Winter Vacation February 2006
We booked an exchange week for a 2 BR, 2 Bath
and were booked into the Terrace Bldg. The Unit
consisted of a spacious open living area with
full kitchen and living room area. The electric
fireplace served to dry out the many pairs of
boots and gloves wet with snow play. The queen
size sofa sleeper was never used as the two guys
with us prefered to alternate sleeping solo on
the sofa or in the two chairs and ottoman pulled
together to form aother single sleeping area.
Go figure. The bedroom attached to this area was
sizeable with king bed. A large bath area was
accesible from this bedroom as well as the main
living area. Sink and vanity area were
separated by door leading to double sized shower
and toilet area.
The second bedroom area was actually a "lock
off" unit. This bedroom was as large as the
main bedroom, included two upholstered chairs, a
mini refrigerator, micro, sink and coffee maker.
The bath had a closed off sink/vanity area with
another area separated by a door with a large
garden tub, sink and toilet.
This was a spacious unit combo which allowed the
six of us to live together comfortably. The
housekeeping staff was generous in providing
daily towel service, mini clean mid week.
Washer and Dryer not in unit, but 4-5
washer/dryers available free of charge in room
on 3rd floor. We had absolutely no complaints
about the accomodations. The absolutely
beautiful views of a true winterland would have
made up for most anything.
Of all the amenities, the garage parking was the
big bonus. Snowfall was plentiful as in a foot
or two a day. Some cars we passed on our way
down the mountain were simply mounds of snow and
would have required heavy snow shoveling to even
move them from the space in which they were
parked. A four wheel drive with snow tires is
simply a must during the peak snow season.
There are steep grades, icy roads, etc to reach
Ridge Tahoe by car. Bus service ($1) is
available from the base near the casinos, with
scheduled service from about 7AM and last bus
from casinos at 12:30AM. Even the most timid
among us drove the expedition with no problems.
Gondola from the Ridge takes you down to nearby
lift at Heavenly where lift tickets/ski rentals
etc can be purchased. Heavenly has several lift
areas, so you have to decide where you want to
ski to determine area to launch from. We also
traveled about an hour to ski at Sierra at Tahoe
which proved to be cost effective with ski
lessons etc. We bought sleds/saucers and
rocketed down nearby slopes (Ridge Tahoe writes
this is a liability and not available on site).
Accomodations were clean. Some of the
upholstery on chairs/couch was worn and in need
of replacement, but not gross. The carpet was a
little worn. The hallway carpet however, was
new so perhaps they are in the process of
renewal. Indoor spa on floor 4 overlooking a
patio area. All staff were attentive to any
needs/concerns.
Clubhouse has small store that proved convenient
(double the price of a grocery), a bar that
closes at 9PM, a restaurant that didn't open
till Thursday, a mini-grill that was kind of
like a concession stand and served Starbucks
brew (but not really a Starbucks). As we drove
to Stateline most every day, we planned around
the fact that we were on the top of a mountain
and it took 15-20 minutes to drive down the
snowy incline. We cooked a couple of nights,
ate sandwiches a few days and simply ate out the
rest of the time. There is a pub/grill about 5
minutes away that does stay open later, but bus
does not stop as it passes by.
Wireless "available" - about $29 for 3 days but
it was more "off" than "on" during the days we
attempted to communicate back home. Out of the
4 wireless plans we had, only one worked some of
the time and that was when you stood outside in
the snow. The weather probably had a big impact
on this and we were on vacation so... just blew
this off. May matter to some though.
We had a great vacation and were pleased with
our accomodations. If you are looking for night
life, the casinos are a safe bus ride away. It
just takes planning to catch the last bus. If
you plan to party till all hours, perhaps a
place in town would be more convenient. The
weather/scenery on the mountain at Ridge Tahoe
was something we enjoyed on a daily basis.
