Lodging

Joe's year-round rental cabin in South Lake Tahoe.

A girl can take only so much fog.  So, after more than a week of gray, dreary mornings with the occasional blast of Arctic wind, I decided it was time for a dose of summer. The kind of summer that exists pretty much anywhere outside of San Francisco — sunshiny, hot, beach weather. Warm nights that only require only a sheet to sleep under.

Lake Tahoe, I thought to myself in a moment of inspiration, that’s just what our fog-shivering souls need! And though I could just have driven the family across a bridge for warmth, there is nothing like summer in Tahoe.

Turns out that my friend Joe’s cabin was available for the weekend and he offered it to us. He is in the process of leaving the management company that previously rented it and is now handling rentals himself.

The kitchen is well-equipped and open.

Joe’s cabin is in South Lake close to the Highway 89 and Highway 50 “Y” and quite easy to find. We drove at night so the kids could sleep and arrived at the cozy, immaculate, two-bedroom cabin with a gambrel-style roof in the dark.

It was perfect for us.

The kitchen is large, open and and well-equipped. The downstairs living space has two comfy couches (and one that felt like a pull-out — not so comfy), exposed wood and beams, a large dining room table, and a woodburning stove. The cabin has good feng shui and feels as though it had intuitively put together with thought behind it.

Retro Coca-cola memorabilia adorns the walls as opposed to the usual Tahoe kitsch. The entertainment system and wireless modem were both in working order, and carpeted stairs made it safer for our active toddler.

Upstairs the master bedroom has a second bath and across the hall a bunk room can sleep six. Extra bedding is piled neatly in the hallway.

In back is a postage stamp-sized, fenced in lawn with a grill and hot tub.

The cabin rents for $150 per night plus $150 for a cleaning fee and local occupancy tax.

Joe Mudnich’s Tahoe Cabin
2560 Chris @ Sierra Blvd
South Lake Tahoe
(415) 290-6438

Photo credit: Joe Mud

The 1920's lodge at Camp Richardson Resort.

Nature just seems larger up here. Tall trees. Mammoth mountains. And of course — big, beautiful Lake Tahoe.

Sprawling Camp Richardson fits right in. With 28 rooms in the lodge, 40 cabins, a seven-room inn, 300 campsites, a general store, two restaurants, a cafe/confectioner, a sport equipment rental center, and, don’t forget, the ice cream parlor.

This bustling metropolis in the woods is not for those seeking a quiet retreat in nature. Last weekend the place was mobbed with throngs of folks that appeared to be having the time of their lives.

A live band played classic rock tunes to a deck packed full of revelers and beyond on the beach you’d be hard pressed to find room to lay down a blanket.

The spacious cabins offer full kitchens.

The camp was built around the 1920’s lodge on 80 acres of waterfront land. Accommodations at the lodge are pretty spartan — cabins are roomier and have fireplaces or woodstoves and full kitchens. The Beachside Inn offers more amenities and is closer to the lake/action. I would stay far, far from the campsite, though. The sites are really jammed in, offering no privacy and plenty of noise.

There is a definite family vibe here. Kids eating ice cream, grandparents kicking back on Adirondack chairs, and whole families biking together on the excellent bike trail that runs right through the resort. Camp Richardson is great option for large groups and extended families. There are also organized activities for kids.

There is plenty to do from horseback riding and rock climbing to renting jets skis and kayaks. In winter, this is the place for cross-country skiing and sleigh rides.

If you visit, a stop at the ice cream parlor is a mandatory excursion, but be warned — the portions are as big as nature in Tahoe. Stick with a kids’ small…

A crowd of beachgoers at the marina.

Camp Richardson Resort

1900 Jameson Beach Road

South Lake Tahoe, CA 96158

(800) 544-1801

Photo credit: Lisa Dion

Pistante's Coyote Den, South Lake Tahoe

My friend Joe mentioned a motel he’d returned to several times in South Lake Tahoe when skiing at Heavenly. So, last weekend, while spending the holidays in a rented cabin nearby, I decided to stop and get the skinny on the ominously named Pistante’s Coyote Den.

“We get a lot of returning guests,” Lorraine Pistante, the affable, motherly innkeeper told me. “Right now, half of the rooms are booked by people who come back every year.”

Lorraine and husband Earl Pistante acquired a tired, 16-room motel called the Sundowner on Emerald Bay Road in 2002, and set about updating it. They incorporated outdoorsy themes that reflect Tahoe’s nature and wildlife — coyotes, bald eagles, sunflowers — into the dated, generic motel rooms. Many of the beds have rustic headboards hand-crafted from logs.

Prices range from $50 to $235 depending on the size, season and weekday versus weekend. Non-themed rooms cost slightly less.

The Suite is a good option for families and groups of up to six. It has two rooms, three queen-sized beds, a microwave and a refrigerator.

Pistante’s is next door to legendary S. Lake Tahoe breakfast joint, Ernie’s Coffee Shop, which was packed with locals and out-of-town skiers both mornings we stopped in for generous platters of pancakes and scrambles.

Amenities include free WiFi, complimentary Continental breakfast, baked cookies and coffee or tea in the evening, a year-round hot tub and a picnic area with barbecue.

There are tons of activities in the area — skiing, sledding, casinos, hiking, biking hot air balloon rides and any lake-related sport imaginable.

Oh, and you don’t have to leave Rover at home, Pistante’s is a dog-friendly establishment.

Photo by Lisa Dion

Lake Tahoe in winter.

The plan was to spend Christmas in Tahoe. But the 115 mph winds and 100 percent precipitation that dumped some two feet of powder on Christmas day put a stop to that.

Instead, we waited out the storm and packed up the kids, their new toys and a cooler full of juice boxes and sippy cups, and headed to South Lake Tahoe on Friday, under clear blue skies and sunshine that glittered off a blanket of pristine powder.

The roads were still iffy — the median along Emerald Bay Boulevard (89) was an impenetrable snowbank, but descending the grade into this wonderland felt like being sprinkled on top of a sugar-frosted confection, the sparkling blue lake surrounded by a generous layer of white icing.

We arrived at our rental in early afternoon, a cozy A-frame cabin a few blocks from the Tahoe Keys. Crystalline icicles clung heavily along the high-pitched roofline. I broke one off and handed it to my daughter Parker, who had never seen one. Delighted she chomped on it like a popsicle.

Our South Lake Tahoe cabin dripping with ice.

Cabin rentals are a popular, convenient and affordable way for families and groups to visit Lake Tahoe. Ours, a three-bedroom, two-bath, betrayed it’s ’70s vintage with wood paneling, an avocado-colored kitchen sink and glossy, framed posters of the lake. The spoon collection was a homey touch of Tahoe kitsch.

The large brick hearth dominated the living area and was instantly and often put to use. An upstairs closet was stocked with baby gear including a pack ‘n play, toys and a booster seat.

Our cabin was deceptively roomy and we shared it easily with husband’s parents without ever feeling like we were on top of one another.

The cost was a reasonable $150 per night.

Not exactly the White Christmas we’d imagined, but I’ll take the day after — drinking coffee in pjs in front of a crackling fire, kids romping in the snow outside.

Some cabin rental companies include Tahoe Cabin Rentals, Vacation Rentals by Owner, and First Accommodations.

Photos by Lisa Dion