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Royal Valhalla Lodge
Category: Event Planning & Services Hotels Hotels & Travel Hotels Hotels
4104 Lakeshore BlvdSouth Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
(866) 493-4603
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 9 am - 7 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
48 reviews for Royal Valhalla Lodge
Review Highlights
"...Valhalla is that a continental breakfast is included in..."
(in 13 reviews)
"Also, the front desk staff was super friendly."
(in 12 reviews)
"They also have a heated pool and hot tub."
(in 4 reviews)
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48 reviews in English
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Review from Justin L.
San Francisco, CA
2/25/2011
Originally I was going to bag on all the hipsters who were crying one starred tears on this place...but the webpage image def. don't look like the actual hotel.
This place is firmly a 3 for me, but I had a great time. Its hard to complain with good company and fun times.
It was inexpensive, clean, simple, the staff had character and the view of the lake from my room was GORGEOUS. Perfect for stumbling back from the casino nights and boarding days.
One of the staffers also check my radial sizes for me while I was shopping for snow chains to supplement the ones that broke on the way up.
I would def stay here again for snow boarding day trips or just to be in walking distance of the casinos and the lake.
My one complaint is that they didn't have tools for me to borrow.
P.S. if your expecting something fancy for $145 bucks for 3 people I suggest another country or go gamble and get some free points at Harvey's. -
Review from Ann S.
Oakland, CA
12/20/2011
I didn't believe in ghosts.. until I stayed here. I was a in program a couple years ago and the guys who stayed in the room, the year before, said it was haunted. Freaky shit happened, didn't think much about until later that night. Worse experience ever and for the staff to agree with us that sometimes they see a women walking through the walls on the cameras.. FREAKY.
Cheap room, kitchen came in handy, but too many freaky events happened that night. Never going back. -
Review from Matt F.
Seattle, WA
8/1/2011
In reality, the only thing this place has going for it is the view of the lake.
We stayed there this last weekend for a family birthday, this is the last time. We had a 2 bedroom room for $150/night.
The TV in the lobby has been that way since the last time I was here in 2007. With all the "holes" in the screen. When we checked in we were given a room with "partial view of the lake", we were in the building with the breakfast room (didn't even think about trying it) all the way in the back. We got into the room only to find the balcony blocked off with 2x4's and a sign stating that the balcony's were under construction. We called down to the desk, she said it's ok to go out there anyway. The 2x4's were screwed into the wall, so there was no way of going out there. She eventually gave us another room across the hall. This time on the street side all the way in the back. Our partial view of the lake turned into a view of the trees.
Everything is really dirty in the rooms, and they don't smell that great either. Cobwebs on the ceiling, mold or something around the heater, there was a cable dangling in front of the door to the balcony, the TV kinda worked, oh, and the bed...yeah I didn't go under the covers. The 2nd day we returned to our room to see the beds made, some slight vaccuming, and the piece of paper I left on the floor the night before still there. They took all the towels and didn't replace them, so we called down to the desk and was told that we needed to come get some. He originally gave us a small hand towel and a larger towel, mentioned to him that there is two guys in the room and this isn't gonna work, he finally gave us another towel.
How can you run a hotel/motel with a lack of towels?
The management; Trigild, Inc really needs to spend a couple thousand dollars and buy some new linens and towels. The hallways are scary, the elevators are almost broken with their permits expiring on 8/4/2011 I wouldn't be surprised if they're no longer working shortly.
As the others have stated, this place needs to be torn down and rebuilt. It has such amazing potential with the location it has.
We only went to the beach one morning, so it doesn't really mean much to have beach access. Really think about spending the extra $30-$50 and stay at a newer place and come down and park at the beach to enjoy the view or spend the $5 to go on it. -
Review from Richard D.
New York, NY
3/3/2011
You get what you pay for, and in this case I paid for it through Priceline.
I swear I reviewed this place when I visited it last year, but I guess I reviewed it only on priceline and not through here.
The rooms:
The rooms are very old and need some TLC. Everything looks old and needs a new coat of paint. The sheets we got were all stained and after going to housekeeping to get other sheets, they were all stained and yellowed with age as well. I really didn't mind it, but you can't help but wonder if the stains were part of someones bloody nose or time of the month.
The location:
Awesome location. it really is on the lake and we had a gorgeous view of the lake. Just look out at the lake and not at the room. We came here on to visit the ski resorts in the Tahoe area. It is a short walk to the casinos and state line.
The service:
The girl working the front desk was really nice. She went through piles of "clean" sheets to try to find us a set that was stained the least. The poor cleaning ladies aren't given much to work with but they do clean what they can and make the beds.
Overall impressions:
Yes, this place is a DUMP. If you want a lakefront location it's an awesome spot. If it got a huge revamp, they could easily charge much more money. -
Review from Leon L.
Daly City, CA
2/12/2011
Pictures can say a thousand words right?? well the pictures for this place said FALSE ADVERTISEMENT in 1000 different ways!!!!
I would give this place a 0 if I could. I paid $100 for a room that was dark and gloomy, had 1920's antique dressers, a tv that was from the 80s, a bed with sheets that was dirty, smelled like cigarettes, and didn't have a roll of toilet paper. WHO DOESN'T PROVIDE TOILET PAPER!!?!??!!?!!
And that additional room... i don't know what they were thinking. it looks like a prison cell!!
windows... they had one 6 inch by 12 inch window. I really did feel like I was in a jail cell!!!
STAFF SUCKED!!
I hope this place closes down.
AVOID at ALLLLLLLLLL costs!!!!!!
Cheers! -
Review from john b.
San Jose, CA
6/5/2011
I am taking a trip down memory lane. The Current reviews about Royal Valhalla sadden me.
In 1985, my wife (we were together not even a year....here we are, ready to celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary..) and I drove up to South Shore with NO reservations for any hotel on a Saturday morning. Early. So we could see the sunrise over the Sierra Nevada....We wanted to stay at a nice hotel near the Lake. We could not afford Harvey's or Harrahs-we stumbled across Royal Valhalla.
We stayed in a lake view room. At the time, hey, circa 1985, it was great! Great view of the Lake, clean, nice, really nice staff. We came back several times while we were engaged, and, we stayed one night on our honeymoon before driving up the street to Harvey's for the remainder of our honeymoon....ahhh, memories, no worries.
I hope the owner of Royal Valhalla reads my review..You are sitting on a PRIMO piece of South Lake Tahoe real estate: TIME TO REMODEL AND REMEMBER THAT THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!!!!! You have heard from many disgruntled patrons-your hotel sounds like a dump. This cannot be the same place, same location I stayed in 20 some years ago.
The one factor that cannot change is your location: You have a motel literally on Lake Tahoe!!! And, you have let it become a rat, bed-bug infested garbage dump???? SHAME ON YOU!!!! -
Review from Joe B.
San Mateo, CA
8/29/2010
Great view of the lake from the pool...
However, the place is garbage... But It is like having good garbage if the makes sense.
The bed was fine... The shower worked..... The tv worked....
The rug had tears... The small couch has tears.....
I don't know if I would stay there again.
We had no issues but I can see how some people might get annoyed... -
Review from Patra B.
2/13/2010
This was my first trip to Tahoe in 2 years, and all accommodations were taken care of, so all I had to do was hop in the car. We arrived around 11pm at night, so we got stuck in Building D...all the way in the back.
The building looked like an old apartment building converted into the lodge. The setup of our room was a bit odd. We opened the door to find a bed in what looked like it could have been the living room. Then you walk into the hallway which was more like a huge closet. And then you find another room which had a queen sized bed. There was a small kitchen with a microwave, small sink and small stove.
The kitchen came in very handy on our second night. The boys whipped up dinner on a tiny 2 burner stove....steak, potatoes and corn on the cob. Not too shabby since we had to buy all the ingredients and cook with very few utensils.
The walls were very thin and the floors were super creaky. The first night, I woke up to the drunk boys coming back from the casino. Then an hour after that, our noisy neighbor came back and decided to have a conversation which I could almost completely hear. Definitely bring ear plugs if you're a light sleeper!
The location is very good. Its right by the lake and walking distance from the casinos. And its within minutes from Heavenly. They also have a heated pool and hot tub. If I didn't already have a cold, I might've considered using it.
Overall, its not a bad place to stay. Most of the lodges in the area looked about the same as this place. If you're looking for more modern accommodations, then you're better off staying at the casinos. -
Review from Christine K.
San Jose, CA
3/15/2010
STAY AWAY!!!! Do not get tricked by the website's photos or get lured by the slightly cheaper price (as compared to other hotels in the area). We arrive, go to our room which is in a small building, far from the main lobby and in a dark secluded area. First reaction: this is like MOTEL 6 or WORSE! Imagine going to camp as a kid and getting assigned to a grungy room. It was like that. Dirty furniture, old accordian lampshades (with at LEAST 10 dead bugs on it), a broken clock, and non-working lightswitch.
We immediately call 0, complain, get offered a different room w/ a kitchen, but no double bed, and then get a call later that the GM upgraded us to a suite. The suite was nice, but the bedframe was dusty, there was a grocery list on the bathroom floor, and the sheets were not completely white. Supposedly, this suite goes for $300/night, but I would NEVER pay that much for it.
Basically, there is no way in hell I would go back to this place. The only plus was that it is right next to the lake and within walking distances of the casinos. If they shut down and rebuild entirely, this place could have a lot of potential. -
Review from Rachel G.
Berkeley, CA
9/14/2009
Oh, the Royal Valhalla... Don't be fooled by the website. Yes, it is right on the lake and provides access to a private beach, which is the only positive thing about this hole-in-the-wall hotel.
I stayed there for two nights this past weekend. I shared a room with my cousin while my aunts got the "suite" with a "deck."
Some lowlights:
- The deck was unusable due to "construction" which consisted of a 2x4 blocking the door.
- No A/C.
-Thin, stained sheets and pillow cases. My bed actually had an old bloodstain on it... right near the head of the bed! If you're not going to bleach and/or throw away sheets with stains on them, at least have the decency to put the stains somewhere away from my head. k? thx.
-We had no towels in the afternoon on day 2 because the laundry guys were behind in their work. Lame. Took them 3 hours to get us new towels.
-The continental breakfast consisted entirely of beige food: toast, bagels, cheerios, donuts. Not one ounce of protein or fruit in sight.
They should really just tear the whole thing down. I think it might actually be nicer as a campground than as a hotel! I can't even say it was worth the cheap price, since we could have spent just a few dollars more and stayed at the Marriott up the road... -
Review from Britney F.
Martinez, CA
8/24/2010
WORST EXPERIENCE . . . please read!
We had our wedding at the Royal Valhalla this past Saturday, August 21st, 2010 and from start to finish, our experience was terrible, downright awful!
1 - we met with Taneka "the wedding coordinator" about 8 months ago and were told that in order to rent the grassy lawn for our reception, we needed to book and pay for 10 rooms.
No problem. We wanted to pay upfront right then and there and she said no.
Instead of having each room in our name (and then we'd give them to our guests because we wanted to pay for some of our family) Taneka asked that I fax her the list of 10 people. I did that immediately and that is when the crap began!!
We went back and forth with her for MONTHS, even the day of the wedding because they constantly mixed up the 10 rooms we paid for. She would add other guests (like co-workers we weren't paying for) into the list of 10!!
Honestly, they had a different list of 10 and a different price EACH time we spoke with them and none of the other employees could help, only Taneka.
The day before the wedding, I was called down because my guest was told there was no room for her. It was listed under someone else who wasn't even staying there till Saturday.
Then Saturday night, I was called down twice because 2 of my guests who were on our list of 10 (who Taneka confirmed that DAY BEFORE) were told there was no room for them.
One friend had to pay his own way at another hotel while the other was given a back room (then an employee knocked on their door at 3am to give them a TV remote - that didn't work - which they never asked for. WTF?
Then as we checked out on Sunday, each and every one of our guests were completely harassed by the front desk saying their were trying to find one of our guests who didn't pay.
FIRST OFF, how inappropriate to discuss money with other guest!
SECONDLY, we PAID for him and he was left off our list!
So we went in on Monday to "settle the bill" and were told that only 8 of our guests checked in (YEAH, DUH, because you turned 2 away!!)
We rented a room for our guests to use a toilet and it was broken the whole time! When we asked the front desk 15 different times to fix it, the clerk named Ian said the maintenance man was 30 minutes away and was probably wasted by that time of night!
They charged several rooms to our card which we never said we'd pay for.
The rooms are crappy as shit.
This place is horrible, can I give 0 stars? There are SO many more details to this story but I won't continue. . .horrible!!!!!!!!!!!!! -
Review from Vincent K.
San Francisco, CA
1/19/2010
As much as I hate seeing this place only have a 2.5 rating, I firmly believe its more of a 3-3.5. And to be realistic, cmon people, you pay $90 a night for a spot in South Lake Tahoe which is walking distance to the casino strip. After 5 shots of alcohol, its almost a breeze just stumbling back home any day.
The staff is friendly like our girl Karen who was really cool and tried to make the best of our stay. There were a few downfalls, and yes that would include the decieving webpage which probably reflects only the lake front units. Our party of 4 stayed in the back (slight advantage in distance to the casinos) where the walls were pretty thin, but we had 2 beds in separate bedrooms. The floorplan is a bit strange as it has an unusually large bathroom, a small walk in closet, a small well equipped kitchen, and both bedrooms facing the walkway.
It's an old place, but it does the job. I had an overall good stay here, and we even managed to cook up quite a dinner meal on our last night here. I'm sure during the summer, having a view of the lake would have been amazing. Something to consider next season. -
Review from Jaime K.
San Francisco, CA
10/15/2009
Ok so I've stayed in roughly 19584345 different hotels in the South Lake Tahoe area. This was by far the worst.
The room was shockingly run down. Stained carpets, lamps that didn't work, and the shower broke. The website makes this place look really nice. It's not. People working there were friendly enough though.
The lakeside location is nice for the summer right across from the lake, but could be a pain in the winter if you're walking to the Gondola in ski boots.
There really isn't anything that could make me want to stay here again. -
Review from Myra V.
Martinez, CA
10/14/2010 1 Check-in Here
So, on the way home from Lake Tahoe, my boyfriend mentioned that we should write a bad review for the Royal Valhalla on Yelp. He then corrected himself and said we should write an "honest" review, and I pointed out that there really wasn't any difference, if you catch my drift.
The outside of this place looks like an old apartment building that you might have seen on tv if the Brady brunch went to a ghetto area. The parking is "wherever you want," in tight covered spaces or in a wreck of cars really parked WHEREVER they wanted. There were a lot of doors from the parking area that were unlocked for what seemed like all night, and the hallways once you were inside looked like the ones from a creepy murder movie that are old, grimey, and you have to keep looking behind your shoulder in case some creep is following you (from an unlocked door, I guess).
The inside of the room was smelly, just like the lobby. We had a two bedroom, one for my boyfriend and I and one for his brother and his brother's girlfriend. I don't know what their bed looked like, but ours had stains not only on the sheets but on the pillowcases too. It was gross. I literally slept in sweatpants and a sweatshirt (with the hood on) to make sure I didn't catch anything and to shield me from any possible bed bugs.
We called for towels and toilet paper, because for some reason the two bedroom only had two towels and just the roll of toilet paper that was on the holder. With the four of us there, that was gone quickly, and it took us two calls for them to actually bring some towels and toilet paper.
The ceiling had one of those brown stains on it, which was pretty gross. We went to a wedding, and when we came back, the housekeeping job sucked. It seemed like her job was to make the bed and then throw everything on top of the made-up bed.
I guess this is what happens when you let the boys book the room. ;) Just kidding, but someone did mention to leave it to the girls next time. Apparently, the boyfriends weren't the only ones fooled by the pictures on the website (other reviews mention the pics too). I was going to give this place two stars just to be nice, but I felt it deserved yelp's "Eek, Methinks not." more than a two-star "Meh. I've experiencecd better." -
Review from Eric H.
Lafayette, CO
12/29/2009
We arrived in the late afternoon around 4:30 PM to an overflowing lobby full of disgruntled yet-to-be guests. Apparently none of the rooms were ready as the cleaning crew was operating short staffed. Add to the situation no public restrooms and you might understand while some folks especially those with small children were less than happy.
After waiting 30 minutes or so we were told we could check into our room that may or may not be clean. We went upstairs and arrived right as the cleaning lady was using an overabundance of fragrance spray. We quickly opened the doors and windows guessing from the stacked ash trays in the corner that this was not a non-smoking room as previously promised by the lobby staff.
On a different note, here's a helpful tip: bring ear plugs. The floors are paper thin and I think there was a party in the room above us. Either that or a large family with genetically small bladders.
Our cleaning lady ("Bertha" according to the card on the nightstand) was nice enough to leave a suggestion form. However, sadly it had already been filled out. Four months ago. By another dissatisfied customer. Perhaps the Royal Valhalla does not in fact appreciate comments.
Hopefully more people read this review than the hotel staff manages to do with their own comment cards. This along with the fact the clock was still an hour off from daylight savings time leads me to believe these rooms do not see a lot of use. My guess would be lack of repeat customers. -
Review from Mona O.
Pleasanton, CA
4/4/2011
I have very low expectations when it comes to hotels in SLT. I want a clean room, with friendly staff. I use the room for sleeping only.
So we spent one night there. It was clean and the staff were friendly.
We couldn't get into our original room twice, so we got upgraded. I thought that was very nice.
The view is spectacular. And they have a hot pool and jacuzzi. sounds like fun, even if we didn't use it. -
Review from Jaclyn S.
Mission, KS
5/26/2009
1 star for the lake view - which we were fortunate to have
1 star for the fireplace and free hot chocolate in the lobby
Had I read the reviews below before we went, we probably would have been a bit less disappointed (or stayed elsewhere). We went to SLT for a wedding over Memorial Day weekend and this place was recommended due to it's proximity to the lake, where the wedding was being held, and the group rate we were being offered (which was only $20 less than the Embassy Suites up the road would have charged us for MUCH nicer rooms).
When we checked in we were told that our room was on the top floor, but it ended up being on the first floor. We asked if there was anything higher up and were told that they were booked and this was the only room left (not the only time they used that excuse, but I'll get to that). We got to our room, and the light bulb in the entry was out. In addition to that, the trash can still had a maxi-pad in it from the previous guest. To be fair they did come and take care of these things, but we really shouldn't have come across those problems to begin with either. The water didn't drain in the shower either, which we didn't bother to ask them to come and take care of since we were only staying one night.
The continental breakfast was pretty skimpy and offered a choice of two cereals: Raisin Bran and Frosted Flakes, oatmeal, and a few bread items (bagels and toast). My husband and daughter both got a doughnut and they were quite nice, really soft, so we either got lucky, or the previous reviewer that commented about the doughnuts were stale hit a bad day.
We planned to stay the day after the wedding at their private beach, with the rest of the wedding guests, before heading home in the afternoon. When I called to request a later check out time, I was told that they could not accommodate our request because they were full and needed to get the rooms cleaned for the next guests. When I pressed them for just one additional hour, they told me they could do that but they would have to charge me an additional $20. I declined. It was Memorial Day weekend, and they could have truly been completely booked. However, the parking lot did not have very many cars in it and more than half of the car ports were empty the entire time we were there, so I find it a bit hard to believe that a later check out was completely out of the question.
Lastly, when we checked in, I inquired about getting a pass to their private beach and was told that we wouldn't need it b/c they wouldn't be monitoring the gate until next weekend. However, it turns out she was wrong about this (probably had her dates mixed up due to the funny way Mem. Day weekend fell this year). After we checked out, I asked the front desk if they could still give us a pass to the beach and the lady rudely told me they could not but she would anyway. It was a bit of a back-handed favor and seemed to me like she was trying to make some silly point that somewhat undermined the "favor" she did by giving us a pass - which I also find ridiculous as we were paying guests the previous night.
Long story short, if you go here to be close to the lake and you get a room with a view, you will be reasonably happy for the price. Just don't expect friendly service or quality accommodations. Your room rate pays for the view and that's pretty much all. -
Review from Christina C.
Santa Clara, CA
1/3/2010
I can't believe people would opt to come here after the initial stay.
It's not AWFUL. The price is moderate, slightly cheaper than the casinos. They DO offer a continental breakfast - which consists of non sugary cereal, mini bagels, mini muffins, juice, milk, coffee, hot chocolate. They ARE right by the water and minutes (walking) to the casinos.
The room itself almost has an apartment feel to it. There is actually a separate bedroom. The "main room" also has a bed, TV, closet, and small table. The rooms come with a balcony - but we came during winter, so it was full of snow. It has popcorn ceilings and tacky wall paper.
Like I said - it's not AWFUL. But its like a one-man show.
We arrived in the evening after a day of boarding. One of us goes to check in. A nice lady greets her and we get our key to the room. Later on, we call housekeeping for extra towels. Same lady arrives at the door with extra towels... So if you are here, who's watching the front?
The next morning, the boyfriend goes to get some continental breakfast and, again, the SAME lady is setting up breakfast! During our whole stay, I thought it was weird that I didn't see ANY staff members. So if she is handling this whole inn by herself, I give her an extra star! (would have been 1)Listed in: Get some shut eye
-
Review from Molly O.
Washington, DC
8/6/2009
This is my third time staying here. It is our family's go-to hotel when in Tahoe for the summer. I hate to say it, but the website makes it look a lot nicer that it really is. However, it is a great little hotel right on the water and a 10 minute walk away from the casinos. We usually get two full units (upstairs and downstairs) because we bring the whole family. This year when we arrived the rooms weren't ready yet, but they did give us our beach passes early, which was nice. Once they were ready we noticed some cobwebs and that there weren't any towels. With a quick call to the front desk, both of these things were taken care of very quickly. Another great thing about the Royal Valhalla is that a continental breakfast is included in your room rate. While it is only donuts, cereal, coffee, tea and other pastries, it is nice to have a little something offered.
Don't go expecting this to be a 4 star hotel, because it isn't. However, it is a cute place with good service, clean rooms (besides some cobwebs), clean swimming pool, breakfast included, and some grills if you want to use them. My family will definitely keep coming to the Royal Valhalla. -
Review from Bill M.
Galt, CA
6/15/2010
My story is a little different so here it goes...
The Men's Ministry at my Church rents out the total hotel once a year for a weekend in late September. We have done this for some 5 years now. We put a huge tent up on the grass and really rock the place.
They always give us a great rate and do their best for the 125 guys who barge in on the place. And one must keep in mind that men are looking for a good rate so we never get any complaints and it's always a fun time for all.
I have read the very poor reviews on this hotel and I can understand the feedback based on their context. The location is good but the digs are not top of the line.
I give this hotel 4 STARS because they always treat us right every year. -
Review from Rob N.
Orinda, CA
3/18/2009
Hrmm. . .This place has a lot of plus n minuses. Easiest way is to do a pro n con list
Pros:
Concierges are very helpful and friendly
Cheap and willing to price match online rates
The floor plan with 2 queens is two separate rooms giggity giggity
View of the lake
5 dollar cab ride to casinos
very laid back atmosphere
HBO
Nice heated rooms
Neutral:
Continental Breakfast. its aiite
Cons:
Cannot go out to some of the balconies due to water damage
I get shocked by the doors every time I open them
Sometimes the folks at the front desk are non existent
Definitely could use some repairs and upgrades
Overall good for the money. Great place for a bunch of friends to mob up to the mountains and stay a night or two. -
Review from Krissy N.
San Francisco, CA
2/10/2009
1 star for lake view
1 star for free yummy hot chocolate in the lobby
It is a cheap hotel. I can deal with that and expected that for the rate I paid however, I did not expect to be woken by the people staying in the room upstairs because the floors are so darn squeaky! It was torture. If you go to this hotel, get a top floor room! -
Review from Rashmi N.
San Francisco, CA
3/20/2007
The Royal Valhalla is an awesome, low key place to stay. Period.
You can't beat having gorgeous lake views and a beach right outside your patio. The casinos and downtown-y area are within walking distance. And if it's too cold out you can hop on the shuttle bus!
Not posh but definitely livable! Friendly staff and good deals. A little breakfast is included and tea and cookies are always available in the lobby along with a roaring fire! Ahhhh.... -
Review from Lily D.
San Francisco, CA
2/13/2008
I had better start from the beginning. We found the lodge - yes it's right next to the lake. That's pretty cool. But we pulled into the parking lot and immediately found it to be very icy. People were slipping all over the place. Yes, I know it's winter in Tahoe, but the lodge could've put some effort into de-icing the parking lot. Seriously - put down some salt!
The lobby was pretty nice, like someone previously said. Nice looking couches (I didn't sit) and a big fireplace. But how much time do you spend in the lobby? Just checking in and out. The guy checking us in was nice.
We slid into the parking lot. There are carports as the first floor of the building, but everything was occupied, so we parked in the lot. then we had to hunt for the door into the building. After we finally found it and slipped on the ice right over the doorstep, we went up to our room.
Now, we had 3 people. They knew this when we booked it, and when we checked in. The room we had (a 'Kitchen' room) had a max occupancy of 3. We walked in. Ok, there's the queen bed, and a small couch. Does it pull out? Nope. So where's the third person supposed to sleep? We call the front desk. "Oh, is there no roll-away bed?" Nope. So the guy had to go hunt around and find us a bed. The roll-away bed totally sucked. Sagged in the middle, springs popping up. Yuck.
Oh, and 3 people, right? But only 2 towels. We had to ask for extra towels. And every morning, the maids would take away our third towel, so we kept having to ask for more. Speaking of the maids, one morning we walked by a room they were "cleaning." Yea, they were sitting in there, chatting away. Plus there was a piece of trash in the closet of our room from the previous guest that they never picked up. I threw it away myself.
Oh yea, back to the room. Our room was non-smoking and smelled ok. But the floor was a mix of smoking & non-smoking rooms, so the hallway smelled funky. The queen bed that was in the room was probably the cheapest thing they could find in the store 10 years ago. When leaning on it, you could feel all the springs. The only reason I could sleep was probably because I was exhausted from skiing.
Here's what else the advertise:
Lake view - if you mean by standing way off to the side of the window and peaking between two buildings
Free wireless internet - in the lobby only
Continental breakfast - stale pastries and weird things floating in my juice
Since the first floor of the lodge is a carport, our 2nd floor room was right above some car that kept revving it's engine in the morning. Probably attempting to get out over the ice. The blue tarp tacked over some of the carport spaces looked... well, tacky. The orange extension cords, with the junction points covered in duct tape, that led to the gutter drainage pipes looked dangerous and suspicious. Oh, and we could hear every step from the guests upstairs.
The rest of the room was ok. The bathroom was fine and the kitchen was nice. The kitchen had a basic set of pots & pans, and some dinnerware and silverware. But there were no knives for chopping. -
Review from alex s.
San Francisco, CA
1/4/2009
My boyfriend and I checked in to the Royal Valhalla the weekend before Christmas and immediately Jose, the young, nice, and very accomodating Concierge, upgraded us to a room twice as much as our original for FREE.
The room was spacious, we had our own large balcony, kitchen, and decent bathroom.
Oh, and how could I forget to mention the view from our room of the Lake. Wow. Right there! Stateline is within walking distance, but far enough away so you actually feel like you're staying in the country.
The only downfall was the hot tub was not in working condition. Warmed pool, but I really wanted to use the hot tub!
It was great service, and I will stay there again. -
Review from Tulpanchik E.
San Jose, CA
8/3/2009
I was very excited about staying at this place, their website looked and sounded great.
We arrive...all is well, im very satisfied with the price we got through priceline. It was a queen with a kitchen and little couch, I was happy.
The Bad:
Toilet floods - they give us a plunger
Toilet overflowed - used up all towels
They promise to bring more towels - never happened
Bathroom fan NOT working
Ceiling has water stains
Late check out means 30 mins extra :|
The Good:
Access pass to beach
Served its purpose, we had a place to stay and make our own food
The Ugly:
THE TOILET OVERFLOWED!!!!
I will not be back even though one of the employees said he would give us a discount the next time we come. I will not recommend this place.
Next time I will not be so cheap. -
Review from kati m.
Oakley, CA
12/3/2008
This is a cheap hotel on the lake, within walking distance to the main casinos = great location.
You probably wouldnt want to walk in the winter, little too far in those temps for me. The lobby is cozy. Staff is helpful. Free breakfast is alright.
Room for 3 was a little cramped. The heater was loud. The tv picture a little fuzzy.
Not the Marriot, but not a crap hole. -
Review from Maria Leah J.
Stockton, CA
3/1/2011
My brother was unfortunate enough to have booked our stay at this hotel. The room wasn't worth the $105 we paid. As you walk in the room, it smelled horrible, like the stench of several dead rats that have rotted for some time. The sheets and pillowcases were clean, supposedly, but looked really dirty and had stains. My room didn't have towels so when I called, a very rude front desk clerk by the name of Karen said "you're gonna have to go get the towels because we don't have a runner". It would have been fine with me to get it myself if I wanted "extra" towels, but I felt my room should've had towels to begin with. The front desk was in another building, so that meant I'd have to either drive there or walk in the snow. Karen rudely responded "I'll bring it there once the other guy comes back from his break and I don't know when that will be!" She never came.
Not wanting to cause a scene, I decided not to complain for that horrible experience, yet I felt everyone else who uses Yelp should be warned. Stay away from this place if heading to Tahoe!
On a positive note, a very friendly desk clerk named IAN made up for the other rude clerk! But unfortunately, IAN isn't gonna help me and my other family members want to stay here again. Royal Valhalla just lost three sets of families! -
Review from Robert B.
La Mesa, CA
Updated - 9/1/2010
This is an old stinky motel. Do not be fooled by their website or pictures. We checked in today and after smelling the lobby and hallways I was ready to be disgusted. Too bad I was right. The room was old and smelled. The bedding looked very dirty. The bed itself was terrible. I immediately called expedia to cancel and get a new hotel. I got charged $100 for canceling but it was with it. Good bye dumpy motel you were disgusting.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/29/2010
This place is a dump. I should have taken pictures but as we were only there for 1/2 hour, most of… Read more »
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Review from Christine B.
Novato, CA
12/30/2010
On the plus side, the view -- if you get a full view room, the view is AWESOME. The location is GREAT- right on the lake, and a quick walk to the casinos and the heavenly gondala. You are on the doorstep of the beach.
The matresses were also comfortable and the TV worked. They have a cool fireplace in the front.
However, the rooms where dirty. We had stained towels and pillow cases. There was this plastic wrapper thing that was on the carpet from the moment we walked in to the moment we left (Ie vacumming was not good). Half of the lamps did not work and one lamp shade was burned through by the bulb. I could not make the heater work.
The furniture was shabby. Torn couch, wobbly table, scarred furniture. But had it felt clean, I could have lived with shabby furniture.
We slept in our clothes and did not take baths because it felt so unclean.
The continental breakfast was a joke. Paper plates, one two slot toaster for all of the guests (one handle broken). 6 plastic chairs for the whole hotel, so one large family basically would use up all chairs. There were people pathetically slurping cheerios out of paper bowls while kneeling on the floor. The breakfast is supposed to be open from 7-10, but more like, the room is open, but when the food is gone it is gone. There were doughnuts, bread, english muffins, and semi thawed out pastries and cereal. There was also this strange jar of crumbley cookies that looked a million years old. There was a carton of OJ and coffee and milk. There were packets of margerine and jam. No protein. It sucked. We went to Harrah's.
The morning staff was overworked and mean. No wonder they were in a bad mood, they were trying to juggle the continental breakfast and the front desk. The afternoon lady was a lot nicer.
I tried to find another room at another hotel, but we were pretty much stuck as it was a holiday week. I felt bad because I booked this trip months before and it was a big deal for my family. I regretted so much not going to the Embassy Suites, which was similar in price when I booked.
One morning, while waiting 35 minutes for someone to show up at the front desk, I compared notes with other guests. One lady had a cleaner room, but the other had the same issues with stained linens.
We all agreed it was pretty bad though.
Would I stay there again? The location would tempt me, but I would have to bring my own linens. I think I would try any of the other hotels first. If the hotel was redone and under new management, maybe.
If you are on a ski trip and just want a cheap place to crash, this might be okay.
It was so awful, we almost cut our trip short just to go home and sleep in a clean bed and shower in a clean bathroom. -
Review from Wendy B.
Danville, CA
1/27/2011
They should change the name to Royal DIVE on the lake. I can't even give one star to this hotel. The pictures online are deceitful! The only picture authentic likeness is the fireplace in the lobby building. I Wish I would've gone to YELP to see reviews before booking. I did read reviews online however, they were good.
PAID $280.00 a night tax included
This place is OLD but we can deal with old, it's the fact that it was dirty! We [8 adults] reserved a 3 bedroom [queen beds] w/2 rollaways, kitchen, 2 baths. I phoned a couple days ahead to verify they definitely had it set up for 8 adults; table, chairs, dishes, utensils etc. I was assured -
YEAH right! Table w/3 chairs, one of the [what they call bedroom] bedrooms was in the living room/kitchen! I will give kudos to Ian at the front desk because when we immediately went with our list of what was needed for 8 people, he had everything there within 10 minutes.
Once we had everything, we still did not feel comfortable even eating off the dishes and some of the adults were worried there would be bedbugs in the beds!! Yes, it was that gross!!
We checked out as soon as we could - and stayed down the street. AND it was $100. a night cheaper and sooo much nicer!! SO DON'T find out the hard way people, read YELP reviews and also know your hotels in TAHOE there are many dives I wouldn't let my pets sleep in!! -
Review from Rebecca C.
San Francisco, CA
12/7/2009
First of all, the service was THE WORST, the room was disgusting, the beds were gross, and the room was old and it smelled like HELL. This has to be one of the worst hotels I have ever stepped foot into. The website is a complete lie. Dont torture yourself with having to go to this place. Do yourself a favor and pay $10 more for the MontBlue Resort just down the road. A WORLD of difference.
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Review from rich h.
Oakley, CA
8/29/2010
If I could give this place half a star I would!! Stay away.
We went here for my friends B day. We reserved 2 rooms and only got 1. That already ruined our stay from the get go. The room was filthy with stains on the walls bed spreads, floor and ceiling. wow!! The coffee and elevator permit was expired. WTF! The balcony was boarded off the website was soooooooooo deceiving. We tried to get our money back because we did not want to stay but after checking out the room they told us we were obligated to stay and would not give us our money back. Stay Away !!! -
Review from Jeana A.
Santa Monica, CA
12/23/2008
I have stayed here many times, mostly during the winter over the new year. Once we stayed over spring break.
I find this place awesome for what you pay.
The rooms are pretty good sized, I have stayed in the kitchenette and the 2 bedroom. The kitchenette is perfect for a couple. My bf and I get this room every year. We go get groceries at the local market and make all our food and tea/coco whatever in the room. Its a big cash saver and way convenient when you get done partying on the Nevada side and realize nothing open at 3 am.
The 2 bedroom rooms are little small however are perfect for two couples since they provide the privacy one would not get from a room with just 2 beds.
The rooms are not a Hilton suite quality but keep in mind you are not paying Hilton suite prices either.
I feel the staff is always helpful. Since my bf and I have stayed here so often we usually get a nice discount, and they always accommodate people we bring with us.
Usually if you are friendly with the staff when booking they will turn you on to some great money saving deals at the slopes.
In the rooms there is storage for your boards (or skies) so you dont have to leave them in your car.
You can walk across the road, okay maybe a 5 minute walk, to the casino, Which we do often if its not snowing heavily, because once inside the first casino you can pretty much stay cover down the whole Nevada strip via casinos. This hotel is a short cab ride from some awesome bars on the California side.
Oo and there is a Starbucks in the hotel across the street which is always a plus!
I feel some of the previous reviewers have forgotten they were in South Lake Tahoe. People go to South Lake to party and ski and with the freedom of being in Nevada without the Vegas prices. If you want a 5 start hotel spend the money and go to Vegas.
Also to Lily D's review; the only business in South Lake that salt their walk ways are the casinos. If its that big of deal stay in one of the smoke filled casinos instead.
I feel this is the best it gets based on the amount of money you pay. -
Review from Cali G.
San Jose, CA
9/19/2010
You get what you pay for here...
It is super cheap, but it looks that way. The view was great, but the entire place really needs to be renovated...
We've stayed there a few times when it was just an up and back trip... so we would obviously stay there again. -
Review from Brenna M.
Santa Cruz, CA
1/26/2010
We chose this place because it didn't get as many horrible reviews as the other lower priced hotels. This was a good choice for our price range - not too cheap and not too expensive.
I have experienced better.
I'll start with the pros though:
Check in was easy, and the person at the desk was very friendly and accommodating. We even asked if there was any way we could get an upgrade and he said no problem! We ended up getting two queens in two separate rooms which was nice to have privacy and space.
The hot tub is excellent and in a central location.
The location is really nice - right on the lake and only a 3 min walk to get to the shore. We were there in winter but still could trudge through the snow to reach the water.
We were also able to walk to dinner and drinks that night.
The hotel looks a lot better than the ones near by
The cons:
The whole place is rather dingy. The rooms are fine but things such as wallpaper need fixing or replacing. The towels were fine but I noticed some stains on a few. our bed as comfortable enough but apparently they haven't heard of fitted sheets and we had a flat sheet as the base which kept moving during the night leading both me and my boyfriend to sleep directly on the mattress by the morning.
The continental breakfast leaves much to be desired for. Hard boiled eggs from who knows when plus english muffins and bread that are quite stale. Luckily they had instant oatmeal that at least wasn't frozen for weeks.
Would I stay here again? probably, although I may try a different, similarly priced hotel. We missed out on some of the low expedia/orbitz prices and I think those make it more worth the bang for your buck. -
Review from Lisa N.
3/22/2007
For a Saturday night stay it was $121 (with tax), we got a 2-room unit with a deck that had a partial view of the lake! I think this place was quite decent. Don't expect fancy accommodations, this is you're bet for comfortable lodging. Plus, you're walking distance to the Heavenly Gondola and the casinos. Also, the front desk staff was super friendly.
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Review from Lucius M.
Vallejo, CA
12/24/2009
Nothing fancy, but a very reasonable two bedroom set-up that served us well. The staff did their best to meet our needs. Wish the room had a microwave any small fridge, but most people don't come to this area to camp in their rooms for long stretches. The location was nice because it put us off the main drag in South Lake Tahoe, but everything was a 10 minute walk or a quick hop in the car.
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Review from Bobby T.
San Francisco, CA
9/7/2007
Ok, there is a view on the water and a private beach (we didn't go) but it's a little too seedy for my taste. Pricing was good and I really don't know what to expect in SLT.
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Review from Brenda S.
Campbell, CA
3/21/2011
I agree with other people's comments on the rooms. They were super old. I thought Motel 6 was way better, the furniture has probably been there since the first time it opened, totally reminds me of the 60's. The TV reminded me of the early 90's television sets, but atleast it worked. It had an old school heater that looked like it was probably installed sometime in the 80's, but it kept us warm enough to make me hot during the middle of the night. The only plus side of this room was it had an awesome view and we even had a balcony and oh yeah we got free wi-fi. This hotel is more for people who spend the whole day out and just need a bed to crash for a cheap price. This place reminds me more for like a younger crowd, "dont care about the place because at the end it will be trashed." Their breakfast wasnt all that great but atleast it held us until lunch. They even served left overs from the morning before. (kinda gross, b/c some pasteries were rock hard) If you compare this hotels breakfast to Best Western, Best Western is like the Hyatt. When we checked in, the guy that helped us was pretty nice, but did not even tell us where our room was located. The location was great because we can easily walk to the casinos and shopping centers within minutes. The walls were also pretty thin so you can hear your neighbors. Soo would I stay here again??........depends how desperate I am.
