Are you looking for a getaway near Tahoe? Near good skiing and hiking? Cheaper and way nicer than a hotel, off the beaten path and away from the busier areas, surrounded by beautiful scenery, in a convenient location… GO HERE PEOPLE!
Wow! Seriously, enough good things cannot be said about this spot. Lets break down the whole experience and explain exactly why we loved it so much.
Here’s the link: https://goo.gl/FuxNPj
And their webpage: https://www.valleyhousestay.com/
The Hosts:
Brendan and Megan were a joy. I emailed them ahead of time to make sure having two huskies was OK in their unit. It says dog friendly, but sometimes this means only one dog or only small dogs, so we always like to check ahead of time. Brendan said they were more than happy to accommodate.
Day of, or schedule was uncertain, so I contacted them again to see if there was any way to check in early. They said they had had a guest stay there the night before, so it needed cleaning, but they would stay in contact throughout the day to let us know when the unit became available. They were prompt in their communication the whole way through, and it was so nice!
They also go above and beyond in their info and help. They give a detailed and lengthy list of nearby fun things to do, both for summer and winter, in their communications ahead of time. They also have a very detailed packet in the unit with history of the area, nearby activities, good places for snow… the works! They really want you to enjoy your stay in their place, and the effort really shows!
Sierraville:
Sierraville is a pretty tiny town north of Truckee, about 25 miles (30 mins). It’s less than 500 people and is snuggled in the middle of a large valley. It’s only at ~5000ft, so even in the winter you’re not likely to have a ton of snow at your doorstep.
As it’s such a small town, there are a few drawbacks. Groceries for one, if you need that sort of thing. Our amazing hosts pointed out ahead of time that the local store had the basics: “No fresh produce or meat to speak of, but all the chips and beer you would need” was how it was phrased. However, there are four restaurants in town, and while we didnt eat at any of them, our hosts said all were recommended and served up some great food.
The other (minor) drawback is that you are a short ways away from Lake Tahoe. It’s only about 30 minutes to Truckee, maybe 35-40 to a good beach in the summer, but it’s still something to consider.
The Unit:
The unit is extremely convenient and easy to find - literally on the side of 89 about 500ft from the T-Intersection (the only major intersection in town…). You’ll see this sign.
We stayed in Unit 2. The unit itself was excellent. It was sparkling clean when we arrived, keys and our information packet on the coffee table. We’re the kind of people who walk the unit and open every door immediately upon getting to any lodging accommodation, so that’s exactly what we did. Everything was nicer than we could ever need. Here are some of the highlights.
1 Bed 1.5 Bath
Ample living area
Shower in the main bathroom
Nice small fenced-in patio (great for hanging out with pups!)
Full sized kitchen with anything you’d need
Full sized fridge/freezer
Microwave
Oven
Coffee pot
Full sized sink
Wifi
For the money, this place couldn’t be nicer. Here are a few of our pictures, there are lots more on their AirBNB page.
With all this excellence, there was one downside. It’s small, and depending where you live it might not be that bad to you, buuuut….
THE INTERNET
Oh man, their internet is pretty bad. I dont know if it was just having issues while we were there or what, but oh man it was slooooow. You couldnt play a game and upload video to Facebook at the same time; your game crashes and the video takes like 10 mins to upload.
This might me being spoiled and a Bay Area person with great internet. Or maybe you’ll say “but Patrick, it’s vacation why are you spending so much time on the internet” to which I would say because my dogs can only ski so much in one day they need naps. But anyways… just be warned.