myperks

it pulls up on hyatt as "spring special" and no mention of TZ.
still nonrefundable though...

HipToBeKyle

Random question, I was hoping someone on here could answer.

Like I had mentioned in an earlier post we have a stay coming up in March. I've never been to the Lake Tahoe area. I grew up and live in Las Vegas and just never made it up to the northern part of the state.

My question is if we're driving up from Vegas to the property in Incline Village if the roads will be clear since it's mostly highway driving or if we'll need snow chains and/or a AWD/4WD vehicle, none of which I have haha. I have a front wheel drive suv and no snow chains.

We don't plan on driving a ton once we're up there, just to the property. We'll take the shuttle up to Diamond Peak. Maybe pop over to Reno one day, etc.

Looks like Google/Mapquest has us taking the 95 all the way up then cutting over on the 50 and up the 28 to the Hyatt.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
Kyle

LarkSFO

If you were driving last night, you would not have gotten through many places no matter what your vehicle.... (the highway(s) were closed in some places...)

Today, the roads up there will be miserable. 4WD with snow tires, or chains are required. Lot's of accidents, a 4 hour drive can turn in to an 8 hour drive...

The skiing today and tomorrow will be fantastic though!

On clear days, however, the roads will be fine for driving for any car. No problems.

So, check the weather report carefully. Be prepared! If the weather might be bad when you hit the mountains, make sure you have a full tank of gas. Buy chains just in case. Have enough food and water for 8 hours. Have plenty of warm clothes / blankets in your car.

For some of the California Highways, you can check out current conditions with these traffic cameras:

http://vid​eo.dot.ca.​gov/

azepine00

On a similar note I chatted with a FD girl at Hyatt Place Reno and she mentioned that she had never been to Tahoe after living near Reno for many years. I didn't believe her at first but she was dead serious...

HipToBeKyle

Thanks for the responses! I appreciate it! I'll be sure to keep an eye on the government road sites.


That's funny that someone who live in Reno has never been to Tahoe. That's what a 50 minute drive compared to the 8 hour drive from Vegas. Guess I don't feel so bad for not making it up north yet. haha!

CopperSteve

Looking at options for a family vacation in July. Tahoe wasn't on my radar screen at all, but it looks like a beautiful property. Is it kid-friendly (10 and 13 year olds)? My perceptions of Tahoe are that there are more things to do in the winter than the summer. While I'd be fine lounging by the lake for a week, my kids would start to get antsy. What else is there to do within a 30-minute drive? The "activities" section on the Hyatt web page do not list all that much for things to do in summer.

This would be a reward stay. Any chance at a cabin (?) using points?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

LarkSFO

Tahoe is great in the summer, but your kids obviously do need to be in to water and outdoor activities... Swimming, fishing, sailing, playing in the water etc. There are also a lot of great hikes and bike rides (lots of places to rent bikes). There is nothing much different for kids besides outdoor activites within an hour or two of Tahoe... Reno is 1 - 1 1/2 hours away, but not sure what there would be to do there, especially for kids...

To get the most out of it, you really do need to be prepared for an 'outdoor / nature' oriented vacation... If your kids demand Disney, then this might not be the place for you.

Since you are coming from New York.... Why not fly in to SFO, spend a couple of days here or in Napa, and then drive up to Tahoe for 4 or 5 days? Tahoe is only a 4 hour drive (or so), so it is easy to get there from the Bay Area...

Now, if your real motive is to gamble (), then you will have a few options around North and South Tahoe...

nnn

Good advice in the post above.

Your kids might also enjoy jetskiing, waterskiing, or wakeboarding on the lake, but keep in mind that renting these watercraft can be expensive.

Another summer activity is mountain biking down one of the ski slopes (the snow will have melted away). You rent at the bottom of the mountain and ride the gondola/tram to the top. I think, however, that your kids would have to be good at extreme sports -- I tried it in my younger days and sucked, but my brothers loved it.

With regard to getting a "cabin" using points, I have no direct experience, but I assume the Lakeside Cottages are in high demand during summer. I think to have a decent shot at one, you'd probably have to book a suite using points, but I don't know.

CopperSteve

Thank you, LarkSFO and nnn. Very good information. ^ Tahoe definitely is in the running.

JIMCHI

Have been staying at Hyatt Incline for years. During the summer it has a very nice beach all set up with chaise lounges and cabanas. Lots of kids there. The water is very cold but most kids don't seem to mind. We have stayed in the lakeside cottages many times. No, you can't use points to get one. What you might be able to do is use an award and then pay the difference between what category room you get for the award (or suite upgrade) and the price of the cottage. You would have to contact the reservations manager at the hotel directly. I have done this before. Even at that, they are quite expensive, but very nice. Be aware these are not private cottages. Each cottage has two floors with a one bedroom suite on each floor. Each suite has a connecting 2nd bedroom which you can rent, or the hotel locks off and rents as a separate lakeside cottage room.

Boat and jet ski rentals are available, but as mentioned, they are rather expensive.

Reno is not quite as far as someone indicated. It's a 40 minute drive. I wouldn't recommend the Napa valley for kids and teens- nothing for them there.

Boraxo

See now what bothers me here is the inconsistency.

I just finished another stay here at the casino rate and received both stay credits and points. This only 2 months after the last stay at the same rate.

So now I have a dilemma - do I revive my complaint to hyatt GP (which denied points on the initial stay) and risk losing credit for the current stay? This seems patently unfair. It is such a minimal amount of points (less than many bonuses) that you'd think they would be happy to appease the customer.

Ain't that the truth. On the way up we lucked out and made the drive from the bay area in 3.5 hours. But on Sunday, I-80 was closed so we made the fateful decision to drive around the lake to I-50. Big mistake, as we ended backed up in traffic for roughly 6 hours, with a total trip time of 12 hours. And of course I-80 re-opened at 4pm, but I'm sure the backup was heinous. Next time I will follow Mrs. B's advice and simply extend my stay by another night until the weather clears.

azepine00

And occasionally we get points for PL stays too... You got 1 out of 2 - it's already your lucky day. Let this sleeping dog lie...

jumpdogjump

See this article and a photo of - winter surfing at Tahoe?! Northstar will open until at least 4/24 and Squaw 5/8!

My friends in Tahoe City tell me they can't remember another late snowstorm like this in the last 20 years, although it should be mentioned they are pushing 80...
-


Another useful link for snow conditions:

www.onthesnow.com/lake-tahoe/skireport.html

LarkSFO

Ouch. That is just about the worst case scenario...

My friends experience - They headed to Tahoe (from Bay Area) last Friday at noon, but due to the multiple truck / car accidents and highway 80 closure, they never made it and eventually had to turn around and come home... 8 or 9 hours later, they were right back where they started!

Firewind

Email received today. Title's a bit misleading (particularly when it's what shows in the email box list), IMO, but they don't string out the deception, IMO. Anyway:

Perhaps a response here as to whether or not you got it will indicate whether and/or how targeted it is. I am signed up for the HR Tahoe's emails.