If you want to feel like you’re part of a Ralph Lauren photoshoot – this is the hotel for you.
They’re billing themselves as “Lake Tahoe’s only 5 star boutique Lakeside Hotel” and while there are a couple of mixed reviews kicking around online, we really couldn’t fault it.
If feels just like a mountain chalet – uber cool, chic and cosy, and comes with fantastic food, facilities and views.
It doesn’t come cheaply – we paid about $260 a night – but from the moment we arrived until the moment we left, the service was fantastic.
We cruised in after a bit of a crazy night in Sacramento and while we were both feeling pretty seedy, when they offered us (free) champagne on arrival, who were we to say no.
There was also a free valet service which helped you feel like a VIP.
Our room wasn’t ready for an hour or so, and so we decided to neck our drinks and head back out to check out Lake Tahoe.
We spent a few hours exploring – driving around the lake, sunning and having a couple of swims before heading back to the hotel.
When we got back our room was ready to rumble and when we got up there we were very impressed.
It was big, yet cosy, and packed with nice touches like a fireplace and some very interesting books.
I’d casually mentioned it was Panos’ birthday when we were checking in and so there was a bottle of champagne and some chocolates waiting in our room.
The beds were comfy, the rooms were spacious and the views were fantastic.
The hotel is located right on the banks of the lake, and next to the border with Nevada. It’s about a ten minute walk from the hotel to the casinos. It seems like a bit of a backwater, but for what we wanted it was chilled and relaxed.
We hit the hotel’s onsite restaurant Jimmy’s twice – enjoying its fantastic wood-fired Greek seafood and locally sourced Californian cuisine for dinner and returning the next day for breakfast.
It was super busy the night we were there and apparently bookings fill up quickly, so get in early if you’re not staying in the hotel, but want to check it out.
We saw the pool and the hot tub but spent so much time in the lake we didn’t bother with them.
All in all, for the price and the location, the hotel was fantastic and I’d love to go back again in the winter time.
I didn’t get too many good pictures of the hotel and so pilfered most of the above for the hotel’s official website.
For menus and reservations at Jimmy’s check out the restaurant’s website.