Review Of The Honey Bear Cabin: Cozy Airbnb In Big Bear

Big Bear Lake is home to amazing ski resorts, beautiful hiking trails, watersports, restaurants, and other fun attractions. Needless to say, Big Bear has become one of the most popular getaway spots, especially for Los Angeles locals.

If you’re planning a trip to Big Bear, the chances are you’ll end up spending quite a bit of your time at your rental cabin hanging out and relaxing after a full day of outdoor activities. That being said it’s pretty important to choose a cabin that fits all of your needs and wants.

In this post, we will review one of our favorite Airbnb cabins in Big Bear – The Honey Bear Cabin.

Who This Cabin Is For

The Honey Bear Cabin is a charming Airbnb rental in Big Bear Lake. We personally know the couple that owns The Honey Bear Cabin so whenever we’re planning a trip to Big Bear, we usually try to stay in this cabin.

We love this cabin because it was recently renovated and unlike other rentals in Big Bear, it has a very modern and chic interior.

The Honey Bear Cabin is located on the east part of the Big Bear about 10 minutes away from downtown. We like that this cabin is more secluded and not right next to the downtown traffic and noise.

The Honey Bear Cabin fits up to 6 people and is on the smaller end of cabin rentals. It’s perfect for families or couples on a romantic getaway.

Due to the sleeping and space limitations, this cabin is not a “party cabin” and is not meant for large groups.

This cabin also does not allow pets so that’s something to keep in mind if you’re looking for a pet-friendly cabin in Big Bear.

About The Honey Bear Cabin

Whether you’re coming to Big Bear for the winter sports or to enjoy nature in the summer, The Honey Bear Cabin is a wonderful Airbnb rental to stay at all year long.

The Honey Bear Cabin has one main guestroom, an upstairs room and a living room with a couch. This cabin can sleep up to 6 people but it’s best for parties up to 4.

The Honey Bear Cabin is fully stocked and comes with everything you may need to make your stay comfortable.

It has a kitchen with all the main appliances like a fridge, stovetop, oven, microwave and a toaster. It comes with pots, pans, and utensils needed for cooking and eating.

It also has a teapot and standard coffee maker for those who are like me and can’t fully function before their second cup of coffee in the morning.

The only thing you really need to bring is your own food and drinks which you can also purchase in Big Bear at one of the nearby food stores like Vons, Stater Bros, or Community Market.

The Honey Bear Cabin comes with a shower that has soap, shampoo, towels, and a hairdryer.

The rooms have full bedding like sheets, pillows, and blankets. The bedding is washed after each guest so you don’t need to worry about bringing your own.

My favorite space of The Honey Bear Cabin is the living room that has a cozy fireplace and a TV set up with Netflix. After spending the day on the slopes or out hiking we love to snuggle up on the couch in front of the fireplace and watch a movie or play a game of (overly competitive) Jenga.

There are two wooden fireplaces at The Honey Bear Cabin – one in the living room and one in the main bedroom.

The cabin has plenty of wood for both but you may want to bring a fire starter log which makes it easier and quicker to get the fire going. But my husband is what I call a “fire-poker” (there’s always one in the group) and will mess with the fire until he’ll get it started.

If you’re planning a trip to Big Bear in the winter, note that due to the altitude it can get really cold up there especially at night. Thankfully this cabin also has a strong heater that can warm up the inside space within minutes.

Amenities

Along with all of the basic necessities, The Honey Bear Airbnb cabin also has a few awesome amenities.

My favorite was the backyard fire pit that we used when hanging outside.

The backyard fire pit runs on propane so it’s super easy to get started and makes for the perfect addition on a colder evening.

The patio area feels very quaint and it is decorated with adorable twinkle lights.

Although there are neighbors on both sides of this cabin, you’re completely surrounded by trees and the cabin is far enough from neighboring houses that it feels very secluded.

The patio also has a propane BBQ grill which is great for grilling outside especially in the summer.

If The Honey Bear Cabin sounds like a great fit for you, you can check out more on their Instagram page here!

Tip: Note that there are not that many small cabins available in Big Bear so The Honey Bear Cabin does get booked up quickly, especially in the busy seasons. If possible, plan accordingly and try to reserve it ahead of time.

Trails Near The Honey Bear Cabin

Big Bear Lake has a lot of scenic trails that start all around the lake. Every time we plan a visit to Big Bear, we try to knock out at least one hike in the area.

Castle Rock Trail is the most popular hike in Big Bear and we’ve done it a few times but it is located on the other side of Big Bear about a 20-minute drive from The Honey Bear Cabin.

If you’re looking for some quick day trails to do near The Honey Bear Cabin, the Pebble Plain nature reserve starts right behind this cabin with several different trail options that span up to a few miles in the distance.

The Pebble Plain Ecological Reserve was created in 2014 to protect local plants and animals that live in the Big Bear area. What used to be private property is now part of 700 acres of restoration lands and is open to the public for hiking.

The closest trail to The Honey Bear Cabin starts on the Deer Horn Drive and from there it forks off in a few different directions into the mountains.

If you’re not familiar with this area I recommend downloading Maps.Me hiking app before you set out so you can keep track of your hiking route.

The Pebble Plain trails start off pretty steep and climb up the mountain through paths in the forest. About a mile in as you near the top the trails flatten out a bit so you can catch your breath.

Although overall the trails at Pebble Plain Ecological Reserve are not very difficult, the altitude makes them feel a bit challenging.

If you feel dizzy or have difficulty breathing make sure to take frequent breaks and bring plenty of water with you.

The Pebble Plain trails mostly travel one way and end once they reach the nearby Sugarloaf or Moonridge neighborhoods. The longest trail that we personally went on here was around 4 miles long round trip and took us about 2 hours to complete.

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What To Do In Big Bear

Big Bear Lake has a lot of outdoor activities to do all year long. Below are a few of our favorites broken down by different seasons.

Winter

Winter season is by far the most popular time for Big Bear vacationers. This is also the time when cabins get booked quickly so if you plan to come to Big Bear in the winter make sure to book your Airbnb cabin well in advance.

Here are some popular activities to do in Big Bear in the winter:

Snow Summit Ski Resort. This resort has some of the longest skiing and snowboarding runs in Southern California with 27 different available routes. Snow Summit Resort is perfect for those who like to ski and snowboard but not necessarily do tricks. This is the resort that we usually go to.
Big Bear Mountain Resort. Unlike Snow Summit, Bear Mountain Resort has a lot of designated areas for tricks like boxes, rails, and jumps. Bear Mountain Resort is great for those who like to do shorter runs with lots of tricks.
Big Bear Snow Play. This used to be a ski resort but it was turned into a snow park with snow tubing. This is a great family activity, especially for younger kids.

Summer

Although winter is the busiest time at Big Bear, summer also offers a lot of outdoor recreational activities especially on the lake itself.

North Shore Landing Jet Ski Rentals. We rented jet skis at Big Bear during one of our summer vacations and had such a blast. Although Big Bear Lake gets a lot of boats in the summer season, there is plenty of space to take a jet ski rental for a fun spin around the lake.
Mountain Biking. In the summer season, Big Bear Ski Resorts turn their snow runs into trails that can be used for mountain biking. If that sounds a bit too extreme, there are also other forest trails for every type of mountain biking expertise level.
Hiking. Summer is an excellent time to head out on some hiking trails at Big Bear. As we already mentioned, there are some short hikes near The Honey Bear Cabin itself but our personal favorite is the Castle Rock trail that leads up to a viewpoint of the lake. But note that parking for the Castle Rock trail is limited so if you choose to hike this trail make sure to head out there early (before 10 am) to snatch a parking spot and to avoid the crowds.

Fall

Fall is one of my personal favorite times to visit Big Bear Lake. While most places in Southern California rarely experience season changes, Big Bear does go through a colorful fall season so we like to come up here to enjoy the fall foliage and other fun activities.

Big Bear Octoberfest. Every year Big Bear hosts one of the biggest Oktoberfest’s in Southern California that takes over the Big Bear city for a whole month. With live German bands, delicious food, and endless beer, the Big Bear Octoberfest is a must-do activity in the fall.
The Village. If you’re looking for fall foliage, a great place to hunt for fall colors is in Big Bear’s downtown area also called The Village. Here you’ll find beautiful trees in various hues of reds, yellows, and oranges. We love to come here in the afternoon for a relaxing walk after which we usually stop at one of the local restaurants for lunch on the patio.

Spring

Springtime is one of the least visited seasons in Big Bear. In the spring Big Bear ski resorts start to close down for the year yet the hiking trails are still snowed in and inaccessible.

While spring seems like a slow season for Big Bear travel, there are still plenty of fun activities to do that you might otherwise overlook during the rest of the year.

Big Bear Alpine Zoo. Compared to other zoos in Southern California, the Big Bear zoo is quite small but what I love about this zoo is that every animal here has been rescued from the Big Bear area. The Big Bear Alpine Zoo also serves as a rehabilitation center for local wild animals and often they are rescued, healed and then released back into the nature. This is a great place to visit for families especially kids.
Big Bear Lake. While we’ve mentioned a lot of outdoor activities in this section, one of our favorite things to do in Big Bear is to enjoy a nice stroll or sunset by the lake. Two of the most scenic access areas for the Big Bear Lake are Boulder Bay Park and Juniper Point.

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Interested in how I capture photos on my trips? Here is my suggested camera gear that I use to create my images:

Main camera: Sony a7II Camera With 28-70 mm Standard Lens
Polarizer Filter for the standard lens (helps eliminate reflection and enhance color especially on super bright days): Amazon Basics 55 mm
Wide Lens (great for nature shots): Sony 16-35 mm F4
Polarizer Filter for the wide lens: Amazon Basics 72 mm
Small Tripod (to stabilize photos and eliminate blur): JOBY Gorrilapod
Memory Cards: SanDisk 32 GB
Batteries: Wasabi Power battery charger and extra battery pack
Camera Bag: Lowepro weather-resistant bag

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sony-alpha-a7II-mirrorless-camera.jpg — **Sony Alpha 7II Mirrorless Camera**

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