We booked a studio deluxe room and the newly renovated area rooms (well the studio for that matter) looked very nice and very clean, I have to say. Very cozy and updated/modern feel to it. We used the indoor pool at night, it's clean but small for the size of the resort. There is an outside pool but it's freezing outside (it's winter -it's still fun in the morning/afternoon, I guess) but it's closed at night at the moment. Concierge were very nice as well. The guest rep is friendly as well, I think this is where they do the sales pitch for the timeshare which we did not mind and were not bothered because we're already members. So straight upfront, we know how this works. We will just attend a 55 minutes update for members but not the sales presentation to get a gift and a free breakfast, on the third day of our stay which is not bad. I understand the people who are not members not liking this idea, but you can always decline totally if you don't want too. I will update my review as our stay goes on for the next following days. So stay tuned...

This was only my forth visit to the Tahoe area. My previous visits were in the spring and fall and I was looking forward to a winter visit. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate but I made the best of it.

My previous stays in Tahoe were at Camp Richardson and the Tahoe Lakeshore Lodge and Spa. Both were lakefront with beach access. The Lake Tahoe Vacation Resort has some lake view rooms and is a short walk to the lake. As this was a winter vacation, lakefront was not that important to me. The location is convenient to Heavenly (they have a shuttle) as well as dining and lake activities.

I secured accommodations at the resort through an owner on a timeshare rental site. The cost was significantly less than the travel websites so I was a little concerned that it might be illegitimate. After communicating with the owner by email and phone, I felt comfortable with booking. The owner made a reservation showing me as the occupying guest and it was all confirmed through the resort.

The dates of my stay were January 1-8 so it was likely one of the busiest winter weeks for the resort. Many of the other reviews complain about the parking situation. That would be the same experience for me. The front loading and unloading area is fairly small for the size of the resort. When I pulled up, there were cars everywhere. That said, the valet staff was very good at keeping things flowing. I didn’t even attempt to self-park and instead valeted the entire time. I was glad I did. Just be sure to call for your vehicle 10-15 minutes beforehand and your vehicle will be ready. Otherwise, you will be waiting in the lobby at least that long. Fortunately parking for me was free as a guest of an owner, though I did have the cost of tipping the valet.

My check-in experience was fast and friendly. One of the concierges caught me on the way past the desk to give me a welcome packet. This is an affront to sign you up for a timeshare presentation. There were some incentives for going to the presentation but I respectfully declined. There was no pressure or further appeals to attend. As for the welcome packet, they did give a discount card for some restaurants and the concierge was a good resource for area information.

The accommodations were nice. I had booked a standard studio room. As I learned when I opened the door, this is the “B” side of their 2 bedroom unit (the “A” side being a full 1-bedroom unit). There was a main door that opened into a small foyer with two other doors for the two units. I didn’t particularly care for that part of it as it didn’t feel very private. The room had two queen beds, a small kitchenette (bar sink, microwave, dorm size refrigerator, toaster and coffee maker) and a small table. The beds were comfortable. There was a nice flat panel TV. I was on the top floor overlooking the highway side. There was only one small (the dormer if you were looking at it from the outside) which was fine since the view wasn’t that great. However, it made the room darker than I would have liked (may that would be preferred for those who like to sleep in). The room was quiet even when there were occupants in the adjacent unit.

As for the rest of the resort, the only amenities I used were the pool/hot tub and the laundry facilities. The pool and hot tub area were fairly busy the times that I went (usually between 9 and 10 P.M.). The children in the pool area outnumbered the adults by a wide margin. It was a little noisy for my tastes. It would have been nice to have an adults only area or hours, though admittedly not practical as the resort is mostly family oriented. The laundry machines were free which was a bonus. However, the laundry room was excessively hot and contained the trash chute (and odor). I got in and out as fast as I could.

The resort had an onsite restaurant and bar which I did not try. The prices seemed high and neither looked to have much of an atmosphere. The fitness center seemed small for the resort size but I presume that most guests get their exercise outside, as did I.

All in all, I enjoyed my stay. I would stay there again but would probably opt for a 1-bedroom unit if it was an extended stay and request a lake view.

OMG this property has gone down, down, down the hill starting at front desk customer service:

I walked in approx. 1pm and saw six agents behind the desk all talking to each other...okay. Waited there for 1 min. before ONE of them said, "just a minute". Barely made eye contact, and acted like I was a frickin' pain. Next: have to haggle over room placement (as always). Crappy room here or over there? I always have anxiety at this place over room placement.

Went to room and lo and behold, it looks over air vents from pool area and has no outside deck, nice. Note: I have been an owner for 5 years so I can't imagine who gets the nicer rooms? Shortly after we got settled, received a phone call from security, with a ruse of finding previous tenants wedding ring. Sure come up and rip apart our living room.

Most of the personnel made me feel unwelcome and like I was going to be in trouble soon, not a nice vacation feeling. Only good part of this property is the valet. They are awesome and do such a good job.

Am glad to hear the CEO did an undercover sting on his properties. This one needs a huge overhaul of personnel and customer service. TIMESHARE FOR SALE!

Laurie J. Lytle
ljralytle@comcast.net

My daughter and I came up from Jan 4-6, 2012 for doing the timeshare tour at Las Vegas Polo Towers. I went to the timeshare tour too and got a $100 gift card. No pressure selling. Just be honest with them. Very nice. Renovation rooms will be very nice but seem small too. I only have Polo Towers to compare it with. They have a great location on the lake. Its a shame all the rooms dont face the lake. We had a 1bedroom. No lake view. Furnishings were not kept up well. The upholstered chair was ripped and looked worn. You would think a 'resort' would keep up the furnishings better. Kitchen was small but adequate. Balcony was small and view would probably have been good if there had been snow. Jacuzzi bathtub was heaven. It was huge. The indoor/outdoor pool and jacuzzi was nice and made me wish I had brought my bathingsuit. The restaurant is small and food was ok but overpriced for the quality in my opinion. I ordered an apple martini which was too strong. The waiter was very nice to take it back and exchange for a cosmo. That was too strong too. I think they had a new bartender. The waiter was great though. Very nice. Overall it was okay but I'm glad I didn't pay for it because I expect more from a resort.