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We are officially BACK from Lake Tahoe & Nick’s surprise 30th birthday trip was a SUCCESS! He may have had a pretty good idea of where we were headed – but I did throw him a curveball and tricked him for just a second! We were so excited to head to a place that both of us had never been before – and oh my gosh was it INCREDIBLE! If this tells you anything…we are already planning a trip back in the winter. That’s how much we loved Lake Tahoe!

So today, I thought that I would round up all of the details of our trip so you have the info on hand if you are wanting to visit the area for a special occasion! Not to toot my own horn, but I planned this entire trip by myself off of the good ol’ internet reviews, because of the fact that it was a surprise location for Nick until we got to the airport! I think I did a pretty dang good job – so here’s the down-low!

TRIP LENGTH + LOGISTICS:
We left early on Friday morning for Tahoe and left to go back home early Monday morning! So we had a total of two & a half full days and we found that, that amount of time for a couples getaway to be PERFECT! We experienced everything we wanted to & felt like we got the full experience! We flew from Austin, TX into Reno, NV. We rented a SUV & had exactly an hour drive from Reno, up to the mountains of Lake Tahoe! The most beautiful drive EVER.

WHERE WE STAYED:
We stayed at Edgewood Tahoe Resort in South Lake Tahoe, which resides right on the state line of Nevada/California. South Lake Tahoe is known for being a bit more “touristy” and has more night life than North Lake Tahoe (although we didn’t experience that with COVID) – and from what I’ve heard, North Lake Tahoe has more “local” vibes and is more rental homes & a bit more chill. I thought South LT was a better option for our first time – and I am happy that we did choose South over North! Now….let’s talk about Edgewood because GIRL, it was the nicest resort I have EVER stayed at.

Edgewood is one of the only “luxurious” resorts on Lake Tahoe – and normally Nick & I aren’t the “luxurious” type – but we both really needed some R&R and turning 30 is a big deal, so it was the perfect option for us. The second you pull up, you truly feel like a celebrity. It’s a gated resort, and truly has the most STUNNING property I have ever seen. It’s so quiet. So peaceful. So well kept. It’s on a world-reowned golf course (Tiger Woods & Arnold Palmer have teed up there!) – and although Nick & I aren’t golfers, we appreciated the STUNNING views the golf course offered. It’s also one of the only resorts that is directly on the lake, has a private beach with free jet skis & kayaks, AND a 5-star pool. It also has three restaurants, an incredible spa & the decor is out of this world.

I would 15/10 recommend Edgewood Tahoe! They were super accommodating and helped me make Nick’s birthday weekend special. It is quite expensive, but if it’s for a special occasion and you have the budget, GO FOR IT!

WHAT WE DID:

FRIDAY:
– Flew in & arrived to the resort around 2pm. We grabbed a late lunch at the Bistro at Edgewood (their casual dining restaurant) – and lounged by the pool (and drank their DELICIOUS drinks) until we had dinner at Riva Grill. It’s a beautiful lakefront restaurant with delicious food about two miles from the resort. We ubered. The views were amazing – especially at sunset! Definitely try their famous “Wet Woody” cocktails!

SATURDAY:
– This was Nick’s birthday! So, I knew we wanted to spend it on the lake. Nick is a pretty seasoned boat driver so I knew that we didn’t need a captain with a boat rental – so I used a website, GetMyBoat.com – which is essentially Airbnb for boats! People can rent out their boats to you, and all you have to do is show up, get in the water & drive away. It was perfect! We had the boat for 5 hours, and spent time relaxing & exploring Emerald Bay & Rubicon Bay. Emerald Bay is a MUST see! It’s the most photographed spot on Lake Tahoe. It’s also very calm – while the main parts of the lake are NOT. It’s the perfect spot to throw in your anchor & relax.

After the boat, we again chilled by the pool for a couple of hours, got ready, grabbed a drink & enjoyed the live music outside by the lake & then went to the Edgewood Restaurant for Nick’s birthday dinner! It’s more of a fancy, fine dining experience. After dinner, Edgewood was playing Grease on a big screen down by the lake, so we grabbed a blanket & sat lakeside as we watched the movie! They also have s’mores kits out by the fire pits! So fun.

SUNDAY:
Sunday was our hiking day! We woke up around 6, grabbed coffee at the coffee bar downstairs and headed to breakfast at Heidi’s – a legendary little hole-in-the-wall breakfast place in South Tahoe! Then we made our way up to the Rubicon Trailhead to start our 10 mile hike! The drive itself to the trailhead was INCREDIBLE! Winding, mountainous roads in and out of Emerald Bay – it was truly breathtaking! We parked at the DL Bliss State Park & started our hike. We went out 5 miles, turned around and hiked back 5 miles. It was the most incredible hike I’ve ever been on – seriously! Water, mountains, beaches, historic homes – it left me speechless! The hike took us about 4 hours. We really wanted to see a bear, but no luck…ha!

After the hike, we headed back to Edgewood to relax a bit by the pool & get a bigger, late lunch because we were going on a sunset cruise from 6-8pm in Emerald Bay on the Lake Tahoe Bleu Wave. Honestly, this is the one thing of the entire trip we could have done without – we had already explored Emerald Bay and the experience wasn’t what we were hoping for. They advertised “drinks & appetizers” but it was just beer & bags of Doritos, lol! The tour guide talked too much and it was really windy. But the views were still INCREDIBLE. We made the most of it, but we probably wouldn’t do it again! After the cruise, we went back to Edgewood for dinner & s’mores on the patio at the Edgewood Bistro. As you can tell, we LOVED the resort and didn’t ever really want to stray far from it! The food + service was amazing.

And that was our trip! The perfect amount of time ,the perfect amount of adventure & relaxation. One thing I wanted to note: be aware of the altitude change! Nick & I have both been to several places with high altitudes and we were never affected until our visit to Lake Tahoe – and we’re not exactly sure why! Just pack along some Dramamin & stay hydrated, and you’ll be good to go. Best Trip EVER! We will definitely be back!