Weekend Travel

The Five-Point Weekend Escape Plan

Feel the SoCal Vibe on Tahoe’s North Shore

The lake may be in northern California, but its laid back north side — replete with powdery slopes and fireside hot tubs — feels like sunny surf country.

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By David Sax
Published Feb 18, 2010

1. Where to Stay

Soak in two outdoor pools and hot tubs at The Ritz.

(Photo: Courtesy of The Ritz)

Warm up at the Ritz-Carlton Highlands (from $249), a 170-room lodge at Northstar that opened in December 2009 with a gas fireplace in every room. Soak in one of the two outdoor pools and hot tubs after sundown, when the adjacent fire pit is ablaze.

Watch the sunset from one of 24 lakeside cottages at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe (cottages from $549; rooms from $179), a casino resort in Incline Village. Cottages sleep four to eight and open onto a private beach dotted with Adirondack chairs and hammocks. Rooms in the main lodge are decked in enough knotty pine furniture and antique outdoor prints to furnish an L.L. Bean store.

Take advantage of ski-and-stay package deals at Reno’s casinos: Kids under 12 ski for free at Northstar under Silver Legacy’s family deal ($115 per parent), which includes a standard room with two queen-size beds.