Lake Tahoe - A Californian Summer - Part Two
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Zephyr Cove
SONOMA
On the way to Lake Tahoe we took a detour via Sonoma near Napa Valley to see the wine Country. All the advice online will tell you it’s not worth the detour, but I’d disagree. You only add about an hour in total to your journey and you get to experience a whole different landscape. We lucked out finding Cornerstone Sonoma, an information, lunch and gardens delight. It gave the kids a chance to run around, have a mooch around the boutique shops and antiques and a perfect stop for a really great lunch too. It’s a destination on its own and the gardens are worthy of RHS Chelsea flower show. Bookmark this place if you are doing the same trip as its a real gem.
Tahoe is another world. There’s definitely two sides to this place. We happen to be staying in what one of the locals referred to as the ‘Blackpool’ of Tahoe but a 10 minute drive takes you not just to another place but to another world. This reminds me of the beginning scenes in Dirty Dancing. You just couldn’t imagine this place any better than it is in real life.
Ski Heavenly Village Summer Time Undoubtedly the best part about the South side for families is a morning at Heavenly Village. You catch a ski gondola up to the top to ride the mountain coaster, donut down the hills, rock climb, cross high ropes and I even did my first 40mph zip line. Added bonus was the resort is on the stateline so it’s possible to be in Nevada and California at the same time. Although it’s a ski resort, in the Summer they open up for all new activities. Pretty cool.
It was the perfect location for Ski Heavenly Village but a little drive to get out of the Casinos and pizza bars. Summer is a busy time so we worked out the best time to move around was first thing in the morning or just before sunset. Zephyr Cove was a little sweet spot we found along the drive for a quick dip and it was so peaceful and stunning. I think theres accomodation here too that could be worth checking out. There’s so much space around the Lake in general however, that if you drive long enough you’ll always find somewhere amazing.
Another favourite spot here was Sand Harbour. If you are coming here, come early before 10am or late. We arrived around 7pm for a sunset swim and got into the car park no problem. The $10 car park fee applies at any hour. It is possibly my favourite spot in Tahoe.
A drive right up to the North takes you to the Incline Village which is where we’d base ourselves if we came back again. We spent a day kayaking on Kings Beach, eating ice cream and then stopped in at the rather lovely Sierra restaurant at The Hyatt Regency over looking their pool. Magic.
Hotel We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino at South Lake Tahoe
We paid around £200 for 3 nights in a double room with 5 of us. A total bargain and one of our costcutting options, although warning! - It reeked of smoke and cannabis (now legal in California) as you are allowed to smoke in the Casino downstairs. It’s pretty standard, not glamourous at all but with everything you’d need including an outdoor pool, a well stocked shop and snack bar AND a tattoo shop on site! For the price it was acceptable. The boys in our group had a quick gamble downstairs (whilst the rest of us adjusted our body clocks slowly by falling asleep by 9pm!) and even managed to win the whole cost of our stay at the tables so win win! We like to balance our budget on a long trip like this by staying in really cheap, midway and this allows for some real luxury stays, even if its one night at somewhere on your bucket list (like ‘The Parker’ at Palm Springs we stayed at later in the trip.)
Things to do If you visit the South make sure you check our Sand Harbour and Heavenly Village. We loved stopping by Zephr Cove too.
You can rent Kayaks all over and some companies even offer the crystal see through ones! We missed out on white water rafting but that’s an option you might want to book before you come too.
For families i’d recommend the Northern areas near Incline Village. If your budget stretches, which is more like the traditional Tahoe you will have seen in photos.
Next stop - Yosemite baby! Let’s go on a bear hunt…
