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Summer Fun in Big Bear

Fly-fishing.
Fly-fishing.

The arrival of summer is welcome as southern California welcomes warmer weather and kids rejoice at a break from school. If the anticipation has distracted you from actually making plans, you aren’t alone, and it isn’t too late to pull off a great vacation. Summer in Big Bear is kind of a big deal, and you can join in the fun. With an abundance of attractions found in the area’s natural beauty, it’s the obvious choice for a getaway, and renting a luxury vacation home can be the cherry on top of everything. Whether you’re seeking family-friendly activities or solo sports, Big Bear is at its best in the summertime.

moored boat in marinaOne of the most popular activities to partake in is fishing. You can embark on this adventure alone or with the whole family, and if you want to enlist help from a professional, you can join a group led by a fishing guide. You’re likely to find species such as trout, bass, catfish and crappies in the lake’s populous waters. Big Bear has a well-earned reputation as a fisherman’s paradise, and visitors can even rent their own fishing boat from one of the lake’s several marinas.

Speaking of boats, if fishing isn’t your scene, you can simply traverse the waters. Fishing isn’t the only use for the lake. Spending a day on a boat is a great chance to relax, unwind, and take in the sunshine. In addition to fishing vessels, a variety of marinas offer pontoon boats and kayaks to explore the lake with. With average temperatures that rarely surpass the 80s, the blue lake and inviting breeze can provide an unbelievable respite.

Hiking and biking provide additional activities to enjoy in Big Bear’s great outdoors, and museums and shops provide indoor attractions, too. Retire to a luxury vacation rental, and you’ve got all the makings of a great trip. Top-of-the-line amenities, a stunning floor plan and a gourmet kitchen make a rental home the right choice.

Should you choose to accept the mission of making Summer 2016 unforgettable, we can help. Big Bear is our most popular destination, but you can also enjoy some quality time in our other great luxury vacation rentals:  Nuevo Vallarta, Mammoth Mountain, Park City, Southern California Beaches, and La Quinta. With Five Star Vacation Rentals, you can be assured that your vacation time will be a time of true relaxation and enjoyment for your family.  We recognize that most families today get precious little vacation time, and we work hard to help make sure your time away will be memorable and meaningful. Our staff is ready to answer your questions and help you put together a great vacation.  Give us a call 310-780-3411.

Three Steps to Making Summer 2016 the Best You’ve Ever Had

Summer is a welcome chance to relax, take a break from school and spend quality time bonding with your family. It can fly by quickly if you don’t seize the opportunity to get out and have a great time, though. Why not take the Best Sumer Ever Challenge? You guessed it—we’ve got everything you need to make summer 2016 the best one you’ve ever had. With a little bit of planning, team work, and enthusiasm, it can be a reality. Here are three tips for putting the plan into action:

1. Involve the whole family in planning. It’s called a family vacation for a reason. Every member of the team should have a chance to offer their input on vacation ideas. Call it pre-game preparation before the big trip, and open the floor for a group discussion. Everybody will get excited when they can get involved in planning.

2. Choose a family-friendly destination. Everybody will likely have different ideas of what they want to do, but the good news is you can likely do it all if you plan wisely! This way the whole family is satisfied and enjoys the vacation. You should select a destination that offers entertainment, educational opportunities and the beauty of nature all in one place. A place like Big Bear might just fit the bill!

3. Lock in luxury accommodations. The best part of a vacation is enjoying and relaxing in a haven away from home. With a luxury vacation rental to retire to, you can immerse yourself fully in the stress relief a vacation will provide. At Five Star Vacation Rental, we maintain our properties with families like yours in mind. We know that you’ll likely be busy and you need accommodations that will suit everybody. Amenities like gourmet kitchens and luxurious details are just the cherry on top.

We aim to offer each of our guests a truly unforgettable experience. Our vacation homes are located in world-class destinations, and they are crafted with state-of-the-art features. If you’re ready to ditch the cost and monotony of a hotel, you can trust us to provide a great alternative. Nothing makes for a better getaway than fun and relaxation combined with unparalleled luxury.

Big Bear one of the top destinations for summer vacations, but if you’re looking for a more exotic vacation, we also maintain rentals in  Nuevo Vallarta, Mammoth Mountain, Park City, Southern California Beaches, and La Quinta. No matter what city you are visiting, staying in a Five Star Vacation Rental property will ensure that you experience the absolute best in luxury accommodations. We would be glad to help you plan your vacation to Big Bear or elsewhere, so if you would like more information, you can reach out to us by calling 310-780-3411.

Differences Between a Hotel and a Vacation Rental

If you’re planning on spending your vacation in a hotel, you’re missing out. Hotels offer convenience, safety, and clean accommodations, but so do vacation homes, along with plenty of other benefits! If you’ve been putting off a vacation for fear of the hassle or planning it involves, you can rest easy. Renting a vacation home can take the stress out of vacation planning and offer a fun, economical getaway. There are a million and one reasons to stay at a vacation rental instead of a hotel, but we’ll give you the top four:

1. Avoid loud surroundings and disruptions. Hotels are notorious for unexpected disruptions, loud hallways, crowdedness…we could go on and on. Is this any way to spend your vacation? Of course not. You can sidestep paper thin walls and enjoy a home-away-from-home all to yourself and your family by booking a vacation rental. Instead of noisy neighbors, you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings of nature.

2. Maintain privacy. Along with those aforementioned noisy neighbors, you’ll enjoy a lack of privacy at nearly any hotel you might stay in. Not so at a vacation rental. With the place all to yourself, you can revel in the retreat your vacation should provide. A vacation rental will let you enjoy a getaway to its fullest extent.

3. Save time and money. Hotels often come with a host of fees and tacked-on expenses, and they offer subpar value in many cases. Renting a vacation home, on the other hand, provides maximum value. You can save time, too, by arriving at your accommodation and settling in—don’t worry about valet, check-in, or any of the other obligations you’d encounter at a hotel.

4. Get a full vacation experience. When you’re on vacation, you want to escape from the stress of everyday life. Maybe you’re with friends or family, and you want them to have a good time, too. A luxury rental means you can finish off a day of activities and exploration with true relaxation. Instead of just a place to sleep, it’s a haven to retreat to.

Big Bear is one of the top destinations for a getaway. Five Star Vacation Rental also offers luxury accommodations in  Nuevo Vallarta, Mammoth Mountain, Park City, Southern California Beaches, and La Quinta. No matter what city you are visiting, staying in a Five Star Vacation Rental property will ensure that you experience the absolute best in luxury accommodations. We would be glad to help you plan your vacation to Big Bear or elsewhere, so if you would like more information, you can reach out to us by calling 310-780-3411.

Make This Mother’s Day One to Remember

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and you really should be planning something wonderful for your wife, mother, mother-in-law, or grandma.  Or all of them!  Booking a Five Star Vacation Rental in Big Bear is a great way to show these wonderful women exactly how much you love them and appreciate all they’ve done for you over the years.

Spring in Big Bear is a wonderful time.  Your weekend getaway can start with all the men assembling in your vacation rental’s gourmet kitchen and cooking up all of her favorites.  You’ll find our cabins have kitchens equal to virtually any cuisine you may wish to create. Whether mom wants some yummy biscuits and gravy, or steak and eggs, you’ll be able to create her favorite.  You can pack your chosen ingredients in an ice chest for the drive up the mountain, or there’s plenty of local shopping available to buy fresh after you arrive.  And for all our cooking-challenged dads, Big Bear has some amazing restaurants that will let you all enjoy the talents of a professional cook.

After breakfast, you can walk off the meal with a refreshing walk down one of the many Big Bear trails. If your family enjoys exercising on two wheels, there are plenty of scenic routes that will have you all delighting in the beauty of Big Bear’s natural surroundings.  But the best part of your stay will likely be the beautiful Five Star Vacation Rental cabin or estate you’ll be enjoying.  All our cabins are chosen with your comfort in mind, and each has a level of luxury that will keep you amazed.

Region capture 60We recommend you book your stay as quickly as possible.  Mother’s Day is a busy weekend for us, and we’d hate to see you miss out on the chance to treat mom to a luxury getaway.  You can check out our Big Bear vacation rentals on this page: http://www.fivestarvacationrental.com/big-bear-rentals.

Want to take mom to one of our other destinations?  We’ve got some great ones! Five Star Vacation Rental also offers luxury accommodations in  Nuevo Vallarta, Mammoth Mountain, Park City, Southern California Beaches, and La Quinta. No matter what city you are visiting, staying in a Five Star Vacation Rental property will ensure that you experience the absolute best in luxury accommodations. We would be glad to help you plan your vacation to Big Bear or elsewhere, so if you would like more information, you can reach out to us by calling 310-780-3411.

Doing Nothing in Big Bear

Many people avoid taking vacations because they dread the planning, coordination and hassle the entire thing entails. Maybe you’re one of these people, and who can blame you? Vacations can end up being more of an obligation than an enjoyable getaway, but Five Star Vacation Rentals has set out to change that. A trip can be the stress-free respite it was intended to be. Perhaps the key to a true vacation is eliminating the pressure. Imagine if somebody gave you permission to escape, spend some time in a luxurious home-away-from-home, do whatever relaxes you, and remove all other obligations…

You can give yourself that permission. Instead of planning a vacation centered on an itinerary of activities and events, consider booking a do-nothing-vacation. Booking a luxury vacation home offers a vacation in and of itself. With amenities such as a spa, gourmet kitchen, and fireplace, there’s no reason to leave your rental at all! Staying in and spending time simply relaxing might just be the best vacation you’ve ever had. Vacation, after all, is about escaping stress and obligations. If you don’t believe us, consider the following ideas for your stay-in-getaway.

When’s the last time you settled in to a good book? Reading is a pastime many people enjoy, but most don’t get the opportunity to do it often. With all of life’s time-consuming activities, simply relaxing with a book in hand is something you may not have done in quite a while. Booking a do-nothing vacation is the chance to catch up on reading. Maybe you love cooking, too, but don’t get the chance to make gourmet meals as often as you’d like. Arrive at your rental with ingredients in tow, and you can spend a weekend creating ambrosia.

A Five Star Vacation Rental in Big Bear is the best destination for luxury vacation rentals. You may be perplexed at the idea of spending an entire vacation inside, but you won’t be when you see our rentals. All of our properties offer the most exquisite luxury, including features such as gourmet kitchens and spas. You will have no problem at all relaxing in one of our beautiful vacation homes, and spending your entire vacation there might be the stress relief you’ve been looking for.

Big Bear is one of the best places to relax and take it easy. Five Star Vacation Rental also offers luxury accommodations in  Nuevo Vallarta, Mammoth Mountain, Park City, Southern California Beaches, and La Quinta. No matter what city you are visiting, staying in a Five Star Vacation Rental property will ensure that you experience the absolute best in luxury accommodations. We would be glad to help you plan your vacation to Big Bear or elsewhere, so if you would like more information, you can reach out to us by calling 310-780-3411.

Plan Ahead For the Holidays

Enjoying time with family.We know it’s a bit early, but the holidays are just around the corner.  This is a perfect time to start planning a getaway that will be one the family memory book.  And since we typically get much busier as the holidays approach, now is a great time to pick a date, pick a destination, and begins making some plans for fun.

If your Christmas is like ours, it’s always busier than we would like and we never get to spend quite as much time as we’d hope for with family and friends.  Why not make this year different?  A holiday away in Big Bear can be an amazing event.  One of the great things about planning your vacation rental with Five Star is we have some wonderful estates available.  These properties have more than enough room for multiple families to share.  Think of the possibilities:  You can plan for a wonderful family reunion or get together a bunch of friends from the neighborhood or school.  However you choose to fill your Five Star Big Bear vacation rental, you’ll be assured you’re getting a high quality luxurious getaway.

thansgivingDinnerWe’re already about half booked up for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  New Year’s Eve is going fast as well.  This is an opportunity for you to create a wonderful time for your extended family as well.  The Big Bear ski season is usually in full swing by Christmas, and sometimes even by Thanksgiving.  And if  you’re already making travel plans for the holidays, the time spent in a Five Star Vacation Rental is vastly superior to anything you’ll encounter at even the finest hotel. Instead of being scattered across several rooms with strangers around every corner, you can enjoy an entire luxury cabin or estate.  The kids get their own rooms, and so do the parents.  If Uncle Harry snores can have his own room at the end of the hall; nobody needs to lay awake in misery.  It’s a perfect solution, and you’ll all awake refreshed ready to share breakfast in your own kitchen surrounded only by the people you invited.

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 BeachesMammoth 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.

Big Bear Film Festival Arrives September 20th-22nd

The fourteenth annual Big Bear Lake International Film Festival will be rolling out the red carpet on the weekend of September 20th through the 22nd.  The festival has earned rave reviews over the years including being named as one of the top 50 film festivals world wide.  That’s quite an honor considering there are nearly 5000 different festivals around the globe each year. If you’re a film maker or a film buff, it’s one of the most exciting events of the year, and a must-see.

This year’s festival promises to continue the traditional mix of independent feature-length films, documentaries, student films, High School student films, short films, family films, animation, 3-D Short Films, films made by Big Bear locals, and a screenwriting competition. Juried and audience film awards will be presented. Aspiring filmmakers will be given the opportunity to attend lectures by industry professionals and participate in networking events. The festival draws some of Hollywood’s best and brightest, so don’t be surprised if you spot one of your favorite stars strolling the street this weekend.

"A Separate Life" filming in Cabin 1
"A Separate Life" filming in Cabin 1

The film festival is of particular interest to us here at Five Star Vacation Rentals, because a member of our family of properties has actually appeared at the festival.  Our cabin #1 on the slopes at Bear Mountain played a supporting role in the recent indie film, “A Separate Life.”  Many of the interiors were filmed in the cabin, and several key scenes were filmed on the porch.  We’re still busting with pride about it.  The film went on to win a number of awards as an indie film, and is now under development for mainstream release.  We feel like very proud parents indeed.  You can watch the film’s trailer at this link.

Of course our serious film buffs will want to be sure to reserve this cabin-turned-movie-star right away to round out the full experience of the weekend film festival. But if that one is reserved before you get a chance to grab it, don’t despair. We’ve got a few dozen other luxurious Big Bear vacation rental cabins and estates to choose from.  If you’re serious about breaking into the film industry, you’ll make a much better impression pitching your script around the fireplace in your luxury cabin than you will in the noisy lobby of a crowded hotel.  We recommend you make your plans early, as we’re anticipating we’ll be fully booked that weekend.  Call us at 310-780-3411 and we’ll help you find the perfect cabin or estate for your getaway.

And if you’d like to explore any of our other destinations, you can be assured that we’re committed to providing top quality cabins, estates, and condos for your next vacation getaway.  Here are links to our other properties in  Park City, UtahPalm Springs/La Quinta Southern California Beaches Mammoth Mountain, and Villa la Estancia in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico.