This time of year is always filled with contradictions. Spring arrives, and brings bursts of color and fragrance all around us. At about the same time, the IRS reminds us of the cost to live in a free society, and we either celebrate a tax refund or moan about taxes due. We sincerely hope you’re part of the former. But whether you owe or are owed, there’s plenty to celebrate this time of year. Pull your head out of the tax forms for a minute and drink in the beauty that surrounds you as spring blooms.
We can think of no better way to celebrate the arrival of Spring than in a luxurious Five Star Vacation Rental cabin or estate. Big Bear makes the transition from winter to spring in the most amazing manner, and it’s really worth it to spend some time here drinking in the beauty of it. Though the ski slopes have closed down for the season, they will soon re-emerge with mountain biking and scenic rides on the lifts. Our hearts always feel a pang of regret that we may have missed every possible moment of skiing, but the rest of our senses are filled with the delights of spring colors, smells, and wildlife. It’s a fair tradeoff. A couple ways to better enjoy your spring visit to Big Bear should include visits to the Big Bear Discovery Center and the Big Bear Alpine Zoo.
The Big Bear Discovery Center offers a number of activities to help you and your family learn more about Big Bear. Their nature walks and wildlife presentations are intended to get you more involved in the nature that surrounds you in Big Bear. Learn more about the history and natural setting that surrounds you during your stay in Big Bear, and you’ll develop a greater appreciation for the area. You can contact the Discovery Center at 909-382-2790, or visit their website for more information on upcoming events: http://mountainsfoundation.org The center is located at 40971 Hwy 38 in Fawnskin.
The Big Bear Zoo is a great destination for the entire family as well. The zoo was started over 50 years ago in the aftermath of a huge forest fire. Injured and homeless animals were collected, nursed back to health, and released back into the wild. The zoo’s first permanent residents were animals too severely injured to return to the forest . Today the zoo offers daily programs to let visitors participate in feeding animals and learn more about what’s involved keeping animals healthy and happy at the zoo. It’s a great experience for everyone in your family. Visit the zoo’s website for more details on the schedules and programs: http://bigbearzoo.org
Call us at 310-800-5454 and we’ll be glad to help you a great getaway for just a weekend or several weeks. Browse our properties in Big Bear, Mammoth, Park City , Palm Springs/La Quinta, Southern California Beaches, or Villa la Estancia in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. Whether you’re planning a weekend hiking getaway or a week-long Spring vacation, we’ll be happy to help you find the perfect Big Bear cabin or estate.
Winter is coming to a close, and we’re eager to see the arrival of spring and summer. Sure, it’s melancholy to put away our skis for another season, but the great thing about Big Bear is there’s never a lack of things to do. Here are a few ideas to get you started on your next adventure up the mountain with us:
As the snow continues to clear, more of the great outdoor activities will resume. Most hiking trails are open now and offer some of the most amazing natural views of big Bear. Some of our cabins are located very close to these trails, so you enjoy the best Big Bear has to offer just moments away from your home base in a Five Star Vacation Rental. Here’s a map you may want to print out for your stay: 
Tim T. and his family stayed last month in our cabin 
Pam drove up with her extended family from Diamond Bar for her stay in our Cabin 
Our cabin 
We talk about skiing so much this time of year. Of course there’s a good reason. Most of us love to ski, and this has been an amazing year for skiing. The conditions here late in the season are better than ever. So, don’t let us dissuade you if you’re headed for the slopes. You all know we’ve got a lot of great options after a day of skiing to make you feel warm and pampered in Big Bear in one of our luxurious 
If you’re in the mood for something a bit more exotic, we suggest you grab your passport and take the quick flight to Villa la Estancia, our resort on the beach in Puerto Nuevo. This stunning high rise sits right on the beach and has all the amenities you’d expect of a top tier resort. You can enjoy award-winning restaurants on site, or take a quick cab ride into Puerto Vallarta to take in the sights and enjoy the local cuisine. It’s often much warmer this time of year, with March temps often reaching the 80’s and seldom dipping lower than the mid 60’s at night. There will be occasional rain, but most days are just sun all day long. Spend a week sitting in the sun, and you’ll have a month of people back home asking you about your great tan. It’s almost decadent.
First on our list is a bit extreme, but certainly a chilly way to support a great cause. The 4th Annual Big Bear Lake “Polar Plunge” for Special Olympics takes place on March 7th at Swim Beach starting at 10:00am. Grab your pet penguin and head over to support the Special Olympics. After you’ve been chilled and shaken (not stirred), be sure to rush your numb appendages over to your Five Star vacation rental. Pick one with a hot tub, so you can more quickly defrost as you continually repeat, “What the heck was I thinking?” Once you’ve thawed, keep warm by the fireplace.
We also recommend that you plan a visit to the Big Bear Discovery Center. They always have fun and interesting activities on tap. During March you can participate in the annual Bald Eagle count. This is a great outing for nature lovers and photographers alike. You may get a chance to see these amazing birds up close during the count. The final day of this year’s count is March 9th, and you can get more details at 
We’re usually hesitant to make predictions. We’re just not good at probabilities. The most profitable trip we ever took to Vegas involved missing our plane and skipping the trip entirely. We didn’t lose a thing. But we do have a couple of predictions, and we’re confident they don’t require any special skills to declare they’re true.
We’re a bit more than three weeks past New Year’s and we’ve already found a way that a jumbo bag of M&M’s actually integrates well with our diet. And we’re convinced that the renewed vigor we employ to launch ourselves out of bed each morning qualifies for “exercise.” All in all, we’re feeling pretty good about ourselves. With these stellar accomplishments in mind, we’re looking to reward ourselves for keeping up with our New Year’s resolutions better than ever before. Or something like that.
See how easy this is? If none of that appeals to you, feel free to hold out for April 2nd, which is National Peanut Butter and Jelly day. It’s guaranteed to be twice the fun of Peanut Butter Lover’s Day. We’re not currently accepting any reservations for December 30th, though. That’s National Bacon Day, and the pig gets upset whenever we mention it. But in keeping with the breakfast motif, we’ll gladly book your stay for May 4th (National Orange Juice Day) and for June 3rd (National Egg Day). National Pancake Day is right around the corner on February 28th, though we may need some time to work that into the diet. We’re checking if we can exchange some M&M’s for pancakes. National Coffee Day falls on September 29th this year, but we really consider every day to be National Coffee Day. You wouldn’t like us when we’ve skipped our coffee.
Big Bear has always been our most popular destination, and with good reason. Each season brings a new variety of activities and natural wonders. Winter is our most popular season, because the addition of snow simply explodes the number of activities available.
The 
We had a great time welcoming in the New Year, and we sure hope you did as well. We did everything in moderation, and woke up with a clear head ready to take in the Rose parade. New Year’s day was very relaxing, and we’re finally starting to run out of left overs from all the holiday meals.
The early storms this season helped create a great base for skiing in Big Bear. As the storms continue, the condition of the slopes just gets better. Both Snow Summit and Bear Mountain are making snow in between storms, and it has all the makings of one of the best ski seasons we’ve seen in many years. There’s really no better reason to grab your skis and reserve a few nights in a luxurious Five Star Vacation Rentals cabin. Even if you don’t ski, there’s plenty of snow fun in Big Bear including sledding and inner tube slides.
If your house is like ours, we’re still finding bits of wrapping paper and ribbons scattered around after our Christmas morning clean up. The kids are dividing their time equally between playing with their new toys and playing with the boxes they came in.
Next, we agree that wise money management is essential. Most families are feeling some of the squeeze from today’s economy. Thankfully, that squeeze doesn’t need to impact your plans. A Five Star Vacation Rental cabin in Big Bear is an amazing value. For about the cost of an average upscale hotel, you can enjoy far more with luxury, privacy, and room to breathe in a Five Star Vacation Rental. Many of our cabins have hot tubs and lake or forest views. Couple this with the fully equipped kitchens in our cabins, and you’ll start to see the amazing difference in value you get with Five Star. And unlike piling the entire family into a single hotel room, your Five Star Vacation Rental has enough bedrooms to allow dad to snore blissfully loud without ever disturbing the rest of the family. That alone is worth the price of admission.
