MOUNTAIN HOSTEL
BIG BEAR LAKE
Nestled into the heart of Big Bear, our rustic Retreat Center is the perfect cabin rental to escape from the city into a cozy, natural, and peaceful space. The Retreat Center sits on a beautiful hillside above the lake at the entrance of Big Bear Village. The great location puts your group within walking distance to great hiking trails, breweries, restaurants and lake activities like boating and jet skiing.
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Built in the early 1900’s for the Bank of America family, the facility has spaces for all types of experiences regardless of your groups itinerary to create a social, friendly and fun atmosphere. The variety of a rest areas on the property make for the perfect environment to host events.
Inside the cabin, there are private rooms with private or shared bathrooms, as well as dorm style rooms with bunk beds. There are two lounges each with its own fireplace for guests to gather and socialize. A full kitchen and multiple dining areas allows groups to prepare delicious meals for entertaining.
The exterior of the ITH Big Bear Retreat Center begins with multiple patios and BBQ areas for comfortable hosting. The back of the property leads up the hill providing lake views and offering wellness areas, hammocks for resting and a small amphitheater. The Retreat Center is also a pet-friendly cabin rental in Big Bear and includes a fenced in area for dogs to have fun.
Regardless of the itinerary for your Big Bear vacation, the ITH Retreat Center is the ideal basecamp for your group’s mountain adventure.
Hostel Rooms
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Benefits and Amenities at the hostel
GUEST REVIEWS
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It's the best hostel I've ever stayed in. The kitchen is small; in the morning you can make your own pancakes. There is a lounge with tea that is open all day & during the night. The location is unparalleled for its right on the beach.
I'm so happy I decided to stay here. My friend had stayed there in the past so I felt safe with this choice. And it's situated in one of my favorite places in LA so I was happy to go.The whole experience was amazing.Breakfast is included (continental and pancake mix) and the volunteers organize activities every night which makes the hostel very social and a fun place to be (go to BBQ night on Saturdays for burgers and hot dogs!)The volunteers are so friendly and you'll make great friends whether it's with them or other guests.The bathrooms are super clean as well as the restrooms, and you'll be provided with linens and towels. And the beds are comfortable!A massive thank you to Sophie and Carey for making my stay an amazing one. They are always ready to help you and are fun people to talk and hang with. Truly the best! Cannot wait to come back!
If you need to stay close to the beach and the heart of Hermosa Beach, you are at the right place. The only thing you have to take into consideration is the noise of the bars and restaurants close by. So have your ear plugs, your headphones ready or wait it out. Rooms are good maintained and the stuff is super friendly. Just don't expect anything super fancy, it's as good as a hostel you remember from your youth's can be. Also parking is not that easy and public transit doesn't come as often as your like.
Its very loud at nught, hard to fall asleep. It‘s messy and the Staff look like they would live there and they are very slow.But yiu are right at the beach which is cool!
The best hostel experience I have had. Clean, considerate workers and NO drinking/ drugs. 2 minutes walk to beach and the bar scene is the best. *Note: bring 100$ deposit or a credit card for them to hold prior to check-in*
Rooms and bathrooms were clean and well maintained but the beds and some of the shower stalls could use a bit more privacy like curtains. Staff was friendly and helpful. Location is great as the hostel is located close to the beach and many bars. One downside of this is that it can be very noisy until late in the evening. The hostel did provide free earplugs to compensate for this.
We stayed in the private room and had very mixed feelings about the place.Location: we loved the location during the day. It was super convenient, and we loved walking all around OB. Unfortunately at night it was so loud it was impossible to sleep. There is no A/C, so you have to leave the windows open. The entire room was shaking from the noise until at least 2am.Cleanliness: the sheets seemed to be freshly laundered but as we were leaving, we found trash from a previous visitor under the bed. The bathroom was decently clean but definitely not the most clean hostel I've ever stayed at.Comfort: this is where we had the biggest problem. The bed was rock hard. I'm not sure if they had other rooms available because they charge $20 to change rooms after check in.Just another thing to be aware of. They have a policy where you can't have anything but water in your room. Not a huge deal, but we do enjoy takeout occasionally after a long day of traveling, so it was a bit annoying.Overall we wouldn't stay there again, but you won't find anything as cheap in the area.
Mike from USA said:
“I liked everything the place feels like a giant cabin. It was clean and relaxing and the staff was friendly. They also made us dinner and breakfast such a great value.”
Reviewed on Booking.com
Jewel from USA said:
“Great place, great people, very comfortable and warm! Good breakfast and dinner and a very cozy feel that encourages a community atmosphere. “
Reviewed on Hostelworld
EXPERIENCE THE LOCAL SPOTS WITH OUR BIG BEAR TRAVEL GUIDE
HOSTEL FAQ’S
Is the Hostel pet-friendly?
Yes, you are welcome to bring your pet as long as your are staying in a Private Room.
What is the weather like in Big Bear?
Big Bear offers an amazing climate consisting of four seasons! Temperatures range from around -5 degrees Celsius (15 degrees Fahrenheit) in the winter to 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit) in the summer. When traveling in the winter, be sure to brings tire chains in case of snow fall.
What can you do for free in Big Bear?
1. Hike to Castle Rock