Stanford Alpine Chalet

We had a nice tahoe trip over all. We stayed at this place for two nights, staff was nice .we had very yummy healthy choices for breakfast, the cook was a very nice guy and a good cook, he was fast. Unfortunately there are couple of simple things they could have done to make the experience better 1. They were NO staff there the entire day after breakfast everyone was gone and we were the only ones in the building. so we didn’t have anyone to ask for towels, toilet paper, garbage bags and they didn’t clean the room.2. None of the windows have screen doors so we had Mosquitos all over us didn’t let anyone of us (including our 14 month old baby) to sleep and because NO AC was soooooo hot we had no choice but to open the windows.
One more thing there are no TVs in the room which is fine but we were expecting at least to watch tv in the great room but there was only one channel. I don’t think we are staying there again unless there are some improvements because we did like the location and staff.

We had a fantastic time at the Stanford Alpine Chalet on our work retreat in January. Brian, the super friendly and extremely competent manager, made sure we had everything we needed for our group meetings in the great room during the day, and we enjoyed tasty cooked-​to-​order breakfasts and generous dinners with good vegetarian options at night. This place isn’t a luxury resort, and doesn’t try to be, but it’s off-​the-​charts on the cozy scale, and the setting is both stunning and convenient to Tahoe City, Truckee, and multiple ski resorts. The price represented a great value for our group, especially since breakfast was included each day. Our groups definitely wants to head back up there next year for our retreat, and several of us will probably try to sneak in a ski weekend before the season is up. Highly recommended!

I have experienced the Stanford Alpine Chalet as a wedding photographer and a guest, and I have been nothing but thrilled. I photographed a wedding here in June and it was one of my favorite venues last year. Their grounds are gorgeous, the manager Brian is super friendly and great at helping out and keeping things running smoothly, and you just can’t beat the mountain views. It totally has a laid back, just getting married in the woods vibe that is perfect for outdoorsy, adventurous couples.
Since I enjoyed it so much while working, I decided to come back as a guest for the first weekend of January. The rooms all have balconies with gorgeous views, and our room had a queen and two bunk beds which was perfect for four of us (all good friends obviously) to just cram in for a couple nights. I’m assuming that room setup is meant for parents traveling with kids, but even with four adults we were totally comfortable. And you don’t come here to stay in your room anyway! The great room has amazingly gorgeous views of the mountains, and we loved just hanging out there at night playing card/​board games and of course the boys loved watching football playoffs (thank goodness there was one TV there). We enjoyed just hanging out around the chalet and taking in the scenery, and Tahoe City is only 15 minutes away so it was easy to head there for lunch/​dinner and to enjoy the lake. And how could I forget… the breakfast. Oh my gosh the breakfast, it was so good! When they say cooked to order, they mean it. No lame continental spread on warmers (although they have cereal, juice and such), you order from a menu and they bring you breakfast that is not only delicious but super fast. It was such a great start to our day! I had already interacted with Brian a lot during the wedding I shot here in June, and it was nice to see that he’s around so much for the hotel guests too. He greeted us every morning at breakfast and we would see him around the grounds throughout the day, always super friendly. This place is definitely very welcoming and homey.
Overall I would highly recommend the Chalet for a vacation or wedding, you’ll receive great customer service and it really is a little piece of heaven tucked away in the woods!

I recently held my wedding at the Stanford Alpine Chalet and give it my highest recommendation. Brian and his staff at the Chalet were simply amazing and were a big part of our perfect weekend. Without them we would have been much worse off. Brian has an incredible work ethic and did everything he could to ensure we had a wonderful experience. Our families were also very impressed with him and were thrilled with the service.
The Chalet’s in-​house chef, Scott, is equally impressive. Coming from San Francisco, I didn’t have extremely high expectations for meals cooked on site in the Tahoe area; but my prejudice was destroyed by Scott’s skill in the kitchen. Our rehearsal dinner, reception meal and cocktail hour appetizers were delicious and Scott worked hard to customize the menu to our tastes and budget. When we needed to back off some of the meat-​oriented dishes out of price concerns, the response was «no problem.» This was a theme throughout all of our interactions with the staff at the Chalet. Whenever something needed to get done, it got done. It look a lot of weight off of our shoulders as we dealt with the assorted madness of a wedding weekend!
The location of the Chalet is ideal if you’re looking for an outdoor wedding in the Sierras. The views are tremendous both from the outdoor plaza and the great room at the top of the Chalet. One of the main reasons we decided to have our wedding there was that the events could be held in the same location as the kitchen and the rooms for overnight guests. Our guests could drop off their bags and stay for two days having a great time and not worrying about moving from one place to another. For those guests who couldn’t get a room at the Chalet, there were dozens of condos for rent literally a stone’s throw away. The convenience factor was huge and we are convinced that having everything in the same place brought everyone together and made socializing easier. We could meet with friends from far away casually over lunch or go for a short hike, and thereby increase the quality time we spent with them.
And because the Chalet is rented in its entirety, there’s no curfew for indoor celebrations (there’s an outdoor curfew of 10:30pm). We were able to move our parties on Friday and Saturday night from the outside to the inside seamlessly and kept going until the wee hours. We thought this was another big advantage of the Chalet.
While there are some other resorts in the Sierras that offer some of these advantages, we chose the Chalet because it offered good value and because it wasn’t in the midst of a ski resort with lifts and equipment scattered throughout the property. Staying there really did feel like you had your own four-​story cabin in the woods, free from any distractions.
In my opinion, the tireless work ethic of the Chalet’s staff, its beautiful location and its self-​contained convenience make it an ideal location for a wedding. If you’re considering a wedding in the mountains you should certainly check it out. At the very least, give Brian a call and talk to him about the options. Once you visit you’ll likely be convinced that this is the perfect spot. We certainly think so.

I really cannot say enough positive things about the Stanford Alpine Chalet! First of all, the location is stunning and very convenient. (In a lovely area and only about 10 – 15 mins from Tahoe City and the lake itself!) The rooms are sweet and comfy and there is free internet. There is a beautiful view of the gorgeous Lake Tahoe landscape from the common room as well as the rooms, and they each have their own individual balconies. The staff was AMAZING. They were extremely accommodating and helped us with our every need, and we were pretty darn needy!!! Especially the manager, Brian, he is the best!!! Although everyone else was awesome too. And a bonus: they serve made-​to-​order breakfast each morning, which was delicious! I HIGHLY recommend it!!!

My wife and I got married there in May. Beautiful location, very friendly staff, and great food. Many wedding venues kick you out after a certain amount of time, but with the chalet we had the place ALL DAY so we could move at our own pace and keep the party going late into the night. Highlights included having the hot tub all to ourselves at night and waking up with friends to a tasty breakfast each morning. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this place. It was perfect.

We stayed at the Chalet over the 4^th of July. As others have said the rooms are spartan (the lack of air conditioning was a real challenge one night). We chose the chalet due to some of the rooms sleeping 5 (a real challenge at most hotels). As others have stated the staff is friendly and the morning breakfast is very good. What impressed us the most was the other families at the lodge, a bunch of well behaved, smart kids, with involved parents.

honestly (and i’m always honest on a Unilocal), probably one of the BEST tahoe weddings i have been to. Reason: 1. Location, you cannot beat Tahoe, particularly the location of this Chalet). it truly feels like you are in a postcard. period. also, the property itself boasts tons of privacy, a pool, an upstairs lounge area, and of course a nice size field to play games (if that’s your cup of tea). 2. Staff was without a doubt some of the best people I have met. On top of extraordinary service, they were incredibly kind, funny, and i seriously wanted to befriend all of them (kind of creepy but true). Jeff was the main guys, he did EVERYTHING. in fact, we called him ‘jack of all trades’. he was incredibly knowledgeable, hard-​working, charming, etc. Again, i wanted to be friends! :). Anyway, if you are looking for a private, and absolutely stunning get-​away with friends/​family, etc, that is absolutely reasonably priced, i’m telling you check this place out! also, for brides looking for a location, this place is GREAT for one-​stop shop, affordable, fun and absolutely stunning. i hope this helps :). cheers

I used the attached shampoo squeeze bottle and nothing came out. The bottles are not transparent so you cannot tell they are empty! We were running low on toilet paper.
Since the management leaves by 9pm, my friend suggested we drive to the nearest grocery store to buy more. Hell no! I found some extra rolls at the hall bathroom (for public use).
Back at my room, the toilet had low power and I would not suggest going #2! Again, I had to use the hall guest bathroom.
There is no in room refridgerator or telephone land line. If you go in the summer, keep in mind, there is no AC.
This is a no frills place that lacks basic plumbing, toilet paper at night, shampoo in the morning. You will find better values at Motel 6 and Red Roof Inn –and I did!

Visited in the summer and loved it. Take advantage of the Stanford discount.
Rooms are basic. Made to order breakfast is superb. It’s like staying at a friends big cabin in the woods, very cozy.
Pool is ok and could be better if heated. Hot tub smelled a little funky.
Will definitely come back.

Came here end of June. It’s clean, cosy and comfortable. The staff are very friendly. The view from the common area and the room is great. It’s a breathtaking experience to wake up every morning seeing the Sierra mountains and half-​covered snow top. The complimentary breakfast was superb. Cook to order by a gourmet chef, we love the poached egg rancheros, egg benedict and the blueberry pancake. Beats any breakfast spread even at a 5 star hotel. This place is at a good location, only about 1.5 mile from the 5 lake trail head and a couple of miles drive from other trail heads. There are plenty of good restaurants in the area (Like Evergreen which is 5 miles away). Love the experience and convenience, will definitely be back here again during the non-​skiing seasons.

We had such a fantastic, relaxing long weekend at this place with another family. Easy walking distance from Alpine Meadows, though if you have a lot of gear you may want to shuttle it. I don’t ski, but I noticed the chalet has ski storage racks and a boot room. The rooms do not have any appliances, but there’s a small fridge in the great room and a microwave. Wifi is free.
We ate the delicious complimentary breakfast (cooked to order, not in warming pans) each morning. Eggs benedict, a veg omelet, french toast or blueberry pancakes, eggs/​sausage/​toast or cereal, plus fresh fruit, juices, and all day complimentary tea/​coffee/​cocoa. They’ll do dinner too, if enough people are eating, for something like $ 22 for adults and $ 12 for kids. If you let them know your particular high-​maintenance issue they’ll work with you (for example, I’m a vegetarian). During the winter they set out wine and appetizers in the evening. Dinner for my family of 3 was something like $ 52, and was incredible! A total deal.
For those who don’t want the slopes, you can spend the entire afternoon lounging in the great room. One day I did my nails while the chef (and I) watched cooking shows on PBS and the kids colored. It’s not a sterile hotel, by any means — it’s just shabby enough to be comfy, and the vibe is really relaxed, in a good way. Housekeeping came by once a day, but just to ask if we needed anything — this is not a place with union houskeeping changing your sheets each day. If you’re out they’ll pull up your covers and restock towels if you need it. Shampoo and conditioner are in dispensers in the shower. Less little plastic bottles in the landfill and fewer towels and sheets washed is ok with me!
The comment that said the walls are thin is right, so try to be mindful of your neighbors and don’t book on the bottom floor if you don’t have to. On the middle floor, which is where the entry is, rooms 12 and 13 look out over the little parking area and hillsides, while the rest look toward the Alpine slopes (or over the pool in summer) and have small balconies. Most rooms have a double and bunk beds. Our mattress could be swapped out, but our friends said theirs was nice and firm.
In all, it’s a great choice for families with skiers who want something homey and welcoming that won’t break the bank.

Thumbs Up:
It is nice that it is so close to the ski resort. If you don’t have to lug a lot of equipment with you, it is a pretty easy walk over. They also have things like complimentary breakfast (eggs, hash browns, etc.), hot chocolate, coffee, and tea. They have board games and magazines in the great room which has a nice view of the snow covered hillside with pine trees. The people that stayed there when we went seemed like nice people.
Thumbs Down:
One of our complaints which keeps us from wanting to book here again is that the walls do not insulate noise well. If you get a room on the lower level, you will hear the people above you talking and walking around. Unfortunately, we had a family above us who had a problem controlling their children. At about 10PM, we could hear that the family who was staying upstairs had come in and there was quite a lot of noise for the next half hour or so. It sounded like people were running back and forth upstairs. I went upstairs to say hello and tell them that we were staying just below them as to hint that we can hear when they stomp around and make loud noises. They apologized and said they just got in and they would be settling down soon. It did get quiet for a period of time. But then at about 1:30AM it sounded like they were running around again and jumping up and down. We woke up to these chaotic sounds. My husband went upstairs to remind them to quiet down and they apologized again and said they were trying to control their kids. I am surprised their kids who look to be 4 and 7 years old are even awake at that hour and running and jumping around like monkeys, but I won’t get into my views on proper parenting here. I just find that to be downright rude considering they know we are below them and can hear everything and it is clearly an hour of the day when people would be asleep or trying to. I don’t think it would be that hard to control their kids at least at 1:30AM to not run around (or am I just not understanding what it is like to be a parent?) They were running around at about 7AM too but I guess that is more reasonable since lots of people wake up at that time.
Our second complaint is that our blanket, while it appeared clean had a horrid «barf-​like» smell. We think that they were not able to get the blanket cleaned well. In addition, the maid threw some of our stuff which was on a chair onto the floor. Not a big thing, but just a reflection of the lack of care or understanding the maid has of people’s personal property and respecting where they put things. We had purposely put things on the chair and not the floor in order to keep them clean as we believed the floor was probably dirty too since the blanket smelled dirty.
In Conclusion:
Overall, it is in a good location close to the ski resort and offers some nice amenities. The breakfast was pretty good. If you are a clean freak, you may want to look elsewhere. Also, make sure to request a room on the upper level, not lower, to minimize noise. Book early.

We stayed at Stanford Alpine Chalet last weekend — we planned a last minute get away to the snow the day after Thanksgiving and wanted to stay near Alpine Meadows… Here are the great things about this place — 1) no 2 night minimum as all cabins seem to have 2) availability — out of 14 rooms, only 2 were occupied at the moment — granted this is still ‘off’ season for the ski resorts, despite of amazing powder on the slopes… and 3) price — again, this is probably due to it being off season, but i think there are also great deals to be had on weekdays…
Breakfast cooked to order was simple but excellent. General manager was more accommodating that i’d expect in a lodge — from allowing us to check out in the afternoon for a nominal fee to providing us a discount in lieu of discounted ski tickets that haven’t arrived to the lodge yet. He was even willing to call the resorts to put some discounted tickets on hold for us — he also tried to sell us on some equipment rental company but that didn’t really work as we knew we wanted to rent at the slopes :-)
The place itself is simple but nice — no tvs of phone in the room (which is a good thing for us, but might not be a good thing for others.)…nice views, outdoor hottub and a large common area with a fireplace, games and tea/​hot coco…
oh, and on a clear day you can see the Alpine Meadows lifts from your window — we were there on a cloudy day but it was very walkable…

The light goes off, total blackout. Somebody is writing something in the living room and your can hear his click clack of the keyboard. I had a total «The Shining» experience in this hotel. Literally I was by myself (family was sleeping) and I was just waiting for Jack to come out and ‘play’.
Luckily I knew I was in a better place than he was and noeone was chasing me with an axe, i think… But on xmas eve of any other night, the lights did go off, there was a blackout in the area, yet it was fixed by 10pm.
The Stanford Chalet was the highlight of our stay in Tahoe. Imagine a place where the fireplace burns and a gentle heat comes out warming the big living room – after your bones are frozen from the cold winds and snow– where there are comfy couches, a kids corner with board games mainly used by adults and a chef that makes a dinner ($ 15 ea) that feeds your stomach and your soul. And lets not forget the snack served before dinner (wine is served too!– best one: the puff pastry with caramelized onions)
Forget about TV’s and phones in the rooms. This place is all about spending time with yourself and your loved ones, relaxing and schmoozing with other guests.
Oh and don’t get intimidated by the name, non-​Stanford students are welcomed, but you’ll realize most of the guests are.

In the off-​season, at least, this lodge fits the bill — we were there when not all rooms were filled. During ski season or in summer this place, like any lodge, might get a bit hectic. Adjacent to Alpine Meadows and not far from Tahoe City, it’s a lodging worth considering. One need not be a Stanford graduate to book this spot, which has a spacious and comfortable «great room» for public relaxation. The rooms, each with a queen and a bunk bed, have balconies. Breakfasts (all you can eat of varied choices) are included, and optional, reasonably-​priced dinners are served most evenings. No luxury offered here, but it’s a decently-​priced and pleasant lodge.