hen it comes to staying at Priest Lake, there are Hill's people and there are Elkins people.

"Going to Elkins is like going to Shangri-La," said successful Seattle restaurateur Richard Malia, a Spokane native who's been coming to the resort since 1958. "It's got that great mountain air, all the hiking and water-skiing and the huckleberries. The huckleberries were always a big deal every summer."

Meanwhile, many families have been booking the same cabins the same week of every summer at Hill's for generations.

"My kids are playing with the children of people who I played with when I was growing up," said Craig Hill, who, with his sister Teri and brother Scott, now run the resort their parents started more than 50 years ago.

While these two resorts enjoy a very friendly rivalry -- "we've actually been working together on getting more people up to Priest Lake," said Mike Szybnski, the chef and one of the partners at Elkins -- the two places have much in common.

• Both can boast of expansive stretches of idyllic beachfront -- a couple thousand feet each. The sandy shores at both are dotted with fire rings that are popular gathering spots for summer bonfires.
  
  
• Both offer gourmet dining -- a mix of old favorites and inventive creations on nightly fresh sheets. A local culinary treasure, the huckleberry, plays a pivotal role on both menus.
  
  
• Both places provide all sorts of diversions -- boat and kayak rentals, board games to borrow, gift shops to browse -- but don't expect TVs or radios in the cabins at either place.
  
  
• Many guests at Hill's and Elkins are on a first-name basis with the resident dogs: Molly and Amos at Hill's and Yukon, Claire and Kuipo at Elkins.
  
  
• Hill's and Elkins both require minimum stays of a week during the busy summer season, most of which are already booked, but then offer price breaks in off-peak periods.
  

That's when Karen Sesso heads for Hill's.

"I go for the solitude, so I avoid summers," said the Spokane chiropractor. She's been enjoying the peace and quiet of off-season for 12 years. "I love that you can walk out the door and mountain bike or snowshoe."

When the late George Hill and his wife, Lois, started the resort in the 1940s, it was basically a primitive fishing village.

"They didn't have electricity or plumbing," said Craig Hill. "They didn't have much of anything. In the early '50s, it was a big deal when they got hooked up to a generator. Then they had power for three hours a night."

Now, guests expect a little more in the way of pampering.

"These days, people don't want to know whether we have indoor plumbing, but they ask how many bathrooms are in a cabin," Hill said.

Both resorts do extensive renovations in the off-season.

At Hill's, many of the lakefront units still have that classic cabin look outside, while the interiors have been updated with modern conveniences such as dishwashers, washers and dryers, and oversized tubs. Still, the knotty pine paneling remains, as do the mammoth stone fireplaces in many of the units.

Sesso said she doesn't have a favorite cabin: "Each has its own personality. I like being surprised by the differences."

Malia, the Seattle restaurateur, appreciates that the cabins at Elkins are nice, but "not too nice."
"There aren't that many places left where you can take a family and feel comfortable," said Malia, who spent his honeymoon at the resort in 1974. "The problem with a lot of places is that they make them too nice. And then you end up having to pay something outrageous, like $400 a night."

At Elkins, the family that runs the resort bought it from the original owners nearly 20 years ago. They've made improvements at a steady pace since then, expanding the reception area and the gift shop, adding decks on the cabins and updating kitchen equipment.

But the 32 cabins -- built between the mid-1920s and the early 1930s -- maintain their vintage charm.

"Everything used in building the cabins is local, from the granite stones used in the fireplaces to the wood," said Tracie Szybnski, who's married to chef Mike and who's partners with her parents, Bob and Sharon Davis.

Beyond the creature comforts, both resorts make the most of the area's spectacular natural beauty.

Cabins at both places are set among towering pines, which offer a cool respite from the summer heat. There's an expanse of manicured lawn in front of both dining rooms, but the rest of the grounds are perfumed with the fragrance of pine needles and sparkling clean air -- interrupted occasionally with the whiff of diesel fuel from boats and Waverunners.

On the grounds at both resorts, guests frequently spot deer, moose, elk, even the occasional bear and all sorts of birds.

"You really get an almost wilderness experience there," said Malia. "It's feels like it's more remote than it is."
(Much of the land on the west side of the lake is managed by the U.S. Forest Service and on the east side by the Idaho Department of Lands, so development has been minimal.)

While there are plenty of distractions -- including the nearby 18-hole golf course, an attraction featured in special packages available at both spots -- the real draw of both Hill's and Elkins is the possibility of doing very little.

"It's really about getting away from the normal rigors of life, and being with friends and family," said Tracie Szybnski. "Even when everything's full, there's still a quietness about the place."

And things do fill up quickly for the summer months. But it's not too early to start planning fall or even winter trips.
Gia Guzman of Snohomish, Wash., checks into Elkins when the weather turns cold.

"We're really into snowmobiling, and we've just fallen in love with the place," she said. "It really is a complete package to me. You get to go out on these phenomenal sled rides and then come back to a great restaurant and an evening of dancing in the bar. We come for two weeks and that's not enough. I never want to leave."

(208) 443-2551  •  4777 W. Lakeshore Rd., Priest Lake, Idaho  •  desk@hillsresort.com