Our family has been staying in South Lake for over ten years, we have satisfactorily stayed at the Holiday Lodge for the past five years. So I was bummed to learn that it had been torn down, but they left a referral for the blue lake, what a mistake. We arrived past midnight, there was no one at the desk, key was left on the door, OK. Got to the room, full floor to ceiling mirrors on one wall. Not bad for a couple, but with the kids asking why they were there, not so good. Wondered what was on the beadspread. Just went to sleep so we could go to the front desk in the morning, could not sleep, however, because the heater was not working past fifty degrees! As I mentioned before, there was no one on site to help us. Shivered until dawn when the heater finally started to work. So exhausted that we all slept until 10 am. Got a late start on the slopes, and had to relocate to a new hotel. On the bonus side, you really are only a block away from the Gondola. Best of luck.

I travel to South Lake Tahoe alone, so when I am there I do not know anybody. I found The blue Lake inn By chance! I used Cheap Tickets .com. Because I do not know anyone there, the trip can get a little lonely. A worker there by the name of DON really made me feel at home with his kindness and conversation. We talked about such things colleges and teams. He said his son went to a school in north or south carolina! Anyways, sometimes great customer service is the difference between a bad or a good trip, and trust me every time i stay at the blue lake inn i have a good experience. The rooms are clean. There are refridgerators, microwaves and the hotel is less than a minute walk from the heavenly gondola. Thank you so much Don for all your help. Bottom line... I will continue to stay at the Blue Lake Inn everytime im in south lake tahoe!

~apollo

We stayed here because Heavenly was running a promotion with the inn, and because of the easy access to the mountain via the gondola in Heavenly Village. For the price...($205 for two nights, including two days of lift tickets)...it was very hard to pass up, so gave it a shot.

The property: They offer free continental breakfast and free wi-fi, which is always nice. The breakfast pastries were adequate, and there was also juice, coffee, oatmeal and fruit. The wi-fi worked well, though I guess the reception may be spotty in some places. The hot tub and spa area looks pretty new, but we honestly didn't get a chance to try it out. The room itself was fairly large, but the heating system was very flaky...either way too cold or way too hot. Things were relatively clean, except for the shower curtain which was very moldy and kind of gross. The biggest complaint I have about the room was that both nights there was loud scurrying and bumping sounds above us. And since we were on the top floor, I have to assume it was critters in the attic...somewhat disconcerting.

The village: A big draw of the inn was the proximity to the gondola. It's about a 10 minute walk, which may seem a lot longer if you're in ski boots, carrying your skis, it's snowing, and the roads are icy. The gondola line in the morning is pretty long, expect to wait in line for an hour. Either get there 30 minutes early and wait 30 more minutes after the lift opens before getting to the front of the line, or get there when the lift opens and wait an hour. The gondola takes you to the Nevada side, so it's a pretty long traverse to get to the California side. If winds close the high lifts, you won't be able to take the gondola back, and will have to wait for the shuttle to take you back. At 4-4:30pm when the lifts close, the shuttle line can also be an hour long, out in the cold. We were there on a weekday, non-holiday, so I suspect those times can get even longer on the weekend.

All in all, this place about met expectations for what we paid. Probably would not stay there again. But we got over 20 inches of fresh powder in 2 days, plus bluebird conditions. So I can't complain that much...

My friends and I stayed here for 3 nights when we went snowboarding a week ago. Our original reservation was for 2 nights. We checked out on the morning of the second day (I believe the deadline is 11am each day). We then went snowboarding. But we were too tired to drive back afterward so we stayed another night in a different room.

It was during the winter so the pool was completely covered in snow. We didnt try out the hot spa. Everyday, 8-10am, there is continental breakfast. Foods include a variety of pastries, fresh fruits (apples, bananas, and some other I dont remember), 2 types of coffee (I dont drink coffee so I didnt check what kind), orange juice (from a brand-name carton), little packages of instant oatmeal.

Both rooms have 2 queen size beds. The first time was room 116. The second time was room 126. There were a few differences between the rooms:
- The wifi was pretty bad in room 116. We have to stay on the bed near the door to get a 2 bars of signal. The other bed gets no signal. The wifi signal in room 126 was somewhat faster.
- Room 116's carpet had some "dark" spots as oppose to the visibly clean carpet in room 126.
- Room 116 had clothing hangers but room 126 doesnt.
- 116 had a box of tissue plus 2 bars of soap. 126 doesnt have a box of tissue and only 1 bar of soap. (Although I think you can go ask for them).
- The bathtub in 116 was bigger than the one in 126.
- The showerhead in 116 is stationary. The showerhead in 126 is removable.
- There is a glass door around room 116's bathtub to prevent water spillage. The one in room 126 is made out of fabric so it gets wet easily plus water can get on the floor.
- The knob on room 126's bathroom sink (that let you stop water from flowing down) was broken (in a bad position) so it takes a while for water to go down.
- You have to hold down the toilet flush in room 126 for a bit or else it wont flush.
- The bathroom in room 126 doesnt have the air-suction vent to remove smelly air. The one in room 116 does. Although the bathroom in room 126 has a window (room 116 doesnt).

Notes:
- Bring your own towel, especially during winter time. The towels in the room are pretty rough.
- Bring your own slippers too in case the carpet is dirty.
- The heater/ac both rooms were pretty good. (I only used the heating part of the machine so I wont vouch for the ac)
- There is a lock box outside the office so you can put your room keys (electronic card) in case you want to check out in the middle of the night. But the slot on the box is smaller than the room key. You can call the 24 hrs number. The person on the other line told me to just leave the room keys in the room.