The writer was hosted
Some ski trips are pure bliss, like my recent Margaritaville Resort Lake Tahoe Girls Getaway in California with my childhood friend, Dana. Situated at the base of Heavenly Mountain Resort in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the beach-themed Margaritaville is the hotel chain’s first ski location. Our three-night stay combined prime spring skiing with a beach-themed après ski scene (and margaritas). Although we were there to ski, Margaritaville’s proximity to the mountain and the lake makes it an ideal year-round resort.
Margaritaville Resort Lake Tahoe
Margaritaville Resort Lake Tahoe, which debuted in 2023, is the only all-suite resort in the Lake Tahoe basin. Upon entering the resort, Dana and I recognized the hotel as the former Embassy Suites. But an $80 million renovation transformed the hotel into an island-inspired oasis with tropical colors and decor.
The nine-story, open-air indoor atrium is a welcoming space with a waterfall, the License to Chill Bar, sitting area, and fireplace. Whether traveling with friends or family, it’s a relaxing place to hang out, sip a drink, and listen to live music.
Get 365 days of travel inspiration delivered right to your inbox!
Margaritaville Lake Tahoe Suites
Starting at 599 square feet, each of the 399 suites is spacious and has separate living and bedroom spaces, a dining table, mini fridge, and wet bar. All rooms have either mountain or lake views.
Dana and I had adjoining suites – a double queen suite and a king suite. This way we shared space but each had our own bathroom. It was the perfect setup for our Margaritaville Resort Lake Tahoe Girls Getaway. From our mountain-facing rooms, we could see when the ski lifts began operating, prompting us to get up and out. Double queen rooms start at $249.
Dining at Margaritaville Lake Tahoe
We ate well during our stay. In addition to the License to Chill Bar, the resort has four restaurants. While skiing, we ate a light lunch or snacks on the mountain and returned to Margaritaville ready for happy hour and dinner.
Landshark Bar & Grill
For our first meal, we ate dinner in a heated Igloo on the Terrace, where we enjoyed an assortment of veggies, cheese, olives, and fresh fruit in addition to tacos, prepared by the onsite Landshark Bar & Grill. We paired our meal with delicious margaritas – a Perfect Margarita (that’s the name) for me, and a Spicy Mango Rita for Dana.
The food was fresh and very tasty (and the leftover fruit and veggies that we brought back to the room lasted two more days). The following evening, we ate dinner from the same restaurant, indoors this time. The menu features the signature Landshark Burger, fish tacos, salads, and seafood entrees. This restaurant also has a happy hour with $6 margaritas and $6 draft beer.
Joe Merchant’s Coffee and Provisions
Each morning, we had breakfast at the hotel. On our first morning, we brought breakfast sandwiches back to our room from Joe Merchant’s Coffee and Provisions, a grab-and-go café with sandwiches, pizza, salads, snacks, and drinks. For those truly in a rush to get on the mountain, the cafe’s breakfast burritos are handy for eating on the gondola.
Come Monday Café & Bar
Dana and I preferred a slower warmup for a day of skiing and enjoyed hearty breakfast buffets at the Come Monday Café & Bar on the second floor. The buffet includes eggs, pancakes, sausages, bacon, potatoes, cereals, fruit, and a variety of breads and pastries in addition to coffee and juices. $19.99/adults and $10/kids ages 6-12.
JWB Prime Steak and Seafood
On our last evening at the hotel, we had dinner at JWB Prime Steak and Seafood, a casual yet elegant restaurant. For appetizers, Dana had crostini with shrimp ceviche, and I had beef tartare. We shared a Caesar salad, and for entrees, she had salmon, and I had a filet mignon. A glass of William Hill Cabernet Sauvignon paired nicely with my dinner, and Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay with Dana’s.
Margaritaville Resort Amenities
The $50 daily resort fee includes many amenities. There’s a separate fee of $35 for nightly valet parking.
- Heated Pool. The indoor/outdoor swimming pool and hot tub have sliding doors to a patio
- Children’s Activities. Parakeets Kid’s Club with free activities for ages 5 – 10 from 4 – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday
- Fitness Center. The Fins Up Fitness Center is on the second floor next to the pool deck
- Weekend yoga at 9 a.m. Sign up at the front desk
- Wi-Fi in rooms and throughout the resort
- Ski and golf storage in the lobby
- Family-friendly events include games, movie nights, and holiday celebrations
- Dog friendly. Dogs up to 30 pounds are welcome for a daily fee of $50 plus a $75 refundable deposit
Heavenly Mountain Resort
Although I’ve been to Heavenly Mountain Resort in summer, it was my first time skiing at this renowned resort, which straddles California and Nevada. At 10,067 feet, Heavenly (part of Vail Resorts) is the highest resort in Lake Tahoe.
Heavenly has four base areas – two in each state (Heavenly and California Lodge in California, and Stagecoach and Boulder Lodges in Nevada). From the Margaritaville Resort, we accessed the mountain via the gondola in Heavenly Village, the hub for apres-ski, shopping, and sports rentals. We rented our gear from Heavenly Sports-Marriott, which offers free overnight ski storage if you rent from there. This is super convenient for grabbing your skis and boarding the gondola, just steps from the rental shop.
Even if you’re not a skier you can take a scenic gondola ride and exit at the mid station to walk to the observation deck and take in the panoramic lake and mountain views. Prices vary but are about $117 for adults.
Skiers and snowboarders stay on the gondola to reach the Tamarack Lodge and ski area, where there’s also a winter tubing hill.
Ski State to State on One Mountain
At the top of the Tamarack chairlift, there’s an option to ski in Nevada or California. We skied in both states, and found it easy to navigate the mountain, which had freshly groomed trails and powder after a recent spring storm. Trails on the California side have more expansive views of the shimmering blue lake, which has a depth of 1,645 feet, making it the second deepest lake in the US after Oregon’s Crater Lake.
One of our favorite trails is the California Trail, a long trail that leads to the Sky Express chairlift and a bunch of fun, long blue (intermediate) runs like Ridge Run and High Five. Fortunately for us, intermediate runs comprise 80 percent of Heavenly’s terrain.
The summit Skyline Trail leads back to Nevada and the Dipper Express chairlift (another one of our favorites) and more thrilling blue runs.
SheBuysTravel Tip: The Sky Deck day lodge, at the bottom of the Sky Express chairlift, serves freshly grilled burgers and bratwurst, as well as a good tomato soup served with bread.
Throughout our Margaritaville Lake Tahoe Girls Getaway, the ski conditions were so good it was hard to leave the mountain. Back at Margaritaville, we finished packing and ate our leftover dinner from JWB Prime Steak and Seafood before taking the shuttle back to the airport.
Getting there
South Lake Tahoe is about an hour from Reno, Nevada. Margaritaville sits on the California side of the state line. From Los Angeles, we flew to Reno International Airport. It was about a 90-minute flight. The South Tahoe Airporter (about $60 roundtrip) shuttles between the airport and a handful of hotels near Heavenly Mountain Resort. It’s a scenic drive, especially once the lake pops into view.
Leave a Reply