Big Bear Getaway by Meredith - Big Bear, California

Gayane K.

Terrible Experience – Do Not Book With This Company

This rental was a complete disaster. The property was nowhere near the quality advertised. The beds were some of the worst I’ve ever encountered—cheap, uncomfortable, and impossible to sleep on. The pillows and blankets were of such poor quality that they felt like an afterthought.

On top of that, the kitchen and dining situation was a mess. There weren’t enough plates, glasses, or utensils to accommodate a normal group, and what was there was mismatched and inadequate. It was clear that no effort had been made to ensure the property was properly stocked or ready for guests.

When I reached out to the management company to address these issues, they were completely unhelpful. Their lack of response and unwillingness to fix the problems showed how little they care about their guests’ experience.

This property was an absolute disappointment, and I would never book with this company again. They failed to deliver on even the most basic expectations, let alone what was promised in the listing. Avoid at all costs!

Margarita H.

The Worst Hospitality Experience – Don’t Waste Your Money

This rental was a complete disappointment and a lesson in false advertising. From the moment we arrived, it was clear that this property was not properly maintained or prepared for guests.

The beds were an absolute disaster—hard, uncomfortable, and clearly old or low-quality. The linens provided were cheap, thin, and inadequate. It felt like the bare minimum effort was made to set up the house, with no thought given to the comfort of the people staying there.

The kitchen was another major letdown. Basic items like plates, glasses, and utensils were missing or mismatched, making it impossible to enjoy meals together. For a property claiming to accommodate groups, this was completely unacceptable.

What made matters worse was the complete lack of support from the management team. My concerns were met with indifference, and no attempts were made to fix the issues. The lack of accountability and care ruined what should have been a relaxing trip.

This was by far the worst experience I’ve had with a vacation rental. If you’re considering booking with this company, think twice. They don’t deliver on their promises and don’t seem to care about their guests’ experience.

Vahe H.

Absolutely Terrible Experience

I had an incredibly disappointing experience with this property and the company managing it. Despite advertising the house as suitable for 12 people, the reality was far from it.
1. Uncomfortable Beds: The mattresses were so bad they were almost unusable. None of the 7 adults or 3 kids in our group could sleep properly during our stay. The pillows and blankets were of the cheapest possible quality, adding to the discomfort. When we complained and asked for replacements, the issue was not resolved.
2. Inadequate Kitchenware: The house was poorly equipped to handle even 8 people, let alone 12. There weren’t enough plates, glasses, or basic utensils to accommodate our group, and everything was mismatched and incomplete.
3. Poor Customer Service: When we contacted the management to address these serious issues, they either failed to act or simply ignored our requests. The lack of responsiveness was unacceptable, and it felt like they didn’t care about our comfort or satisfaction.
4. Misleading Listing: The listing completely misrepresented the quality of the property. It’s clear that they prioritize profits over providing a decent guest experience.

I would strongly advise anyone considering this property or this company to stay away. This was one of the worst rental experiences I’ve ever had, and it completely ruined our trip.

Sona H.

False Advertising and No Accountability – A Nightmare Stay

This was hands down one of the worst rental experiences I’ve ever had. The property was marketed as suitable for 12 people, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Here’s what we faced:
1. Unlivable Conditions: The mattresses were like sleeping on concrete slabs. The pillows were flat and cheap, and the blankets were so thin they offered zero comfort. Our group of 7 adults and 3 children spent sleepless nights, which completely ruined our trip.
2. Utter Lack of Essentials: There weren’t even enough plates or glasses to serve everyone. Mismatched and incomplete kitchen supplies made every meal a hassle, and the whole house felt poorly equipped and unprepared for guests.
3. Zero Support: When I reached out to the company for help, they either ignored me or gave excuses. They made no attempt to resolve the issues, leaving us to fend for ourselves.

This company is clearly in the business of overpromising and underdelivering. Their lack of professionalism and disregard for guests’ comfort is appalling. If you want your vacation to feel like a nightmare, book with them. Otherwise, save yourself the frustration and look elsewhere.

Travis S.

This company is absolutely awful to rent from. I highly recommend future people not rent any properties associated with this company either directly or via short term rental websites like VRBO and AirBnB.

We rented what looked like a nice home online to find out it was a complete mess upon arrival. Things we experienced included:
1. There were no additional kitchen trash bags to be found in the property (we had to go out and buy more)
2. The cleaning service clearly had not been in the property prior to our arrival as upon entry there were blankets and pillows strewn about the couches as if someone had been sleeping in there and didn’t put them away
3. There was long black hair on the pillows in two of the bedrooms
4. Hair on the bathroom floor mats in the master and single bathroom/ non-shower on the main floor
5. Dirty laundry/ linens were laying all over the floor in the laundry room (comforters, blankets, sheets, bath towels)
6. One beds pillows had stains all over them
7. One of the toilets had urine stains in it
8. Master bathtub was not clean, showing dirt, water and soap stains in it
9. We arrived to find no clean bath towels or linens in the house, as a result we had to re-wash and fold all the linens and bathroom towels the 1st night we were there (took us close to 3 hours to do all of it)
10. Multiple overhead ceiling lights we inoperable
11. The ‘hot’ knob associated with the master bath shower was broken and laying in pieces on the floor bench in the shower, as a result this rendered the shower completely useless as hot water can’t be turned on which also means we only had one shower to use now in the entire rental
12. The trash compactor in the kitchen has a broken front panel that had been carelessly taped together and was falling off
13. Their check-in process to access their properties is a nightmare

While some of this may seem insignificant I would tell you when you're renting a home for over $1000 a night you would expect these things to be buttoned up and taken care of.

On multiple occasions we talked with Big Bear Getaway, including Brian, as well as representatives at VRBO. Both sides claimed they would help out, of which nothing was ever done. This experience was an absolute disgrace. BE VERY CAUTIOUS working with this property management company and it's employees. They'll tell you what you want to hear then never follow up.

Alana D.

This will be the first negative review I have ever left on Yelp. A group of friends and I rented a "lake front" cabin from this agency for 4th of July weekend. Upon arrival we were disgusted with the state of the property. #036 Eye of the Eagle. DO NOT RENT FROM THIS AGENCY!

When we arrived at the home in the late afternoon (after 4pm) of 7/1/21, we were immediately concerned about the safety and cleanliness of the property. Including but not limited to: visible mold growth on the walls, ceilings and window coverings of multiple restrooms and bedrooms, non-working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, film falling and peeling from the ceiling, cracked/water damaged walls, discoloration around vents, broken vents being supported by sticks/poles, visibly damaged sealant and water damage above and below the deck, unwashed linens, stained carpets and pests including a nest of bats and countless insects.
Immediately we walked the property and began to document the damage for our own protection, additionally we opened all the windows and doors in an attempt to remove the concerning odor in the home that increased in potency as we ventured to the rooms downstairs with the most visible water and mold damage.

Our party was still arriving at the home throughout the morning and afternoon of 7/2/21 when we spoke with multiple members of your staff and it was at that time, due both to the unacceptable state of the property and the frankly disrespectful customer service agents that we made the decision to leave the home.

After finally deciding to leave the home, and ruin our holiday weekend, we requested a refund from the agency which has now refused to refund our group and is claiming that we are attempting to extort them by asking for our money back.

If you're looking for somewhere safe to stay in Big Bear, I would stay far away from this unprofessional agency and more importantly unsafe properties

Rebecca F.

Loved the home we rented! Great friendly customer service so many wonderful vacation places choose from. our hidden cabin was perfect for a family of 10

Diana L.

The check in process was terrible... I get that there were delays but 2.5 hrs late was bad. When I called to ask the representative from the Rental office he said the airb&b was ready at 4pm as promised and wasn't sure why we weren't allowed to go to the airb&b until 6:30pm. I explained that at the check in office the staff stated we were not allowed because house keeping hasn't cleared it. He said that it wasn't true and our airb&b was ready for us by 4pm. Not sure what happened there but we wasted 2.5 hours waiting around.

The air b&b they listed was just SUPER off from their listing.
When I say the place was not as expected:
1) the driveway realistically fits only 3 SUVS and that took all the driveway already. We have one compact sedan that was able to fit the 4th car on the dirt side.
2) the heating was super off in the house. It would say that it was set to 75 but literally only one room was super warm and the second floor had no heating at night.
3) no essentials: no seasonings or even oil. Only left 2 extra trash bags. It literally said word for word: "The spacious main kitchen is fully updated offering plenty of counter space and counter seating and is equipped with everything you need for cooking and serving meals." We ended up having to go out to buy the essentials because there were NONE.
4) thinnnnnn blankets and nothing extra to help at all...
5) They told their cooperate office a late check-put was offered but NOPE. Nowhere in any of our messages was a late check out offered at all. During the check in, it was stated we had to check out by 11am so yeah they lied to corporate office and Air B&B.
6) For the hot water it has been a known issue since other reviews have written about it.. I thought it got fixed since one of the reviews said someone came by to check on it but NOPE. The rental was a hit or miss with the hot water... not the greatest when you have 10 people that need to shower and some had to shower in cold water...

I've been trying to talk to them about a partial refund but they ghosted me...