Big Bear, California
The Tall Pines Chalet was built by hand in classic Swiss style by a family of professional cabinetmakers. Special touches are visible everywhere, from two-inch-thick solid oak floors, to custom-crafted benches and cabinets, to hand-painted art on beams and railings. Although the home is less than 50 years old, its craftsmanship derives from centuries of European tradition.
As you can see, this vintage home is surrounded by huge old-growth pine trees on a private five-acre parcel. Our land is bordered on two sides by natural, undeveloped National Forest.
Our little ranch is truly secluded. As you overlook the meadow which once held a Shoshone Indian village every Summer, the only sounds you're likely to hear are from the birds who come to visit and enjoy the natural spring.
Hiking, cycling, snowshoeing, and sledding begin at your back door. Trails continue throughout hundreds of square miles of wilderness, and the Pacific Crest Trail is just two miles east.
If you're looking for a relaxing holiday retreat in the woods, staying in a home that overflows with warmth and traditional charm, this is the place for you.
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Stepping into the Chalet is like entering a vintage home in the Swiss Alps. You will enjoy a spacious living room with wood-burning fireplace, an adjoining formal dining room, and a large deck with BBQ which overlooks a seasonal pond, tall poplars, a broad meadow, and towering pines.
Located at nearly 7,000 feet, adjacent to hundreds of square miles of forest, this home is the perfect gateway to hiking, running, biking, horseback riding, sledding, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.
The Chalet is quiet night and day -- a perfect retreat from the city. Even on major holidays, there’s no traffic out here, whether you’re at the ranch or on the hiking trails.
The kitchen is roomy and equipped with full-size appliances (refrigerator, stove, oven, dishwasher, drip coffeemaker) plus all the cooking gear you need to create memorable meals.
The home features two expansive bedrooms, each of which holds a large bed for two. One of the bedrooms is double the normal size, and also holds two single beds. Both bedrooms feature attached full bathrooms.
The living room adds a queen-size fold-out bed. (Details for both homes listed below.) For maximum comfort, we recommend no more than eight adults.
All towels as well as bedding are provided.
A large hot tub sits a few steps away, right at the edge of the forest, offering a commanding view of trees and sky.
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SLEEPING ACCOMMODATIONS
Master Bedroom: 1 large bed for two.
There is also a standard sofa in this bedroom, with plenty of room left over for a crib or sleeping cushions for kids.
Forest Bedroom: 1 large bed for two.
This is an extraordinarily large room, which also holds two single beds.
There is also a separate office/den area, separated from the bedroom by folding doors, which has two rollaway beds.
Living Room: 1 queen sofabed for two.
There is also a second standard sofa.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Dogs are welcome; there is a fee. The deck and/or spacious dog corral provide secure outdoor space.
Unfortunately, we can't accept cats. There are simply too many people who are allergic (including members of our family).
Note this major advantage over many rental homes: You do *not* have to cart your trash and recyclables in your car when you leave (be sure to ask other hosts in advance, as this is a surprisingly common requirement). We have multiple cans for trash at the property, and you can leave aluminum and bottles in the can on the porch.
We have wifi, and most wireless devices function well. The living room has the strongest signal.
Cell phones on Verizon and Sprint/Tmobile will have cell coverage, but last we checked, the AT&T network still did not cover this neighborhood.
We have two TVs, each connected to a DVD player. The TV in the living room can also stream from the internet.
We have various board games. There's even a big electric organ!
You will find a charcoal BBQ, along with an outdoor dining table and chairs, on the spacious deck of the Chalet. We have self-starting charcoal for sale at our cost.
We have a two-acre horse corral, plus hay barn and covered stall. No extra charge -- but you buy the hay!
There is easy parking and turnaround for cars, RVs, and trailers. Essentially unlimited.
The public bus stop is a short walk. It is actually possible to travel all the way here via rail/bus from any train line in SoCal!
This place is super vintage and very cool!! You can feel the history here!
Pros: Beautifully built cabin, Nice and Quiet area, easy check in process, very roomy and spacious cabin, Hot tub access. Cons: Spiderwebs in every room of the house, appliances are very old, very old pots and pans to use and they look like they are rusting(sketchy if you use these), cabinets coming unhinged, overall the kitchen needs a whole remodel. Hot tub jets did not work and it was a bit of a walk to the hot tub with no clear pathway. My main concern was the way they had electrical hooked up in the cabin, there were extension cords plugged into extension cords plugged into the wall as well as every outlet on all the extension cords occupied(Piggy backing is a no no)…This is VERY VERY CONCERNING for me because it’s a MAJOR FIRE HAZARD. You just want to keep your guest safe for their stay. I do appreciate you letting us rent this cabin for the weekend. Hope you take the cons above and fix something’s for future guest to fully enjoy their stay.
I would not recommend anyone to visit this place because there were many issues with the cleanliness.
All kitchen appliances minus the dishwasher had grease to the point of blackening on the inside. A pot of water was left on the stove top upon arrival. When one of us tried turn the stove on, the knob felt loose and effort was needed to turn on. We turned the heater on, and it took really long to warm up inside. The white vents were also blackened with dust. The vent on the bottom in the hallway to the left of the entrance was only partially up. The smoke detector was hanging by the wires. Under the smoke detector was the piano/organ. It caught our attention, and we started playing the keys. One of us wanted to see what the inside looked like, and we found what looked like a rats or mice nest. We went into the bedrooms after. The room with 3 beds still had dog fur. We opened the closet to see if we can even put our stuff away, and we found 2 mattresses and sheets thrown into it. Not folded. It fell out a bit when we opened the doors. The little office has week floors and tile by the window and lamp. The other bedroom was the cleanest, but the bed was hard as bricks. Not my thing, but it was clean. Next to the door of the clean bedroom was the washer and “dryer” that was out of service. There’s more to complain about, but those were the things that made us feel uncomfortable, unsafe, and in disgust. We checked in at 3:56 pm and left at approximately 7:30 pm to check in at the motel 6 close by since it was too dark to drive back to our homes and all of us were already too tired from the day. The communication was great when we were checking in. However, when we made the owners aware of the environment, responses were delayed and a bit weird. When we told her about the dryer’s “warning: do not use” sign, her response was “why do you need the dryer?” Her solution to the situation was to send a cleaner after he got off work. There’s more to add and show, but I would not recommend this location at all.
Upon arriving to the house there was no heat during a snowstorm luckly the owner had the heat fixed the next day for us And provided reimbursement for the inconvenience. However the home was a bit outdated the appliances were working but quite old. There was mismatch bedding mismatched towels. Lots of power chords for everything that was plugged in. This home would be hard to call toddler friendly lots of things for a kid to get hurt on inside and outside. There was lots of space very very spacious place. The Jacuzzi was there however it is not a private Jacuzzi it is shared with the property. The location was good the property was nice. The only other thing I could recommend would be to bring your own you're own plastic wear for dishes if you have children because all they have is mismatched old glass dishes. This owner was very nice and accommodating. With a few upgrades this could be 5 stars.
Loved the location, very secluded. Large rooms with a spa in the back. The trees in the back with the wind rushing through them was what I was looking for and we were lucky to have thunder with some rain. The trails in the back were very nice with my dog.
This was the second time our family has stayed at the chalet. The house is roomy with plenty of space to spread out and also to hang out together. The house has everything you need, but we really came for the location. Backed into the national forest, all you hear is the wind in the trees and all the birds. There are trails right outside the back door for hiking. It is peaceful and beautiful and we can’t wait to go back again!
This is a great cabin to stay in, but there were a few drawbacks. Highlights: kids play area outside, hot tub outside, and spacious interior. Responsive and helpful owner. Downsides: not sure about the cleaning - lots of pet hair, missing top sheet on one bed, and toilet paper already out in one bathroom when we arrived. Also, it’s dark inside at night, even with the lights turned on, and a little musty. Otherwise, solid place to stay - we enjoyed our stay overall.
We already can’t wait to go back. Lovely home, secluded setting, nice hiking. The kids and dog enjoyed themselves very much too.
It was just the right amount of isolated. It was clean and warm and large enough for our party.
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Includes taxes and fees