Reasonable places to stay in Tahoe or Reno (Las Vegas, Carson City: rentals, condo)

[MortonR]

I am bringing the family out for a short vacation in October. While the primary reason is to get away for a little while and relax, the secondary reason is to expose the spouse to the area in an effort to convince her to relocate some time in the near future.

I would like to find a decent (no casinos, resorts) and reasonable place to stay either in S. Lake Tahoe or Reno as a "base of operations" for the week that we'll be there.

Doesn't have to be ritzy, just clean and reasonably priced. We won't be spending much time there, as I plan on being very active in scouting out the area.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

RM

[humboldtrat]

There are plenty of places to stay on the California side of S. Lake Tahoe (no casinos as you wish) that vary from Motel 6 on up. Room rates tend to be lower Monday - Thursday, higher on the weekends.

[MortonR]

Can anyone be more specific? I've stayed in the S. Lake Tahoe area (CA side) and I know there are a number of reasonably priced places, but it's probably been 3-4 years since I've been there, so I was hoping to get some more detailed info other than what I might pick up off the Web...

We'll be there Wed-Mon, so I'm not too concerned about rates...

There aren't any suite-type places, are there? That would be nice....

Again, thanks!

RM

[garth]

You're closer to South Lake Tahoe and Stateline, if you stay in Minden instead of Reno. It's straight up Kingsbury Grade, which puts you about 15 mintues into the Tourist area of Tahoe.

The decent place to stay in MInden would be Carson Valley Inn (CVI). Although it has a casino as part of the hotel, which is hard to avoid when you stay in Nevada, it's nothing like the really big places in Las Vegas or the big places in Reno or Stateline. It's a clean nice hotel with decent restaurants in it.

Here's the link to it: Carson Valley Inn

Beyond the quick drive up to Lake Tahoe, the location would give you easier access to the State Capitol (Carson City) and its history without being in Carson City. You'd also be quite a bit closer to something like Bodie Ghost Town (Calif State Park) down US395 (maybe 2 hours, give or take) for a nice little day outing.

You can still get to Reno if you stay in Minden, if you really want to go there. It would be a 50 minute or so drive up US 395 depending on what part of Reno you visit.

Lastly, you wouldn't be staying in the middle of a bustling place with all the city stuff many try to avoid (bums, traffic, etc.). There will be some peace and quiet combined with small town events that are held in Douglas County (Minden/Gardnerville/Genoa), like art shows, music events in the parks, movies in the park, farmer's markets, Mormon Satation (1st settlement in Nevada) and other stuff. What is happening all depends on the time of year you are here.

So, that's my suggestion for you. Good luck on your decision.

[MortonR]

Thanks for the suggestion.

We will be taking day trips to the surrounding areas to check things out, as well as for some day hikes, like to Bodie/Masonic to see the mines. I have backpacked in the area many times, so I have a good idea where everything is, I just haven't been there for several years, so I'm not sure what, if anything, has changed as far as lodging.

Looks like Minden might be the best location in that regards.

RM

[LuvRedSox]

Hi!

We own several timeshares in Tahoe and love them. Sometimes you can rent at resorts for less than a motel and the nice thing is they come with full kitchens, living rooms, pots & pans, etc.

One of the timeshares we own at is Heavenly Valley Townhouses. We do not rent out our week as we use it but there are other owners that rent out their week. Here is an eBay ad with the web address to the HV Townhouses if you would like to inquire how much for the exact week you need.

[a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/South-Lake-Tahoe-California-Rental-August-25-Sept-1_W0QQitemZ330146668043QQihZ014QQcategoryZ3257QQrd Z1QQcmdZViewItem"]eBay: South Lake Tahoe, California Rental August 25-Sept.1[/a] (item 330146668043 end time Jul-19-07 16:11:41 PDT) eBay: South Lake Tahoe, California Rental August 25-Sept.1 (item 330146668043 end time Jul-19-07 16:11:41 PDT)

The townhouse we get is a 3 bedroom/3 bathroom two story condo and we love them. You should be able to get a good rate as you are not going during holiday or ski season.

Also check on ebay for resort rentals, timeshare rentals, Lake Tahoe resort rentals, etc. You can find great prices on other timeshare rentals too.

[leavingcali]

DON'T stay at Forest Inn Suites in Lake Tahoe. I just returned home from there. All of the rooms have a horrible smell--mildew, plus something else. It was really bad.

I like the Travelodge on Stateline and Embassy Suites--the one that is really close to the casinos.

[IwanaBnAngel]

My best suggestion is try expedia.com. It's hard to shy away from casinos, often times they wind up having the best rates depending on the time of year you go. If you were going for luxury I'd say Mont Bleu Resort in Tahoe, I spent my honeymoon there and it was fabulous. If you haven't shown your wife Lake Tahoe yet, it's a big convincer. It got me to move to Reno.

[MortonR]

I just did a little trolling around on Expedia and Hotels.com, and from what I can see unless I want to stay in Reno proper (I don't) the next choice is Lake Tahoe.

A couple of places came up when looking at S. Lake Tahoe, the MontBleu, Three Peaks, and Big Pines Mountain House. These were based on ratings from people who had stayed there, as well as the rates they offered.

Since we'll be there more or less between seasons, the average rates are hovering around $100/night for a nice room. Other amenities I would like is free Internet/wireless access, other than that I don't care, as we'll only be sleeping there...

If anyone has experience knows anything about any of these properties (other than the MontBleu) I would like to hear it.

Thanks!

RM

[greatbasinguide]

Let us toss in another consideration, Truckee, there are several fine hotel/motels, and great restaurants. The downtown is a 19th century treasure. Also. Most people think of Lake Tahoe as south shore, yet Tahoe City is pretty darned nice, much smaller and more small town,