Inn Der Bach

The hospitality was wonderful. Timothy brought up two baskets the night before we left, with Hot Chocolate, Pepperidge Farm Cookies, and chocolate covered strawberries. My teenagers loved them, and I had to fight to get a strawberry for myself and my husband. We used a Groupon and paid an upgrade fee that was very worth it. Our Thanksgiving stay in Chalet 12 was clean and well stocked, with great views from every window. The stove was big enough for a 22lb. turkey, and my teenagers had fun exploring and hiking. Timothy went above and beyond, and we’ll definitely come back.

The rooms were shabby inside and out, and the carpet was old and heavily stained. The bed and bedding were new, but don't expect the room to be cleaned or the coffee restocked, as that wasn't included. The promised "romantic dinner" turned out to be pizza, calzone, and spaghetti in styrofoam containers, and the salad and beverage never showed up. I say don't stay here because of what happened with my card. The owner/manager took my credit card number and said they wouldn't charge it because they don't accept credit cards. Tim did collect a fee when we arrived, which we expected. After a poor stay, we left a day early and found that my card had been charged. It took a month-long dispute with AMEX to get a refund. There are much nicer places to stay in town.

This resort was a surprise, coming from Utah. I didn't know Big Bear had stores, Vons, and dollar stores, since in Utah you have to pack food for camping or go hungry. Here, you can just bring yourself and your loved ones and eat out, with all the different places around. We stayed at number 8, which has a full kitchen, and they even gave us a fruit basket. Awesome! I thought the price was pretty steep at first: $89 on Deal Poloza, plus $110 for the kitchen upgrade and cleaning fee. But then I saw Motel 6 in town was $89 a night, and I don't think it has a kitchen. So, yes, I got a good deal. The Inn Der Bach needs some upgrades inside, though it looks so nice from the outside. It reminded me of SNOWBIRD in Utah, where the hotels look run down outside but are nice once you're in. Don't expect a modern five-star hotel, but I would recommend staying here.

We had a reservation and arrived at 5:30 pm, but the creepy office was closed and a sign told us to call for help. While waiting outside, we noticed people in a parked car. It turned out to be the owner's son, who also worked there. He told us his father would be there soon, but it took another ten minutes or so. The room he gave us was in the main house and very dark. At least the bathroom was clean. At night, the room was very noisy, with footsteps on the wooden floor and doors slamming. The owners drove around the rooms in this dark, wooded neighborhood, and their headlights kept shining into our window, even at 11 PM. We were frightened and left in the middle of the night, afraid we might fall asleep and wake up kidnapped in a basement. We went to Motel 6 instead. To top it off, the car that had been driving around followed us until we decided to stop and check. Do not go!