All the previous reviews were pretty right on, so I won't repeat what other discerning traveller already mentioned but our own experiences with the hotel.
I called the hotel about 1 weekend before our arrival to the North Tahoe. The hotel manager Stephanie happened to answer the phone and she told me their Friday/Saturday were completely sold out, so I booked Sunday/Monday to reserve a room for our family of 4. She recommended me to stay at Hyatt in Incline Village by the lake for the best place to stay right by the lake and I was able to secure a room there (the hotel was also sold out by the time we checked in!), the location was the main draw, and it was twice more expensive than the Cedar hotel about 30 minutes away from the Lake.
After the booking, I sent several emails to the hotel for local recommendations and each email was promptly responded with details by different hotel front staff. A day before we were due to check in, it dawned on me that the hotel welcomed dogs, and my family were not comfortable with animals in close range, on top of that, my son felt ill & I wasn't sure of our itinerary. Again I sent an email to the hotel and Stephanie answered me right away offering me to cancel our reservation without any penalties and if we could stay there, she would happily moved us to the 2nd floor where no dogs had stayed. Wow, I really appreciated her understanding. On the day of our arrival, I sent another email that we might drop off our luggage first at the hotel if there was enough time before we went on our Boat ride on the Lake, again she replied right away assuring me that our room was ready for us to check in the morning!
When we arrived in the hotel in the late afternoon, I met Stephanie briefly so I was able to thank her for her help, assistant manager Kyle checked us in, and for the rest of our stay, Leslie was the main front desk person who answered our inquiries with warmth and smiles. My son was interested in learning about fly-fishing, again Stephanie and her staff were calling around to find out who were able to give a 6-year-old boy a lesson, alas, he was too young, but Kyle called later to inform me that there was a guy available for Tuesday the next morning to teach both my son and younger daughter. In the end my son wasn't well enough to take the trip. I just so appreciated the efforts of the hotel staff to "make their guests enjoy the stay" at their property as they stated in their booklet which you could find in each room listing all of their local favorites. They walk the talk. I am not sure I met the owners, but I'd like to ask them where they found their feather comforter, toilet storage bin, etc..
The famed in-house restaurant Stella were closed on Monday/Tuesday evenings when we were there, but we got to enjoy the homemade breakfast with herbs grown in its small garden. Chef Jacob was there executing the breakfast and he was quiet and friendly in the kitchen area working. His buttery light and airy croissant is the best I've ever tasted & I told him so. I wish I could take some on the road!
I understand some reviewer's concern about the lack of closed closet space. That means you just have to trust their house cleaners. Some of other room features are unique like restrooms with sliding doors that hardly other hotel establishments implement which I also appreciate very much, a space saving device. The restroom could use a hand towel hanger by the sink counter.
The hotel has a tiny hot tub between building 1 & 2 that is opened in the late afternoon till 9:30 PM at night. You enter the gate with your room key.
All in all, a very pleasant and tasteful stay. Leslie and another friendly lady @ the front desk invited us to go back to stay with them. I would take up the offer without any hesitations. : ) Keep up the excellent work Cedar House team! You make your eco-friendly hotel rocking wonderful!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
