ITH Big Bear Lake Hostel and Retreat Center

I wasn't sure what to expect when visiting ITH Big Bear. Initially I thought it was just a good deal. However, this place surpassed all expectations. The staff are great, the beds are super comfortable, and the vibes are immaculate. This place isn't a hostel - it's an experience. Making plans to go back ASAP.

If you are looking for a solid bang for your buck place to stay, traveling solo, or just want to have a wholesome experience - ITH Big Bear is the place.

Cheers to Bruno and friends for making it possible.

Friendly staff, cozy building, good vibes. Everything you want from a hostel! Cheers to Bruno and company for a great stay.

Bruno was impeccable, the staff members made me feel extremely comfortable! The atmosphere is nice, the lounge is super cozy! I had a great time

Didn’t even get to stay there. I called ahead to cancel an appointment we couldn’t make and they said sure. Turn around and now they want to charge me $200 for a stay i never stayed at AFTER confirming my reservation would be canceled at no extra cost or hub bub. Between this place and the other, big bear has stolen $300 from my family. And here we are freezing sleeping in the car no one cares tho, just wanna steal ur $$

StaffRoomsLocation
No charge for towels Coffee/tea and breakfast
Best hostel I've stayed at!

We stayed one night and this place is the best in the valley. The volunteers are very friendly and nice. The location is great: nice terrace, a pool table, a ping pong table and even a hot tub. ITH never disappoints.

By far the best hostel I’ve been to in the states, the staff were super super friendly, the management is very cool and helpful, Yogi the dog is charming and cute, the events, the food, the gatherings, the atmosphere, it’s more than perfect. Even though I was there only for 1 night, I felt the urge to actually stay there longer, feels home, the decorations and the vibes are so comfy and they got everything you might think of, from card games, pool, Darts, Guitars, Piano, Chess to a hot tub outside and a BBQ, they’re are plenty of things to do and they are very caring and the staff will make sure you’re having a good time. Definitely worth it to give it a shot!

I hate giving them 3 stars for the fact that the staff were very nice, attentive and helpful (in person). The location was also very nice. Actually, I would have given it more if I were to compare it with a shared room hostel standard but for a private room experience.this is the highest I could give.

I got a private room with shared bathroom. The bathroom was right next to my room so it's pretty comfortable. Water took quite long to heat up despite I turned the H tap to full. The water draining was also working terribly. I showered with my feet flooded.

The hostel looked clean in general. There were people cleaning the common area everyday. However, if you look deeply, for example, my room, it's actually full of dust. I assume they just change bed sheets and do general floor cleaning but leave other space untouched. I wanted to close the curtain and a pile of dust just flew up and made me sneeze. Btw, the bedsheet was not clean either. There was a lot of hair of different colors and length. I was very uncomfortable that I used my own clothes to make another layer before I slept. On the second night there was a cockroach-size insect running in the restroom and a very big ant (? - let say an insect) in my room! I know it's Big Bear national park in summer, but I'd expect them to at least apply some insect prevention to human living space.

Breakfast was amazing for a hostel - eggs, bread, jam, peanut butter, milk, waffles (you have to make it - they provide ingredients), tea, coffee. I totally suggest making waffles - it's very quick and easy. Kitchen was very good, just like advertised. They have a lot of everything to use and also dish soap to clean. You're supposed to clean your dishes yourself but I saw a lot of guests left their dirt though. Big fridge. Milk was left in the fridge all day for free from the morning.

They advertised that they have free dinner and that made me thought it's everyday - no they didn't! Free bbq and tacos are only on Sun and Tue. This was extremely misleading! The activity board was also another weird thing. In the morning the staff messaged in the whatsapp group about the hike. I replied and no one replied me until the time came I showed up and they said it's a do-it-yourself hike.so basically they only suggested you what to do and that's it. I remembered upon check-in the staff showed me the board saying "we have a lot of activities". Suggested activities and you go do it by yourself.

They have like 6-7 parking spots in front of the hostel. Reception won't open until 4pm but I felt like staff were around all the time. They're not responsive in messenger app/social media but if you walk up to them and ask, they will be helpful and friendly and approachable. There was a hot tub but I didn't feel like going in due to the overall cleanliness of the hostel. Location was very good tho. The Big Bear village is a few minutes walk.

Common areas are very good. They have board games and many kinds of sitting/lying down furnitures. I love that they have piano and guitar too. And people respect the quiet time, after that hours, everything was quiet. The only sound I heard after closing all the windows was some random cars passing by the street, otherwise it's very quiet (forest sound doesn't count).

Maybe my expectation was too high from their advertisement and all the good reviews. It's probably worth it for a shared hostel bed but for a $120+ private room, I expected something much cleaner at least.

One of the best hostels I've been so far! Everybody was really nice! Would definetly recommend to stay here:)

My husband, two kids and myself stayed in one of their camping spots that are around the hostel and we had an amazing experience. It included a continental breakfast, they let us use their kitchen, rest rooms, game room and great room! Everyone was so kind and inviting, too!

Best hostel experience I’ve ever had! The staff was super friendly (Adrian and Bruno were incredibly helpful!) The hostel was clean and cozy. Beds were comfy, showers were clean and had great water pressure. The game room and great room were perfect for kickin back and relaxing. Less than a 5 minute walk from the village which has great food and bars. I’d choose this hostel over any of the hotels nearby (even if those hotels weren’t 10 times more expensive.) I couldn’t have asked for a better stay! Thank you ITH! I’ll be back for ski season!

Great hostel for thru hikers. Close to the hardware store and many restaurants. They offer soap and laundry for a small price. Soap, shampoo and towels are free for the showers. I think I even would have preferred this hostel over a more expensive hotel room because you have the freedom to cook yourself, lounge on very comfortable furniture and take the space to figure out your resupply for the next section. The only downside is that I couldn’t call them directly. They have to call you back, hoping you have service if they do. Tip if you need to reschedule your appointment: call the office in San Diego. They can do that too.

Cool PCT hostel vibe - dorms decent but standard free standing bunks -
Very good breakfast with excellent coffee - large comfy communal spaces and a hot tub - Friendly helpful staff

Liked it so much here that I extended my stay to 2 nights. Awesome staff. Cuddly Bernese mountain dog (yogi). Taco Tuesday’s hosted by the hostel. Hot tub, game room, kitchen, porch & great room areas are perfect spaces for meeting new people &/or hanging out in groups. Free coffee + breakfast (fruit & ingredients for waffles or pancakes). $2.50 laundry. Exceptionally clean and fun hostel with great vibes

10 out of 5. Best Hostel experience I've had. Everything is so chill, free breakfast and showers. Only complaint is the guitar is missing a string.

Phenomenal hostel stay in Big Bear Lake! Super friendly, large layout so plenty of places to socialize or get some alone time. They offered breakfast-making materials in the morning including pancake/waffle mix, fruit, bread, oatmeal, and coffee/tea. I would definitely stay here on my next trip!