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Inn by the Lake
Rating Details »
3300 Lake Tahoe Blvd
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
(530) 542-0330
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
(530) 542-0330
- Price Range:
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$$
9 reviews for Inn by the Lake
**UPDATED REVIEW**
My boyfriend and I stayed here for our anniversary in Dec. and I came back with friends for my birthday in Jan.
Despite the fact that it's a bit over priced and the name is decieving, it's pretty decent. I guess I was just expecting more, based on the website photos and how the staff talked of it on the phone.
I noticed someone made a list of pros and cons so I'm going to do my own:
PROS:
-AMAZING hot tub. A two-tier [level] hot top in a very nice pool area is just perfect for relaxing. It's so nice in the snow, the hot tub just tops off the night before bed. =)
-The "great" rooms are pretty big, decent amount of room to move around in. I hate feeling cluttered and cramped in tiny hotel rooms. The "King Great Room" has ALOT of space and it was nice.
-Microwave and mini-fridge. I know it's pretty standard these days but still, it's definitely a convenience.
-Balcony with chairs. Although it's nearly 0 right now, the little balconies are nice and give you some room to step out and breath the fresh Tahoe air. Very nice little addition. =)
-Comfy beds. The beds were nice, not too soft but not too firm. I got a decent nights sleep the whole time.
-Location. The hotel is located very close [within walking distance] to many stores, restaurants, fun activities, etc. There's a bowling alley right behind it and they have a "Blue Dog Pizza" which I definitely recommend trying! Very good and close so you can bring it back to your room.
-Friendly staff. The staff [front desk, maintenance, maids] were all very nice. The front desk staff was helpful in choosing the best room for our needs as well as suggestions for some fun things to check out in the area.
CONS:
-The website and name are a bit deceiving. Yes, the name is Inn "by" The Lake but that gave me the impression that we were right on the lakeside with a perfect view. It's actually across the street and behind some trees so your view is not as expected, however the view is nice if there's a lot of snow.
-The rooms are out-dated and not too amazing. All the furniture is old and ugly and the TV is nothing to brag about. TVs do not have input for game systems so if you bring yours you will need an AV coaxial adapter.
-The laundry room/ice machine is only on the first floor in our building, which makes it very inconvenient from out 3rd flood room.
-The price is a bit high for the quality. Be careful in what room you choose and the time of year because in the prime seasons the prices raise quite a bit. [For one bed I recommend the "King Great Room" or "Junior Suite" due to the spaciousness. If you're on a strict budget then the "Single Queen" is the cheapest, but lowest in quality. For two bed I recommend the "Double Queen Lake View".]
-Lame breakfast. With the price we payed and all the hype about this place online, [wine delivered to your room, sauna, luxury rooms blah blah] I would figure they had a really nice breakfast offered, but sadly I'm wrong. Just plan bagels, coffee and a banana or two are set out on a table for a first come first serve breakfast.
All in all, I like this place and I plan to stay here again but I definitely recommend only staying here during the winter value season, the prices are better and the view is much nice when there is snow.
Also, something that you should try [we did this for my birthday to save some money] is stay at a discount hotel [Travel Inn was very cheap] for most of your trip then for the last day or two stay in this hotel to spoil yourself and relax. =)
People thought this was:
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This place was pretty good. It was like 90 bucks a night. We booked the hotel the night before. The hotel beds are lovely and new. Sheets were really clean, and bathroom was spotless. The bathroom was not as updated, but still okay for the money. The best thing about this place in the winter time is that there is an outdoor hot tub. Its amazing! We were sitting in it, and it started snowing. It was amazing. I would totally go back!
Avoid! There are better places to stay, for a better rate. Don't be fooled by "boutique" hotel.
Great jacuzzi for apres ski. Clean rooms with microwave & fridge. Adjacent to grocery store, pubs, restaurants, and bowling. Two minute drive to Nevada for you gambling/ buffet loving types.
I see that many people wrote reviews about this hotel before me, so I will go ahead and just validate the most important points (summary):
PROS:
1) Property is very clean.
2) Front Desk service was very friendly
3) Breakfast is included into our King Lake View room.
4) There is a fitness club + heated pool + jacuzzi.
5) Location is close to everything in South Lake Tahoe (walking distance to the Safeway supermarket), and is accross the main road from the lake itself.
6) High-speed wireless internet is available.
7) Huge room, if size matters to you.
CONS:
1) Ain't no boutique: unless you've never ever visited a true boutique resort, no way this Inn can be called that way. Only the lobby is cool and recently updated. The actual rooms are kind of outdated, basic. Maximum 2 1/2 stars.
2) Smell: if you keep the window fully open for 40 minutes, the sticky 70's hotel-room smell will partially go away. Until you decide to close- then, the dark blue-green outdated carpets will reek again. If you intend to stay at this property, make sure to bring incense. If you are allergic to old carpets, don't stay here.
3) Cosiness: My lovely date and I expected that each suite at a "boutique hotel" in the Tahoe mountains has a wood-burning fireplace, as a mandatory amenity. Or at least an "artificial" gas-operated one... Or in the worst case, a FAKE one (with the flames that are actually a fan blowing at stripes of cloth illuminated in orange color, with a mirror behind, and some plastic logs)... Nothing. Nada. Niente. So with outside temperatures in the low 40s, we are in a huge room with just small pieces of rather outdated furniture scattered around it. A 22" TV with an old-fashioned bubbly-looking tube feels really tiny for this huge room, and is about 26 feet away from my pillow (on which I rest my head while writing this). How am I supposed to watch? I need binoculars.
5) Very noisy AC / heating (like a tractor engine)... and is the ONLY heating option... with 42F temperature outside, we cannot sleep with the heater on... very disconcerting.
6) Bathroom is also in need of an update.
7) "by the lake" or "by the road"?. From the hotel's name, you'd think the hotel is right on the peaceful banks of Lake Tahoe. But in reality, the lake is visible- indeed... visible from behind a very busy road (the main street) with SUVs and pick-up trucks passing every 2 seconds. Also big trucks, semis... A lot of noise. Inside the 3rd floor King room, even with closed window, I can still hear every truck passing by.
8) WAY OVERPRICED for what you get... Seriously! We paid almost $200 (incl. taxes) here. For something that is NOT boutique... I think next time we would rather explore other options...
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The Inn claims to be a "boutique" hotel - I think not. The only pros to this hotel are A) It's across the street from the Lake B) Its in walking distance to Safeway C) There is plenty of parking D) its seems to be a fairly central location
We were in South Lake for a wedding and choose to stay at the Inn along with the rest of the wedding guests. From what I heard NO ONE slept a wink. We were in room 141 - it was the loudest hotel room I have ever stayed in. In fact it was so loud, I considered asking for my money back. I mean the point of paying for a hotel room, is partly to get a little shut eye. Right?
Oh and, we got a "Queen Room" with a Full Size bed!
For the price you could get a room at the Embassy Suites, Marriott etc.
My advice - Don't stay here unless you have to.
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Though the Inn by the lake touts itself as a boutique resort, I would not put it in that classification. It's more of a cute little place, slightly outdated, with a nice view of the lake.
My boyfriend and I headed to So. Lake Tahoe to celebrate Christmas, and this was one of the few hotels we could find that didn't require a three day stay over the holiday. The queen room was very small, it held the bed and requisite side tables and dresser with a TV, but didn't have room for any extras. It was clean, and had some surface updates, but we could tell it hadn't really had any renovations since the 70s. There was a balcony, but it was too cold to enjoy. And the walls were paper thin, we could hear everything, and I mean everything that went on in the rooms next to us. It sounded like they had a very Merry Christmas ;)
The bathroom was large and had some pealing wallpaper, but was clean, and that's what really counts.
We appreciated the light continental breakfast, and though I didn't use them, the Inn had an outdoor pool and hot tub and a well-equipped workout room.
The hotel is very far from the main town...it's good if you want peace and quiet..but it'll get boring. It's a challenge to find a nearby resturant to eat at...or a place to go...or things to do. I'd rather pay extra for a better location..I ended up having to pay a lot more for cab rides to go to places since the free buses don't go pass this hotel.
I was especially disappointed with the rooms, they were very old and needed some major updating. The bathroom tiles were a greenish/yellow color so it made it look dirty. Our tiny balcony looked out to a trailer park, and that really threw me off.
What I did like was:
1. The jacuzzi
2. Staff was nice
3. The peacefulness
For the price...I would not recommend this hotel..I'd rather pay extra for the resorts closer to heavenly village or nicer rooms.
We were so happy to find this place having to exit The Montgomery Inn asap. Five girls in a double queen room was perfect. The room sizes sort of vary so they gave us our choice. We got one with a view of the split level hot tub and pool! They serve an extended Continental breakfast next to the mini gym and sauna. The service was sweet and the price was right! The location is beautiful, right where the park starts at the lake area.
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