Lake Tahoe resorts, which resort do you recommend for June

[jazzeah]

We are driving from LA to Lake Tahoe in June and are trying to decide which of the Lake Tahoe timeshares to stay at. They all sound nice. Which one is the nicest, ie best views, activities, spa, items like that.

Thanks

 

[PamMo]

We stayed in both last fall with our grandkids. Timber Lodge was great, with a really nice kids club, our unit was well laid out, and we had a wonderful view over the pools up the mountain. We loved it. The Residences were very nice, too, but seemed more geared to adults. The Residences also have a lot more variation in floor plans. I like knowing what I'm getting, more or less, at Timber Lodge. I wouldn't hesitate to go back to either, though! The staff was outstanding at both, and the location is super convenient - they're right next to each other. We're heading back to both his summer.

 

[Tokapeba]

Availability will be the problem. Have you looked already?

 

[jazzeah]

Availability will be the problem. Have you looked already?

my only 2 choices are Grand Residence or Timber Lodge. The Timber lodge has 2 bedrooms available. Grand Residence has 1 bedroom and locks so we were thinking if we go there we do a 1 bedroom and a lockoff unit.

 

[BigMac]

I've stayed at Timber Lodge and it is a better choice if you have children in my opinion. Break up your trip by staying a night at or near Yosemite on the way up and maybe a couple of days in San Francisco before taking the coast road back through Monterrey, Carmel etc.

 

[BJRSanDiego]

I recall that for exchangers into the Timberlodge that the roughly $30 per day parking fee was waived. But I think that at the Grand Residence that they impose a fee on all exchangers. Perhaps others will share their own experience. I avoid the Grand Residence. I like the Timberlodge.

BTW, a public service announcement: they have a restaurant on site called "fire and ice". It is a Mongolian BBQ. I have gone to about a dozen different similar places and this place gets a D minus. They used the same spatula for raw fish and cooked items (there are a few reports of people who became ill on TA). There grill was turned so low that it took about 1/2 hour to cook causing about a dozen people to stand around the grill waiting for their food. The grill wasn't sizzling and steaming (in comparison I think that most other places cook the food in less than 4 or 5 minutes), they ended up burning food to the point that it was no longer recognizable (I called the manager over and asked him to guess what the food was and he couldn't) and the service sucked. This is what I put into a tripadvisor review. But other than those issues, I guess that it was okay... ha ha

More seriously, the Timberlodge timeshare is very nice and we are looking forward to our next visit.

 

[tb784a]

We own at the Timber Lodge and LOVE it there! You can't go wrong, especially with children. I echo BJRSanDiego - don't eat at Fire & Ice!

 

[GetawaysRus]

We also prefer Timber Lodge. The rooms at Grand Residence are very nice, but on our one stay there we found it very noisy. GR is closer to all the restaurants and entertainment, so there was a lot more noise in the evening.

 

[DAman]

I am a Timber Lodge fan too. It is close to many things like Raleys and a movie theater. I usually do not use my car the entire week I am there during ski season. There are three taquerias nearby where I enjoy eating. Pizza too. All the basic food groups.....

There are yoga classes and movie nights by the pool(in warm weather). There are hiking trails close by too. Of course casinos for those so inclined.

 

[b2bailey]

I am an 'unconverted' owner and I am curious about Tahoe summer availability for points owners. Could someone give me an idea of what is available?

I have a Newport Coast week on deposit with II and can't see any Marriott Tahoe units until October.

 

[SnowDogDad]

Availability in the summer starts to get really tight around the very last week of June and stays that way until mid-August. I have not checked for points availability recently at either. Depending on when I'm going up there, I might use one of my weeks or just rent from a 3rd party rental company.

The Grand Residence and Timber Lodge are adjacent to one another with the Heavenly Gondola right in between. So, that which is close to Timber is close to Grand Residence. There are even tunnels underground that connect the complexes buildings and they share some staff.

I thought that the children's activities were consolidated. So anything available for Timber guests was available for the Grand Residence guests. The Grand Residence Children's Activity coordinators are excellent.

Grand Residence has more restaurants right in the building including a couple of the top rated restaurants in the Tahoe area. I always make a point to eat at Azul, Base Camp Pizza, Driftwood Cafe, and Kalani's at least once. And, I have eaten at Fire + Ice 9 or 10 times and have never had a bad experience.

Parts of the Grand Residence buildings can be a bit noisy. Especially the back building that faces Gun Barrel Tavern and Base Camp Pizza. That noise would also be heard on the gondola side of Timber, though. But, all outdoor bands and music are supposed to cease at 10pm. Another reason that parts of the Grand Residence might be noisy is that most all units have balconies and people often leave their doors open.

The rooms at the Grand Residence tend to be a bit bigger than Timber Lodge; at least the ones that I have been in. And, the balconies are nice though different units balcony sizes vary widely. A 1-bedroom I stayed in had a balcony big enough for 8 or 9 people to stand around on while a 3-bedroom had only a tiny balcony off of the master bedroom.

The rooms at Timber Lodge have washers and driers while the Grand Residence has laundry rooms spread out around the building.

And, yes, the Grand Residence has a wide variety of floor plans. 55 different floor plans, if I recall correctly. But most area spacious and nicely laid out.