The Bidwell House

I stayed here with my son for three nights in mid May, as a base for going to Lassen Volcanic National Park. It's a beautiful property, it reminded us of a Southern plantation. A plaque on it says it was built in 1901. It does show its age some, and much of the outside walkways could use some paint touch ups. The boards also creak a lot, so if someone is up before or after you walking around upstairs or past your door, you will likely hear it. It felt very homey, with lots of odds and ends and fun touches throughout the rooms and lobby, and the owners are super friendly- you can tell they really enjoy what they do. Breakfast each morning, from 8:30-9:30, was delicious. They accommodated my son's celiac disease by offering gluten free toast. I like super soft beds and the bed was a bit hard for me the first night, but I got used to it and had no issues the 2nd or 3rd night. There is no AC but there is a heating system. Our room was kinda dark and old-fashioned. It was big and the shower water was hot, but for almost 200 a night it could have been a bit fancier. But I suppose that's part of the Inn's charm, it's homey, not fancy. The Inn is located at the far end of the one main stretch of road going through Chester, and has a lot of things within easy walking distance, including a bike rental shop, restaurants, and a general store. If I came back to Chester I might do a cursory look for a cheaper option first (I heard some sort of logging convention- not kidding- was in town when we were there, so rooms were scare), but I would be perfectly happy staying at the Inn again too. It has great atmosphere and the owners are very friendly.

I’m unclear how or when this property received a 3 star rating as it’s barely a 2. Thank goodness I always travel with disposable slippers as the old carpet was dirty. They hung mosquito netting above the bed that had dead bugs in it. I always check for bed bugs, thankfully none, but the chocolate brown velour blanket had visible accumulation of dust on it. The sheets were old. No soap dish. Furniture was not antique, but more garage sale and in poor condition. No coffee maker, so if you are an early riser and want to enjoy the sunrise on the front porch with a cup of coffee, you are out of luck until 8:30. The windows and doors are not sealed, so bring ear plugs, I did, but not much help against the loud traffic. This is such a darling property. Too bad it has not been maintained and updated. Until recently they haven’t had any competition. Now they do. I’ll take my business to the Timber House Lodge.