Palate for Style

Lake Tahoe is my second sasural (in-laws place). Mr. M loves Tahoe more than me *and you thought only I had issues ha 🙄* and makes sure we go there atleast once a year. Oh well I ain’t complaining. 

We went to Lake Tahoe over the labor day weekend and oh man was it hot or what! But nevetheless absolutely stunning..

So I had big plans of making this trip “the trip” people would rave about and refer whenever they planned “their trip”. You know the usual travel blogger stuff.. *writes one travel guide and appoints herself a seasoned travel blogger..* I had plans of hiking, biking, swimming, adventure sports, stargazing at night and taking EPIC pics! Not alot to ask right?.. 🤷‍♀️ Apparently it was! All the plans went down the drain the moment we entered our AirBnb. It had the most amazing backyard and on top of that, the hosts had left badminton racquets and bean bag toss for us to enjoy. Can you even believe that? Didn’t they know I am a blogger and stuff? I don’t do games. I do only activities I can click and write about. 🤦🏽‍♀️ (joking, kidding, no offense to anyone especially meeee..)

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We were in Lake Tahoe for 3 days and after realizing that getting out of the house would take away the precious time from yard games, we focussed on doing one major outdoorsy activity each day. In the evening it was all fun and games. Literally. Come home, challenge others in badminton *since my mind says I am a pro. Why? I had almost won the badminton tournament in school. Number of participants – 4 🙈*, lose, challenge them in bean bag toss, realize that I am the bean bag toss queen not really the world always needed.. Ah what a wonderful wonderful trip it was!!

There is so much you can do in Tahoe but here I recapping all the activities we did that I definitely recommend if you ever plan to visit Lake Tahoe.

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DAY 1

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Heavenly Scenic Gondola Ride

Click here for details

We have done this ride both in summer and winter and  it’s stunning in both the seasons. The ride till the topmost point takes around 10-15 minutes. The first pit stop is the observatory deck and you get the most gorgeous panoramic views of Lake Tahoe. .. Because of the heat, the view this time was very hazy but on a clear day it’s breathtaking.

Travel Tip – Check the temperature before booking the gondola ride. If it’s too hot, the view may not be the best!

The second and final stop is the top of the mountain. During summer they offer a tonne of adventure activities (wall climbing, zip-lining, tubing etc). You can get all the details here. 

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Heavenly Village

After the ride, we grabbed lunch at a really bad place. There were tonnes of restaurants and the one we chose had the worst food.🤦🏽‍♀️ Anywho, you can spend an hour in the Heavenly village just soaking in the vibe or stealing shaved ice from friends because you need the how-is-she-even-a-blogger-with-such-lame-poses shot.. 👇🏽

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DAY 2

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Eating breakfast outside with birds chirping is what dreams are made of. Not yours? You gotta adjust your dreams dude.. 🤙🏽 Do I sound cool with the whole dude and hand gesture? I have always wanted to be part of the yo-yo crowd.. hmmmm ok now I see why I can’t be one of the cool peeps. 🤦🏽‍♀️

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Speed Boat Rental

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You guys have to rent a speed boat when in Tahoe.. It’s definitely one of the most amazing ways of exploring the lake. You get to drive it and can go as fast as you want.. it’s sooo much fun with all the choppy waves and the crazy wind.. Mr. M always drives at full speed and now when I think about it, he has been trying from a very long time to make someone *cough* me *cough* fall off the boat.. 🤔 

Is he hugging me or….? 😳

You can book the speed boat for either 2 or 4 hours (maybe more too but minimum is 2). I would definitely recommend doing the 2 hour rental. It’s more than enough to enjoy without feeling dizzy or lightheaded. However, you cannot pre-book the 2 hour one and it is basically first come first serve. On holidays, come early in the morning to make sure you get a spot.

Travel Tip – Choose the 2 hour boat rental over the 4 hour one. Also, come in early as it’s first come first serve for the 2 hour rentals. 

Travel Tip – You can also listen to music on full blast.. Don’t forget to bring an aux-cable. *I had spelled it as ox-cable before. YES! I know! 🤦🏽‍♀️”

Give all kinds of awkward poses.. after all you are on a speed boat. 🕺🏻

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Artemis Mediterranean Grill

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This restaurant is right next to the speed boat rental place. The service was a little slow but the food more than made up for it! I had a veggie pita with fries and I am not kidding when I say this – the fries were one of best I have had since moving to the US. 

Travel Tip – Throw your diet out the window and have the fries. Your welcome!

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Pope Beach

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Rather than being lazy bums at home, we decided to move our home base and be lazy at the beach.. Played heads-up, chatted a bit and relaxed. Being peak of summer, this beach with crowded but we didn’t really mind it much.. 

Travel Tip – Carry cash if you want to park right next to the beach or park for free on the side of the road. It’s only a 10 min walk to the beach.

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Day 3 –

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Eagle Lake Hike

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Take me hiking and I’ll be your friend forever. Take awesome pics of me and I’ll love you forever. Do both and I am never leaving you. 🤷‍♀️

This is a moderate hike with beautiful views of the emerald bay and baby waterfalls on the way. There are some steep steps and the route can be a bit crowded but so worth the effort once you reach the lake. Ah the lake is pristine clear and absolutely gorgeous. Mother nature never ceases to amaze me. Imagine climbing a small portion of the mountain to reach the lake. How crazy!

Travel Tip – Come early in the morning as getting parking later in the day can be difficult during peak season.  

Khaleesi has risen! 👇🏽

You can collect the permit at the start of the hike. 

Tiny peek of the emerald bay

Eagle Lake

Travel Tip – Bring a swimsuit with you to take an actual dip in the lake. Don’t be like Monika 👇🏽

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Monika and her legit-travel-bloggers-never-do-this shots taken from the car

The drive to, in and out of Lake Tahoe is stunning so I had to include my expert car shots.. 🤷‍♀️

Travel Tip – While driving back to the bay area from Lake Tahoe, take hwy 88. Omg the drive was insane and had such stunning scenery.. We couldn’t stop to take pics but I can’t wait to go back and explore it more..

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If you live in California and have never been to Lake Tahoe, I would definitely recommend visiting this amazing place. I hope you all enjoyed reading about our adventures.. if being queen bean bag toss can be called an adventure 🙄 and if you have absolutely any questions, feel free to message me or ask in the comment section.

Thank you so much for stopping by and have the most wonderful weekend.. I’ll see ya all soon.. – Love, M ❤️

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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE CHEAT SHEET

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Distance / Time from SFO –

• Around 200-230 miles and 3.5-4 hours

Ideal duration –

• Lake Tahoe is filled with so many attractions/activities. A good starting point would be 2-3 days. 

Ideal season –

• Every season!

Clothes –

• Mornings were slightly chilly even during peak summer. Carry a super light jacket just incase. 

Places to stay –

• AirBnb is the best option. Especially if a larger group is going, you can book an entire cabin and cook and sing and dance.. The possibilities are endless.
• We stayed here during our visit. The pictures don’t do the place justice. It’s so much better in person. Also, it was around 15 minutes drive from the main attractions which was totally fine with us. 
• Aston Lakeland Resort – right next to the lake. 

Places to Eat –

• Food wasn’t the main focus for us in this trip. The only place worth mentioning is Artemis Mediterranean grill.

Things to do –

• Heavenly Gondola Ride  (online booking available but usually tickets available in person too)
• Heavenly Adventure Pass
• Ziplines
• Speed Boat Rental (cannot pre-book for 2 hour rental. First come first serve)
• Jet Ski, paddleboat, parasailing
• Eagle Lake hike
• Eagle Falls
• Emerald Bay lookout
• Pope Beach (carry cash if you want to park next to the beach otherwise find free parking at the side of the road. 10 min walk to the beach)

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