Cozy Cabin In The Woods w/ WIFI & Smart TV - Backs to Nat'l Forest

Property manager was super helpful

We have been Big Bear cabin owners for 15 years and rented this one last minute when ours was already spoken for.

Rating- 5 Booking process, 3 Decor, amenities, location, 2 Refund payment: 3 Overall

Booking process was easy and property manager was responsive to our booking inquiries. We did have some difficulty getting security deposit back. The first inquiry to the property manager after 2 weeks got no response. After 3 weeks contacted property manager again as well as owner and submitted complaint to HomeAway after which deposit was returned.

For a budget priced cabin it provides all of the essentials in a rustic, well used cabin decor. Good sized kitchen, adequate utensils, plates, bowls etc. for 6 people. Coffee maker is small (4 cups) so if you have more than one coffee drinker in the party, recommend you bring you own. Living room has 2 good size couches and comfortable chair. Heating worked OK to take the chill off but If it is cold you will need to have a fire to keep things comfortable (70 degrees or so). Web site indicated some firewood and kindling supplied but none available for our stay so you may want to ask about this. Plenty of places to buy wood in town though. The fireplace insert/wood stove is fairly easy to use though it did leak some smoke around door seal that would set smoke detector off on occasion. Double bed and bunks are OK for comfort. Would bring mattress pads and our own pillows if we stayed there again. Futon in 2nd bedroom OK for kids but not recommended for adults as very uncomfortable. Would definitely bring egg crate or other mattress pad for this if you need the bed space.

Location right against National Forest is nice and kids can play outside back door with no concerns for traffic. Great access for hiking. No through traffic so street is very quiet anyway. If any significant fresh snow you will definitely need 4 wheel drive or chains to get up Pine Ln. If you are there during a busy time as we were, took hour with traffic to drive to ski areas, only 20 minutes if not a peak weekend.

Overall the cabin is what you would expect for the price and has all the essentials for weekend getaway. Nice location if you just want to hang out in the mountains. Too far from resorts if that is your plan on busy weekend.

The house was nicely warmed for our arrival. I used the screen door’s own stopper to keep the door open as I unloaded the car. About the second trip in, I noticed that top of the door was now falling off the top hinge. I managed to somehow hook it back up. Given the mild corrosion of the aluminum door, it was obvious the door has seen some years so I did not think twice about the issue. We enjoyed the coziness of the cabin. It’s smaller but has lots of character. The bedrooms are decent size but we all decided to sleep in the room with a queen and bunk bed. Good thing because one nap on the futon in the other room ended with a back ache. While the place is mostly in good shape I certainly spent time fixing it. I noticed back door shade had been pulled off the roller. I rolled it back up. The sink disposer had something left in it. I fished it out to prevent the disposer from breaking. The shower head fell off when my wife turned on the shower. I put it back on. BTW the shower head sprays limited water that is needle fine and actually hurts! One of the dining room chairs has ripped whicker backing. Get the picture here? The place is not new, needs some work, but has some character. After our departure I learned the owner is holding me responsible for the broken screen door. I get it; the owner thinks I broke it. I DID NOT. A quick search on Google will let anyone know the top hinge of any door is most vulnerable. Think about it: Older thin aluminum door + hundreds of open and closes over the years + loose screws on top hinge burrowing screw holes ever bigger = me holding the door and the bill? I don’t think that I should have to pay for a new door. I offered the owner $50 as this is an unfortunate situation for both of us. He is sticking to me paying for a brand new door ($100) and labor to install the door ($50) for a total of $150. The door was not new. Why do I have to pay anything? And if I pay something, why the full cost of the replacement?Final assessment: The place is a grandpa’s 1970’s musky cabin. It has some charm. The kitchen is clean. It’s a short walk to a great park for kids to play in. The couches are in need of a deep cleaning as they are pretty dusty. The bathroom shower head needs to be replaced. Things seem to be breaking down in the place which leads me to… I feel the owner is unreasonable. With the shape that this place is in, be careful or else you may be the next person literally paying to repair the next broken thing at this cabin.

We had a wonderful weekend at the Cozy Cabin and Jason (the Prop Manager) was super helpful! The cabin was perfectly located near the slopes and hiking and was super quiet. The house/amenities were perfect for what we needed for our family of 4 - would definitely stay again!!

I want to start off saying that I have rented many cabins, especially in Big Bear, and this is one of, if not my favorite cabin to stay in. The size was usual but the layout offered much space. It was nice arriving to a heated cabin and the property manager answered my many texts promptly. The décor is what we expected (cute!) and wanted from a cabin. Despite it being very cold outside, the water would become hot right away... even quicker than at home! The location was great, as we took hikes into the forest and took a short drive to the lake. The couches are very comfy/squishy too, which was nice. The only downsides I could come up with is that we were a little disappointed that we couldn't use the balcony and the futon wasn't very comfortable (then again, its a futon. They usually aren't the most comfortable beds). We had a great time and will be going back.