Beach Retreat and Lodge at Tahoe

Beach Retreat and Lodge is the South Shore hotel that puts you on the sand without luxury prices. It sits directly on the lake on Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe, with its own sandy beach, a pier and a marina, and it is one of the larger independent hotels on the South Shore, with 262 rooms. The beach is the selling point. In summer guests walk out of their rooms to lounge on the sand, swim, rent boats and paddleboards from the marina, and eat lunch at the Boathouse on the Pier, the lakefront restaurant. The Tavern, the hotel's second restaurant, serves comfort food and cocktails. The property is also one of the few pet-friendly hotels on the South Shore, and it hosts many weddings and meetings, with ceremonies on the beach. Heavenly Mountain is a few minutes away by car, and the Heavenly Village area is a short drive east. The rooms vary widely: some face the lake and some are set back from it, and quality and views vary accordingly. Lake-view rooms are worth the extra cost, while the standard rooms are basic. Weddings and groups can make the property busy on summer weekends, and the highway is close to the back buildings. It suits families who want a beach day without driving, couples who want a lakefront room for a reasonable price, groups and wedding parties, and travelers with dogs.

The appeal is the beach and the water access. Few South Shore hotels have their own beach and pier, and the marina makes it easy to rent a boat or paddleboard and explore along the shore. In the evening, the pier and beach are good places to watch the sunset over the lake.