More about Inn By The Lake
A Pleasant Stay
by TripAdvisor Member Baron45
I was in S Lake Tahoe for 2 nights and this place looked nice and had affordable weekend rates. The location is nice and close to many restaurants. The grounds are well maintained. Parking is plentiful. The front desk staff is courteous and they allowed me a later check-out time. There is also a PC near the front desk for free internet use. I liked this feature alot since many hotels charge $10 a day.
I had the free continental breakfast one morning which was pretty good. There were several guests eating in the small dining area so I took my food to my room since it was very close by.
The rooms are decent although could use some remodeling. I had a first floor room and the walls are fairly thin based on the fact that I could hear the guy snoring in the adjacent room. The bathroom is above average in size but has no counter space. Beds are OK but the sheets/blankets are well worn.
Overall, I had a nice stay here as did my other traveling companions who were in two other rooms.
Just a great place
by TripAdvisor Member Watermaster
I recently hosted a reunion of Navy shipmates who hadn't seen each other for 38 years at Inn by the Lake. The staff were extremely helpful and pleasant to deal with. A special thanks goes to Rich for all his help with the details.
The rooms were a nice size and well decorated. The housekeeping staff did a great job. The suite we rented for a hospitality room was huge! We had 14 people in it on Saturday night, and no one was crowded. A well equipped kitchen made food service a breeze.
Every one who attended commented on how perfect the facility was for our reunion. I look forward to returning for another visit. That Jacuzzi in the suite looked VERY inviting!
Beautiful views, below average rooms
by TripAdvisor Member derobine
Its always risky staying at a place that has multiple bad reviews on tripadvisor. Nevertheless my wife and I bit the bullet and decided to try Inn by the Lake because of a great rate on a lake-front room.
Well, the previous postings are pretty on-target. Lakeview rooms have incredible views. Problem is, the aforementioned road noise is REALLY bad. Not just kind-of-annoying bad, but hard-to-sleep bad (the front desk staff to their credit warned me before booking). The staff was, as a matter of fact, very friendly and eager to please. However, the rooms were old and tired, stains on the sheets and shower curtain, etc. It looks like the owners are more interested in squeezing the bottom line than shelling out for a much-needed renovation (hey, is once every 10 years too much to ask?)
Until they renovate, I just can't see why anyone would stay here. Prices are reasonable, but not lower than probably a dozen other places in town. And if you want a lakefront view, you'll have just as nice a sleeping area camping in a tent.
Lovely place, shame about the bathroom
by TripAdvisor Member LesleyO
We stayed here for two nights. The hotel is in a lovely location right opposite the Lake and well away from the tackier casino end of the town. We had a room in the building at the back of the complex. Although we didn't have Lake views our room was very convenient for the Hot tub, pool, sauna, Gym and breakfast room. It was also very quiet with no noise from the road. We had a queen room, which was clean and a reasonable size. The bathroom was a good size, but unfortunately the sink was cracked and leaked! Since we were only there for two nights we didn't complain, but we wouldn't have liked to put up with it for a longer stay. The breakfast room was on the small side for the number of guests staying, though the continental selection was good. Hated the paper plates and cups and plastic cutlery though! No doubt it saved money but does nothing for the environment and makes breakfast feel like a fast food experience, which was out of keeping with the rest of thehotel experience. The hot tub is a dream! They also loan out bikes for free, which we took advantage of and had a very pleasant ride along the lake shore.
Very Nice
by TripAdvisor Member gracie59
My husband and I stayed there in late August of this year-2006.
We found it very nice. As others have said, it is a bit on the used side furniture wise, however, it was clean and comfortable. . We had a third floor balcony room. The view was worth the traffic noise (very noisy during the day). It did not bother us at night. I don't think I would have liked to stay in a room with no view or on the back rooms of the property.
We loved the grounds and the staff. The staff was extremely courteious and went out of their way to help us find local things of interest. The free breakfast by the pool was another plus. They had bikes you could use for free. Parking was very ample and easy to use. It also had free wireless internet in the room.
This hotel is on the quieter side of the main road, but you can go to the noisy NV side in about 4min. and see shows or gamble.
The Shoreline Cafe restaurant next to them is exceptional. We ate there 3 time while we were there. It has outside dining as well as inside. Great food at moderate prices. It is convenient and serves breakfast ( the hotel give you a 20%of entire check breakfast coupon),lunch and dinner. We had 1 lunch and 2 dinners there.
Delightful place
by TripAdvisor Member Iwan-Machen
South Lake Tahoe is a fabulous resort, surrouded as it is by the high Sierras. It seems a long way to get there by car from the lowlands, but when there, it is well worth it. Drivers not used to American highways could get confused by certain traffic lights and lane options, but one has to get used to that.
The Inn was a well appointed place, with an efficient reception, Expedia's booking having made sure that there were no problems. The beds were comfortable, the room was spacious and there was a small balcony for early morning sunshine. Laundry facilities were also provided for $3.50. We could grumble about the bathroom washbasin, which was split and had been patched up in rather an ersatz fashion. However, it didn't leak, and therefore caused no trouble.
They lend out bikes- the cruiser type with no mudguards and pedal controlled brakes, and indeed it was great fun to travel over the well marked cycle routes exploring as much as possible. There was an exercise room - if required, and an outside pool and jacuzzi, where, having had snow in the morning and a temperature of 34F, it was possible to sunbathe in the shade at 73F.
So WHY, oh why, did such a beautiful place have to let itself down so badly at breakfast? It advertises a buffet breakfast. Great. The materials were plentiful, wholesome and filling. So why use plastic bowls and plates and disposable cutlery? One had to crack the eggs on the table before shelling, and the scrape of the spoons on the polypropylene while struggling to get your cereal on them was unusual to say the least.
Perhaps there is no place in their remit to employ a dishwasher, be it human or mechanical, but it is a right turnoff in this age of conservation to throw inefficient utensils into a garbage bin, particularly if they break while trying to cut your toast or eat your eggs with a spoon!!
Other than that, I would recommend the place for a pleasant vacation
Review of Inn By The Lake
by TripAdvisor Member Kahanalei
After searching for hotels on different travel sites and reading the reviews posted for different hotels on this website, I decided to book a night at this hotel. My boy-friend and I went to S. Lake Tahoe during the last weekend in Feb. for the first time and I had picked this hotel mainly due to its amenities and also its location.
When we arrived at the hotel, we checked in at the lobby where we were greeted by friendly hotel employees. We were given a "survival bag", which included such items as toothpastes, shower gel, a granola bar, and gum, among other things.
We stayed in a single queen room located in the Pool Building. We were asked if we had wanted to upgrade to a lake view room in the Lake Building, since it was available at the time, but because the weather wasn't that great (the amount of snow and wind was so bad that they had to close the Gondola at Heavenly), we just stayed with our first choice.
The things that bothered me a little was that the size of the room was a bit smaller than what I had thought. The other thing that bothered me was that it seemed like the walls were kind of thin, since I could clearly hear the dialog that was going on in the movie that the people in the next room were watching. Lastly, the size of the bathtub could have been bigger, but the actual bathroom itself was pretty spacious, and came with the necessities.
Other than that, I had a nice time there, although it was only for one night. I didn't have a chance to visit the Breakfast Room the next morning, but I tried the bagels and muffins that my boy-friend brought up to the room, and they were pretty good. Had we stayed there at least one more night, I think we would've been able to use the facilities that are provided, like the fitness room, sauna, etc.
I would recommend this place, but I think it's better to stay here during the summer (or warmer) months. The pool looked nice, but personally I can't imagine going in it (even if it's heated) when it's snowing like crazy! As I feel that overall this place has more positives than negatives, if I had a chance to go to S. Lake Tahoe in the future, I'd gladly stay at this hotel again.
Where's the view?
by TripAdvisor Member kimsvision13
We booked this room within an hour of a family member, and because she arrived the day before, she got the pool view (much smaller room) and we got the back parking lot view in the newer building.
While the hotel advertised the lake view, we only saw that view while checking in and out. Pretty disappointing!
The refrigerator and microwave in the room was great, but the double bed was not.
The bathroom was large in size, which we liked, but it was painted dark gray, which was chipping off the walls. I don't know if it was the toiletries they have available, or the water in the plumbing, but I had great hair during my 4-day visit.
The pool and jacuzzi were nice, as was the gym. The breakfast bar was basic, with a few types of cereal, breads, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, yogurt, OJ, apples, and bananas.
The location was great! Two miles from the casinos, and across the street from beach access.
I would stay there again, but not for the high price we paid for this room. I don't think it's worth more than $100 a night.
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