lilib

sf7303 is correct about my "do not stop" tip. I meant no need to overnight along the way south. Yes, you should stop, get out of the car and take in the views periodically.

As far as Northstar goes... it's 15 min. from the lake but an easy drive. It's very doable to hop in the car and grab lunch on the water in Tahoe City. You can also plan one night to drive 10 minutes into Truckee (has an Old West feel to the town) for dinner and ice cream.
I guess I'm biased, with our teens to keep interested we found the self contained resort was the way to go, especially during summer. Check out their website link under "summer".

Lastly, definitely take one day to drive around the lake. It's worth it.

janisj

There are self contained resorts right at the lake if that is what you want. Northstar is fine -- but IMHO to spend time in summer at Tahoe, its better to be AT Tahoe - not Northstar or Squaw or Truckee. If it was a winter ski trip, my opinion would be different. But in summer, I wouldn't want to fight the traffic on 267 or 89 to get to the lakeside.

sf7307

Even if there were no traffic on 267 (the route from Northstar to the lake), since the OP is coming from the UK, and the prime attraction in Lake Tahoe is the lake, I'd still highly recommend staying at the lake and not inland. I agree with Janis, Northstar, Squaw and Truckee are great in winter (and I would go to Truckee for a few hours and a meal), but especially with only a few days, I would personally recommend lakeside.

anjo56

Thanks all for continued input. I've booked Yosemite and hopefully cabin at Lake Tahoe on the lake itself with cycling (flat!) and shops within walking distance. My eldest is diabetic so foodshopping is large on my radar.
Itinerary currently looks like this:
SF 4 nights/3 days.
Napa or somewhere en route to Lake Tahoe - 1 night
Lahe Tahoe - 3 nights
Yosemite (near El Portal) 2 nights
Sta Monica 5 nights with 5 nights inbetween to do Coastal run.
Feel as though it's all starting to make sense and I'm getting an idea of scale! Thanks to all for input. Any other thoughts more than welcome.
Cheers

janisj

Very nice plan. Don't worry about groceries at Tahoe. There are several large, full service supermarkets scattered around the lake (Incline, Tahoe City, Southshore, etc.) so once you know where you're staying we can help you w/ the locations of shopping nearby.

anjo56

JanisJ - thanks. Can't remember exactly where we are but think it's outside Tahoe City.

Another new question for all you knowledgeable people out htere.... I haven't booked flights yet, wanting to finalise accommodation and itinerary first. Have been looking on ebookers site every day since before I posted this thread and until today, only operators posted were BA and Virgin. Today I see United Airlines listings have appeared. The prices are about $150 per person cheaper than yesterday. Good news. Is this the season when new routes/prices are announced. Should I book now or are there more players in the wings that might bring the price down? Any frequent fliers out there between SFO and London? Thanks as usual.