Golden Bear Cottages, Big Bear Lake

we found the cabin comfortable, cozy and relaxing. it had everything we needed to make our stay comfortable and fun. Excellent customer service. sarah and mark

We have always done private rentals in Big Bear before, but we found Golden Bear to be a more affordable option for the Christmas period so went with it, and now believe we will return to Golden bear rather than do private rentals in the future. Our cabin was a studio with a bath jacuzzi, Cabin #18, Grizzleys Den. The kitchen had a cooker, microwave and fridge freezer and we successfully cooked our Christmas dinner and did self catering for the 5 nights we were up there. The kitchen area also had a dining table and chairs and conveniently opened out to seat 4. The bed was a little soft, but completely fine and the cabin was nice a cozy. When we arrived it was 17 fahrenheit, but the wall heater was so effective we were soon toasty at over 70 degrees. On our last night there our friends came up to join us as the cabin had a sofa bed; it was great for the time that we were there very economical. The jacuzzi bath is a nice touch too, and great for the evenings when you've been on the slopes. It was great to be in such a great family environment for Christmas. Lots of snow and It had the right balance of privacy and community. We also had great fun on the grounds of Golden Bear. There is a play area which is great in the snow, but I can also see how good Golden Bear would be in the summer with its pool and hot tub. The owners and housekeeping staff were helpful and lovely. When we asked for extra blankets for our friends it was no trouble, and we felt very welcomed. The internet was a great advantage too as it meant we could video chat with our families back home on Christmas day. It was reliable and effective. Golden Bear Cottages resort is rustic, charming, and welcoming." Becky Porter Los Angeles, CA

Have stayed there several times. It's great for families and pets, BUT... The owners need to put some money into it. Several things in our cabin were either broke or didn't work.

Our summer vacation memories at Golden Bear are all my son and his friends talk about. Our yearly weeklong trip to your resort seems to get better with each passing year, and we have gone every year for almost 20 years. We especially enjoyed the family movie nights on the big screen TV at the pool. The resort amenities and cabins are constantly being restored and are kept-up beautifully. Golden Bear Cottages is a true AAA mountain resort with historic cabins. It has all the amenities like fully stocked kitchens and woodburning fireplaces. It is clean and private, which is just what we like. Thank you for continually adding new things to do and all the activities at the Golden Bear. Sincerely, Karen

Why do we see so many unhappy people ranting on the Internet in the form of reviews? I believe it is their human nature. So many people are much more likely to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to hurt someone or thing than we would normally take to compliment it. How may times have you written a review about the places you frequent the most? Have you written a review about your favorite grocery store, clothing store, gas station, yearly vacation spot or dry cleaners? Probably not, because you are already satisfied and you will see them next time. It is far easier for us to remain anonymous and complain about something we believe should have been done, than we are to take important time out of our day to compliment someone with whom we are satisfied. There are no consequences for saying whatever you want, truthful or not on an Internet review site. It is far easier than discussing the matter and solving it with the person or company you have a disagreement with, because that might be confrontational or you may not get what you want. You may really believe you are right, but there are always two sides to every story. Complaining about an issue you feel strongly about on the Internet has no threat of reprisal from a court or other authorities, even if what you say is completely one sided and untrue. An untruthful dispute almost always looses when seen by impartial people! People who love to rant now have this protected forum and these unhappy personalities continue to rant on the review websites. Most happy normal people simply continue going back to their favorite places because they are satisfied. They do not write any reviews because they have busy lives and are not normally motivated enough to go through the hassle of writing a review. For the kind people who do take the time to share good memorable experiences, we commend you. But, because of human nature the website operators will go on making money from us while we only believe we are getting correct information. Think about it.

we too, like the other ppl that wrote a nasty review, stay at golden bear every thanksgiving. We have stayed every year at thanksgiving for the past 9 years and have NEVER been overcharged or felt as though we were treated with dishonesty. The office staff is very friendly and we have grown quite fond of them over the years. I think its unfortunate that ppl can write whatever they want whether it is true or false. We Love Golden Bear and are excited to see them again in November. Thanks gys for taking such good care of us always!

THE MOST RELAXING AND ENJOYABLE PLACE TO STAY Golden Bear Cottages Resort We have going to Golden Bear Cottages for 25 years and continue to go back as much as time and money permits. The owners - Don & Karen, Lenny & Lisa are the nicest people and always treats us like friends, not just customers. They bend over backwards to help you have the best experience staying with them. The cabins are always very clean and well maintained. With the pool, horse shoe pit, basketball court, ping pong, volleyball court, and play ground its easy to keep as active as you want. If you want to relax you can sit in the pool or jacuzzi, or we like to sit by the pool and play Yatzee. We highly recommend staying at Golden Bear and tell all our friends and family if they are in Big Bear they should stay at Golden Bear Cottages!!!

My family and I reserved a large cabin for Thanksgiving 2008. Golden Bear Cottages charged our credit card as a deposit when we made the reservation. Months later when we stayed they charged our credit card the other 1/2 of the bill. Once home, we did not get a chance to go over our credit card statement since it was around the Holidays and we had many visitors from out of town. Later we found they charged us a third time (HUNDREDS OF DOLLORS over what they should have.) I contacted the office and faxed copies of credit cards statements - the famous "LISA" that another person wrote about in their business office is not returning calls and HAS NOT REFUNDED OUR MONEY. Although she could see THEY OVERCHARGED us, she said we should have contacted them sooner. Seems she has a habit of this! At this point, I would NOT RECOMMAND staying here and will tell EVERYONE!

I started visiting Golden Bear With my grandparents when I was very young. I guess we have visited 20 or more times over the years. Our family has spent vacation time during every season. But, my favorite is the winter for snowboarding. We always try to stay in our favorite cozy cottage which is number 15. It has a great fireplace, a place to cook and a great big Jacuzzi tub! Our next trip is scheduled for this June when we are holding a 3 generation family reunion at Golden Bear. Our group will be the biggest ever for that one with over 75 family members attending. We can hardly wait to get to our favorite vacation spot!

Main door doesn't lock properly.Phone is not working.Stove is very old and knobs are all messed up.I called the office and spoke to the wife of the manager to report the problems.When I finally spoke to the husband,I was told to light the pilot but that isn't enough.When we think the stove is on off position,it isn't because the knobs are all messed up.The worst thing and it ruined my entire stay in this cottage is at the very first time I spoke about this to I believe Jo is the name, He said that I will be a pain in his neck.He did not even look at the problems yet and when he did,he did not apologize.The problems wasn't taken cared of until we left.I hope the owner of this business will read my post and do something about it.It wasn't a pleasant stay.