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Where to Honeymoon in Tahoe??

Hi, My soon to be bride and I are considering Lake Tahoe for our honeymoon in early September. Neither one of us have been there before and we are fishing for suggestions. We were looking for nice but not overly expensive accomadations. We are planning on taking 10 to 14 days. How are houses or cabins to rent vs. a lodge or hotel? We are looking for a quite place to unwind the first couple of days and then we would like to roadtrip and explore the wilderness. Any ideas would be great. Thanks. Justin & Sue

Tahoe is wonderful in September. Most of the tourist hordes are gone by then. But 10 - 14 days is a long time for Tahoe. there is a lot to see and do, but for most folks one week would be generous. If I were going on Honeymoon for 10 to 14 days, I would rent a cabin near the lake for the first 7 days and then head down to Yosemite for the last 3 to 7 days. If it was just for 3 or 4 days I'd stay in Yosemite Lodge (or the Ahwahnee if money is no object) - if a full week I probably rent a cottage just outside the Park.

In addition to spending our summer vacation there with our family my husband and I go to Tahoe every Sept for our anniversary. Some of the places we've stayed: South shore - Embassy Suites, always love it there. Thaoe Seasons, really like the in-room jacuzzi. Black Bear Inn is very nice. West Shore/Tahoe City - Sunnyside Resort. On the lakeside, love the area for outdoor activities. Room was fine but smaller than the other two mentioned above. North Shore - Hyatt at Incline. Nicely refurbished rooms and hotel. They are redoing the pool and the three adjacent low rise buildings this summer so no pool right now. Rooms would be in the tower or the fabulous cottages on the lakeside. Here is the cabin we are renting this summer. Brand new and has a jacuzzi on the outside deck. We prefer the west side of the lake http://www.enjoytahoe.com/rentals/detail.cfm?Rental_ID=403 Let me know if you plan a special meal or two as I have many recommendations. Good luck. I love Lake Tahoe!

Thank you both for taking time to reply. Both cabins (Tahoe and Yosemite) sound great. Any leads on finding cabins outside of Yosemite? What is the avg. price for hotels per week vs. cabins in Tahoe. Yes, Suzie-(funny the name of my fiance)we would love some ideas as to where to dine, places to see etc.. Thanks

For a weekend I like to the hotel thing but for a longer stay I do like the cabin idea. The advantage of having a cabin is that you are not confined to the hotel room and you can eat in some of your meals. The prices are pretty similar though. Great South shore dining: Evans Gourmet - located in a cottage on the mountain side of the highway past the "Y" but not quite to Camp Richardson. The best dining in South shore. Get reservations (530) 542-1990. Cafe Fiore - Very romantic. Small only about 6 ot 7 tables inside. Great food and service. (530)541-2908. West side: Sunnyside Resort for dinner on the deck or right at the window for great lake views. Good food. Breakfast at Norfolk Inn. It's a B & B but they serve the public in their restuarant. Great crepes with fresh fruit. I get them every year and have never been disappointed. Awesome drinks with a view at Garwoods in Carnelian Bay. Can get the same drinks at their sister place in South shore at the marina called Riva Grill. Try a wet woody especially on Wet Woody Wednesday! Things to do: If you in line skate or bike there are great paths both in south shore and on the west side going north beginning just after Meeks bay. This path goes well past the River Ranch where the rafters from Tahoe City get out. River Ranch is good for lunch or a drink on the outside deck. Raft down the Truckee River. It's really fun on a warm day. Stop along the way and picnic. There are some areas that you can stop. Tram up to High Camp in Squaw Valley. There is a pool and giant jacuzzi at the top as well as a year round ice rink for skating. Also has a large bar . Lots of lounge chairs around the pool and spa. Take a ride on the Meteor. The high speed ferry that leaves from the Marina at South Shore and lands in Tahoe City. Second year of operation. Take the new gondola from near the Embassy Suite in South shore up to the viewing area. Can picnic up there as there are tables and chairs/benches. Then get back on and take it to the top and hike around. Great views. Spend a day at the beach at Meeks Bay. Nice sandy beach on the west side. Has a snack bar with grilled food. They also rent paddle boats, etc. Might not have all the services in Sept but it will be open. Visit historic Chambers Landing on the west side. Go during happy hour for a chambers punch. Zypher cove has lots of water vehicles to rent as well as boat tours of all kinds, paddle wheel and sailing. Visit the Historic Tallac site in Camp Richardson. More info: http://www.r5.fs.fed.us/heritage/047.HTM Visit Sugar Pine and take a tour of the Mansion. Mansion and Tea House at Emerald Bay The Thunderbird lodge is open for tours on Tues and Wed. $22 for adults. 1 hour tour and you must make reservations at the incline visitors center 1-800-GO-TAHOE Have fun!!!

I would go to Tamarack Lodge in Mammoth. They have cabins and hotel-like rooms. Their restaurant is very upscale and gourmet. You can visit the hot springs, June Lake, Bodie (ghost/goldmining town), yosemite, and Mono Lake. Devils Postpile is close by for great hikes. Actually, the hotel at the ski resort in Mammoth Lakes is quite attractive also and would be perfect for a honeymoon. They have mountain biking/hiking there.

A second vote for Cafe Fiore. A delightfully romantic Italian restaurant with an extensive wine list. Looking forward to returning there on my next visit to Tahoe!

Thank you all for sharing, we look forward to checking it all out! Justin & Sue

We have just returned from Lake Tahoe and Yosemite. We stayed in two great places - The Shore House at Lake Tahoe and The Verandah just outside Mariposa, which is about 40 mins drive from Yosemite.

Okay, buffets have a generally bad reputation (somewhat deservedly so), but I can wholeheartedly recommend the one at Harrah's in Stateline (in the casino cluster). The food there is always fresh and really high quality, and the variety is huge. They usually have different stations -- Chinese, Italian, Mexican -- plus your usual buffet stuff. And the nicest thing is that the buffet is on top of the hotel with BEAUTIFUL views of the lake, mountains, and surrounding countryside. I wouldn't recommend any of the other buffets in Tahoe. In my experience, they range from OK-ish (Caesar's) to downright bad (Harvey's). Harrah's really is very nice, though. Oh yeah, and I agree with the others that 14 days is way too long for Tahoe. The idea of splitting the trip between Tahoe and someplace else like Yosemite is a good one. (Don't get me wrong, I love Tahoe, but usually find that after 4 or 5 days I'm ready to go).

We generally go to Lake Tahoe once or twice a year and always stay in Condos or cabins. We like to have the extra space and a kitchen. For north shore I would recommend Brockway Springs Resort in Kings Beach. It's right on the lake and the condos are nice and reasonably priced. We stay here when we are really wanting to get away from it all as north shore is a lot quieter than south shore. When we stay at the southern end of the lake, we like Zephyr Cove resort. There are cabins and a lodge with some rooms. The resort has it's own beach, a dock with boats for rent, a restaurant, and a little bar area near the water. And it's about a 10 minute drive from the casinos

Have to laugh at Grant's comment about two weeks being too long. There is no too long for Tahoe. Growing up we spent our two week vacation there every year and we all boo hood all the way home every year including my folks. Now we can stay only about a week at a time and we're amazed at the stuff we don't get to do. The secret is to stay away from the casino areas and really do the stuff that is great about Tahoe! Some of that includes lounging away a day on of the many great beaches!

I absolutely love Tahoe but 10-14 days is too long...you could see a whole country in Europe with that much time! I'd suggest saving Tahoe for about 3 nights another time. Maggie

If I stayed at a casino then 3 days would be enough for sure. We stay on the west side and enjoy the beaches, boating, hiking, fishing and the many other outdoor activities that are available at Lake Tahoe.

I think how long you want to stay in Tahoe depends what you're going for. If you enjoy camping and all that goes along with it, and would enjoy camping someplace for two weeks, then I agree with Suzie completely that Tahoe would be a great choice. If I were told I had to go camp in a single place for two weeks, Tahoe would definitely be the place I would pick. I'm not a camper, though, so I find that by doing casinos, shops, sightseeing, dining, etc., I am more or less Tahoe-d out after about 4 or 5 days and am ready to move on to another place. I am by no means suggesting that I am right and Suzie is wrong, or that Suzie is right and I am wrong -- it's all in your personal preferences for how you like to spend your vacations. (Incidentally, I am using the term "camping" very loosely here -- I'm not necessarily talking about sleeping in a tent, but am sort of lumping all the outdoorsy stuff into the big, improperly-labelled category of "camping"). Either way, Tahoe is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, and I think everybody should go at least once if they ever get the chance.

Justin-- If you're looking for a cabin, I've had good luck with Tahoe Vacations at www.tahoevacations.com. I like the fact that they have photos of the places on their site and provide details about each facility.

Thanks agian for all the info. We are more of the outdoor type over the casino scene. I like the idea of the quiet shore, I'm sure we will spend a couple of days just relaxing from the wedding. Well this is my last to do on our list, and all of you have been a great help. Thanks again, Justin