Pinecrest Lake Resort

I had much higher expectations, especially considering how much we paid for this spot. While you can’t beat the location, I was extremely disappointed by the lack of cleanliness and lack of amenities. We stayed in a 2-​bdrm condo (#8) and upon arrival the couple staying with us discovered a gas leak in the stove. Then, after just ½ an hour running around barefoot, our kid’s feet were black from the dirt on the floor. I think a carpet cleaning, or replacement, is definitely in order. Also beware that the «full kitchen» is anything but. Bring all of your own stuff if you actually want to cook or bake something. They do have an old coffee maker though. And last but not least, when I pay this much for a place I don’t want to have to strip the beds, do all the dishes and replace them in the cupboards, and fill ice trays. Aren’t we paying for some of this? Not to mention they say NOT to take off the blankets or comforters from the beds. Ewww. Aren’t they cleaned?

If I could give no star’s I would.
I have never written a negative review but I feel compelled to today.
We had reservations for a patio boat over 4^th of July weekend. It was the end to such a good time with our old friends. We arrived early for our reservation and was told the boat was not in yet and then they would have to gas it and get it ready. We were told to wait and we did no problem. About 10 minutes into our 2 hour reservation I decided to go up and find out if it was ready yet? There was a man in front of me who was having an issue with the young man behind the counter. The young man who works for the Marina was Very Rude to this man and I could tell he walked away not happy. Now my turn… I asked if the boat was ready? He proceeded to say why didn’t you go down where the boats were? We said that we were waiting as we were told so they could get the boat ready. He said they don’t call out anyones name and we were to just go down there and thats how they have done things for the last 3 years??? All the while he was shockingly rude and nasty. I told him we had no idea how they did business as this was my first time renting a boat there. Now it’s about 15minutes into our 2 hours we have paid for. I let him know and he was so rude. I asked to talk to his manager and I was told the manager would not help me and time is passing and to go to our boat.
By this time I am so angry by how this young man has spoken to me.
When we finally were done with the boat we brought it back right on time because we didn’t want to cut in the next peoples time.
The manager was there I explained what happened. They offered 8 minutes of refunded time @ .79 per minute and is that what I want. Out of principal I said yes but it was 15minutes.
I will NEVER ever rent from this business again!!!
All they had to do was say sorry that we all had a miscommunication. Easy as that.
I called the resort manager to let them no what occurred as we are small business owners we would want to know.
I left a message to no return call back!!! Bad business and would never use any of their services!!!

Went here for the first time last weekend and had a great time. What a great spot!
This is closer to Glamping, with all the amenities that are so accessible. We were camping in tents but they have cabins and such available if that’s not your thing.
There are showers, bathrooms with flush-​able toilets and sinks for washing dishes in. The campsites have fire pits, picnic tables and paved parking spaces.
There is a nice restaurant, an outdoor movie theater playing first run movies Thurs-​Sun for $ 6.50
The market has EVERYTHING. seriously I was shocked by all the things they had on hand. And if they don’t have something your looking for they say to let them know and they’ll work on getting it in.
There are plenty of restrooms around. A nice beach area with a place where they have burgers and ice cream and stuff to eat while your spending the day on the beach.
There are water toys for rent — kayaks, paddle boats, sailboats, «party boats» all at really inexpensive prices.
They stock the lake with fish and there were plenty of people fishing. there was a little fishing store too with all the stuff for that. They even had an area to wash your fish and stuff.
The lake is beautiful with a nice hike around it that brings you past a couple little waterfalls. The water was pretty cold but we all still enjoyed swimming in it.
This place was really nice. It was nice to be in a tent but have all the amenities close at hand. And it was $ 21/​night to camp. super reasonable.
NOTE: Bring Cash, while the grocery store will get you cash back, the coffee stand, movie theater & BBQ place are all CASH ONLY.
Also, I have to agree with the other Unilocalers in saying this place is packed. You are pretty darn close to your neighbors. Which is cool, if they are, but even still you can basically hear each others conversations. It was the only real downside to the whole thing. Maybes it’s just me but my idea of camping should include some quiet. and we just didn’t get much of that.
Lots of families, kids and dogs. So if that’s not your thing. maybe this isn’t your happy place.
Otherwise beautiful spot, nice people and worth a visit.

We’ve been here three times and it’s ok. We’ve stayed in the cabins and this year the smell of gas was very strong. We had someone come look at it and he couldn’t find a leak but it stunk and the heating unit made load noises. The beds are not comfortable; would recommend bringing your own pillow. The Steam Donkey is great and the outdoor environment is beautiful. We may try condos if we come back.

We paid a visit to Pinecrest during our stay at Lake Tulloch (about an hour drive), just to check it out. Granted this was during 4^th of July weekend, it was ridiculously crowded. I had never been to this resort, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Well the first surprise was that they do not allow dogs on the beach or surrounding areas of the resort. The signs said May-​Sept, but there are signs all over the ground stating no dogs allowed. You have to literally walk your dog outside the resort area, and the rangers will definitely stop you (they did to us when we were walking and simply forgot about the no walking zone). There are areas you an take your dog’s to play in the water, but be prepared to walk… and walk.
The prices of the boats were very affordable. $ 20 for two hours on a paddle boat, $ 40 for two hours on a motorboat (we did both), the staff was very friendly, I would rent from them again.
I see a lot of positive reviews about the campgrounds, but from what I saw it was very crowded, not my idea of a fun camping trip. The bathrooms were kept very clean on the resort. I was very surprised considering it was so crowded. Props to the Pinecrest staff for keeping them clean.

Wonderful spot for hiking, fishing, camping or an extended visit. Bring your family and stay in the well appointed townhouses/​condos! They are perfect for family reunions or family get-​aways. Rent a small boat, take the 5 min ride and explore the other side of the lake. Paddle boats and kayaks are also available for rent. Get off the grid and enjoy the outdoors! This is a perfect place to enjoy the mountains.

I have been taking my family up here for years. The reason for the one star rating is because of there over priced boat rentals. This is not Lake Tahoe. The guy who manages the marina, Mike is a genuine A-​hole. And the two women who run the resort are prudish and think their s**t don’t stink. The resort would be a much better place if they were removed. Sorta like litter.

This place was dirty! My husband, I & our 2 young kids went there this last week. We booked a «cabin» but when we got there the cabins were no more than a trailer decorated on the outside to look like a cabin. I went to the office & they upgraded us to a townhouse at no extra charge, which was great! We moved into the townhouse that was MUCH better than the cabin but it was dirty & outdated. I had to ask for a mop because the kitchen floor got my 10 month old completely black from crawling on it. So I moped the floor (not the lodge) and we made due. We also had a car in our parking space the entire time & the front desk did nothing about it.
Just when I thought our experience couldn’t get any worse it did. We rented a motor boat which has a 2 hour minimum. We loaded the family in & got not even half way across the lake & turned back because my 10 month old hated being on the boat. When I told the douche bag at the marina that we came right back he still charged us full price. I think he should have refunded ½ our money. The hospitality here SUCKS & we will never go back. It’s too bad because the lake is very pretty.

Both windows in assigned room were defective. Neither could be closed or opened from inside and the complete mechanism for opening one of the windows was missing and had been clearly missing for some while. The hotel does not provide shampoo or hair dryer and does now let guests know at time of reservation. Sheets on bed were threadbare.

Check out the website associated with this listing and you’ll see that it encompasses:
* lodging (townhouses and motel rooms);
* a marina (with paddle boats, kayaks, party boats, motorboats, & sailboats for rent); and
* a restaurant/​bar (Steam Donkey)
I recently stayed 3 mid-​week nights ($ 165/​night) in the motel. Here’s what you need to know about that:
* The hotel room («A») featured 2 queen sized beds. It officially sleeps 4. It’s clean and functional, not luxurious. Great water pressure and plenty of hot water for showers.
* There’s parking for 1 car per room, in a designated spot right out in front of your room.
* A shared, wooden front porch is a nice place to sit and do nothing (or have a drink). There’s plastic chairs on the porch but you might want to set up your beach chairs for greater comfort.
* From your room, it takes about 30 seconds to walk to the lake, the store, the restaurant, the snack shack, the tennis courts, the bicycle rental place, or the Serene Bean (for morning coffee).
* There’s a coffee pot in the room but Serene Bean is better.
* There’s no view of the lake from the room.
* The room smells smoky, like you do if you’ve been standing in from of a fire pit. I like this smell. It doesn’t smell like cigarettes at all. I assume no smoking is allowed.
* Outside the room are some wooden picnic tables and a grill. The room has no kitchen, no microwave, and no utensils, so grilling here as a guest of the motel probably wouldn’t be happening a lot.
* The room has cable tv which sort of does not work. I only turned it on once for a very brief while. It functioned oddly then switched off entirely. No great loss.
* There was no wi-​fi in my room but now I see that the web-​site says we could have purchased it for $ 5/​hr or $ 11/​day. It’s actually sort of nice to get off the grid for a few days.
* No pets are allowed.
* Mid-​week was very quiet; I’ve heard that weekends might not be.
If you want to spend a few days by the lake, this is a good option. Most cabin rentals (including the on-​site townhouse rentals) require a week-​long commitment. Short of 1 week or camping, this is as close to the lake as you can stay.

Pinecrest Lake Resort WAS one of my favorite places, we went up there twice a year. We rented the Condos there (unit #14). First, shame on me for not reading the whole discloser for canceling a reservation. BUT there is no place I’ve stayed at (in and out of the country!) where they keep ALL your money! I understand if they keep your deposit or one nights charge, BUT ALL OF IT! greedy greedy greedy, I gave them over a weeks notice we could not make it, I booked 4 nights and LOST 800.00 $$$. Again shame on me for not reading all, but SHAME on them for taking ALL !!! I will not stay there again for that, plus the women I talk to at the desk didn’t even say «I’m Sorry» or try to help, plus she became very unfriendly! I’m so disappointed in the customer service.

We camped here last summer and found the lake to be beautiful and the resort to consists of many great activities for young children. The great advantage of this place is that it is so easy to get to … just a short 2−½ hour trip from the East Bay.
However, I will say that it gets PACKED in the summer, and particularly on summer weekends. We stayed three nights in August and the first two nights had just too many people (including too many drunken cowboys living it up on cheap beer and cheap lodging). Amazingly, the friends we camped with informed us that it was actually LESS crowed than when they camped there that same July!
Our third night (a Sunday night), the entire place emptied out … and it was a whole different — and very positive — experience. We’ll be going back in 2013, but during the weekday.

Drastically overpriced and no customer service. Spent $ 195 for 1 night in January at the motel and was thoroughly disappointed for what is provided at the price. First, no signage to identify where to check in at night. Second, no customer service after 6pm, they leave the keys with your name on an envelope on the front door if you can find it. This is a security issue. No amenities, not even a refrigerator in the room. Very disappointing.

Have stayed here at the «resort» twice. Will not be staying here again. The price was ridiculously high — not at all in line with the accommodations offered.
Just got back from two nights staying in the 3-​bedroom cabin. It’s tiny, has only one ridiculously small bathroom with a shower stall that doesn’t have enough of a step into it, so that water literally pours out onto the floor. The furnishings are sparse to say the least. The beds are uncomfortable and the bedrooms have only one small dresser — no nightstand, no place to put your stuff down. There was no clock in the entire cabin. The kitchen had only one outlet for toaster, coffeepot and microwave so you always have to unplug something. And the cords are not long enough so you have to move something out of the way to plug in something else. There’s no dishwasher which I think is pretty unsanitary if you’re depending on people washing dishes in hot enough water. The previous occupant had turned the refrigerator dial to 0 (OFF) but the light was still on so we didn’t notice that it wasn’t cold until a day later when we had to throw out a lot of food. IMO the staff should be checking that the cabin is ready for the next occupant by making sure the fridge is on. Cabin also a very noisy heater and it’s not central heating — one wall unit in the living room and one in the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
The steps to the front door iced over every night and they didn’t provide any salt so we had to shovel and break up the ice just to get down the stairs.
They claim to offer wifi (and charge you $ 11 a day for it) but it didn’t work. Simply would not connect. Very spotty cell phone service in the area also, and forget about using a smartphone — no 3g/​4g available. Not the worst thing in the world to be off the grid but if they advertise wifi, it should work!
The pros: the location is beautiful; the Steam Donkey restaurant serves a good dinner; the little general store has a bit of everything. The lake is a very short walk and was snow-​covered and has some gentle slopes, good for easy sledding.
I like the area but will look for a private rental next time. Will not stay at Pinecrest Lake Resort again.

We camped for 2 nights at pinecrest! You can pre-​register/​check in online! This is my favorite camping spot! Our campsite was close to everything. The campsite didn’t have a food/​storage locker so we kept most dry food in the car. We were in loop E, which was right next to the general store which stays open til 11:00 pm. They also had a post office, restaurant, and bar! We were able to zoom around the resort and campsites by bike. You can fill up your floating raft/​inner tubes for change at the marina. Parking is tight at campsites, we barely squeezed in a second car, but they have overflow parking available so don’t worry. Pinecrest has everything, from boat rentals, bike rentals, hiking trails, beach/​swim/​day use area, amphitheater (which plays new released movies), and dogs are allowed in designated areas.
We chose the early morning fisherman special boat rental which was $ 50.00 for 4 hours! Its hot out there on the lake, make sure you bring an umbrella or a hat. If you are not too into camping, they have cabin and townhouse rentals with private boat docs, balconies, and lake access.
My only complaint, if I can complain… would be the 12 minute shower for $ 5.00. I didn’t need the entire 12 minutes; the shower wouldn’t turn off even though I was done. The shower didn’t affect my rating, I’m thankful they had showers! We will be going to pinecrest annually!

Stayed here in a 3-​bedroom townhouse. Very clean and amazing location near Pinecrest Lake. Super-​friendly service. Relatively large 3-​bedroom townhouse.
Be sure to bring food and drink with you though because in winter at least there is basically nothing open in the way of food or drink for miles and miles after about 9 pm.

Pinecrest lake resort is our family’s favorite lake to vacation. It has accommodations for every budget; campsites, motel rooms, rustic cabins, and condos. We’ve camped, and stayed in the cabins, both are great fun. Private residents are also available for rent.
The campground is great, there are small to large sites, the D loop is the closest to the water. There is an outdoor amphitheater showing family movies most every night, complete with a concession stand.
The beach is clean, partially shaded, and there are picnic areas. There is a hamburger stand that serves outstanding food; burgers, fries, ice cream, chicken sandwiches, soda etc. There is a marina where you can rent a paddle boat to a party boat.
There is a little store that has everything you could want; food, camping gear, firewood, wine, etc. There is a sports store where you can find every kind of flotation device, hats swimwear, towels, etc. They have a compressor to blow up your flotation. A restaurant, and coffee stand (which opens very early) is also available to meet your needs.
If you want a change of scenery, there are two more restaurants 5 minutes down the mountain.
If you want exercise, there is a tennis court, and plenty of hiking/​biking trails.
This place is the perfect family getaway — Pinecrest is the place to go.

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!
Been going up to this lake since I was a kid. Love the smaller lake, not too big, just the right size! Stayed in the condo’s for the first time and I have to say, it exceeded all my expectations. It was extremely neat and clean, totally updated — the kitchen was more than adequate (even stocked with dishwasher), the sofa is even comfy! All linens and towels were crisp and clean. Bathroom was spacious, updated and CLEAN! The staff is nice and helpful, the grounds are well manicured and watched over nicely. Most condos/​cabins that are rented out in the mountains are dingy, old and sometimes scary so, it’s such a delight to know how nice these condo’s are. With such an easy drive up to this wonderful, relaxing, mountain get-​a-​way, we’ll be coming back way more often! Renting boats is easy and relatively inexpensive. Spending time on this awesome lake is my idea of heaven!
PS –btw — The reviewer — Rachel C. who listed the cons as no cell or wifi nor an extra bathroom in the condo’s, just wanted to explain… I can understand, however, most people who come up here want to get a way from the cell’s and laptops — you’re here to relax, don’t bring your gadgets! Also, be thankful for the 1 nice bathroom, growing up camping here, we’d have to hike it to the public bathrooms or find a hidden place in the woods! What do you expect for a remote mountain resort?

First and foremost, Pinecrest is the best little lake ever. Love walking the trail around the lake. I also enjoy fishing the lake.
This weekend we rented a nice little boat to cruise around the lake on. It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Also, the hamburgers were awesome at the snack shack. Best little mini retreat close to home!

This is a one of a kind.
CampFishCook