Skiing in Lake Tahoe

Skiing in Heavenly, the gondola, Squaw Valley, the spa at the Marriott (Bare Essentials). I recommend the 2 hour pampering package. The drive around the lake was beautiful. The Chart House for dinner was excellent.

Quick Tips:

I recommend renting a car, renting ski equipment at the Powder House across from the Village (can use discount coupon), I recommend TAPS Italian restaurant with huge salad bar and coupon for free appetizer. All coupons and dining recommendations are in the lobby or at the front desk.

Best Way To Get Around:

Car, shuttles, taxi, some walking in village. Note: the village parking is very expensive and only a select amount of stores validate. I recommend parking in free lot across the street.

Best Things Nearby:
Heavenly Ski Resort, the village, Harrah's, Harveys, the lake, The Chart House, the spa, hiking, boating, beach, mountains.

Best Things About the Resort:
Location, the comfortable, romantic lobby, the condo, the game room.

Resort Experience:
The Lodge at Kingsbury Crossing in Lake Tahoe, (Stateline, Nevada) was a posh boutique hotel located near the new updated Heavenly Valley Village Ski Resort. A short taxi cab ($12) can take you directly to the Gondola to hop onto the lifts. The resort offers 1 and 2 bedroom condos with full kitchens, newly remodeled decor including black and white photography featuring the beautiful lake Tahoe locales. The bathroom includes his/her sink with ample storage and a separate bathroom with a jet tub for those long days on the mountain. The toiletries are Aveda which are restocked everyday. The condo had a warm gas burning fireplace and a table that seats 6. The coach pulls out to sleep an additional 2. The 2 bedroom condo currently only has a partial kitchen with no stove and a very small refrigerator.

At check in, the general manager upgraded our two bedroom condo and added another 1 bedroom condo for our entire party of 6. The lobby of the hotel boasts wonderful holiday aromas, dimmed lightning, scented candles, and big plush coaches for sipping complimentary coffee or hot tea while reading one of the many magazines or novels that are made available to their guests. There is also a large game room for pool and arcade games. The resort also has a large array of board games and over 400 movie titles, including Hollywood Classics.

The Jacuzzi and sauna area is inside of the lobby that is small but well worth it. The Tahoe Valley offers free shuttle service to many of the ski resorts and casinos in town. To get to Tahoe, the closest airport is Reno and the shuttle ride over to the South Shore is 1 hour and ranges in price from $380-$150. If you live in California, I recommend taking the drive, 8 hours from Orange County. There are not many direct flights from Orange County to Reno so the lay over time is disappointing and having a car in Tahoe is highly recommended. We took the 72-mile lake drive from the South Shore to the North Shore. The beautiful views at 6,225 feet of the snow capped mountains and the majestic blue lake is a sight that everyone should see. Enjoy!

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

We were familiar with the Chart House restaurants from dining in Newport Beach, Rancho Mirage, Hawaii, and Mammoth Lakes. We made the reservation that day on the chair lift at Heavenly. We arrived 15 minutes ahead of reservation, and they seated us immediately at a nice 6 top near the wood burning fireplace that was decorated with holiday decor. We started with a champagne toast of "White Star" and the "Lobster Spring Rolls", followed with a recommended bottle of the Fransciscan Pinot Noir. Specials were described and main courses were recommended down the smallest details. Salads were prepared or you had a choice of the large salad bar which is not your typical salad bar: it included caviar, fresh fruit, and made to order fresh Caesar salad. Dinner party ordered the Snapper, Mahi Mahi, Prime Rib, Filet, and Lobster Tail. All meals were of very high quality and excellent. The dinners followed with after dinner drinks and the world famous "Lava Cake" that takes 30 minutes to prepare. No wait time here since they started the dessert after we ordered our main course. Server was excellent and the experience was memorable. Enjoy!

On the North Shore in Lake Tahoe, sits the Log Cabin Restaurant, a small family owned log cabin that is very warm and cozy. They offer breakfast and lunch with a variety of selections. My husband and I enjoyed the "Cajun Shrimp Eggs Benedict" which was in the world famous Bon Appetit Magazine-now we know why. Delicious!

The Lakeside Inn Hotel and Casino offers friendly small time service. The Timber House restaurant offers a daily prime rib with mash potatoes, vegetables, and your choice of soup or salad for $8.99. It was excellent. The warm bread came before the meal that was very fresh as well. The second night we tried the cheeseburger and the chicken fried steak. Good food for good value.

We ordered in pizza from NY Pizza and I do not recommend it. The "Meat Lovers" pizza was horrible and the "Alfredo Pizza" was even worse.

The Heavenly Village offers the Wolfgang Puck Express restaurant. A small cafe where we ate the barbeque chicken sandwich, and the warm chipotle chicken sandwich. Both sandwiches were dry and overpriced. No sides and no coffee. We arrived at 10:55 and lunch starts at 11:00. They did not have lunch ready until 11:20.