September is one of the best months for activities on Big Bear Lake as we enjoy the last of the warmer weather before the onset of fall. At the peak of summer, the lake water can get in the low 70° range. This is great weather for boating, fishing, and even swimming on the lake. It’s a great opportunity for your family to “dive in” and enjoy some of the great water activities on Big Bear Lake.
Thursdays offers ladies only a fun time with the “Babes on Boards” potluck and paddle board event at Captain John’s Fawn Harbor and Marina. This fun event is limited to ladies only, and we’re told it’s an absolute blast. Be sure to call ahead for details, as there is an age requirement. Contact Serena Saunders at 909-866-6478 for more details.
The entire family can enjoy stand up paddle boarding with mid-week rentals at Captain John’s. Paddle boarding is great fun, and definitely gets easier the more you practice. And with the warmer lake water this time of year, you won’t suffer at all when you slip into the water.
Want to just spend some time on the lake? You can rent anything from a little canoe to a 12 person boat at Captain John’s. Spending an afternoon just drifting around the lake with no real destination can be amazingly relaxing. Grab a good book, some cool refreshments and a light lunch. You’ll quickly find the gentle lapping of the lake water against the hull of the boat to be supremely relaxing.
September usually offers some good trout and bass fishing, so we recommend all anglers pack their gear to enjoy some fun as well. There’s nothing quite like serving up the amazingly fresh catch of the day when you were the one to catch it. Our luxury Big Bear vacation rental cabins and estates all have full kitchens with the utensils you’ll need to cook up a gourmet meal.
If you choose to venture off the lake, there are some very special events taking place in Big Bear during September. The annual Oktoberfest celebration kicks off September 13th and runs weekends through October 25th. Many of our guests make this an annual event. Oktoberfest brings great fun to town. It’s that time of year you can sample dozens of exotic beers from around the world, and polka till you just can’t polka any more. The kids will have a great time as well with dance contests and tons of activities just for them. Bratwurst, sauerkraut, beer, and polka. There are few things needed beyond these to enjoy a fulfilled life. Except maybe some quality time in a Five Star Vacation Rental cabin in Big Bear. And lederhosen.
September 19 – 21st Big Bear hosts the 15th annual International Film Festival. This event keeps getting bigger every year, and it’s a great time for film buffs. You’ll get a chance to do some star gazing, since we usually see a handful of famous actors in town for the event. There are over 100 films screened during the festival, and you can also participate in seminars and panels for both film makers and film fans alike. Be sure to book your cabin and get your tickets in advance. It’s a busy weekend, and we often get booked up in advance.
Check out all of our Big Bear vacation rentals at this link. And if you’re in the mood for a getaway elsewhere, follow these links to view our other properties in Park City, Southern California Beaches, Mammoth Mountain, and Villa la Estancia in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. A well planned weekend away in a Five Star Vacation Rental cabin or estate will recharge your batteries and equip the entire family for the challenges back at home. Call us today at 310-800-5454, and we’ll help you plan the vacation of a lifetime.
Your bodies may well be going through the motions of a post-summer reality, but there’s really no reason to surrender your mind to this eventuality. Much of your daily routine can be handled quite well without devoting your entire attention to it, right? Spreadsheets and calendars already have boxes on them, and you just need to punch in a bit of text. Heck, most of those reports you’re preparing can practically write themselves. And unless you really are a brain surgeon or rocket scientist, this really isn’t brain surgery or rocket science. So why not allow your mind to continue in summer vacation mode for a while longer? We can’t think of any compelling reason to pull you back. In fact, we’ve cooked up a few reasons that you should remain in vacation mode for at least another several weeks. Take a look at some of the fun things that you can do in Big Bear in September:
September 19-21 also sees the arrival of the 15th annual Big Bear Film Festival. This is a great event for film buffs of all stripes. You can rub elbows with industry leaders, and there’s usually some great star gazing if you can peer behind that sea of over-size sun glasses to pick out the “A” listers that fly into town for the occasion. This is a very popular event, and you should get your tickets in advance. This year there will be over 115 movies shown at different venues around town, and there will be a great selection of 3D films to choose from as well. You can buy your tickets at 
It’s so hard to believe that school is starting up again. It seems it was just a few days ago we were all getting excited about the onset of summer, and now we’re seeing Back to School sales and backpacks magically appearing on young shoulders again. While it’s impossible to get the time back, we can certainly refuse to surrender all of our fun over to the relentless new schedules that face us each fall.
September is such a great time to escape to Big Bear. While the heat in much of Southern California can quickly turn oppressive, Big Bear’s climate is almost always crisp and cool. As you crest the hill, you can smile and utter those words you would never say elsewhere: “Kids! Roll down the windows and smell the air!” And as that rush of clean, chilly air fills your car, the relaxation will begin to set in. Even before you set foot inside the amazing luxury of your Five Star Vacation Rental cabin, your entire family will start to feel the glow. Your jaw muscles slacken, your neck feels a bit looser, and your affections towards each other will increase. Soon the car will start to fill with the excited conversations of what to do first: Take a walk in the woods, head down to the lake, go shopping in the village, and more.
We’re always excited when we welcome a new property into our vacation rental family. Our new 3700 square foot
Be sure you schedule a match for both the mini pool table and the foosball table. You’ll all soon be squealing with delight as you leave your cares behind down the mountain and immerse yourselves in some Big Bear-style relaxation. You’ll exchange counting cars for counting squirrels, and you’ll enjoy tree and lake views instead of pavement and smog. It’s a perfect time to recharge your batteries right before the end of summer.
Enjoy your evenings in the cabin by gathering around the rock fireplace and enjoying some hot chocolate together. Be sure to relax for a while in the hot tub before you call it a night. That warm water washing over you will get you so relaxed that you’ll drift off to sleep right away. And be sure to skip setting the alarm. Sleep in as late as you want. Or until the kids head in and start bouncing on the foot of the bed asking for breakfast. But even that will be a delight as you enjoy the granite counters in the kitchen. Your pancakes never tasted so good!
If you realize during your lunch on Thursday that you may actually be able to cut work on Friday, give us a call. We may have one of our luxury vacation rental units available. If we do, we may well be able to give you a bit of a discount, so the rental won’t sit vacant over the weekend. It’s a win-win. You can pay a bit less, and we’ll avoid the vacancy. We can’t promise we’ll have anything available, but it’s certainly worth a try. If you’d like to get an occasional email from us with last minute specials, drop us a line at 
At about 3pm yesterday, we announced that summer is officially here. We didn’t use those exact words; the actual words we used would be best left unrepeated. But that was the moment we realized the air conditioning in our car was struggling to keep up with the heat beating down on us while we were parked on our favorite freeway. This uncomfortable moment arrives about this same time each year, and lasts for the several months of summer until things start cooling down a bit. We shouldn’t really complain because we have it much better than most folks, and so can you. You can abandon the heat and pressure of the city freeways to join us in the cool, refreshing, and relaxing atmosphere in Big Bear. And July is the perfect time to plan this short trek.
One of our favorite spots in Big Bear is the 
If your kids aren’t already out of school, they will be in the next week or so. In no time at all, you’ll be facing that annual challenge to find something fun for the family while the kids are off school. No need to worry about bedtimes or homework. Boredom is usually the biggest challenge in many families over the summer. And we’ve got a couple of great options that will certainly keep everybody happy.
Choose a more exotic beach getaway to Villa la Estancia in Mexico.
We’re starting to see our first really warm days, and that should serve as a reminder that you need to plan your summer getaway. Well, your timing is great if you call us right away. We’ve got a couple of last minute events that are a perfect excuse for you to head for a great family vacation.
The Independence Day holiday is also just around the corner. July 4th on Big Bear Lake is something many families want to repeat again year after year. It’s always one of the largest fireworks displays in Southern California, and its beauty is magnified by the cool evening and spectacular reflections off the lake. Many of our cabins have barbecues on the deck, so you can just imagine the great taste you can enjoy that day as well. Enjoy an afternoon filled with your own tasty barbecue fixin’s followed by an evening of spectacular lights and explosions in the sky. Finish it off with some hot chocolate while relaxing in the hot tub, and you’ll have a weekend that will have the family smiling for weeks to come.
If you’ll recall the last family reunion, Uncle Jerome was assigned to sleep on the couch. This would be fine with most other relatives, but we must remember that Uncle Jerome is really not like your other relatives. His bedtime is 8PM sharp, so he chases everyone out of the living room. He takes command of the sofa and falls asleep quickly. His snoring commences within minutes. And that’s when everyone remembers that Uncle Jerome’s snoring is simply epic. Those trying to sleep in adjacent rooms endure a sleepless night. Thankfully, you’ve prepared your home for earthquakes, so there’s a relatively small amount of property damage. But what if you could make this year’s reunion entirely different?
Another wonderful part of renting from us is the great choices you have for your destination. Big Bear is our most popular getaway. The weather can be sweltering in Los Angeles or Orange County, but most of the summer in Big Bear is cool with crisp mountain breezes. Everyone in the family will have something fun to do. You can go boating on the lake, cycling through town, or hiking in the hills. But your favorite activity may be just hanging out at your amazing Five Star Vacation rental estate. You’ll drink in the luxury of your surroundings both inside and outside during your stay. Check out all our Big Bear properties at 
People come to Big Bear for different reasons. Some are celebrating big occasions like a wedding, anniversary or family reunion. Others are looking to connect with friends or family by getting some time away together. And some head up the hill to Big Bear for solitude and to enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds you there. Many of our properties are well-suited to these pursuits, but we’ve just added a new property that has just about everything you could want to enjoy your time in Big Bear.
But whatever you may do, you’ll be constantly reminded of the luxury that surrounds you in this amazing cabin. Enjoy the theater sound system with a fun old movie on the big screen TV as you relax in the warmth of the leather seating. Take the stairway down to your private cove, and sit with friends and family while you enjoy the sounds of the gently lapping water on the rocks. You’ll feel like the stress and pressures of life are a million miles away. And for the time you spend at our Boulder Cove Estate, they will be.