Big Bear Vacations

Jesse with Big Bear Cool Cabins did a wonderful job in assisting me with my upcoming vacation to Big Bear. He accommodated my family of 20 people for three nights. Great customer service!

Somewhere in time 1333 is the cabin we rented June 10 – 12. It was a last minute trip, we booked it Thursday night actually. With that being said, we didn’t arrive til about 6:30 I believe so there was plenty of time to ensure the cabin was ready for our arrival. I even spoke with the office earlier in the day to confirm our reservation, so they knew we were coming.
Upon arriving at the rental office they didn’t have our paperwork printed out saying we were a late booking. Not a huge deal but I did call earlier that afternoon so I’m unsure as to why it wasn’t printed out. I made a note on my reservation that i was bringing my dog and I paid the pet fee when I arrived, so they knew We were coming and that we were traveling with a dog.
Anyway, get all checked in and are given the keys to the cabin which were excited to get to there and enjoy a little weekend get away. We open the door to see mousetraps all over. I don’t just mean 1 or 2. They were scattered everywhere! We had to leave the dog outside to avoid him getting hurt.
We made the decision to just get them picked up so we could bring the dog in safely. As we’re gathering up the abundance amount of set traps throughout the cabin my boyfriend yells, «don’t come in here» he then informed me that what I didn’t want to see was in there. There were dead mice in the traps!
At that point I was irate. I hate rented many cabins over the years utilizing another company and have never experienced this before. I immediately called the rental office to which I got «we’re so sorry blah blah blah» they offered to send somebody out to pick up the dead mice but he had already picked them up and I wasn’t comfortable having somebody come in with my dog there being we were about to leave for dinner. I asked them what they wanted to us to do with the dead mice and she said we could leave them on the porch and somebody would come. I was then told that this information would be sent to the manager and that we would be compensated upon check out.
Come Sunday we checked out in a hurry. We had an emergency and needed to get back down to San Diego so I unfortunately didn’t address it upon check out but I did reach out the next day. They replied 2 days later and once again told me that the information would be sent to the manager and they weren’t making any promises but they would see what they could do.
Well it’ll be a week tomorrow and I have heard nothing from them! I don’t think I’m over reacting by wanting some sort of compensation. I didn’t pay close to $ 500 to be picking up mousetraps and mice! I’m a very easy going and laid back person. I was upset about the mousetraps and honestly said it is what it is but the mice took it too far. I couldn’t let that slide. So here I am!
As many others have said be careful! Take your business elsewhere. You’ll be better off. I wish I would have read these reviews before using their services. As of now I’ll never use their services again. They clearly only care about the money, not the customer. Sad but true. I wish I would have thought to take pictures but I didn’t. Overall the cabin was cute and cozy but my experience with this company was horrible!

Very friendly and helpful staff. We stayed in a very cozy one bedroom cabin with a beautiful view of the lake. The cabin while clean and well kept up had a few minor problems I’d like to have fixed. First, the lock on the door to the bathroom did not work. Secondly, the light switch for the living room was on the other side of the room away from the front door. All in all a solid 4.5 Star property with a 5 Star staff.

We originally booked for a cabin at Shore Acres pine lodge and decided to upgrade at the last minute. We are so glad we did! When I called to inquire about switching, she asked what I was looking for ideally and recommended the perfect place based on my requests.
Every interaction with staff was great, we loved our little cabin on the lake. We stayed in cabin #223 and would love to go back again. Thank you for such a lovely weekend getaway.

Great stay loved the cabin. All the people in reservations and front desk were nice and helpful. Cabin was clean and cozy. We will surely be returning.

Just had a wonderful two night stay with 4 people in a cabin right on the lake! I believe it was one of the sunrise cabins. Everything was clean and functional when we arrived. The view was perfect. Destiny was super sweet and helped us check in, and we met one of the owners (I think her name was Debbie?) who was so welcoming and helped us figure out stuff to do. The only complaint we had was that our water was randomly shut off during the second day for a few hours but they fixed it by the time we got back.
As for the cleaning fee, I think it’s reasonable. They do have to wash all of the bed sheets/​blankets/​towels etc, they have to vacuum and whatever else. Asking people not to leave insane amounts of dishes/​garbage in the wilderness that will attract bugs is understandable, especially when you don’t know when someone will be able to clean it. All in all it was so worth the money and we will def use them again when we go back!

Destiny,
Thank you for refunding the difference between Knotty and Nice #177 and Avalanche Zone. We appreciate you following through. Avalanche Zone is cleaner and better than first place. Just a few things we noticed regarding this condo, which were not deal breakers, but can be fixed for the next vacationers. The toilets and showers leaked. The shower drains need to be cleaned as hair was left in the drain and we had to clean it. The Teflon pans needs to be changed as they are all worn and bad. Since we had to wash our own dishes and had to put them away (which is another story in itself esp if we had to pay for cleaning fee), it would be nice if the dishwashing soap was provided, as it was, we had to purchase this from the store. Would be nice if we didn’t have to bag and take our trash out… would think this is a part if cleaning fee. All in all, Avalanche Zone was convenient and good.
Thanks again.

We just got back today and after seeing all the terrible reviews, I felt the need to share our positive experience.
First off, when you go to stay in cabins in a forest, it has been my experience that it’s only a step up from camping. Rustic, bare minimum accommodations, electricity and plumbing. If you’re looking for a luxury resort stay, cabin life is not for you! Which I believe is a big reason for many of the negative reviews. Stay in a hotel for that type of experience.
In booking the cabin, they were very accommodating. We bought a Groupon in December and had to reschedule twice (once with only 24 hour notice due to an emergency.) They worked with us both times.
When we got there, we were greeted by a very friendly front desk. We even got some swag!
We stayed in Owl Pine cabins, not too far from the village. They are old cabins, again, if you’re familiar with cabins, this is to be expected. However, they were a nice size for the two of us. Also, to my surprise, it had 3 flat screen tvs & wifi! Plus a fridge and fully functional kitchen. They were pretty clean and ready for us.
We had a great time hanging out in the town and staying the cabin.
Upon checking out, we were greeted by yet another friendly staff member.
Ultimately the only reason this is 4 stars instead of 5 is because the cleaning fee is pretty steep. We brought paper plates/​utensils to avoid washing anything but you would have to clean them yourself and you have to throw out the trash at a different location (about 1 mile from us.) While both of these things are typical, I feel the cleaning fee should reflect that better in its cost.

«3÷6÷2016 * Please note: I have private messaged this user in an attempt to explore the event with no response. Also you will notice Big Bear Vacations has been spammed with multiple reviews about the same incident.»
This is truly shameful Destiny. This is nothing less than you shirking any responsibility. I posted this review on 2/​25, you didn’t respond until ³⁄₅ then you post this? Yes we did fill out a concern form, as you well know. There are plenty of reviews on your profile here to indicate the same issues again and again. Terrible customer service on top of the disgusting condition of your rentals. I hope Unilocalers will stay clear of your firm, just shameful!

We booked a package with big bear vacations and were very pleased. We stayed in the «Cubbies Two» cabin and really enjoyed it. It was a super cute and clean cabin, exactly what you would expect for a ski resort style town. But be sure to crank the heat so it reaches the bed rooms or else your in for a cold night. The jacuzzi style tub was perfect after a long day at the slops.
The front desk staff was also nice and very accommodating. We had to cancel our zip lining tour due to weather and they gave us a voucher to come another time no problem. Will definitely be a returning customer.

This place is an absolute joke! My wife and I flew up there last week to meet up with three other couples two of which had young children (1 toddler & 2 young kids).
The early check-​in (3 p.m.) didn’t happen for the couple that first arrived, apparently there was an employee living there that nobody new about so the place was an absolute disaster empty alcohol bottles and cigarette butt’s everywhere. The next group of friends arrived at 4:00 p.m. and the place was still a mess and were only getting hassle by the people at the main lodge area. Long story short when my wife and I finally arrived at 6:30p.m. we had no place to stay because the cabin still wasn’t ready.
Luckily my friends had three and a half hours to research other places to stay while waiting in the cold parking lot and we ended paying a lot more for a sick cabin. Soooooooooo in closing do yourself a favor,
BOOK WITH SOMEONE ELSE! BOOM!

The best part of our stay was checking in at the office. It was a warm, clean spot and after waiting a while in a 5+ people line, the associate checked us in pretty quickly and handed us the key.
We rented «Brett’s Retreat» (and from here on out the review is going to be extremely negative and long winded) which is a 2 bedroom (1 queen bed, 1 twin bed, and one trundle) cabin less than ½ mile away from Bear Mountain. The bedrooms were downstairs and the living room was upstairs. (We found out the heater didn’t reach the bedrooms and were freezing cold, but I’ll get to that later. :(.)
Upon arrival, ALL the beds had the dingy comforters, knitted blankets, fitted sheets, and flat sheets balled up and thrown onto each bed (see pics). There was almost NO toilet paper and NO towels.
I called the front desk and luckily «James, the general manager» answered and helped me. He was shocked when he saw the pics (I sent via email while venting to him.) and offered me $ 125 return on my cleaning fee. He sent out the property manager, Bo/​Beau/​(?) who was sympathetic but wasn’t helpful. She left us a bag of towels, and a few clean sheets and was on her way.
My husband and I kicked off the crumpled balls of used sheets/​blankets and tried to make the beds with what we were given by Bo/​Beau. My 3 sons (9, 5, and almost 4) fell asleep huddled up with what Bo/​Beau had brought. It was around 3am we figured out the heater didn’t reach the bedrooms and we all ran up to the living room and curled up on the dirty couches.
The next morning I called the front desk again and vented about virtually everything said here in review and asked that they give us what’s due. Freaking blankets and clean, made beds. They sent housekeeping who made the beds with new sheets but used the old crumpled up knitted blankets and same comforters (I know they do that at regular hotels too but seeing it first hand just shatters the glass on the idea of cleanliness!!).
When we slept the second night, I couldn’t help but feel itchy underneath the dirty blankets :(. It was probably in my mind but still.
My husband and I are by NO means rich b$&@£ snobs who only frequent the Ritz-​Carlton (or whatever is fancy nowadays!!). With 3 boys, I’ve seen and (not by choice) touched some dirty stuff. But THIS cabin was utterly DISGUSTING, antiquated, and run down/​broken. Details below (and more pics :).):
–broken microwave (I just wanted me some Cup O’Noodle, darn it! After putting it into it for 3 minutes when the timer went «DING!» I pulled it out and it was ICE COLD! WTF?! I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, the appliance seemed like it was from the 70’s, just like the old, musty wall paper.
–super old and scant kitchen items
I had to use BBQ tongs for the spaghetti because there wasn’t a strainer.
–exposed nail in antiquated and DIRTY recliner
I kept snagging it on my sweater. Thank goodness the boys didn’t poke their eyes out!
–cheap, dirty, and old blinds that didn’t work
The across the street neighbors could see everything (not that we are exciting people or anything but still…)
–NO drapes/​curtains on the huge sliding glass doors upstairs
–every room had a «smell» which even the kids noticed :/​
-(sorry to repeat but…) the heater worked for the upstairs only, so the bedrooms were ICE cold
It sucks more when you are given NO blankets upon arrival (yeah, I’m still bitter about that).
To sum up, this place was NOT OK. So gross. Next time, maybe they will let us crash in the lobby of their clean, warm office where we received our keys.

Stayed at Bear Stone #686 January 22 – 24. Friday –Sunday. Check in is after 4pm but they let us check in at 12pm. We had a great stay. Lack of kitchen supplies tho. The patio was frozen so it was a bit slipery. The pool table had holes in the pockets so balls would fall out. The arcade doesnt have volume and poor image. The water heater was bad. House ran out of hot water when trying to fill the jacuzzi tub in the master bedroom. Not even a quarter way filled before the hot water was done. That was on Friday night. Saturday morning, the house ran out of hot water after two 15 minute showers. Mind there were 10 people staying there, 5 couples! So a few of us had to shower in cold water, in freezing weather! Good location. Mount Summit is right up the street. Walking distance. They let us checkout at 11 instead of 10. For $ 800 a night tho, i think i can get something better next time.

Ok, I knew all that before I left the review. The truth is I called and GAVE you the chance to make it right and was ignored. If you know your company wasn’t prepared for that snow storm, you might want to practice business a little better and give those of us who DID get screwed a reason to return to Big Bear Vacations. Shoveling snow at midnight is not what I signed up for when paying you guys all that money to stay in your cabin, Regardless of what you might think (I was told «THATS the snow experience» on the phone) If that was the «snow experience,» you wouldn’t have had 3 snow plows to begin with.
That snow storm wasn’t a surprise. We all knew since summer it was coming. That’s why we all came up there. You weren’t prepared, the consumers suffered, and I don’t think some type of compensation is too much to ask. If not, take the truthful review and do better next time, it just won’t be with my me, anyone I know, or hopefully anyone reading these reviews.

Came on a family vacation in November and booked our house rental with Big Bear Vacation Rentals and the woman who checked us in was extremely nice and out going. Really made us feel welcome.
She was very helpful and provided a map on all the attractions in Big Bear and quick easy routes to navigate through.
I hope to come back in the summer for more fun!

We paid $ 2500 for three night stay in big bear. Ok so it’s a holiday weekend so maybe there is a bit of a premium (MLK weekend 2016). The cabin is nice. 3 bed 2 bath with a hot tub on summit Blvd. Summit suite 1077.
We arrive and everything seems all Good. I unload the kids and the truck. Ski gear, groceries etc. We start getting comfortable. I go up stairs and notice the duvet cover has not been washed and the previous occupants left coitus stains all over it. Funny. We call up bbv and they send over a couple of guys with a new comforter. The gentleman explain that the owner of the unit is responsible for washing the duvet cover and they only do the sheets. Hmmmm. I wonder if the owner of this unit knows that. Pretty gross.
I would think that for $ 2500 for 3 nights I’d get some decent bed sheets. These sheets feel cheap, itchy, scratchy. I don’t expect Tommy Bahamas sheets but these are pretty cheap. I’m afraid to sleep on the owners pillows as who knows how many people have got their personal juices on them since the last time the owner showed up to wash them. They are nice and fury so I can only imagine where they have been.
The hot tub was great. It would have been nice if we had some towels. 3 towels were included with our cabin. I guess we have some laundry to do before morning.
To be continued…

Cool place for the price.
Could use a few updates. We stayed at Lakeshore Cabins (Juniper 105). One of the reasons we stayed here was because of the hot tub. But wit wasn’t clean or even full of water. That was disappointing.
The cabin is located in a perfect place around the lake. But the atmosphere could use some spaces around the lake that you can go out and chill. Fire pits, chairs, etc…
We did have a good time and the price point was great at just $ 150 a night. I enjoyed cuddling in the cabin with my babe.
Although I must say I was little leery of the sofa it looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in ages. I’ve had friends that caught bedbugs from those types of situations.
The shower had hot water and good pressure but it was a little hard to turn on.
The place is not bad… just needs a few updates, and the rooms need to be just a bit cleaner.

We rented a cabin through Big Bear Vacations and used a Groupon and was really happy with our experience. We booked really last minute and for labor day weekend and were still able to use the groupon, we just paid a little extra for an upgraded cabin. The check in process was seamless. We arrived at their office and we filled out some paperwork and they provided us the keys and address to our cabin. We headed over and were really pleased with it. The size of it was large and so spacious, it was better than the pictures had described. The backyard was also massive. Everything was in perfect working order during our stay.
The only downer on this is they make you pay additional housekeeping charges and threaten you with extra charges if you dont wash dishes etc, but then housekeeping doesnt come daily to clean, only after you leave. I find it ridiculous to pay $ 100 for cleaning and still have to do my own dishes. They also threaten you with additional charges if you want a late check out but they accommodated us at no cost.

We rented a cabin to spend our grandparents’ anniversaries/​birthdays over Halloween weekend. We stayed at Lakefront #1342.
According to Flipkey, the property was built in 2012 so it was fairly new. I believe our initial transactions with the prop. management and all throughout our actual stay was good. They answered questions and accommodated requests as needed.
The house itself was very spacious and quaint at the same time. We had two balconies overlooking a now very sad, dried lake. The main living area had a nice large kitchen, pool table, fireplace, board games, and just enough stuff to supplement what we didn’t bring. Of note though, we brought tons of stuff. The bedrooms were well kept and so were the restrooms.
Getting in an out of the area was a breeze. Our parking area left ample room for our vehicles. We were only about 10 minutes away from the town/​village and more importantly to some of my relatives, not far from the church.
Overall, it was a trip enjoyed by all.

I am still here reluctantly when doing this post (arrived yesterday, fri oct 9 and here until mon the 12^th) at Suite Lakefront 1342. I paid 550 (3 nights) a night for a cabin that looks wonderful on thier site. I paid for a «luxury“cabin thinking that’s what we would get. VERY disappointed in not only the cleanliness but the beds are very uncomfortable. There is nothing luxury about the place except maybe the tile and the counter tops!
The windows up high are dirty with spider webs… the return vents for the heater are covered with dirt… the carpet is DISCUSTING! There are stains everywhere and something stuck on the carpet that resembles dog poop but I’m not about to check it out close up. I have not taken my shoes off once since being here and wont!
The beds are terrible and the master bedroom is downstairs under the jacuzzi which is constantly running to circulate so when your trying to sleep there is a constant humming noise that makes you feel like your in a government holding room and they are doing it to make you talk or lose your mind, hah! Also the master bed has one side of it that is lower than the other so you can only sleep on one side. Couldnt sleep the first night so tonight we will be playing musical beds to see if something fits better and my 72 yr old mother is sleeping on the couch because she says thats more comfortable. Even my 18 year old daughter and her bf complained and usually they can sleep anywhere!
The kitchen is not stocked well as far as cooking a solid meal and the guestbath downstairs appears to have urine splatters on the wall around the toliet. If BBV is charging a 250 cleaning fee they are not getting thier monies worth!
The cabin itself is beautiful and so is the view but once inside… it feels dirty! I picked it because it said it was built in 2012. I didn’t want an old cabin. I paid 2000.00 for 3 nights. I won’t be back to this place. Its not worth the money unless you don’t care about anything I’ve said.
To add to it my daughter stepped on a dirty piece of glass and cut her toe open the first night while going to the car right inside the garage from the house. I found myself running to the store for a first aid kit and peroxide at 10pm. Thank god she had a tetanus shot about two years ago.
Also maybe BBV should update the photos online. They showed a charcoal round grill so I buy and lug up there with me — charcoal, matches, lighter fluid etc to find a propane bbq when I get there which was nice but I wish i knew this ahead of time.
BBV it would be helpful if you had reviews under each cabin listed on your website for better choice and where is the quality control? Im feeling blindsided and robbed and there’s nothing worse than feeling like your money was taken and it was a lot of money for this single mom who just wanted to take her family on a nice vacation. This place is totally misrepresented!
Update ¹⁰⁄₁₁: We left on Sunday the 11^th although the cabin was booked until the 12^th. Couldnt stay one more night. We were all sleep deprived with aching backs!
Update 10/​13, 9:14pm, I called BBV on the 12^th at about 1:00pm and asked for a manager or someone in that capacity to call me about my stay and I have not received a call back.
Update 10/​14, 12:58pm. I called back again and spoke to destiny who refunded me one night of the 3… that is all I asked for. Im hoping things get rectified before someone else goes in which is this weekend I believe. Thanks BBV for making things right!