Idlewilde by the River

These cabins have a great location, right on the Big Thompson River, but they are old, not well maintained, and their cleaning crew needs training (or they just don't care). The shower was disgusting, dirty, moldy and the shower curtain had mold and a mysterious red algae growing on it (see photos). I wore my flip flops to take a shower. The bed was horrible, no support, and I think the lower half of my body was at a 45 degree angle from my head. Sheets were old and stained, not even sure if they were changed from the previous occupant. The foundation of our cabin (#5, Ataloa) is caving in, as the floor sloped down as you walked from the bedroom to the bathroom, and the toilet is unstable (wobbled when you sat on it). The carpet was stained. I spoke to the women staying in the #6 cabin next to us and they agreed that the cleanliness of their cabin was also not adequate. Thank goodness we were only there for one night. After we checked out, I spoke to and emailed the Operations Manager, Armand, and requested some monetary compensation for all the issues with our cabin. I never got a reply nor any refund. Do yourself a favor and try one of the many other cabin options in that area.

This property was wonderful. All that we were looking for and more. There was nothing between our front porch and the river. The property provided chairs to sit by the river along with a picnic table, and grills. The cabin was comfortable and clean and the kitchen contained all we needed other than things like salt and pepper, paper towels etc. Was within 10 min of Rocky Mtn Natl Park entrances and a mile from Estes park. The neighboring cabins were close, but it still felt private. We hope to be able to return to this lovely property.

Stay Here! It is just wonderful! They have everything you need (and more), the cabins are beautiful (we stayed in three over the week we were there), the location is perfect. The river is gorgeous, with lots of wildlife to watch from your back door. Mike and Beth were amazing. They go out of their way to be sure you are as happy as possible. By the time we left, they felt like friends. When back in Estes Park, that's where we'll be.

We spent six days at Idlewilde by the River in July and absolutely loved it. The cabin we rented (Ataloa) was right on the river and very romantic. Every day we spent relaxing in this cozy cabin and enjoying the sound and cool air of the river. The staff at Idlewilde was very friendly and professional. This is a great location, just five minutes from Estes Park downtown or the entrance to RMNP. We plan on making a annual trip back to Idlewilde!

This is a GREAT little retreat spot. We came last year and stayed in the “Riverside“ cabin. This year it was with family, so we chose“Linger Longer “ cabin. All the cabins are within just feet of the river, which you can hear 24/7...fabulous! Vintage cabins have ample space between them, interspersed with beautiful, mature conifer trees. Don’t count on ample cell signal or WiFi, ours was randomly spotty. But that made for very quiet and low tech calm! Website said extra cots available for this cabin, although when we got there, we found out otherwise, so had to improvise with a memory foam pad from one of the beds. That aside, we had a great stay and will be back next year!

We enjoyed our stay at Idlewild very much. Our cabin was clean and well stocked. There were some new updated kitchen items that we were the first to use, it appeared. The grill right outside the door was very handy as well. Being able to sit outside by the river listening to the rushing water of the Big Thompson was very relaxing. For us, the close proximity to the Rocky Mountain National Park was important as we spent three days in the park. Mike and Beth were very friendly and helpful and provided good communication. They were also responsive to any questions or concerns we had. We would highly recommend Idlewild by the River as an option for lodging when you visit Estes Park.