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LODGINGS
Gold Mountain Manor / 2*
1117 ANITA AVE, BIG BEAR CITY; 909/585-6997
To call it a "log mansion" might be a stretch, but this big
1928 log house has good bones and a strong architectural pedigree. In
these parts, contractor Guy Maltby was known for his rustic structures,
including the famed Peter Pan Woodland Club, a Roaring '20s lodge that
was all the
rage with the well-to-do crowd from L.A. The Peter Pan went up in smoke
long ago, but Gold Mountain Manor displays Maltby's penchant for building
fine Adirondack-style cabins in the San Bernardinos. The best feature
here is the front porch, a shady retreat looking across a front
lawn set with pines. The living room with its hulking stone fireplace
feels, right on a snowy night. The rooms range from the very large Ted
Ducey W Suite with wood stove next to a private Jacuzzi, Mission tile,
glassed-in-porch-turned-bedroom, and pioneer/Indian motif, to the Lucky
Baldwin, a red-and-black-flannel-themed retreat. All six rooms have private
baths.
Full breakfast is served in a big downstairs front room, and beverages
and hors d'oeuvres, as well as all the homemade oatmeal cookies you can
eat, appear in the afternoon. One drawback is Gold Mountain's location:
although it's on the quieter north side of the lake in a pine forest,
the historic lodge has been surrounded by neighboring cabins of far more
pedestrian scale. Secluded it's not. Still, this is your chance to experience
log house living at its grandest. $$; AE, DC, MC, V; no checks; www.bigbear.com/goldmtn;
V2 block above N Shore Dr and 2 blocks west of
Greenway St.
Windy Point Inn / 2.5*
39015 N SHORE DR, FAWNSKIN; 909/866-2746
No inn in the San Bernardino Mountains has a better view than Windy Point.
This elegant, modern private-residence-turned-B&B has such a spectacular
setting you'll be tempted to stay in your room all day—luxuriating
in front of a fire, soaking in the two-person tub (most guest bath-
rooms have them), or sliding open a door to the breezes and just gazing
over the sparkling expanse of Big Bear Lake. Decor is modern but not stark,
thanks to the owners' varied collection of art and sculpture. Furnishings
are equally eclectic, but without any sense of hodge-podge: this is an
inn with a bit of Zen to it. Decks off many of the rooms almost hang over
the lake. Although it's located on the main route around the lake, Windy
Point feels utterly secluded because it takes in a good 300-degree view
of open water and distant peaks. Innkeepers Val and Kent Kessler are friendly
and hard-working, and breakfast is a treat, especially their poached eggs
and ginger pancakes. $$$; AE, DIS, MC, V; checks OK with credit-card guarantee;
offHwy 330.
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