Lake Tahoe Newbie
 

Am going for the first time in Sept. What area should we stay in? What hotel? Thanks, I need the help.

Why are you going - what do you plan to do while there? Are you interested in big hotels? (there's only one in North Lake Tahoe -- the Hyatt at Incline Village. Are you interested in gambling? -- there's a little in North Lake Tahoe, but in South Lake many people go there for the gambling and the shows. etc.

"<i>What area should we stay in? What hotel?</i>"

No way to tell you w/o more info. What is your budget? Do you want a large casino hotel or will a lakeside motel do? Do you want to be near nightlife -- or are you going mostly for outdoors activity and veg out at night?

oops - hit post by mistake . . .

What sort of ambiance do you want - just any details we can work w/

How much are you willing to spend?
I knowon VRBO there are lots of people rennng out their places at the Marriott Grand Residence in Sept for a really reasonable rate. It's a great place to stay and near some great dining. It's in SLT.

The Embassy Suites is also advertising some great rates. I saw $119 which includes breakfast and happy hour. Also in SLT.

Suze: Where are you finding $119 at the Embassy suites? I was checking for my own short get away and the best I could find was $198

OOps -- meant Suzie (Suze is a whole different fodorite :) )

Thanks, my husband has business in Reno. I'm going with him because I've always wanted to see Lake Tahoe. We are not interested in casinos. Because this is the beginning of a 2 week trip -- next stop is San Diego (another business trip) and then a drive up the coast--I don't want it to be too pricey. Would those Marriott rentals go for as few as 2 days?

I'd love lakeside, probably nicer than a really cheap motel. I've been undergoing cancer treatment for 2 1/2 years and will resume post vacation. We were supposed to go to Alaska this summer but I was too worn out to plan it or go. So this trip is the dream vacation and I'd love a little ambiance.
I know that I want to drive around the shoreline. Are the tour boats on the lake good? Other suggestions? After 2 days at the lake we will be taking the train to Emeryville which is supposed to be gorgeous and from there flying to SD. I'd appreciate your suggestions.
Thanks

<<<taking the train to Emeryville which is supposed to be gorgeous>>>

I assume you mean the train ride, and not Emeryville :-)

The Marriott that suzie wrote about is in South Lake Tahoe. It and its sister property right next door are beautiful condo/timeshare/fractional ownership resorts. They're in a nice litle center with some shops, restaurants, pool, skating rink (in winter), etc. But they're still in South Lake Tahoe which is more casino-oriented than north lake Tahoe, and the hotels are NOT on the lake. You could probably catch a show, however, in South Lake Tahoe -- there are three or four very large casino-hotels (Harrah's, Harvey's, MontBleu (?)). You can walk from one to the other. There is nothing attractive about this area. There are some condo developments and motels on the lake, but they lack the amenities you may be looking for.

The North Shore also has many condo developments and motels on the lake, what it doesn't have is the big hotel-casinos (except the Hyatt, which is certainly in a lovelier setting than its south lake counterparts).

The drive around the lake is 71 miles.

The Marriott Grand is really nice we stay there all the time. Unlike timeshares, owners actually buy all of or a portion of a specific unit. We typically know who's unit we will be staying in if we reserve directly with Marriott.

Here's the info about the Embassy.
Special AUGUST Weekday Rates of $119 per night (single/double occupancy in a king bedded standard suite, nonrefundable, no changes, must be booked online, 7 day advance purchase required, excludes Friday/Saturday) available: August 25th and 26th. Go to reservations to book online.

I'm sorry if it was misleading, all I meant was that there are some deals out there which may or may not apply to your individual case. Sometimes when we call we can get a lower rate too.

I don't feel the same way as some people do when it comes to the fall in SLT. We usually walk down to the beach with our cocktails and watch the sunset. Then we change our clothes and go to our favorite restaurants. Lots of our favorite hikes and sights are located close to SLT and we don't like to go there in the summer when there are too many people so the fall is perfect for us to get back to some of our fave spots.


I also really do like the Hyatt in Incline as well biut it's pretty spendy.

What I want most is a view of the lake from my room! This will be my first and probably last time there and I want to immerse myself visually (not physically--too cold!). Either side of the lake will do because I don't care about shows or casinos. Thanks.

The Hyatt at Incline, probably the Ritz-Carlton at Northstar, and the higher floors of the big hotels in South Lake all ought to have lake views. As I said, there's very little hotel/motel development ON the lake, mostly private homes and condo developments.

The Ritz Carlton won't have views of the lake.

There is quite a bit of lakeside accommodations on the north end of the lake, in Kings Beach, Tahoe Vista, and at the Hyatt in Incline.

Lakeside accommodations in Kings Beach and Tahoe Vista tend to run be of the "roadside motel" variety.

Yep -- If lakeside is important - there are those options. Or if you want posh -- then you won't be ON the lake.

I'd probably take the Hyatt - get a lake view and a private beach across the road and the Lone Star Grill.

I found a place at Brockaway Springs Resort with a lakeview for $160 per night in Sept.

http://www.brockwaysprings.com/Town1.htm

The Red Wolf is lakeside and affordable. You could checkon lakeview rooms there:

http://www.redwolflakesidelodge.com/photos.asp

You should also look into Sunnyside Lodge just south of Tahoe City. You can get a lake view room there which will include a balcony. Very nice.

http://www.sunnysidetahoe.com/

Also if you go to SLT you can get a great room at the Best Western Timber Cove which is right on the lake. Great sandy beach. Lots of weddings there. Then you can go to our favorite restuarant for dinner.

http://www.timbercovetahoe.com/

Evans American Gourmet. Get reservations.

http://www.evanstahoe.com/

Thanks so much, Suzie, Janisj, and SF. I will che k out all of these lake front web sites tomorrow (or later today as it is nearly 2am). I also ran across Tahoe Lakeshore Lodge and Spa in my web browsing. Anybody familiar with it?

Suzie, that's a great list. Con_brio, we've stayed at Brockway Springs many times and loved it. It is a condo development, though, not a hotel. Look at this picture from the pool:

http://www.brockwaysprings.com/TheResort.htm

Sigh.

Con_brio my DH once made reservations at Lakeshore Lodge & Spa because he thought it looked good. I'm a little picky so I cancelled the reservation & we stayed at the Marriott Grand. I haven't been happy with reviews I've seen over the years. Just not consistent enough for me. You may feel differently.