River Ranch Lodge^{(0 stars)}

The room was quite large. I had a queen size bed, an armchair, a walk-in-closet and a commode. The lamps had metal elk on them. It was very cosy. I had a balcony and the river just flew below. The bathroom had a tub. A good thing was that it actually had a heater in the bathroom. It was the first time I have seen that on my trip through California so far.

I had dinner one night at the River Ranch Lodge restaurant. They actually have two "restaurants" in one room - the restaurant with white linen and being seated and the café where you can choose where to sit (except for the tables with the white linen). Both parts have a different menu. So, I decided for the restaurant and had a very good diner. Before dinner, I got a little greeting from the kitchen (strawberries with cream cheese). The restaurant itself was really cosy. It is round shaped and when you look out of the window you could see plants covered in snow. The restaurant had about 10 tables and the café another 6 or so. The kitchen was modern. You could choose from steaks, sea food and risotto. They also have a dessert menu with cakes, sorbet and Port whine. The entire dinner including main course, dessert, whine, Port and tips cost me USD40.

Staff was very friendly. I got the room even for a quite low rate because it was midweek and no holiday (I paid USD 99 + tax). In the next morning I slept in late. Cleaning service came at about noon but it was no problem to ask for them to skip the room for the day.

River Ranch Lodge is a nice and cosy hotel. It has less than 20 rooms and a restaurant/café/bar. The hotel is a bit older and is decorated with dark wood. It has a lot of charm. I felt snug there. I had breakfast included but did not use that service because I chose to sleep longer (breakfast is served from 7.30-10.00 am).

The hotel is located outside of Tahoe City at Lake Tahoe at freeway 89. On the one side is the freeway and on the other side is a river (I guess that is where the name comes from). You can hear the river inside of your room. Next the hotel is also the entrance to the skiing area Alpine Meadows. And just a few miles further is the great ski resort Squaw Valley, which hosted the Olympic winter games in 1960.