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Hotels

You'll find plentiful luxury, moderate, and budget options in the Lake Tahoe area, from historic Wild West inns to luxurious slopeside ski/spa resorts, and reliable mid-priced chains to rustic ranch-style retreats and even stylish boutique properties. Most offer remarkable discounts, especially mid-week, and often include free or discounted lift passes, tram rides, buffet dinners, show tickets, hot waxes (skis, not skin!), and more in their rates. Centrally located Squaw Village is convenient (along with Truckee and Tahoe City) to all North Shore resorts, Incline Village/Crystal Bay is a stone's throw from Nevada's sleepers, and the South Lake Tahoe/Stateline area offers the widest selection for all tastes and pocketbooks. To help you choose the right overnight address convenient to most attractions, we've outlined our Tahoe favorites in each category.

For the ultimate luxury, we recommend two Squaw properties: The slopeside Resort at Squaw Creek (400 Squaw Creek Rd.; 530/583-6300 or 800/327-3353; www.squawcreek.com) recently received a much-needed, dazzling $53 million refurbishment, adding gas fireplaces, flat-screen televisions, complimentary WiFi, resort-style kitchens, and more; extra perks include several fine dining options, 18-hole Robert Trent Jones, Jr., championship golf course, ski-in/ski-out access, and full-service spa. PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn (1920 Squaw Valley Rd.; 530/583-1576 or 800/323-7666; www.plumpjack.com), part of San Francisco's renowned PlumpJack Group, offers unmatched boutique ambience, luxurious fittings, and a magnificent restaurant.

Incline Village/Crystal Bay offers quieter casino action. In the moderate category, we love the 80-year-old Cal-Neva Resort, Spa and Casino (2 Stateline Rd.; 775/832-4000 or 800/225-6382; www.calnevaresort.com), formerly owned by the "Chairman of the Board." New owners promise major renovations, but the history (Sinatra memorabilia through the public spaces, tunnels used for bootlegging and – supposedly – smuggling Marilyn Monroe to her paramour's suites) remains; all 220 rooms and suites boast at least partial views of the lake. A great budget bet, Tahoe Biltmore (Hwy 28 at Stateline; 775/831-0660 or 800/245-8667; www.tahoe-biltmore.com), offers amazing value, whether in the stately 1940s lodge or quaint surrounding cottages; the casino, hip new nightclub, and popular BBQ restaurant are bonuses.

Among South Lake Tahoe/Stateline's moderate choices, South Lake Tahoe's Black Bear Inn (1202 Ski Run Blvd.; 530/544-4451 or 877/232-7466; www.tahoeblackbear.com) is consistently ranked among California's top-ten B&Bs thanks to its rustic-chic look, cordial owners, spacious antiques-filled rooms, and contemporary gadgetry – the ideal blend of Old World charm and new-fangled convenience. Stateline's Harveys Resort & Casino (Hwy 50; 775-588-2411 or 800/HARVEYS; www.harrahs.com) is a long-running AAA Four-Diamond award-winner with every conceivable amenity and great package deals that make it cheaper than Harrah's and Caesars. We can't resist the old-time, winking deluxe tackiness (heart-shaped tubs, strategically placed mirrors, themed rooms from Roman to Rainforest) of South Lake Tahoe's Fantasy Inn & Wedding Chapel (3696 Lake Tahoe Blvd.; 530/541-4200 or 800/367-7736; www.fantasy-inn.com).

Action-seekers on a budget adore Stateline's Lakeside Inn & Casino (168 Hwy 50; 775/588-7777 or 800/624-7980; www.lakesideinn.com), which lives up to its motto – "Always friendly, always fun" – with sensational promotional room rates and bountiful bargains ($2 beer, wine and cocktails 24/7 at the casino bars).