Head South For The Winter. They've Got Lobster
Posted on 01/25/2013 in FiveStarVacationRental.com News and Updates.
While we do much of our winter business with our snow-bound properties, we’re finding increasing numbers of folks who are looking to book a different getaway to a bit warmer climate. Not everybody relishes grabbing their skis and heading down the slopes. We understand that — we like to mix things up sometimes as well. And we’ve got a wonderful group of luxury rentals right on the beach in Puerto Nuevo, Mexico at the Villa la Estancia resort.
One of the often-overlooked features of Villa la Estancia is the amazing wealth of great dining available. And the dining ranges from world-class gourmet fare, to delicious hole-in-the-wall eateries lining the streets of nearby Nuevo Vallarta.
If you want to sample true quality gourmet cooking, you need look no further than La Casona, one of the on-site restaurants at Villa la Estancia. This fine-dining restaurant/bar offers an air-conditioned dining room and open-air terrace under wood-beam ceiling draped with fabric, bordered by wood-burning fireplace and giant candles after dark. Pianist in evening. Buffet breakfast daily. Dinner menu featuring appetizers, soups, salads, steaks, fish, shrimp, and nightly chef’s-special three-course meal. Our mouths are watering just thinking about it.
But we encourage you to also sample some of the amazing flavors and cuisine to be found in a short ride into Nuevo Vallarta. The town boasts a couple dozen small eateries with amazing food. Some of the restaurants have been in the families for several generations with recipes that are sure to keep you smiling and moaning with delight after each bite. And we’ll admit it. We often find the small family-run eateries to be the best. There’s just something about eating fresh, steaming lobster at an old formica dinner table that tastes better than anything we’ve found anywhere else. You’ll find a wide variety of lobsters available. We suggest you steer away from the largest ones, and stick to those weighing in at about a pound. They’re usually the most tender and flavorful.
Getting to Nuevo Vallarta couldn’t be easier. There are direct flights from all major Southern California airports, and the resort is about a 15 minute cab ride from the airport. All our suites have full kitchens so you’ll have a refrigerator to hold those great left-overs. We’ve got some yummy recipes for lobster omelets that are guaranteed to start off your day right.
And you can also get away to warmer climes with our Palm Springs/La Quinta properties. Just give us a call 310-780-3411, and we’ll be happy to help you plan your getaway. And you can have confidence that we’ll work hard to make sure your valuable vacation time is enjoyed to the fullest with one of our luxurious Five Star Vacation Rentals.
Pack Your Bags! We've Got Five Star Luxury Big Bear Cabins and Great Ski Conditions
Posted on 01/18/2013 in Luxury Big Bear Cabins.
The recent storms have finally passed, but they’ve left behind some great ski conditions in the Big Bear area. If you’ve been waiting for an excuse to pack up for your ski getaway, wait no longer! Check ahead when you come, but the roads are clear with no chains required, so it’s an easy drive to an amazing getaway. Here’s the current report from Bear Mountain:
There are lots of beginner jumps and rails at chair 6, while chair 5 is lined with intermediate jumps, hips, jibs, the halfpipes, and a new wall ride. Over on chair 9 there are more intermediate features as well as lots of advanced and some expert features. Chair 9 has lots of skate style down bars, wall-rides, boxes, and tubes of all sorts. We are definitely enjoying the finest park set-up of the 2012-2013 season. Freestyle camp is a great way to comfortable improve with friendly and talented instructors. We are out of the cold front which allowed for some great snowmaking, and back into classic Southern California sun shine …
And here’s the report from Snow Summit:
Park Staff has also made a few new changes to Westridge, including two skill builder boxes and a mini bank halfpipe at the top of Chair 2. After hitting the new features, you have your choice of lapping Summit Run or continuing through the park, which has a new feature count of 32 jibs and 41 snow features! The snow coverage is excellent and we’re expecting sunny skies all weekend long. Be sure to make reservations if you’re headed up for the holiday to guarantee your spot on the snow.
Snow Summit and Bear Mountain limit the number of lift tickets sold each day to reduce crowding both on the slopes and the lifts. Your tickets will work for either location, and there’ s a free shuttle bus that runs every half hour between the two. They’ve made every provision to make sure you’re able to get in the maximum amount of skiing on your getaway. Be sure to buy your lift tickets ahead of time to make sure they’re not sold out. Here’s the link to their online store: https://ecommerce.snowsummit.com/e-commerce/
And of course, we strongly recommend you also be sure to reserve one of our luxury Big Bear cabins for your stay. We have both Bear Mountain and Snow Summit cabins available, so you can get as close to the slopes as you wish. We’re experts at helping families put together amazing Big Bear family vacations. When you couple a great day of skiing with a relaxing stay at one of our luxury resort cabins, the only thing you’ll worry about is how you’re going to get the family to ever leave such fun and luxury. But not to worry. We’ll gladly help you book your return stay too! You can view all our Big Bear cabin rentals at this link.
There’s also great skiing right now at Park City and Mammoth Mountain, so be sure to call us about booking a luxury vacation rental for these destinations as well.
Just give us a call at 310-780-3411, and we’ll be glad to help you book your dream vacation in one of our 5 Star vacation rentals.
January Events In Big Bear
Posted on 01/11/2013 in FiveStarVacationRental.com News and Updates.
January is a busy month in Big Bear, and there are lots of fun activities available beyond the slopes. One of the great things about Big Bear is that you can ski all day, and have some real fun at night as well. And there’s enough to keep you busy off the slopes to make January a great time for a visit even if you don’t ski at all.
The Big Bear Discovery Center has lots of great activities planned for January. Each Saturday morning they offer a snowshoeing adventure in the San Bernardino National Forest with a resident naturalist. You’ll learn how to snowshoe, and go for a guided trek through the forest. Snowshoes, poles, water and a snack are provided. Please bring warm clothing layers and waterproof boots or shoes. You can buy tickets online at this page: http://discoverycentersnowshoetours.eventbrite.com/
The center also has a fun animal tracking event every weekend that allows you to locate and identify some of the local animal tracks. This is great fun for the entire family. Come learn how to track animals found in the forest. Learn how tracks are cast and make your very own. After creating your animal track, a naturalist will guide you on a 20 minute walk around the grounds searching for signs of animals.
The Big Bear Discovery Center is located at 40971 North Shore Drive in Fawnskin.
Take cooking lessons. Release your inner Julia Child by spending some time with one of the world-class chefs at the Copper Q. It’s an amazing experience with limited space so budding gourmets or wannabe chefs can rub elbows with a pro to see how it’s really done. You’ll learn to cook some of the most amazing delicacies and get to sample your work along the way. Classes are scheduled during the week, and space is limited, so be sure to call ahead. Here’s their website for more details: http://copperq.com/index.php?pg=classes
Hear some great music or make your own. Friday nights in Big Bear offer a great selection of live music. Here are a few great choices for your entertainment:
Nottingham’s Tavern at 40797 Big Bear Blvd.
Mill Creek Cattle Company at 41072 Big Bear Blvd
Skeleton Key Folk Music Center at 560 Pine Knot Avenue
Chad’s Place 40740 Village Drive
And on Tuesday night you have the opportunity to make some of your own music with karaoke at Murrays Saloon at 672 Cottage Lane. Break free of your shower and show the world your true talent.
And as you know, there’s also some amazing skiing to be found right now. So whatever your passion, we’re here to help you put together a luxury getaway in one of our Five Star Vacation Rental cabins and estates. Call us at 310-780-3411, and we’ll get you started on your way to a great getaway.
Looking for a vacation somewhere other than Big Bear? We also have some great vacation rental estates, cabins, and condos available in Park City, Utah, Palm Springs/La Quinta, Southern California Beaches, Mammoth Mountain, and Villa la Estancia in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico.
More Snow Fun In Big Bear
Posted on 01/04/2013 in Five Star Vacation Rentals Big Bear Cabins.
We’re in the height of snow season, so, if you haven’t already done so, we recommend that you call us to secure your reservation right away. January is one of our busiest months, and we hate turning guests away! Call us at 310-780-3411, and we’ll be happy to find the ideal vacation rental cabin for your getaway.
Bear Mountain and Snow Summit
Planning a getaway for some skiing? Great idea! Big Bear has terrific skiing available at both Bear Mountain and Snow Summit. The two slopes are operated in conjunction with each other, so you can ski to your heart’s content at one, and then take a quick trip over to the other. They even offer a free shuttle service between the two. All lift tickets work at both locations, so you can just concentrate on getting some serious skiing in. Several of our properties are within walking distance of the slopes, so you can see how this will make for a perfect ski getaway. Don’t worry about parking or traffic. Walk to the slopes, use the free shuttle, and return to your luxury Five Star Vacation cabin rental at the end of the day. At the end of that day, you can relax on the plush sofa, close your eyes, and just listen to the crackling fire. Life really doesn’t get much better than this.
Bear Mountain and Snow Summit limit the number of lift tickets they sell to avoid long wait times. So be sure to make your plans early, and buy your lift tickets before you go. Here’s the link to purchase online: http://www.bearmountain.com/snowboard/rates/lift-tickets/
Snow Fun Off the Slopes
While most people think of the great ski slopes when they head to Big Bear for snow play, there’s a lot more to do in the snow without skis.
Big Bear Snow Play is Southern California’s premier downhill inner tube destination. They have a covered magic carpet lift that transports you to the top of the slope without wearing you out. For one low entry price, they’ll supply the tube, and you’ll get unlimited runs down the hill. This is a great choice for families with small children who want to play in the snow, but don’t want to strap skis on the little ones yet. Visit their website for more details: http://www.bigbearsnowplay.com/
The Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain offers an entirely different sort of downhill fun. You kids will get wide-eyed when they realize that you’re taking them for a wild bobsled ride down a banked, twisty hillside track. It looks and feels almost like the downhill runs in the Olympics, and there’s really nothing like it anywhere else in Southern California. The runs are open year-round, so even if there’s no snow during your visit, the downhill bobsled runs will be open. You can get more information on their website: http://alpineslidebigbear.com/AlpineSlide.html
But the best part of your Big Bear getaway will surely be the relaxing time you spend in your luxurious cabin offered by Five Star Vacation Rentals. We’re convinced that our Big Bear cabins are the finest quality luxury homes you’ll be able to find. And we’re always working behind the scenes to make sure the properties are all kept in top-notch condition. We want to make sure that your next call to us will be to book another vacation.
View our Big Bear luxury cabin rentals on this page. We also have luxury vacation rental homes available in Park City,Palm Springs/La Quinta, Southern California Beaches, Mammoth Mountain, and Villa la Estancia in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. Each of our vacation rentals is sure to provide your family a vacation you’ll remember fondly for years to come. Call us at 310-800-5454, and we’ll help you book your next getaway.
