This was a hard earned family weekend for me and my husband, a gift to our adult children and grandchildren, 14 of us. This was a big deal for us, a luxury splurge.
Starting off with the positive: the property and home were beautiful and spacious, spotlessly clean, the bathrooms especially were gorgeous, the spa was clean and ready to use, the refrigerator got cold quickly and the house got warm quickly, we appreciated the garage parking and the sleds inside and my adult kids were able to figure out the TV in the living room (although NETFLIX sometimes worked and sometimes didn't). Hence the overall 4 stars. My family is not a big fan of memory foam mattresses, which are hard as a rock until your body makes a dent, but that's a personal preference. All that said: a few supplies would have made all the difference in our stay. There was a very stingy vibe. If you're going to advertise a luxury home for 14-16 people, then there should be a minimum of 14 sets of dishes (not 10). There should be enough chairs to eat meals (2 of us rotated standing during meals). Two bath towels to a bathroom should be accompanied by handtowels (1) and washcloths (1). Extra pillows should have pillow cases (zero). Gas stations have handsoap for basic hygiene in the restrooms; 2 bathrooms here did not. Can opener and wine corkscrew did not work adequately. Serving utensils were the type you get when you order deli and the plastic handle snapped serving pasta. Salt in a large container, but who brings peppercorns to fill an empty peppermill? They gave us 5 white small trashcan liners and 2 rolls of papertowels for 14 --- thank goodness we brought our own. Be aware, renters, that in Big Bear you need to take your trash out with you to the dump so you are schlepping leaky trash in your car, big sturdy bags are a must. The rule about an empty dishwasher and all dishes put away was inconvenient -- 2 hour+ washer run time meant we had to handwash everything the last morning using paper towels and the one dishtowel. We were advised to bring our own shampoo and soap; this is a luxury property without even the amenities of the Motel Six. We "made do" all weekend -- I took to drinking my cup of tea from a cereal bowl because there just weren't enough dishes --- which was embarrassing to me. It's a beautiful home, but it's stingy and unwelcoming. If you rent this property, be sure to bring everything you might need and I do mean EVERYTHING.