Lake Tahoe Help Needed!

[jmc325]

Hi,

Does anyone have any Lake Tahoe suggestions?

My husband and I are thinking of heading that way beginning of October from Houston. Looking for beautiful scenery, cool weather, and outdoor activities.

I'm looking at Squaw Valley specifically, but honestly I don't know anything about the area. Along with what I mentioned above, I would like the area we're staying in the have some shopping (not a priority) and restaurants.

Any hotel recommendations or just general tips and advice?

Thanks!

[emilyinchile]

The big resorts have villages with shops and restaurants, plus onsite hotels that are right there and the option of renting houses. The shops are more ski/outdoor-focused though, not like regular clothing stores. Squaw is definitely a good option, as is Northstar (there's a Ritz at Northstar, not sure how fancy you want the hotel to be!). If you want to be more in a regular city feel with the option of a ski resort right there, look at staying South Lake Tahoe or Stateline (they're the same city but with the state border between them) and take the gondola up to Heavenly.

No matter what, you will definitely want to rent a car! You can stay at any of these places and still go see the others, distances aren't that far. Downtown Truckee, which is closer to Northstar, is super cute and old-timey, and in that direction you can go to Donner Lake and Donner Memorial State Park which has a little museum of the history of the Donner Party (sidenote: do non-Californians know about the Donner Party? If you have no idea what I'm talking about, maybe this isn't so interesting to you!). Emerald Bay is so beautiful, and you can go hiking around there for some really great views. We rented a boat in South Lake Tahoe the last time I was there and spent a few hours out on the lake which I'd never done before, and it was awesome as well, so I highly recommend that.

[goldengirlz]

Squaw Valley is in north Lake Tahoe. If you want to be right on the lake and walkable to a downtown strip, then another option to consider might be Tahoe City.

The north side of the lake is the quieter side, generally speaking. The south side is a bit livelier. The proximity to Nevada means there are big casinos (two Harrah's properties) that have prime real estate. They're not nearly as nice as Vegas hotels and kind of an eye sore (IMO) but provide some nightlife variety. The advantage of South Lake Tahoe is that you can walk to restaurants, the lake AND Heavenly, whereas on the north side, you have to choose between being closer to mountains or the lake.

We like to stay at one of the two Basecamp properties (there's one on each side of the lake -- the Tahoe City one is newer) because while they're low-frills, they're a good value and walkable to everything. In South Lake Tahoe, the Marriott is right at the base of Heavenly. We've hiked Squaw but have never stayed there.

[mrs.jacinthe]

I live within 45 minutes of Tahoe. If you're looking for shopping, nightlife, etc with a resort feel, check out the South Lake Tahoe area instead. Both Squaw and Northstar have on-resort restaurants and shopping venues, and you can take TART into Truckee, but it will be a quieter experience, especially since October is part of "shoulder season". You'll see mostly locals on the North Shore in early October. Either way, though, you can't go wrong. There's nothing to dislike about Tahoe.

[1confused1]

Squaw and Northstar are not on the lake, so you will have to drive to get to the lake.

The North Shore is quieter and less commercial, the South Shore is more commercial, casinos, larger hotels and stores.

I second goldengirlz, recommendation for a Basecamp hotel. I've stayed at the one on South Shore, its a cute place with great amenities. Both the North Shore and South Shore locations are in great spots, you can easily walk to restaurants and stores.

Like someone said, you can't go wrong in Tahoe, it is the most beautiful place in the world!