Dates of stay: August 7 14, 2004.
Location: Unit 2932 Bldg. 6, 3rd floor.
The resort grounds were meticulously
maintained. Given the winter weather
conditions of the area, the exterior of the
buildings looked in surprisingly good
condition. The landscaping complemented
the natural surroundings, with beautiful flower
beds, natural rock accents and garden
walkways over manmade creeks. It appears
that Hyatt carefully planned the resort to
blend into the surroundings.
The unit was one of only 2 on the top floor
(3rd level) of the building. The elevator
separated our unit from the other unit, so
noise was never a complaint! The unit was
quite large, with 2 bedrooms and 2
bathrooms. The kitchen, living and dining
rooms formed the center of the unit, with a
bedroom on each side of the great room.
The deck from the living room overlooked a
dry creekbed and tall pines. The wide
creekbed and trees provided space, and
hence, some privacy to the units facing it. We
never needed to use the window coverings at
night. The bedrooms could have used
brighter lighting. The natural light was
somewhat filtered from the trees.
The front door has a small entry with pegs to
hold coats and hats. The stacked
washer/dryer can be accessed from the entry,
as well as one of the bathrooms. The kitchen
was to the right of the entry and at the end of
the entry is the dining/kitchen great room.
The kitchen was fully equipped with
dinnerware and utensils for 8. It contained a
range and oven, microwave, double door
refrigerator/freezer, dishwasher and garbage
disposal. The counter was a lovely dark
granite, which was extended to form a bar
area for 2 to eat. Other items provided were
coffee maker, blender and toaster. Of course,
there were plenty of pots and pans.
The furnishings and décor maintained
the mountain feel to the unit. The gas
fireplace was done in river rock. The living
room and bedrooms had large ceiling fans,
which was welcome in the evenings. (The
weather was unusually warm for Lake
Tahoe.) The living room had a television, vcr
and CD player. Each bedroom also had a
television. The master bedroom had a Jacuzzi
tub, which was wonderful after taking fitness
classes.
There is a resort pool and spa with a
clubhouse for the use of owners and
exchangers. 2 barbeques are available for
use. Reservations must be made at the front
desk. The barbeque is started for you, and
staff contact you at your designated time. Its
great
no clean-up either. High Sierra is
located on the same property as the Hyatt
hotel and casino. So, you can use the fitness
center at the hotel and can access the
Stillwater Spa for body treatments. The hotel
pool is only accessible to High Sierra owners
and exchangers on Monday and Wednesday,
which is causing a bit of a stir with the High
Sierra owners. Apparently, prior to the
construction of the new spa and pool, owners
were told that they would have full access to
the pool, not just 2 days a week.
Hyatt has a private beach with a water sports
center, which is only a walk across the
hotel/casino parking lot and street. Lounge
chairs and umbrellas are set up for you along
the beach. There is beachside food and
beverage service
just wave your barefoot
paddle in the air and a server will be there to
take your order. If you feel like moving out of
your lounge chair, you can dip your toes in the
water or walk out on the pier and sit at the
bar and have a refreshing drink before having
to expend the effort to get back to your
lounge chair. If you want to plunk down $75,
you can rent a very large cabana on the
beach. The beach was full of families, which
shows what a family friendly resort Hyatt has
built at the Lake. Given the numbers of young
children and teenagers, I was amazed at how
well behaved all were
no loud, obnoxious
teens with music blaring or screaming, out of
control youngsters. It appeared that there
was enough to keep all ages occupied, with
beach volleyball and all the water equipment
that can be rented, including boats.
The building in which we were staying is just
across the street from the Incline Village
Recreation Center. Rather than use the
fitness room at Hyatt, I purchased a weeks
membership there and was able to attend the
fitness classes, which ranged from step to
yoga and strength training. The non-resident
fee was $36 for the week.
There is a Raleys supermarket about ½ mile
from the timeshare. Several restaurants are
on-site. The bar at the Lone Eagle Grill serves
a great calamari appetizer, and having drinks
on the patio at sunset couldnt get any
better. Ordered burgers on the beach from
the Lakeside Bar & Grill and had breakfast at
the Sierra Café one morning. Otherwise, did
not try the other Hyatt restaurants. The
Wildflower Café on Tahoe Blvd. in Incline
Village serves the best breakfast
but the
wait can be long at times. Hacienda, also on
Tahoe Blvd., serves good fajitas. One
evening, we took the Tahoe Queen dinner
cruise out of South Lake Tahoe
the dinner
was pretty decent for buffet style. We had
several meals in the timeshare, as well.
Breakfast on the deck overlooking the
creekbed and forest wasnt a bad way to start
the day.
Incline Village is on the North Shore of Lake
Tahoe. It provides a very different vacation
than the South Shore. The North Shore is
much quieter. The Hyatt has a casino, but it is
tiny compared to Harrahs or Caesars. For a
relaxing, uncrowded vacation, High Sierra is
the place. Short day trips from Incline include
Squaw Valley with a trip to High Camp, either
by trail or tram, Donner State Park, the Kings
Beach Arts and Crafts market on the
weekends, and the Tahoe City area. A must-
do during July or August is Shakespeare at
Sand Harbor. AND, hiking is everywhere
from
easy to strenuous.
Since the resort is over 80% sold out, we
were not hit with a pitch to attend a
timeshare presentation. Perhaps we were
not approached as we already own at
another Hyatt resort. We attended the
welcome breakfast and wine and cheese
social, two potential marketing opportunities
but, nothing! How refreshing. I would highly
recommend this resort for a truly relaxing
lakeside vacation. We will be returning again
as thyis Hyatt resort is within a 2-hour drive of
home.