From Here Tahoe Eternity

Lake Tahoe

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As you can probably tell from the rather lame pun in the title, this article has a Frank Sinatra connection. The boy from Hoboken, NJ, and his Rat Pack chums are famously associated with Las Vegas, Nevada. What most people don’t know, however, is how often Frank, Dean and Sammy were to be found hanging around the resorts of Lake Tahoe, on the border between Nevada and California, high in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Frank had interests in a couple of Lake Tahoe resorts back in the 1960s. He bought up ‘points’ in the resorts to add to his portfolio of Nevada property holdings, most of which were Vegas casinos. As he wasn’t always too picky about the background of the people he hung around with, most of his co-owners were major mobsters and Mafiosi of the day.

Lake Tahoe is a lot more respectable these days, and you can rest assured that resort management teams aren’t going to be mixing up some concrete shoes for you if you forget to take your credit card. Most of the major lakeside resorts are owned by big hotel chains, offering vacation deals for those who like skiing or soaking up the tranquility of the high Sierra. One of the most successful of the Lake Tahoe chain-owned resorts is the Hyatt Regency.

Built in the Nevada section of the northern shore of the lake, the Hyatt Regency has been designed to precisely fit the architectural style of the area – the exterior is clad in rich, honey-colored local wood, and nestles against a backdrop of mountains and pine forest. The interior has been decked out in what might be called 1960s American Mountain Chic; surfaces of bare wood and stone are offset by large windows, polished leather and rich pile rugs and carpets.

The rooms are designed and decorated in typical Hyatt style: the hotel focuses on doing the simple things very, very well. Each room is slightly different from the others, and all enjoy vistas across the lake, the mountains, or both. There is a comprehensive in-room entertainment system, a dataport for those who can’t leave work behind and full bath amenities. Daily newspapers are delivered to your door.

Although there’s a great deal to see and do in the wider Lake Tahoe area, the resort offers a wide range of activities to make your stay an enjoyable one. There is a private beach to enjoy, and there are plenty of opportunities to hike, sail or mountain bike, with both beginners and more experienced adventurers catered for. If you arrive in winter, the local ski slopes are nearby, and there’s also the opportunity to try out all kinds of other winter sports from snowboarding, ice skating and snowshoeing to tobogganing.

If you enjoy a game of golf, you can play on the Mountain Course or the stunning 6900 yard Championship course. Neither is far from the Hyatt Regency, and the hotel will assist in booking and handling green fees. Bear in mind that because of the lower atmospheric pressure at the altitude of the courses (6500 feet) ever ball you hit will go a little further than at sea level – a really determined drive by a golfer unaccustomed to playing at this elevation can send a ball sailing over the green and create all kinds of problems!

If your idea of relaxation involves rather more, well, relaxation, the resort has its own year-round outdoor pool, kept at an acceptably warm temperature by under floor heating and steam pools even during the coldest part of winter – and, as Lake Tahoe is over 6000 feet above sea level, winters up here can get pretty darn cold! This being Nevada, the resort also features an on-site casino. It was the state’s relaxed gambling laws that brought the casinos to Vegas, with Sinatra and the mob following in their wake. Nevada remains the gambling capital of the US, and a significant portion of the state’s economy depends on funds from the gambling industry. If you want to chance your arm, the Hyatt Regency’s casino is open every day. On Tuesday’s there’s even an ‘early bird’ club, allowing you to hit the floor from 6am with free donuts and coffee thrown in.

On the subject of food and drink, the Hyatt Regency has a very wide range of dining options for you to choose from. The cuisine is oriented around traditional, hearty American fare, although a taste of faraway lands is to be had at the Ciao Mein Trattatoria. If you enjoy a coffee, the resort has its very own coffee bar, Mountain Grinds, where you can enjoy a range of hot beverages.

So if you’re after a great mountain vacation, the Hyatt Regency at Lake Tahoe could be the place for you. As old Blue Eyes himself might have sung, ‘come fly with me, come fly, come fly away…’