Christmas 2011 at The Hungry Bear

Guest: Sheila (Sacramento, California)
Date of Stay: 12/19/11 Review Submitted: 12/28/11

We just got home yesterday and wanted to let you know what wonderful time we had at the Hungry Bear Lodge at LakeTahoe. The house was even better than we had pictured and very clean. We were all very comfortable with the large spaces and five bedrooms. I totally appreciated the layout of the kitchen and found the pull out drawers, the new stove and the huge kitchen sink to be huge bonuses. In this case it was easy to have more than one cook in this kitchen! Our older golden retriever appreciated the large back yard - and- it was clean when I left! We mastered the bear alarm despite initial apprehension from the grandparents in our group. No bears were sighted by the way! The fireplace in the main living room was used almost every day but we did try the other one by the dining table one day too. Thanks for setting up the Christmas themed ornaments around the living room. We took up a small tree and had it nestled in the front window. Having a fire just really added to the Christmas ambiance. Having the three bathrooms meant nobody had too long to wait and we really did like the baskets full of samples. We just used a few. Because there was hardly any snow, we did not have to contend with the snow plough turning up. Having enough room to park multiple cars was very handy especially with arrivals and departures. Not having snow allowed us to enjoy walking around the neighborhood and with such sunny days we even drove down to Emerald Bay one day and Truckee on Christmas Eve. The large dining table was the scene of many a tasty meal and a few experiments too! We took up some new cookbook magazines and tried out new recipes on the captured audience. We almost completed a pretty tough new jigsaw, read books, surfed the internet occasionally and even learned how to play Mexican Dominoes. The table was the center of many of these activities. Nanna often took residence in one of the Mission styles recliners and turned off her hearing aid when she wanted. The college aged son returned by train into Reno where we picked him up to enjoy your house for most of the week. An old friend of mine came up and helped make a divine Beef Wellington one evening followed by delicious home made lemon bars. Coffee was brewed each morning and egg nog served many evenings. The large kitchen island served as gathering point, food prep area and temporary grocery shelf. This was the first time being away for Christmas and we had a fantastic time! Thank you for your wonderful home!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, pet owners, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Perfect for groups - loved Hungry Bear

Guest: KT (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 02/03/11 Review Submitted: 02/09/11

This house was excellent! We had a group of 9 flying in from all over the place and this house was perfect. The house is enormous, I've experienced homes that "sleep" alot of people, but you're on top of each other. Not the case with this house. Plenty of room, beds, showers, kitchen items, linens, etc. We lacked for nothing. We cooked gourmet meals 2 nights and had no troubles as the kitchen was fully stocked with pots &pans and all that kind of stuff. The location is great, very close to Tahoe City and close to 89, which is great when you need to get moving. The owner is infinitely helpful with the welcome pack and also very responsive to every question I had leading up to the trip. Perfect for our group!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Great Ski Trip

Guest: Ed (San Diego)
Date of Stay: 01/27/11 Review Submitted: 02/03/11

First off, the location is excellent. Only 10-15 minutes to Squaw, and 2-3 minutes to the heart of Tahoe City, so you're super close to grocery stores, breakfast/lunch/dinner, taverns, ski rentals, etc. Winter or summer, you can't beat it. We were 8 guys and we all got our own beds, but if you include the roll-away beds you could probably have 12 adults or more with their own beds. It'll truly sleep 14-18. Since we all arrived separately, we had 4 cars, and plenty of room to park without parking on the street. The pictures are accurate, the place was clean, warm, secure, nice hot showers with great water pressure, and the owner was very helpful with directions on where to find everything. We took advantage of our proximity to the grocery store and the gas barbecue on the balcony, and made a huge meal which we all enjoyed around the big dining table. We had all the cooking utensils and silverware we needed. Another night we drove 5 minutes to a nice dinner at Jake's, and another night we drove 2 minutes for burgers at one of the taverns. Need a cab? They show up right away since you're so close to town. This really was the perfect retreat for our ski weekend. We checked out a lot of places online and considered more expensive ones too, but I'm glad we chose the Hungry Bear. It had everything we needed for our getaway and felt like home. I also can't stress enough that the listing is accurate and the home was ready for us when we arrived. I'd highly recommend staying here!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Perfect for families and large groups

Guest: D & M (Paso Robles, CA)
Date of Stay: 01/12/11 Review Submitted: 01/24/11

This home was perfect for our annual Tahoe ski trip. We take this winter vacation each year with our ever-growing family...and continue to search for the home that is comfortable, well appointed and meets the needs of all occupants. This home fit the bill! We feel we have finally found a place we would like to return to each and every year. With 5 bedrooms and 3baths, every family had a private space. The living, dining and kitchen areas were also ideal. The location is the best we have experienced; close to shops, restaurants, lake, ski resorts and the Catholic Church was just around the corner. The only thing we missed was use of the expansive back yard because there was 5 feet of snow! We will be back!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Christmas Week

Guest: C&J (Sacramento)
Date of Stay: 12/19/10 Review Submitted: 01/12/11

We stayed for Christmas week in this house. The location is ideal, the house is perfect for a large group with plenty of bedrooms, bathrooms and space and is stocked with everything you could possibly need! The owners were readily available to answer any questions we had. We would definitely recommend this house to anyone looking for a large space for family in a great location!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Great House for Large Group

Guest: C.H. (Cupertino, CA)
Date of Stay: 12/26/10 Review Submitted: 01/05/11

We stayed in this cabin for our ski trip 12/26 to 12/31/10. It is a great house with full amenity for large group of people (18 total). Four bedrooms are very roomy and bunk bed room is ideal for kids. We loved all the kitchen items in the house. It is a great location for ski in Squaw Valley or Alping Meadow. We also did sledding at a snowplay area 5 min drive from the house. Kids and adults had a fun time.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, girls getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Guest: Jessica (-)
Date of Stay: 02/11/09 Review Submitted: 12/27/10

Your home was perfect for our families. Plenty of space to hang together and we (the adults) loved having our own rooms. The bunkroom was perfect for the all the kids. We are looking forward to coming again next year!

Recommended for: