Goldmine Lodge — Hotel in Big Bear Lake

We needed to go up to Big Bear last minute for a meeting, but didn't realize a big car show was in town. Every hotel and lodge was booked... it was between Goldmine Lodge and Motel 6, and I am SO glad Karen at Goldmine Lodge answered the phone and offered us her last room, #2. Since prices between the two places were comparable, we weren't expecting much, but this little place was really perfect.||||First of all, easy check in. Our paperwork was already printed when we arrived, we just signed and got keys. Everything in our room was clean and comfortable. Bed was cozy and temperature was perfect. There was a desktop oscillating fan to keep air circulating. We LOVED the space heater that looked like a fireplace... our baby was mesmorized by the flickering light and there was no risk of her getting burned. You know how most hotels have thin, rough, industrial carpeting? This place has soft, plush carpeting, like a home, so we were able to spread our baby quilt on the ground and let our daughter scoot around happily. ||||I love it when small places have better, more thoughtful details than major chains. I loved that for the low price, we got a fridge and microwave in our room, something I sometimes can't get in a Hyatt. I loved the giant bright colored mugs next to our coffee maker and the big pint glasses for water instead of dinky plastic cups. I loved that instead of crummy soap from Sodexho or another big distributor they had great smelling coconut and warm ginger soap in the bathroom. I LOVED THAT THE SHOWER HAD A LIGHT IN IT! I cannot tell you how many 4 star hotels I have stayed in that were so poorly designed as to have no light inside the shower... you feel like you are showering in the dark. A shower with a light in it in Big Bear of all places!||||Added perks were the outdoor jacuzzi (we did not get to use, as we arrived late, but several people were enjoying it during our stay) a porch swing out in the front lawn, and best of all, a little playground with swings and green grass that our 8 month old very much enjoyed. There were wooden chairs and a small deck for reading, and picnic tables for eating. What a thoughtful area for families!||||The ONLY thing that we would have changed were the curtains. There were a little thin, and since the porch lights of the place were so bright, they didn't stop all the light. And as anyone with kids knows, the key to keeping your children from getting up at the crack of dawn is to keep them from realizing it's dawn ;) We would have loved to keep the room a little darker.||||Everything else was GREAT, and we...

NEGATIVE Star Review. Worst STAY of our life! Bates motel instead if Goldmine lodge. Door nobs falling off, just enough soap in the shower and hand dispensers, no central lighting, plus not all the lamps worked, bulbs were out, there were 2 fans in the closet 1 broken the other didn't work. When I called they kept saying can you try again. Then they said they were on thier way, 30 mins later an owner should up in a very expensive car with an old table fan. Then at 11 pm someone was stomping upstairs but we were the only people registered. So Bizarre we were the ONLY ones at Goldmine Lodge and now I know why. Then they tried to entrap us, and charge 30.00 for early check in, my husband talked to 2 people. No one told him there was a 30 fee for checking in early. We refused to pay it. You have to call a number, no one is ever in the office. Then they say 15 mins but in reality they take 30 mins. 5 remotes none worked. TV took over an hour to start up . We asked for 2 queens , we got 2 Fulls. No blow dryer or iron in the room. We were the ONLY ones at the lodge. The heater didn't work. The coffee maker didnt work. No Netflix, Disney, Hulu etc. There were no dishes in the kitchen, the hot water in the shower, no tub, took over 15 mins to finally get hot. The pillows were thin as paper, I did better with my travel pillow. The beds were hard as a Rock. I had to get an adjustment at my chiropractor when I got home. I call this the Bates Motel experience. Stay at your own risk , oh and No Refunds Ever it's posted on a sign, which means they can do or Not do whatever they want. The young girl Aracely in the office was very kind and accommodating. I don't want her getting in trouble. The owners, very different story, and not in a good way. I have...

Beware price reflects exactly what you're getting into. I was thinking about that. Gordon Ramsay hotel Hell!!

I thought. Wow! What a good deal. The lodge looked nice from the pictures a little dated, but that's to be expected.

We were just looking for a place for the night Even though the room had some faults, water damage in the bathroom no soap in the kitchen an old sponge A. crock-Pot and old cup under the sink. This place gave off more of a long-term motel vibe than a lodge. we were willing to overlook it. We even decided to stay an extra day... Just because it was convenient.

That's when things got interesting. I was confronted the next day at the door by 4 guys asking why I didn't pay. This was a surprise since I went into the office and paid that morning. The guy I paid was standing right there looking at me.

It ended up being the wrong room. Still no way to treat any customer, even one that is possibly overslept or God forbid at a medical emergency.

You could always call. We give you a phone number when we check in or come to the room respectively. I will never come back to this place again and was extremely embarrassed.

I should have asked for some type of compensation, but from the looks of the establishment that would not have happened

There was trash on the ground and spread around the property a dilapidated swing set hey broken telescope horseshoe pit no horseshoe equipment.

Last but not least

The guy at the front desk smelled like cigarettes and looked like he hadn't taken a shower in a couple days.

I really see a lot of potential in this property and hope management steps up and makes critical...