Bear Valley Lodge — Local services in South Lake Tahoe

I've stayed at this lodge twice now and both times I've made some great memories but also had some issues. The good: In the winter, this place is a family-friendly and dog-friendly wonderland. If you go around New Years you will get charged a bit extra, but the celebration was really fun in past years with live music and lights and fireworks outside at night. I love the cozy, vintage lodge feel and the ability to go down to the bar or select from 3 different restuarants onsite. We have had delicious meals at the pub and at the Cedar Creek restaurant. I also love the international vibe of the guests. While we were there, we ran into people of a variety of ethnic groups and from many different countries. The lodge is very close to the ski resort and there's a shuttle that can take you up and back throughout the day, so you don't have to worry about driving in bad weather conditions. Also, the lodge is adjacent to walking trails so if you have little ones that are too young to ski or dogs, you can take them to play in the snow right outside the lodge. I found the king size bed to be very comfy - if you like a firm mattress. It's the kind of mattress that doesn't move around when you move, so you're less likely to disturb your sleeping partner, which is nice. ||The cons: The rooms are badly in need of an update to the fixtures and decor. I don't think anything has been upgraded since the 80s or 90s except the beds and the TVs are probably early 2000s-era technology. The lodge could definitely use more consistent staffing in the restaurants and general store. The last time we stayed here, the pizza restaurant was closed most of the time, and the evening that it was open, they weren't offering pizza. What they were offering (pasta and salad options) was really overpriced considering the quality. The General Store also wasn't open due to power outages, but the lodge runs on generators during outages, so that seemed like a lame excuse to close the store. We didn't bring many supplies with us for meals during the day, so I was counting on the general store to be open for snacks and supplies. Finally, as other reviewers mentioned, the walls are pretty thin. We have a toddler who had a difficult time going to bed one night and although we had a white noise machine to muffle some of the crying, I'm sure it was loud for our neighbors and I felt really bad about that. I would recommend anyone staying here to bring your own white noise machine if you are a light sleeper or get an app on your phone, because if anyone is talking in the next room or children are crying or running down the hallways, you will hear it. ||Overall, I felt that staff were friendly and helpful enough, given the challenges they faced. The lodge is located in a very rural area with very small towns and we arrived in the middle of a bad winter storm, but I believe most of the staff there were doing their best. I wish a bigger chain would take over this once charming lodge and give it the love and care that it deserves. This could really be an amazing place with more funding and more...

I've stayed at this lodge twice now and both times I've made some great memories but also had some issues. The good: In the winter, this place is a family-friendly and dog-friendly wonderland. If you go around New Years you will get charged a bit extra, but the celebration was really fun in past years with live music and lights and fireworks outside at night. I love the cozy, vintage lodge feel and the ability to go down to the bar or select from 3 different restuarants onsite. We have had delicious meals at the pub and at the Cedar Creek restaurant. I also love the international vibe of the guests. While we were there, we ran into people of a variety of ethnic groups and from many different countries. The lodge is very close to the ski resort and there's a shuttle that can take you up and back throughout the day, so you don't have to worry about driving in bad weather conditions. Also, the lodge is adjacent to walking trails so if you have little ones that are too young to ski or dogs, you can take them to play in the snow right outside the lodge. I found the king size bed to be very comfy - if you like a firm mattress. It's the kind of mattress that doesn't move around when you move, so you're less likely to disturb your sleeping partner, which is nice. ||The cons: The rooms are badly in need of an update to the fixtures and decor. I don't think anything has been upgraded since the 80s or 90s except the beds and the TVs are probably early 2000s-era technology. The lodge could definitely use more consistent staffing in the restaurants and general store. The last time we stayed here, the pizza restaurant was closed most of the time, and the evening that it was open, they weren't offering pizza. What they were offering (pasta and salad options) was really overpriced considering the quality. The General Store also wasn't open due to power outages, but the lodge runs on generators during outages, so that seemed like a lame excuse to close the store. We didn't bring many supplies with us for meals during the day, so I was counting on the general store to be open for snacks and supplies. Finally, as other reviewers mentioned, the walls are pretty thin. We have a toddler who had a difficult time going to bed one night and although we had a white noise machine to muffle some of the crying, I'm sure it was loud for our neighbors and I felt really bad about that. I would recommend anyone staying here to bring your own white noise machine if you are a light sleeper or get an app on your phone, because if anyone is talking in the next room or children are crying or running down the hallways, you will hear it. ||Overall, I felt that staff were friendly and helpful enough, given the challenges they faced. The lodge is located in a very rural area with very small towns and we arrived in the middle of a bad winter storm, but I believe most of the staff there were doing their best. I wish a bigger chain would take over this once charming lodge and give it the love and care that it deserves. This could really be an amazing place with more funding and more...

My son and I stayed two weekends ago. It was more expensive than other accommodations but much closer to Bear Valley Resort. The roads aren't great and being closer was more important. Staff was friendly and the place was very clean. However, we were not wowed by the services for the price of the accommodations. No in room services - no coffee or mini fridge and no regular room service (they didn't come in to make beds, vacuum or clean bathroom during our stay). The morning coffee was a self serve dispenser down by the front doors that was not properly kept. Sometimes no cups, no tops, even no coffee. There was a restaurant and bar inside the hotel. The restaurant was nice and gave my son hot water for his cup of soup and a glass of milk for cereal we had brought with us. The lounge area was very pretty with high ceilings as advertised. The desk hours seemed to coincide with the resort hours so we almost never saw the front desk personal. Same with the general store and other businesses that were part of the lodge they closed soon after the slopes closed so we didn't get to see them. I would stay again though because the convenience cuts more than an hour of driving daily if staying down by Arnold. I would also be on the look out for any Airbnb that might also be...