thing is pretty bare bones, and the weekend was a bit too rainy and chilly for us to do much besides explore downtown Idyllwild for a few hours on Saturday, but we had a lot of fun sitting in front of the toasty fire and playing board games and drinking wine. I helped myself to the free coffee in the lodge area and really loved the free Creature from the Black Lagoon pinball machine in the rec room. Morgan the owner brought up a record player with a Twin Peaks score vinyl record during the day on Saturday, which was a fun listen for a little bit, and they have a DVD boxed set of the series if you want to curl up in front of the TV upstairs for a bit with the inspiration for the room.
We decided to burn a fire in the fireplace instead of in the teepee firepit, so that’ll be a cool thing to try on another visit. I’m also looking forward to cooking some food on the big grill table behind the Lodge.

I was so excited when I heard Hicksville Pines was opening and knew it would be a different experience than HTP and was very eager to visit.
August 2015– I took advantage of one of the early bird discounts that meant I could stay literally a week after they took over. The rooms were untouched, they had to plan themes, etc. I ended up going alone as my friend could not make it on such short notice and I was kind of excited to just get away.
I booked for a Monday evening in Room 1.
I called 30 minutes prior to my arrival as per the rules, and was greeted by Anthony when I arrived. It was a summer day in August, I had just returned from HTP, and the temperature in Idyllwild was great!
Anthony showed me my room and the rec room in progress and told me of some of the upcoming plans. Which made me even more excited for what I knew would be awesome once done.
It turned out I was the only one staying that night, and while there was a fire pit, I was really looking forward to exploring the nearby town and just having some peace and quiet.
The room was big enough, bed was comfortable, and there were plenty of clean linens and towels.
The area is very quiet overnight. Very quiet! The next day I packed up and walked around the grounds a bit more and then said goodbye to Anthony and left, promising to return.
Fast forward to January, 2016:
I booked a 1 night stay in the STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION Haunted Mansion room.
I am a Disneyland nut, so I was thrilled to hear of this room in the works.
I knew there was daily construction going on, there were multiple places I was warned in advance of that. However, as the men were just working on the siding on the rec room, which looks amazing, by the way, it really was not too loud. There was snow on the ground so we used it to chill our beer, and just relaxed and enjoyed the views and the mountain air.
The room was a work in progress, but you can see it really coming together.
I am happy to have had a before and after to compare the Chalet’s to, and once finalized, I know they will be amazing.
I really hope Devil’s Night Radio is played on a jukebox all day like at HTP, and I know they have so many great plans. And I hope PBR is in a vending machine, as well!
It is my goal to stay in every room at both locations so I can be on the white trash wall of fame.
If you are complaining about your stay without actually staying, or expecting it to be fully done or quiet. Then you clearly can’t read. It’s not done. It doesn’t say it is. Go see it as is, and then come back again!
Thanks to Anthony for being so friendly and cool when I am there, and thanks to Morgan for creating another getaway for an overworked person! Your places inspire my creativity.
Cheers!

Don’t do it, people, at least not until Hicksville Pines has had a chance to completely renovate. When the new owners took over Hicksville Pines in September, they offered a short-​lived 50 percent discount since the property would be under renovation. As it turns out, the property is still very much under renovation (unpleasantly so), but the rooms are now full price.
My husband and I booked a room there on December 19 to celebrate Christmas together before we went to visit our families. We had wine and presents and were looking forward to a great weekend. Also, it was supposed to snow in Idyllwild! (It did). We knew that they were still in the process of renovating the property, but their website listed the unveiling of theme rooms as well as the hot tub opening in December, leading us to believe that they would somewhat have their act together.
We were greeted with a property in disarray – large piles of construction trash sitting around, a lobby cluttered with junk. It was a dump. We could have overlooked this, but things went downhill when we got to our room. We had reserved the Haunted Mansion Room. Haunted Mansion? More like Creepy Closet. Aside from the major design problems (ugly, industrial blue paint, cheap linoleum floor covering, creepy plaster figurines that were amusing for about 30 seconds, dark cramped space) the room was not ready for guests. A bare light bulb was suspended over the bed on a wire (I don’t think this was a design choice…), there were no window coverings despite being on the ground floor on a main pathway through the property, the paint was still sticky, and it reeked of new paint. Nice things about the room: a working gas fireplace and a deep clawfoot tub in the bathroom. The nice things did not outweigh the bad points of the room. Fortunately for us, a showerhead they had bought to install in the Creepy Closet didn’t fit the tub, and they gave us access to another, un-​renovated room for showers. Despite its lack of renovation (i.e., old, bad carpeting and throwaway furniture), we decided to stay in the Second Room. It was an upper unit and had a great view of the mountains, preferable to the dark, bad space of the Creepy Closet.
Unfortunately, our visit continued to be rocky as we tried to use the outdoor hot tub. This was a huge selling point for us, and we had called on our drive up just to make sure it was working. We were assured it was, however, it never reached hot soaking temperature (about 104) during our stay. It was apparently controlled by an app on the owner’s phone (he was not present) and kept turning off. The manager, Anthony, tried but was unable to resolve the problem. We ended up briefly using the tub in the Creepy Closet to try to make up for the lack of outdoor hot tub.
We made the best of it and tried to have good attitudes during what was supposed to be our special getaway, but all in all, this was a bad visit. We left feeling ripped off and disappointed, shocked that they were charging full price. Before posting this review, I reached out to the owner, Morgan, to describe our stay and request a 50 percent discount. I tried to make my request fair and well thought out based on 1) Their initial discount offer during renovations and the fact that they are still clearly in this stage 2) The perceived value of the service we actually received combined with the problems we encountered. Unfortunately, my attempts to allow management to handle it in a non-​public way were met with this response (in entirety):
«As you just stated, you are aware of the renovations going on and you got two rooms for the price of one. Now you want half off? Wow. We’re doing our best but if you don’t want to stay in a motel during renovations, then don’t. It’s that simple.»
I guess it might seem like having two rooms is a benefit? Let me tell you that it is not. We were looking forward to a theme room with a fireplace. We ended up in a dated, junky room with a good view. Yes, we did use the bathtub in the Creepy Closet – out of desperation because the outdoor hot tub was not working. Having to run back to the Second Room in the cold in our parkas and bath wear was hardly a benefit.
This is really not about money. I wanted a professional response. I received arrogance and rudeness. Based on the owner’s track record on Unilocal,it’s possible this review will be met with an aggressive, defensive retort. That’s fine. I have already spent way too much energy and time on this experience. Never again with the Hicksville Pines or the Hicksville Trailer Palace.
The two stars are for the pleasant and accommodating manager, Anthony, and the fact that our basic needs were met (heat, functioning bathroom, bed with linens). Also, we had a chance to peek into some other rooms. It appears that the Dolly room is an actual finished room with amenities. If you’re still set on coming to the Hicksville Pines, get this room.

My friends and I booked rooms at Hicksville Pines a few weeks ago and had a great weekend. Enjoyed the firepit, pingpong, and the pinball games immensely. The grounds were beautiful and very well kept, and the rooms were extremely clean. The innkeeper Anthony was extremely helpful when our friends, who got in very late, realized their heater didn’t work. He was able to get it functioning right away. Even though none of the theme rooms/​lodge/​rec room were fully tricked out when we stayed, we could easily see the potential and can’t wait to come back later.
The only criticism I have is how thin the walls are in the chalets. We could hear normal levels of talking very clearly between rooms, and my downstairs neighbor could even hear me roll over in bed when I was sleeping. This wasn’t a problem for us since we were all friends, but this may be an issue for future guests. My guess is this issue has already been addressed as during our stay we saw a contractor deliver a truckload of insulation to some of the rooms being renovated.
Thanks Hicksville!!! Can’t wait to be back soon!!!

I’m a huge Hicksville Trailer Palace fan and Hicksville Pines will be equally amazing when its completed next year. Right now its a work in progress with considerable construction and decorating still to do as the cold winter season has begun in Idyllwild. We knew this when friends and I reserved three units for Thanksgiving weekend so we tempered our expectations accordingly.
The units are simple with the typical minimal cabin décor, but they were also very clean and well maintained. Anthony the inn keeper was super friendly and helpful with anything we needed and the property itself is great with amazing views looking at Tahquitz Peak. This property has a major advantage with being located 1000 feet higher than Idyllwild in Pine Cove because it allows guests better views and a higher mountain experience.
Super excited to get back here again in the spring-​summer to experience the theme rooms, hot tub, BBQ area, bar area, and coffee shop. Looking forward to seeing how Morgan will use his creative vision to make HP the same type of gem as HTP.

Where do I begin!!! Just stayed over the weekend at Hicksville Pines Chalet and I can’t say enough good things about this place. Stayed with a bunch of our closest friends and had a blast. My wife and I stayed in the Studio 1 and it was a huge room. The pictures on their website don’t do it justice just how large that room is. The restroom has a freakin bench in there! Comfy bed, heater was awesome since it got down to about the upper 30’s low 40’s at night. The room has a deck which has a great view of the mountain range. The view at night is the best.
I believe none of the rooms right now have themes but that didn’t stop us from having a great time. Since there were 10 of us that rented out 5 rooms, we basically had the entire place to ourselves. The Lodge right now has 2 pinball machines. The Rec room is under construction but we still had access to the ping pong table and the circular couch so we could sit, chat and relax.
The innkeeper Anthony was really helpful and was available when we needed him. I believe the only time we could not get a hold of him it was because the phone app that transfers the calls to his phone was not working but he got it to work.
Can’t wait for the whole place to have all the theme rooms finished up. I’m expecting it to be booked way in advance once it’s done.
All in all, it was a very great experience and we’re already planning the next trip back.

Little rough around the edges but expected since they are still putting the Hicksville touches on it. We had the cabin facing Lily Rock with a fireplace and it was the perfect cozy Halloween weekend retreat. The linens were all clean and the down comforter kept the chill at bay once the fire died down.
Check out the rec room with the ping pong table, TV and a retro couch that’s perfect for playing board games.
Hicksville Pines is very close to the town of Idyllwild — an easy 5 minute drive — and there’s several hiking trails nearby. We chose the Tahquitz Peak Lookout. The air was cool and crisp and it felt like a million miles away from Los Angeles. We saw Catalina Island and the Salton Sea from the peak. Definitely worth the effort. Looking west, we could just make out Hicksville Pines through the binoculars.
Will go back and check out their theme rooms when they are ready next year.

Just after they switched management, Hicksville was offering a Facebook discount for folks staying while the place is in transition — perfect timing! We’d been wanting to go to Idyllwild for our babymoon and this wonderful opportunity popped up at just the right moment! Nothing fancy, but just what we needed! (September 2015)

We attempted to stay in Suite 2. This place had filthy beds filled with human hair and spiders. The duvet was covered in animal hair. It was too gross to sleep in so we left an hour after we got there. Further, the website said there was a fireplace in this room, and there isn’t. In fact, there is no TV, no fireplace, no glass to drink from. Nothing. Zero amenities. The rickety, wooden chair tore my pants thanks to a nail sticking right out of it. When we told the innkeeper our issues before leaving, he simply told us to call the manager, Morgan, in a couple of business days when the office was open. When we spoke to Morgan, he told us that we should have told the innkeeper our problems (even though we advised that we did). The manager, Morgan, would not give us our refund of $ 330 or any of our money back, and he accused us of lying. This was highway robbery. They have been reported to the Better Business Bureau for false advertisement and filth.

This place is gonna be the NEXT BEST thing in the area! Under new ownership, the Peaceful Mountain Inn is about to get a HUGE makeover and it will be so fun! We stayed this last weekend to see the «before.» The Innkeepers were so welcoming and the views are unbeatable! Even for more money down the street, you cannot beat these views! Love Hicksville, and Hicksville Pines will be even better!