The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe: Newly Renovated Luxurious at Northstar – NerdWallet

The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe lives as much as the model’s luxe fame, providing upscale facilities and eating choices with world-class service. Situated mid-slope at Northstar Mountain (my favourite family-friendly ski resort in California), visitors can seize their ski gear from the ski concierge and be on the chairlift inside minutes of leaving their room.

The resort underwent an entire renovation in 2024 and now options gasoline fireplaces in each guestroom, along with outside heated swimming pools and jacuzzis, a spa with a personal slope-side pool, a gondola for entry to the eating places, ice skating rink and nightlife at Northstar Village and warm-weather actions like seashore and boat entry on Lake Tahoe.

Low season room costs begin round $500 per night time, however can balloon to $1,600 or extra for a base room throughout peak season and vacation weekends. On-property eating and actions are additionally costly. Nevertheless, these high-demand durations generally is a good time to redeem Marriott Bonvoy factors, with award stays beginning round 91,000 Bonvoy factors per night time. The resort can also be a part of The Edit assortment by Chase and High quality Motels and Resorts by American Specific, permitting you to ebook with bank card factors and obtain additional advantages like complimentary breakfast.

I visited the Ritz-Carlton in February 2025 throughout a multiweek snowboarding journey round Lake Tahoe. Though the resort coated the price of my keep and meals, all of the opinions expressed on this assessment are my very own.

The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe is situated about quarter-hour south of the downtown space of Truckee and 45 minutes from the Reno-Tahoe Worldwide Airport in Reno, Nevada. That entry to Truckee gives plentiful choices for extra reasonably priced après-ski (after-ski actions) and eating away from the property. Past snow sports activities, the world is a haven for year-round recreation, with alternatives for mountaineering, biking, fishing and {golfing} round close by Lake Tahoe.

Guests flying into Reno can simply entry the property by making a reservation on the North Lake Tahoe Specific, a shuttle service that connects the airport with North Lake Tahoe. As of this writing, that service ranges between $99 and $140 per individual. If you happen to select to drive, valet parking will value $60 per night time.

The property presents a complimentary shuttle to downtown Truckee. There’s additionally an on-demand rideshare program referred to as TART Join that gives free transportation from the resort to Truckee and the broader North Lake Tahoe space.

The resort foyer has a contemporary ski lodge really feel, full with wooden and stone accents and a sublime fire.

Throughout check-in, all visitors are provided a welcome drink of both champagne or apple cider. You’ll additionally obtain a property map and a rundown of the companies and companies obtainable on the property.

The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe options 170 customary visitor rooms and suites which were renovated with modern, impartial tones and easy decor. All rooms comprise a hearth, espresso maker, fridge and a deep soaking bathtub.

I used to be booked right into a club-level one bed room suite with mountain views. These rooms characteristic fireplaces, balconies, a king mattress, a king couch mattress and two full bogs. The fireplaces actually made the room cozy and the view of the Sierra Mountains was completely spectacular.

The lounge and linked rest room are separated from the bed room and its rest room, offering loads of privateness between the 2 rooms.

The principle rest room incorporates a soaking tub, a conceit along with his and hers sinks and a spacious bathe.

The visitor rest room is much like the grasp rest room however with no soaking tub.

The usual king and queen visitor rooms are spacious with nice views. The facilities are much like a set and embody a hearth and soaking tub. Nevertheless, these rooms don’t have any lounge or pull-out couch.

Marriott doesn’t publish an award chart, so the variety of factors required for a free night time will fluctuate based mostly on demand and the money worth of a room. For the 2026 ski season, award charges vary between 91,200 and 166,000 factors per night time for the standard room with both a king mattress or two queen beds.

NerdWallet values Marriott Bonvoy factors at 0.8 cent every. Throughout decrease visitors weekdays, base rooms at The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe can value round $500, or 91,200 factors. At that worth, your factors would solely be price about 0.55 cent every. That’s across the identical level worth I discovered throughout peak season. Whereas this may occasionally not look like a terrific worth in your factors, given the excessive money value of a room, it may nonetheless make sense to make use of factors and maintain onto money to make use of in direction of elevate tickets, eating and après-ski occasions.

Moreover, the Marriott Bonvoy Sensible® American Specific® Card offers cardholders a free-night certificates every year price as much as 85,000 factors (phrases apply). Marriott free-night certificates will be topped off with as much as 15,000 Bonvoy factors, permitting you to make use of the certificates on a room that prices as much as 100,000 factors. Marriott additionally presents a fifth-night free on award stays of 5 consecutive nights for all Marriott Bonvoy members, together with stays the place you mix factors and free-night certificates. This may present one other approach to maintain onto money throughout your keep.

However Marriott Bonvoy doesn’t waive resort charges on award stays, so that you’re on the hook for a further $65 per night time no matter whether or not you employ factors or pay in money.

You’ll discover each informal and positive eating choices on the Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe. I attempted all of the eating choices and actually loved Manzanita, the property’s upscale choice. Nevertheless, I discovered the informal eating and cafe choices to be overpriced for the meals you get.

Manzanita is the first upscale eating choice on the Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. There’s a children menu for all meals and a champagne brunch on Sundays, along with a reservation-only chef’s tasting counter that incorporates a five-course menu.

Manzanita has a classy and nice atmosphere with a number of fireplaces and nice views.

You’ll discover American delicacies with a menu that rotates seasonally and contains steaks, seafood and an in depth wine listing. I had the prime rib with sauteed mushrooms for dinner, accompanied by a glass of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. The steak was expectedly fatty and flavorful, complementing the wine properly.

There’s additionally a cocktail bar, which serves the total restaurant menu. On Sundays, this bar presents an Artwork of Mixology class for $60, which incorporates three cocktails paired with appetizers.

The Residing Room is the primary informal eating choice and presents burgers, sliders, soups and salad. The current renovations make this area actually inviting, with an open ambiance, a unbelievable bar and an enormous fire.

I attempted the smoked brisket nachos and a Caesar salad. At $26, these have been in all probability the most costly nachos I’ve ever eaten. Whereas they have been positive, I didn’t really feel they have been price that worth. However in case you’re staying at The Ritz, costs like this are to be anticipated.

I posted up at The Residing Room’s elegantly redesigned bar a number of instances throughout my keep, and located the cocktails to be tasty and nicely made. The bartenders positively know what they’re doing. The ambiance was additionally nice, with an icicle chandelier set in opposition to views of the Northstar slopes.

The Yard Bar and BBQ is the resort’s slopeside eating choice and situated subsequent to the outside pool. It’s simply accessible and in a great location for lunch or a mid-afternoon break from snowboarding. However the meals costs have been excessive (discover a development?) and my lunch was not that nice; the brisket was dry and the fries have been chilly by the point I acquired them. Nevertheless, drink costs have been moderately priced for a ski space and the service was good.

Cafe Blue presents fancy espresso drinks and grab-and-go meals like sandwiches and fruit. After making an attempt the Yard Bar and BBQ, I switched to grabbing a sandwich every morning and throwing it in my bag earlier than I hit the slopes. That allowed me to eat on the mountain and have extra flexibility with my day.

All rooms on the fifth flooring present entry to the membership lounge. If you happen to ebook a non-club room, entry will value $600 for 2 adults, $250 for every further grownup and between $60 and $120 for youngsters, relying on their age. Youngsters below 5 years previous obtain complimentary entry. The lounge features a devoted concierge and rotating meals and beverage choices all through the day. The service within the lounge was top-tier and considered one of my favourite points of my keep.

Meals choices have been fairly good and included made-to-order omelettes for breakfast, complimentary snacks and drinks all through the day and quite a lot of gentle dinner choices. I ate within the lounge every morning and located it a pleasing and quiet place to get work accomplished earlier than hitting the slopes.

I additionally used the lounge to seize snacks all through my keep and a drink and appetizers earlier than dinner.

Upon arrival at The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe, the ski valet will seize your skis or snowboard and drop them off on the mountain concierge, permitting you to choose up (or drop off) your skis or board on the mild slope main from the property to Northstar Mountain.

Whereas I typically favor to deal with and retailer my very own gear, the concierge course of was quick and flawless. Truthfully, it ended up being fairly good to drop off my snowboard on the finish of every day and have it prepared for me every morning after offering a ten-minute advance discover.

Elevate passes, rental gear and a restricted choice of attire is offered at True North. This made it straightforward to choose up my ski cross after I arrived and for the individual I used to be snowboarding with to get fitted for gear with out having to move off property. The employees can even provide you with a rundown of circumstances every day and supply options on the place to search out the very best snow.

The property incorporates a heated pool and sizzling tub located alongside the Northstar Mountain slopes. I really like being within the chilly mountain air whereas submerged in heat water and visited the pool every day.

The spa was considered one of my favourite elements of the property and presents massages and extra remedies, together with facials. All-day entry is offered if you ebook a remedy, or you possibly can pay $75 for a day cross, which gives entry to all of the spa’s facilities, together with moist and dry saunas and a personal heated pool and sizzling tub.

I booked a 60-minute deep-tissue therapeutic massage after my second day on the mountain, which was an effective way to calm down after a pair days of carving.

Previous to the therapeutic massage, I loosened up within the extraordinarily nice dry sauna.

My favourite a part of the spa was the non-public, outside heated pool straight adjoining to the Northstar slopes. Throughout my spa day, there was actually nobody else on this pool.

Friends can reserve two on-property Topgolf Swing Suites, every geared up with quite a lot of digital golf and non-golf sport choices. A 90-minute reservation prices $250 for as much as 10 visitors. For an added value, you can too order from an off-the-cuff meals and beverage menu.

The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe presents visitors the form of upscale expertise you’d anticipate from any resort bearing The Ritz-Carlton identify. The property has a contemporary, mountain-luxury really feel, and for skiers at Northstar Mountain, the placement can’t be beat.

Whereas all the things is dear round Lake Tahoe, The Ritz is on a unique stage. However in my expertise, overpaying for almost all the things comes with virtually any high-end ski resort. If the sticker shock doesn’t deter you, The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe might be a terrific selection in your subsequent winter journey. If you happen to’re trying to maintain onto a few of your money and have a glut of Marriott Bonvoy factors, an award keep may additionally present first rate (though not nice) worth in your factors.