Kingsbury of Tahoe question

gstepic · Jul 1, 2008

Thanks to a thread on Tahoe my wife is now convinced Tahoe will be a fun place to vacation. We typically never vacation in the summer, but next summer we are going to make an exception and I am thinking of booking a resort in Tahoe over the July 4th weekend. Not only do we skip vacationing in the summer we never book our trips during holliday weekends, so new ground again for us.

From what I have been reading Tahoe has more to do in the summer and the fireworks display may be something worth seeing. We like to avoid the crowds so hopefully that weekend may be crowded but we will stay for a week, so my hope the weekdays may not be too bad.

We own VI and from the other thread was going to try and book the Tahoe Beach and Ski Club but no two bedrooms next July. We will be traveling with at least one other couple so we prefer a two bedroom. The Kingsbury at Tahoe has plenty of two bedrooms for next July and I have found some info on the resort - it seems like the unit is fairly roomy and there is no air conditioning. I am hoping due to the fact it is a little higher up in elevation the ceiling fans will be more than adequate.

I do not think it is too far from nice places to eat. I am curious if beach access is difficult, in other words is beach access mainly avaible through the resorts or are there plenty of decent public beaches on the south shore.

What I am really curious about is if there is a nice place at the resort to enjoy the view while reading a book or just daydreaming. It appears some rooms face opposite the lake, not sure if there is any outdoor common area to enjoy the view while reading or whatever.

It does appear if there is a nice viewing area the resort could be a good place to see the fireworks, depending on where they originate from.

So any input on Kingsbury would be appreciated. Being a photographer I get a little frustrated at the lack of photos of the surrounding area. I will make a point to change that as I will take plenty of photos and post them on-line. I could not find any web-site for the resort when doing a search and tried to call this morning and no one answered the phone! Someone posted a link for a really nice place to eat that was close to the Tahoe Ski and Beach club so I am hoping that place is not too far from the Kinsbury resort, but I am sure there are other nice places nearby.

Gary

swift · Jul 1, 2008

You might like this site for pictures Gary- http://www.aboutlaketahoe.com/pictures.htm

DeniseM · Jul 1, 2008

Hi Gary - The Kingsbury at Tahoe is up on the ridge above Tahoe, but according to this link, it faces the Carson Valley side - which is the other side of the hill. If it overlooks the Carson Valley, it means that it faces away from Tahoe so this will be your view - Carson Valley. So I don't know if you would be able to see the fireworks or not. It is on the back-side of Heavenly Valley Ski resort and it is popular with skiiers, but it isn't close to anything else.

I'm not crazy about this area - it was primarily developed for skiiers. There are several other condos up there, but for everything else, you will have to drive down to the Lake - it's not far, but I prefer to be closer to dining and things to do. Some people like the solitude up here, but I think driving up and down the hill for everything would get old.

There are plenty of public beaches around lake Tahoe. Nevada Beach is real close.

Here is a map, showing where it is in relationship to the Lake.

gstepic · Jul 1, 2008

Map link totally cool!!

I played around with the map link and there was a photo of the area. I looks like a very short walk to be able to see the lake, but hard to tell.

Choices choices! What to do! I think the Tahoe Beach and Ski club would be nice but not many rooms available and only one bedrooms at that. I think it would be nice to just walk out to the beach. It seems like the living area of the Kingsbury is nice and probably a lot of nice places to go for a morning walk. I wish I could transport myself to the area for a few hours to check out everything before we book!

Gary

DeniseM · Jul 1, 2008

Gary, I hate to keep raining on your parade, but Tahoe Beach and Ski club is only rated 6.7 by Tuggers, which is not a good rating - Review. The reviews on tripadvisor.com are even worse. Plus it is a converted motel - not a purpose built timeshare resort. I personally wouldn't stay there.

gstepic · Jul 1, 2008

I am not crazy about flying in on the 4th

I wonder if prices are inflated over a holiday weekend or if it is just a matter of booking early. If we fly into Sacramento we save about 100 bucks, but we probably would not get to the area to around 4 and I have a feeling traffic will be thick that afternoon.

I am going to look into a Fairfield resort. Are the Casino rooms outrageous? We could fly in a couple of days early and stay at a Casino or motel. I am assuming we can only book on Saturday with our resort but that could be a wrong assumption with VI. I will call in the morning to find out.

The map link was really pretty cool and it looks like you can actually drive down the road with the photo! From looking at that link it looks like you can see the lake from across the street. Kingsbury could be nice if there were nice places to take a morning walk in the woods and get nice views of the lake. It appears we would not have to walk far to see the lake.

From the photo it looked like the lake was some distance away and the area was not really thickly wooded, but a wide angle lens can distort some. I do think it would be wise for us to arrive on the 3rd, even if we have to get a motel room for one night.

One advantage of the Tahoe Beach and Ski club in my view is it would be nice to have a short walk to sit by the beach. The reviews of Kingsbury seemed fairly good and we would like it if we had some nice places to go for morning walks. I have not looked much at the Lodge at Lake Tahoe. The Wyndham South Shore resort uses to many points for a two bedroom. We are talking my son and daughter-in-law into joining us so a two bedroom is way more appealing that a one bedroom with a sofa sleeper.

Gary

DeniseM · Jul 1, 2008

The 4th of July is VERY popular in Tahoe. And it's a drive-to vacation for Californian's, so I suspect it will continue to be popular compared to the price of airfare next summer. Also, many people are very likely to be just coming up for the weekend. Do you have to travel the 4th of July? In August the weather will be warmer and the lake will be warmer and I bet you will see more availability. You are looking for the highest demand week of the summer if you stick with the 4th.

As far as being right on the lake, none of the big casinos or nicest resorts are right on the lake. The Lake Tahoe Vacation Resort (formerly the Embassy) is the closest.

The Hyatt High Sierra (across the lake in upscale Incline Village) is right across the street from the lake and has a very nice private beach with restaurant, bar, and other facilities.

brg850 · Jul 8, 2008

Gary,

I was at the VI Kingsbury of Tahoe last July. The resort is located on the hill near the top of the Kingsbury grade, inside of the one-way loop between many ski condos which includes Ridge Tahoe, Ridge View, Ridge Sierra, Workmark....

It's less crowded during the summer. So if you fly to Reno, you can come down from HWY 395 then up the Kingsbury garde, much closer and less traffic then from the other side.

You can see people walking, jogging around the loop in the morning or evening. If you like hiking, the trail head starts at the Heavenly ski lift parking lot next to the Ridge Tahoe entrance. It's about 5 minutes up the loop from the resort. There is also a box with trail maps on the side of the ski lift structure or you can download it from the Tahoe Rim Trail web site.

The resort was very nice and comfortable. It has just just been renovated last year. I think it's a 7-story building with four 2-bedroom units on most of the floors. The top floor has two penthouses with views of both the Tahoe and Carson Valley. The bottom two floors have been converted into a private indoor racquet/basket ball court, game room and social/conference room with wireless access. The picnic/grill area is outside of the first floor. There is also a shared outdoor pool/spa next block at the end of parking lot.

The resort is only staffed during regular hours, you have to use the key card to open the outside lobby door when you come back in the evening. This also means you have to check-in during regular hours. The lady (her name is Liz) at the front desk during the week days was very nice and helpful. But since she is always running up and down in the 7-story building with one slow elevator, that why sometimes there is nobody at the front desk to answer to phone.

If you are going to take to the boat tour at the Zehyr Cove, there are also a few nice beach in that area where people can swim and play beach volley ball. The timeshare booth at the Tahoe outlet mall was giving out boat tour tickets for the presentation last time.

I can send you some photos taken from the balcony facing the Carson Valley or lake view from across the parking lot. PM me if interested.

brg

teepeeca · Jul 8, 2008

Note to Denise M

Hi Denise,

Since you took "my word" for another "resort" in the "Lake Tahoe" area, hopefully you will respect "my word" regarding Tahoe Beach and Ski.

TB&S is "far better" than the other "resort" you bought. I don't care WHAT the ratings are---TB&S is "right on the lake"---HOWEVER--- only one building is "on" the lake, all of the other buildings are "near" the lake---easy walking distance.

TB&S has 400 feet of lake frontage. EVERYONE there is nice, professional, and friendly.

What more can I tell you??? Will be there starting this Friday, and next year, ant the year after that, will be there over the 4th of July.

Tony