Second visit to Artifact, and I'm still loving the aesthetic interior, international menu, and…read moreservice. COCKTAIL 5/5 the ladybug | rosemary vodka (spirit forward!) + cranberry + lime 4/5 artifact house tonic | gin + fig+ lemongrass cardamon + seltzer (very light on flavors) SNACK 5/5 vietnamese pork meatball + chili caramel + pickled carrot + kohlrabi + ginger + cilantro + mint + lemongrass emulsion 3/5 lebanese 7 spice fried chickpeas (seemed stale) SALAD 5/5 delicata squash + crushed kale + spiced corn nut + caciocavallo cheese + pickled shallot + huacatay mint gf PLATE 5/5 lamb kofta + twice cooked eggplant + roasted sweet pepper + compari tomato + cacik yogurt + shatta chili sauce + mint + hyssop + cilantro + saffron rice + bazlama flatbread 4/5 brandt beef choripan burger + scamorza cheese + roasted tomato + arugula + shaved red onion + chimichurri + dijonnaise (wanted more flavor from either the cheese, chimichurri, or dijon mayonnaise)

Visited A@M again and a slightly different experience…read more Diverse menu still yet a lot of repeats even after 2-3 yrs..I thought being a global restaurant they would change their menus often but maybe not. Food lacked flavor depth this time. Service was nice and the fact that it's in balboa makes everything better because you can head out for a walk n explore the place or events.

It's a chill and friendly vibe. A group of very talented artists. All very creative and make high…read morequality work. Highly recommend!!!

The service was great, affordable and the place was well decorated and clean. My daughter and I got…read moreour noses pierced, the person that helped us explained the process and ensured that the procedure was quick and simple. Aftercare instructions were reviewed and we are looking forward to returning when it's time to switch out the rings.

This place is a hidden gem. The bookseller is super knowledgeable. Tell him what you like and he's…read moregot you. Plus, rare and vintage books can be found here. I bought a first edition Adventures of Sherlock Holmes here plus a few other rare books. A great place for gifts. In a world where everything is digital, giving someone a vintage book is a solid move.

This is a tiny one room used bookstore right smack in the middle of downtown Encinitas. They have…read morea decent selection of rare/vintage books, too. I found the prices a little on the high side for a used bookstore and, being so small, the selection is, of course, somewhat limited. However, I still found an out of print book that I have been looking for. That is why these bookstores, despite their limitations, are great and necessary.

If you want a great selection of vintage collectibles & furniture, come here. The selection is…read moreconstantly changing, with something for every collector. Every little room of the house has items galore. All manner of salt & please pepper shakers, wall art, glass ware, jewelry, and much more. There are often theme displays of like items, like election or Native American items. I almost always come away with at least 1 thing that I can't live without, even if it's small. This time was a yellow ceramic shoe about 3" high, to go with my yellow vintage ceramics. In the past it's been a pair of 1950's earrings, or a tiny canoe for my Mom. Don also restores, repairs, and sells pinball machines & jukeboxes. If you ask, he will let you play some of the machines that he's fixed.

Are you guys out of business? You were closed on Monday so we came back on Tuesday morning at…read more11:00AM but no one was there! Your sign shows you are open 11:00AM-4:00PM? We came back at 11:15 and wanted 20 minutes but no one showed up! Two other customers left as well! Very disappointing and terrible customer service to say the least!!!

What a great little space, packed with information, well curated, knowledgeable and friendly staff…read more Highly recommended!

A small museum housed in a rustic 1930s-era cabin filled with historical artifacts, photographs,…read moreand relics from the Idyllwild and San Jacinto Mountain communities. Open from Friday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Free admission, but donations are welcome. A worthwhile quick stop to learn about the area's history.

Stayed here with a few friends for a get away and it was so cute! We ended up renting a cabin, and…read moreit was super cute and clean and a great location right next to strawberry creek! Everyone was so friendly here and made our experience even better!

4.5 Stars! (May / Warm 50º - 78ºF)…read moreWhen we arrived, previous guests had a very smokey fire in the room. It was a little difficult for me to get any sleep the first night because of the smoke smell. But airing it out the next day (and a 10mile hike) helped! AS IDYLLWILD STARTER SPOT = 5-stars! If this is your first time to Idyllwild, this is great. Easy to find. Easy to walk to town. Quiet and away from town center. Budget between "cabin" and "hotel" FIRST TIME to Idyllwild. The address is on Hwy 243. Unlike other major roads, it is empty after 8pm - so don't worry that it might be noisy. It's not. On the plus side: If you've never been here, it's very easy to find. But also away from the center of town (but not so far that you can't walk to it) INNKEEPERS & STAFF The innkeepers who greeted us when we arrived and checked us out were very helpful and extremely friendly. There is a small shop for gifts in the lobby area. Some booking services might not have all of the right information. Call the front desk with questions. They are super helpful. PARKING Easy to find and plenty of parking out front ROOMS (Evergreen) We stayed in one of the original (older) rooms. It has been upgraded with new plumbing and a jacuzzi style jet tub alongside the shower. The room is spacious and comfortably fits all of your gear on one side of the room away from the bed. A big hearth in front of the fireplace is perfect for a make-shift table. The drawback to this particular room (Evergreen) is that you are under the stairs to the rooms above. Not terrible, as most people were in by 9pm. But you will hear them creaking up and down when they leave their rooms. You can't hear them in the rooms. There are other rooms that are not connected or under other people's rooms. Clean sheets Clean towels Nice shower (saloon doors on old shower) Separate toilet/tub room. Pillows are a little flat HVAC works well (workers came in to check it while we were there) Fun/Silly books and board games in the room. - Didn't use fireplace - Didn't use television - Just needed a spot to sleep and shower before the next day's adventure. This was perfect +. COMMON SPACES INSIDE; There is a fantastic common space in the main house/lobby. Large long tables for where they used to serve breakfast. (There is no breakfast service: hotel style coffee en suite) The long tables are great for spreading out maps, games, whatever needs a bunch of space outside of your room. OUTSIDE; 1. Back Deck: There's a warm, sunny deck, protected from wind and hwy sounds. Everyone's room opens onto this space. 2. Gazebo: A small 4 seat gazebo is in the southern garden area. With views of the creek area, this is a great spot to take a nice afternoon rest stop. Nice place to sit to read, or sketch, or just close your eyes for a minute and say "I'm NOT asleep". GETTING AROUND: TO TOWN: The inn is a perfect distance from town. About 7-10 minutes to walk, there's a path that leads from the back door of the inn to the edge of town. STRAWBERRY CREEK is what it's all about. Walking this path back and forth to town is FANTASTIC. The path to town might be THE MAIN SELLING POINT OF THE INN. The stairs down to the creek path are a little severe, but the path is VERY easy to walk. Driving to town feels silly = 2 minutes. IDYLLWILD PARK (& Campground) Perimeter Hike (4 miles). Strawberry Creek Inn is a short (2-4 block walk) to the campground. The perimeter trail isn't especially technical (although a little steep in some spots), but it's basically just across the street from the inn.

I visited the Peaks Restaurant during Restaurant Week. I've never been on the tram or to the…read morerestaurant so this was a wonderful experience. For dinner, I ordered the Charred Shrimp, Filet Mignon for the main, and the Tiramisu for dessert. The Charred Shrimp was good and I enjoyed the bed of shredded cabbage. The "pineapple chili glaze" reminded me of any bottled sweet chili sauce. Very sweet and nothing special. I would recommend a brown butter sauce or creamy lemon sauce instead. The Filet Mignon was perfectly cooked (medium rare), juicy and delicious. However, this was the first steak I ever had to put salt on as there seemed to be no seasoning on it. I didn't like the Demi Glaze so a seasoning was necessary for me. The potato puree was delicious. A few more carrots and having them cooked a bit more tender would have been lovely. The Tiramisu was excellent and everything was beautifully plated. The atmosphere was beautiful, calm, and we had a great view. Nathan provided excellent service and made sure we had what we needed during our visit. I would definitely come back for the overall experience and to try the Peaks restaurant again.

Reservations is recommended. We booked their first appt and people were already lining up before…read morethey even opened. Luckily they seated everyone with reservations first before the walk-ins. The restaurant is smaller than I thought but with the majority of the seating situated for optimal viewing of three beautiful scenery outside. Food was good but not great. It was hit or miss on certain items. The steak sandwich was ordered Medium rare and was a little more well done than we wanted. Steak was a bit tough too. We did like the fries, clam chowder, and classic cheddar burger. The service was a bit slow and they forgot a couple of our sides. We also asked for extra steak knives and extra sauce and had to ask multiple times.