January 9, 2017 - Tanya's Annual Trip to Lake Tahoe - Day 4: Lake Tahoe Hotel and Casinos

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 92 DAYS

A Few of Tahoe Hotel and Casinos

Hey there - Monday here!!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE MONDAYS!

I know most people love the weekends, but I get sort of bored by the time Sunday rolls around.  Don't get me wrong - I love having the kids home and just lounging and doing leisurely things, but I love the newness of Mondays and getting things moving again with a new week.

Moving right along, I hope you'e been keeping up with Tanya's Tahoe trip, straight from her side -- she had quite a fiasco with the condo rental upon arrival late the other night (or morning, depending on how you view it lol) - then the weather was for the pits - raining  - so she was unable to ski yesterday.

What we are hoping to do is really round out the Travelin' Cousins blog and bring you a wider view of specific destinations both from a factual perspective as well as from a first-hand experience.

In the case of Lake Tahoe this week, we've got Tanya on the ground LIVE and I'm here in New York, filling in many of the details that Tanya is unable to, due to limited time in actually LIVING the destination in real time.

So, we both hope you are enjoying the new format for 2017!!

With that said, as we spoke about yesterday, there is quite an array of things to do both in the North and South Tahoe areas.  If you are looking for fun and action, perhaps gambling might make your trip that much more exciting. 

(c) likesuccess.com

That's right, Tahoe boasts of some super cool resorts and hotels where you can enjoy the casino atmosphere, both near the  lake and the ski areas

Lakeside Inn and Casino
168 Highway 50
Stateline, NV

(c) tahoesouth.com

Lakeside Inn Casino is one of the only casino hotels in South Lake Tahoe. and has been voted “best casino” in Lake Tahoe by local residents and visitors.

The hotel has onsite loose slots and the award-winning Timber House Restaurant and Bar, which is open 24-hours, seven days a week. 

Lakeside Inn and Casino even offers affordable dog-friendly accommodations!


Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino
​111 Country Club Drive
Incline Village, NV

(c) destination360.com

This resort has everything going for it for enjoying Lake Tahoe in Winter or Summer. A private beach perfect for the summer months and warm and cozy with free shuttles to four of the best ski resorts in Lake Tahoe for Winter visits.

 
Harrah's Lake Tahoe Resort & Casino
15 Hwy 50
Stateline, NV

(c) skyheavenly.com

Harrah's Lake Tahoe Resort and Casino is Tahoe's premier casino resort with tons of activities for both kids and adults, and it is located in Stateline, Nevada near many top Tahoe attractions.

There is also a full-service spa, a fitness center and a indoor pool to relax after a long day on the slopes.   


Harvey's Resort and Casino
Hwy 50 And Stateline Ave
Stateline, NV

(c) tripadvisor.com

Affordable and luxurious, Harvey's Resort and Casino is located in Stateline, Nevada and known for its great rates and some of the best resort amenities in the area.

Reflections Spa on-site, as well as entertinament at The Improv at Harveys and rates starting as low as $79 per night.

Cal Neva Lodge and Casino
​2 Stateline Road
Crystal Bay, NV

(c) weddingplanner.com

Cal Neva Lodge and Casino gets its name from its prime location on the border of both California and Nevada overlooking the lake.

It was once owned by Frank Sinatra and a celebrity escape for huge names such as the Rat Pack, Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin. Criswell-Radovan, LLC, a Napa, California-based development company which acquired the property in spring 2013, closed it as a whole on September 5, 2013 for a complete renovation.  Please check out the website to see what the new renovations have in store! CalNevaResort

 
Hyatt High Sierra Lodge
989 Incline Way
Incline Village, NV

(c) hyatt.com

The Hyatt High Sierra Lodge offers spacious two bedroom condos with full kitchens, fireplaces and balconies.

​They also offer free shuttle service to the nearby mountains.


​MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa
55 Highway 50
Stateline, NV

(c) 10best.com

​Whether you are going to Tahoe to relax, or golf, or ski, the MontBleu Resort Casino and Spa provides the best accommodations and vacation packages in Stateline, Nevada.

There spa facility is top notch with a ful range of other hotel amenities.


Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe
50 US-50
Stateline, NV 

(c) hotels.com

The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is bustling with music, gambling and fun as well as restaurants. 

It offers free wifi and a variety of packages and travel deals.


AND THERE YOU HAVE IT - Casino resorts in Lake Tahoe!  


So, my day is pretty jam-packed.

After dropping the girls off at school, I have to run Punkin over to the groomer since she is a very stinky girl!

Then I will make my way over the post office, followed by the bank and lastly to the gourmet store to get the girls' favorite mozzarella sticks and eggplant parmigianna.

Did I say I still have to throw out my Christmas tree, which has wilted quite a bit since we left for Florida - not the mention the pine needles all over the floor.

Before I know it, the girls will be walking in and I'll start my afternoon routine of eating, homework, eating, cleaning lunch boxes and more eating!

Have a great Monday!!!

-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELING IN: LAKE TAHOE

Weathering the Storm
​

GREETINGS once again from Incline Village, Lake Tahoe.

Guess what?!

It's finally snowing again!! WHEW!

Dave and I got up and out of here at 4am this morning and headed off the mountain and down to Reno International Airport. 
Having done the drive a number of times I had assumed the route that we were going to be taking.

However we all know what assuming things does...

When I plugged in the address for an estimate of how long the drive was going to take us, I quickly realized that we could not take my usual route - there had been a mud slide and the road had been closed. GRRR

Okay so then I figured that we'd back track a bit and take the interstate - but lo and behold there was a problem with that plan as well. 
Interstate 80 had also been closed. This was major.

I-80 closed in both directions near Donner Summit after mudslide as big as a football field.

Credit: California Highway Patrol

California Highway Patrol Officer Peter Mann said the flow of mud and rock extended across the westbound lanes of the road for about the length of a football field and was 7 feet deep in places.

Downed power lines forced the closure of the eastbound lanes and complicated cleanup efforts, he said.

Sooooo that meant we only had one other option, and luckily the road was open and off we went.

And although we left with plenty of time, Dave was still stressed out and nervous about missing his flight. Which of course he didn't. 

Now poor Dave is back at work and I made the solo drive back up the mountain.

Heading back to Incline Village (c)travelincousins.com

The massive weekend storm has caused widespread damage and flooding across California and Nevada. The National Weather Service called it a "once-in-ten-year event".

Another rather sad thing that I found out happened with this weird Atmospheric River (that's what they are calling this weather pattern) is the famous and iconic Tunnel Tree in Yosemite has fallen.

Credit: Calaveras Big Trees Association

According to Vice.com
This past weekend's storm brought down the state's Pioneer Cabin Tree, which has stood for centuries.
The massive storm that hit California and Nevada this past weekend was too much for Calaveras Big Trees State Park's iconic Pioneer Cabin Tree, which toppled after attracting tourists for more than a century thanks in part to its signature hollow base.

SFGate reports that the giant tree was originally tunneled through in the late 1800s and had been an attraction ever since, though in recent years it was closed to vehicles—cars once passed through—and open only to hikers on foot. ​

Walking through Tunnel Tree in 2015 (c)travelincousins.com

So as you can tell, this first ski trip of the year isn't exactly going to plan - which was simple - to SKI.
With super crappy and generally unsafe conditions we are and have been in a holding XXX
And crossing our fingers that tomorrow will in fact be our first day hitting the slopes.

Sure I'm getting a bit of cabin fever and instead of spending anytime in the wet mess that was yesterday I decided to make the perfect rainy day meal - Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup!

I had been eyeing this Creamy Tomato Basil Soup for a while and finally got to work on putting it together.

Chopping the Carrots (c)travelincousins.com

Midway through cooking the soup (c)travelincousins.com

Finally dipping the Grilled Cheese into the soup (c)travelincousins.com

The rest of the day was fairly mellow. The football playoffs were on, we played games, watched movies and then had a nice Gnocchi dinner. 

As far as today goes, since it is not raining and it si actually snowing, I'd like to take the kids to go play in the snow - have some fun maybe sledding, buliding snow forts, or something of the sort. 

​Have you been keeping up with Elisa's support on all the lowdown on Lake Tahoe?

Today she dives right into the gaming side of things up here. She shares details about the local resort casinos. I mean really, how many ski towns can boast a night life like this?!

While although I'm no longer much of a gambler...

Related read: 
An Underage Gambler!

I have "browsed" through and stayed at a number of these different resorts. It's shocking to think that we've been coming up to Tahoe for the past 17 winters!

Here are my TOP 3 memories that come to mind from these casinos:
1) Ringing in the New Year at Caesar's Palace (now Mont Bleu) and celebrating my mom's birthday in the early 2000's.
2) Taking Dave B. up here to my winter playground for the first time in a major snow storm and he had never driven in the snow. We tried out Harvey's and had a great view!
3) Staying at the Hard Rock before our big America's Most Beautiful Ride (Bike Ride) and using the ATM which to my surprise offered up to a $3,000 withdrawl!

Well, I'm gonna wrap it up here and make the most of our day not on the slopes.

Until tomorrow,
​-T