I’m always the planner whenever we go on trips. I actually like doing the research and picking out a place for us to stay in addition to the checking out a few potential eating spots. I’m not sure if this makes me anal or just a good planner… maybe a little of both?
Ultimately I picked out this little cabin (vacation home, actually, it’s just fun to call it a cabin) for Jake, Chris and I to stay at in Big Bear. I liked the look of the place from the website plus it had a full kitchen and it’s own private jacuzzi. The jacuzzi thing is always Jake’s one request whenever we stay somewhere and there have been a few times where the jacuzzi wasn’t working or they were remodeling and I had a bit of a sad/grumpy Jake on my hands. Luckily that was not the case this time!
Here’s the outside of the house, all covered in snow.
This is a bit of a side view, you can see my car in the driveway. We didn’t have access to the garage. I liked that the fence had the tree shaped cut into it.
This is the fully stocked full kitchen with hard wood floors. This kitchen had just about everything we needed to do some home cooked dinners for the next couple of days! In front of this area, just next to the doorway, was another table plus a washer/dryer.
This is the living room, which was quite cozy. Off to the side (not pictured) is a full dining room + table and chairs. The only complaints I had about this place where a few broken furniture items (the lazy boy was broken and when I sat in one of the dining room chairs I almost toppled over since one leg was broken and the shower head dropped off while I was taking a shower… hmm!).
They provided one bundle of pine firewood that was included with the price. One bundle lasted about 1 and 1/2 hours. We purchased an additional bundle and then ended up buying some more from a local grocery store. We made s’mores on our second night!
Here’s the backyard with a deck, table and chairs. There was also a BBQ grill, good for summer time!
I didn’t photograph the bedrooms for some reason, but they were both queen sized beds, comfortable and cozy. There were plenty of extra blankets and pillows in the closet (plus down comforters) to keep us warm during the cool night. There’s also one more sleeper sofa in the living room in case you needed a little extra room.
They even had Monopoly, Sorry, and Clue. I spent the first night reorganizing the Monopoly game because it was all out of order and it was driving me nuts… We played that the next night and set it up for the “Quick Version” which ended in about 10 minutes… I blamed Chris for not shuffling the cards very well and my bad luck for landing on his Hoteled property two rounds in a row. Oy.
Wi-fi is also included with the price. This house is on a pretty quiet street (though really, the whole area is pretty quiet). The house is very cozy and clean and despite the few broken pieces, we really enjoyed our stay here. I’d have no qualms about staying here for a few nights again (maybe in the summer!).
Pine Knot Guest Ranch
800-866-3446
I think it’s called…being a CONTROL FREAK 🙂 I personally think there’s nothin’ wrong with that-
The lodging looks so cute. And you got snow!! I’m so jealous. How cold did it get at night? And the jacuzzi must have felt soooo amazing in the cold weather.
I always get nervous renting an actual house b/c I feel like they ask you to clean up everything – so the last day we usually spend a few hours doing house keeping. So that’s probably the only drawback for me.
(PS – love the Monopoly organization….)
Hahah, okay, I’m a little bit of a control freak. But only with certain things! 🙂 It got to be in the 20s overnight. I think it was like 28 when we went into the jacuzzi. I was wearing a tank top, yoga pants and flip flops… you better believe it was cold! The jacuzzi was really nice and warm, though it was sort of hailing/snowing on us the whole time.
There was a $35 cleaning charge so we didn’t feel the need to really clean up. They mentioned they will charge you if you a) leave trash and b) don’t wash the dishes, so that was about all we did.
I can totally relate to being the travel “planner” (aka ANAL CONTROL FREAK, haha). I like knowing ahead of time where we’re going, what places there are to eat around there and all that stuff. You know how it is. I do not work well just doing things on the fly.
The house you stayed in looks so nice! Asides from the broken furniture (luckily you didn’t get hurt), it seemed like a good deal.
Haha, the hot tub reminds me of the movie “HOT TUB TIME MACHINE”!!!!! John Cusack (my college movie star crush) should be in more comedies!
I don’t mind doing a few things on the fly, but I like making plans and knowing the area so we don’t all sit around and go “uhhhh, what should we do now?” Better to have a plan than to sit around figuring out what to do if you ask me!
The house was a sweet deal, it kind of makes me want to stay at more vacation home rentals because it was so nice to have the extra room and the feeling of extra privacy.
I haven’t seen Hot Tub Time Machine, despite my great love of John Cusack!! He has so many great movies, it’s hard to just pick one, but Say Anything or Grosse Point Blank would be among the top 5… haha!
Don’t forget his unforgettable performance as Bryce in “16 Candles”!
My all time fave JC movie is “Say Anything”. OMG, that scene where he holds up the boombox in front of his girlfriend’s house…….!!!!!
Yes, I agree about making plans. Plan A, B, and C—food places, things to do and roadside oddities (if there are any), weird museums, etc…
He is awesomely dorky in 16 Candles! Jake hasn’t seen Say Anything, I’m trying to get him to watch it.