Home (Away) for the Holidays: Zephyr Cove Resort Snowmobiling

January 3, 2011 By

Toby and Nate posing at the lake ridge. (Don’t worry, Toby wasn’t really driving!)

During our week-long stay in our HomeAway vacation home in South Lake Tahoe, we were only minutes away from skiing, snow play, and other area attractions. On Christmas Eve, we took the opportunity to try a snowmobiling tour with Zephyr Cove Resort, located just past the Nevada border on Tahoe’s South Shore.

Our tour was scheduled for 2 pm (they offer 10 am, 12 pm, and 2 pm tours daily during most of the winter), and we arrived at the resort approximately 45 minutes ahead of time, as was recommended. (During peak seasons, you do need reservations.) Zephyr Cove Resort sits directly on the lake shore, and features a main lodge and dining room (which is very good), cabins, an RV park, and a campground. At the dock, visitors can also book a lake tour on the M.S. Dixie or Tahoe Queen. In other words, this is a bustling, busy resort! Zephyr Cove can accommodate enough visitors for a fleet of 99 snow machines, which means the check-in process is crowded and, at least on the busy day we visited, time-consuming. The staff was efficient and friendly, however, getting everyone tickets and fitted for helmets (required) in a timely fashion, and I was assured they were busier than the norm due to the holiday.

Starting off at the beginning of the tour!

Once we were all ready for departure, we boarded a resort bus for the 10 minute drive to the snowmobile trails. Again, our driver was friendly and professional. I was a bit concerned about being in such a large group of riders, but once we arrived, we were split into groups of only approximately 10-12 machines, each with two guides (one to lead, one to take up the rear). Our guides showed us how to operate the machines, and quite quickly, we were off!

The tour is two hours in length (ours went a little longer), and includes stunning lake views, beautiful trails through the snow-covered trees, and even a hot cocoa stop. Our guides were on-hand if we had any trouble, and stopped us periodically to point out landmarks and just make sure we were all together. Kids are encouraged (over age 4). Riders must be at least 16 years old to drive, but kids can ride behind adults for the ‘double rider’ price. Toby (age 6) and Nate (age 11) both had a great time.

Our guide giving us a quick lesson on the machines.

Extra Tip: Tours go up to 9000 feet, and even mid-day, it gets cold! On our 2 pm tour, the sun was beginning to go down toward the end, and temperatures dropped. The machines have heaters on the hand grips (which was awesome) but be sure to bundle up! Our kids wore ski goggles under their helmets; on the adult helmets, sunglasses worked better. Warm boots and gloves are a must.

Date last visited: December 24, 2010

Distance from the interstate: Directly off Hwy 50 just past the Nevada border.

Cost: $119 for single riders, $159 for double riders. On most Thursdays, kids ride free!

Reservations and information: 1-800-23TAHOE

Directions: From South Tahoe, drive along Hwy 50 to Zephyr Cove Resort, four miles past the border. The resort is on your left, right on the lake.

As I disclose with all compensated reviews, Zephyr Cove Resort generously hosted us for this portion of our Tahoe Holiday review series. While we greatly appreciate their hospitality, this compensation came with no expectation of a positive review. Read all our articles in our Home (Away) for the Holidays series!

Home (Away) for the Holidays: Five things to do from our front door

December 31, 2010 By

Taking in the view from our backyard

As you know, we loved our HomeAway vacation rental in South Tahoe. Not only is this house idyllic, comfortable, and convenient, but it sits right in the midst of Eldorado National Forest, providing acres of wilderness to explore right from the front door.

It’s not in a neighborhood of multi-million dollar mansions lining Lake Tahoe, for which we couldn’t have been happier. Instead, it’s located just minutes from Echo Summit, fifteen mountain road miles from the city. Most of the neighboring homes consist of summer cabins closed up for the season, the snowy roads free of traffic and completely peaceful. In all directions, we could find pristine snow and beautiful pine woods. We certainly weren’t lacking for entertainment, however!

Five things to do five minutes or less from our vacation home’s front door:

1. Build a snow fort! Kids become quite industrious when faced with 3-4 feet of Sierra powder to play in! This one took over an hour to build, but not once did anyone complain of boredom, cold, hunger, or any of the other usual maladies parents dread. Best of all, it stayed up for days!

Toby sets out from our back door!

2. Go snowshoeing! When you stay in a house abutting the wilderness, there’s no long drive, no hassle, and no extra planning: we literally put on our snowshoes at the bottom of our porch and set off into the backyard. Right down the road, we found a mountain meadow of pristine snow, which the kids immediately filled with snow angels. Visitors can rent snowshoes from a local outfitter, or from nearby Sierra-at-Tahoe (for use on their three miles of groomed snowshoe trails).

3. Ski for the day! We timed it: Sierra at Tahoe ski resort is four minutes away by car (probably one minute as the crow flies!). We have so much to say about this truly family-friendly ski resort that it deserves its own article; with the perfect combination of easy to difficult terrain, the affordable prices, and the added touches for kids, this is the perfect ski resort to have in your ‘backyard’.

4. Sled or tube! Sierra at Tahoe features a great tubing hill for young children (and it’s located on the other side of the resort from the busy ski center), and three miles from our vacation home is Adventure Mountain, a groomed sledding and snow playground right on Hwy 50. We also grabbed our sleds and played just feet from the house on the powdery slopes above the meadow!

5. Warm up by the fireside! Grab some hot cocoa, curl up by the beautiful fireplace, and play a board game together as a family (bring your own or borrow one from the selection already here). Or let everyone relax by watching a movie. With TVs and high speed internet (I was glad to be able to work seamlessly while on vacation), ‘down time’ is easy. If you want a treat, try what we call a ‘Mountain Snow Cone’: grab a cup of fresh snow, add maple syrup and a dash of milk, stir, and enjoy!

A note on dining: One of our favorite things about renting a vacation home from HomeAway is the ability to cook and dine at home instead of eat out. We just find it more restful (and affordable) with three kids who are always tired out by the day’s activities. During our stay, we only visited one restaurant (besides the dining venues at Sierra at Tahoe ski resort), and it was excellent. It’s called Freshies, and it’s a local Hawaiian fusion favorite. Don’t let the tucked away strip mall location deter you! (3330 Lake Tahoe Blvd.) If you do decide to eat out regularly, South Tahoe has just about any cuisine you could ask for (approximately 15-20 minutes from the house).

For summer vacationers, note that the trailhead for the Desolation Wilderness area is steps from our vacation home’s door, as well!

If you’re interested in the experience we had, the home we rented can be found here at HomeAway. As stated previously, HomeAway generously hosted us during this portion of our Tahoe Holiday. This compensation came with no expectation of a positive review. Read all our articles in our Home (Away) for the Holidays series!

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Home (Away) for the Holidays: A Tahoe winter wonderland

December 22, 2010 By

This friendly welcome greeted us at the door of our HomeAway rental.

Only two days into our Tahoe Holiday vacation, and we’re convinced: if you’re looking for a winter family getaway in the South Lake Tahoe area, you can’t do better than to rent a HomeAway property such as this one we’re currently enjoying near Twin Bridges. (It’s easy to rent the perfect vacation home at HomeAway.com!) Nestled in the snow right at the base of Sierra at Tahoe ski resort, this cozy vacation cabin has all the comforts of home in a high Sierra setting.

We arrived for our holiday week vacation amid a December snowstorm. The snow was piled to the upper deck in true Tahoe fashion, but inside, every amenity we could ask for awaited us, including wireless wifi, a full washer and dryer, a complete kitchen including dishwasher, all cutlery, dishware, and pots and pans, two full bathrooms (one with a tub/shower, one with a shower), and sleeping arrangements for up to 10 people.

How the home normally looks in winter…

…and the winter wonderland that awaited us this week!

And best of all for those of us wanting to get away from it all without any additional worry: the home has a generator for when the power goes out (and it has!) and snow removal plans for when the roads fill with that wonderful white stuff (which they have), all thanks to our home’s competent and detail-oriented owner, who works hand -in-hand with HomeAway to ensure every guest’s needs are cared for; everything, from extra linens to tupperware to emergency supplies, were stocked and ready for our arrival.

Who wouldn’t want to spend the holidays curled up with a good book here?

Our property’s efficient and modern kitchen, complete with many cozy touches!

The kids quickly claimed the upstairs loft with three beds, a bathroom, and a folding-bed/couch, and we settled into one of the two downstairs bedrooms with King beds. While I started dinner our first night (one of the many benefits of renting a vacation home is the ability to eat in your own home), the kids got busy on a snow fort and my husband checked out the game on TV (of which there are two).

Toby gets cozy by the fire after a long day of car travel.

The property’s location couldn’t be better: just yards from the entrance to Sierra-at-Tahoe, it’s also right down US-50 from a great snow park with sledding and snowshoeing, Echo Lake with hiking trails in the summer, and only 15 minutes from South Tahoe. We love that we’re only minutes from restaurants, ski resorts, and attractions, but feel completely and totally away from it all.

Outside our back door, fresh powder and woods are at the kids’ command, and down the quiet street, a lovely meadow beckons. We could easily spend our full week exploring and playing right at the property!

Nate pauses for a photo op while sculpting his fort!

Note: Obviously, this is snow country. If you rent a vacation home in this area, be prepared for winter driving, have emergency supplies on-hand, and if your stay coincides with a winter storm, plan to be flexible. Itineraries sometimes have to be adjusted, but that just means more time for hot cocoa! During our visit, snow removal has been slow-going at times, and the extra effort has to be made to shovel and de-ice, but with drifts as high as several feet, it’s to be expected!

Distance from the nearest interstate: Right off Hwy 50.

Weekly rates: $1000-$2500, depending on the season. Consider a spring or fall visit to explore Tahoe without the high price tag!

Dining options: Our home’s owner helpfully provided information on area grocery stores before our arrival, allowing us to shop en route to the house from the Sacramento area. We opted to buy most our groceries ahead of time and prepare meals, but South Tahoe has dozens of excellent restaurants to choose from.

Website: View this rental here.

Directions: From Sacramento, follow US Highway 50 past Echo Summit to Twin Bridges. (85 miles from I-5.)

As I disclose with all compensated reviews, HomeAway hosted us  for the majority of this review. While we greatly appreciate their hospitality, this compensation came with no expectation of a positive review. Read all our articles in our Home (Away) for the Holidays series!

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Home (Away) for the Holidays: Dreaming of a White Christmas

December 6, 2010 By

The winter fun awaits at our HomeAway rental!

As mentioned in past installments of our Home (Away) for the Holidays series, Pit Stops for Kids is excited to team up with #1 vacation home rental company HomeAway to learn just how easy and affordable the vacation rental process can be. To this end, we’ll be spending the week of Christmas enjoying a HomeAway rental near beautiful South Tahoe, CA. According to our rental’s homeowner, we’re in for a very white Christmas!

Family travelers can find HomeAway rentals in nearly every major city and holiday hot-spot the world over, which means you’ll never miss out on all the action your vacation destination provides (although you might miss out on the noise and crowds in a hotel…sorry about that). Within only a 30 minute drive of our Twin Bridges rental in Tahoe, we’re looking forward to trying the following:

Ski and snow play at Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort. Only four miles from our vacation home, Sierra-at-Tahoe is a family resort that puts its money where its mouth is…or rather your money where…oh, you get the idea: ticket prices are reasonable, allowing families to actually enjoy a day on the slopes together. Kid-friendly features abound, and their child programs include lessons the whole family can attend together. As a seasoned skiing family ourselves, we love their ‘Parent Predicament Ticket’, which allows two adults to share a pass if they’re ‘tag-teaming it’ with a little one.

Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing at Adventure Mountain. Just park and play in the snow! Adventure Mountain is comprised of 40 acres of trails located on Echo Summit on Highway 50, and we can’t wait to use it as a base for some impromptu snow play!

Sierra-at-Tahoe, practically in our rental’s backyard!

Ice skating at Heavenly Village. Nothing quite says ‘winter wonderland’ like ice skating outdoors under twinkling snowflake-shaped lights, so count us in! And when we’re ready to warm up, there’s plenty of boutique shops to browse and eateries to enjoy.

A bird’s-eye view of Emerald Bay. HeliTahoe, based in South Tahoe, offers families the chance to gain a new perspective on Lake Tahoe…from a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter. We think this is a fantastic way to celebrate the breathtaking natural wonders of this area, and an experience families won’t soon forget. (At least, we won’t!)

World-class dining in South Tahoe. To be honest, we’re more interested in the term ‘quick and easy’ than ‘culinary masterpiece’ when we’re dining on vacation with kids (which is reason enough to appreciate the full kitchen in our rental), but Tahoe restaurants boast both. The South Shore is only minutes from our rental, and it’s not truly a vacation if I don’t get to skip doing dishes at least a few nights of the week!

Look for real-parent reviews on the above locations in the coming weeks, and catch up on past Home (Away) for the Holidays installments:

Home (Away) for the Holidays: Introducing an Alternative to Hotels
Home (Away) for the Holidays: The rental process made easy

Home (Away) for the Holidays: Introducing an Alternative to Hotels

November 4, 2010 By

Halloween is over, and for me and my family, that means one thing: the holiday travel season is upon us! Instead of staying home for the holidays, the Pit Stops family is excited to be reviewing >this beautiful HomeAway property near Lake Tahoe, CA during the week of Christmas, and can’t wait to share the experience with Pit Stops for Kids readers!

Does your family travel for the holidays? If so, where do you stay? With extended family, sharing a guest room or the living room couch? In a hotel room, cramped for space? I’ve done both, and needless-to-say, I’m looking forward to trying something different in vacation rental site HomeAway. I recommend checking it out if you, too, plan to travel this holiday season (or any time at all!).

Why rent a home for holiday travel?

It can be cheaper. Whether you find yourself on the road to visit family this holiday season or to get away from it all, you’ll probably want to stay in one location more than a day or so. Vacation homes are ideal for multi-night and weekly stays. I always look for one because my family of five usually requires two hotel rooms per night. Two rooms x seven nights = a hefty hotel charge on our hands! In contrast, most HomeAway rental properties rent weekly for less. And don’t forget about the cost of eating meals out: the price of your weekly rental property includes the built-in money-saver of your own kitchen!

It’s more relaxing. Cramped hotel rooms mean more noise, more kids underfoot (ok, the kids don’t multiply, but it sure feels like it!), and less sleep for everyone at night. In a rental property, we can spread out, cook our own food (or at least pour our own cereal…a savings in itself), do our own laundry, sleep in separate bedrooms…you get the idea. It’s more like home. And there’s a lot less of ‘get off of that!’, ‘stop that right this minute!’ and ‘So-in-so’s hogging the bathroom!’.

You’re given personalized attention. Forget a concierge. HomeAway rental properties offer something better: independent owners who know their properties (and locations) inside and out (quite literally). In the process of reserving my HomeAway property, I was put in immediate contact with the property owner, who was (and continues to be) an invaluable resource for me as I plan our vacation. She knows the community, the best local restaurants, and the most popular activities for kids. She’s been able to explain not only the trash pick-up schedule and how to work the thermostat, but where we should plan to ski and which local holiday celebrations are not to be missed.

You’re in good hands. HomeAway is the world leader of vacation home rentals, and with more than 425,000 rentals offered in 120 countries, travelers are bound to find an ideal property almost anywhere. In addition, by renting through HomeAway, you have the option of signing up for their first-of-its-kind Carefree Rental Guarantee, which provides up to $10,000 of payment protection.

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Stay tuned for our next Home (Away) for the Holidays segment and details on our HomeAway vacation rental experience this holiday season!