Lani S.
Yelp
This trip to Lake Tahoe was going to be my first in many years and my very first stay during the summer. Truly, I haven't stayed in the area since I was a kid. It was a trip with just my husband, our Pomeranian, and me. I did a ton of research on multiple travel portals and review sites. All signs pointed to South Lake Tahoe. There were more dog friendly hotels and eateries in this area than any other area around Lake Tahoe.
I read that Station House Inn was previously a Best Western Hotel and was purchased by the smaller Oliver hotel chain in 2019. I think it was renovated during the early part of the pandemic. You can tell from the older photos (pre 2020) that things look outdated. I'm happy to say that the photos of the newly renovated property (on its website, on Yelp, on other travel sites) look exactly the same in person.
Upon arrival, we missed the area of the parking lot where you'd enter to check-in. If you are not familiar with the area, take a peek at a map. If you are coming from Park Avenue, you will see the Station House Inn sign on a corner. Take the road that veers right (Pine Blvd). The entrance is immediately on the left side behind the sign.
The lobby is adorable and welcoming. There is plenty of seating. They have books, magazines, board games, and can I say that I loved the music they played through the speakers (inside and out)? There is a tap that carries their well water (delicious). You are welcome to fill your water bottles. They also have s'mores kits for purchase as well as other snacks.
We had our 7 lb Pomeranian with us. We had room 115 (Roomy King). It was a good size. It included a large chair to relax on, an ottoman to put your feet up, a desk, an area to hang your clothes, a dresser, a small safe, and a bunch of hooks along the wall that we put to good use. The toiletries were full size, which I really liked. The bed, in my opinion, was comfortable.
Our room location was perfect -- close proximity to the lobby, the outdoor fun area, and pool, but not so close that we'd hear chatter. Outdoor fun area, I say? Yes. There are comfy Adirondack chairs around the three fire pits (one of them being at the front of the hotel). There are a couple of picnic-style tables, two swing chairs, a loungey couch where you can play giant Jenga, and cornhole!
We didn't spend a ton of time at the pool area, but it is fine. You can reserve a cabana on the hotel website. There is no hot tub, which is a bummer. I don't care much for them, but my hub was hoping there would be one to relax his sore back and knees.
We stayed for three nights. Each of those nights, we sat at the large firepit for a while to relax. The first night was a Sunday night. We sat out there with three other couples (one with a baby), enjoyed some good chats and laughs, and had some refreshments. The other two nights (Monday and Tuesday) were quieter by the fire. We did some s'mores too.
Toulouse is the restaurant that is on the same property as the hotel. (See my review for them.) It was great to have this option on site, as some other hotels in the area don't have that amenity. Note that while they do offer takeout and delivery to your hotel room (which we did not use), they are a completely separate business.
One of the drawbacks for me is that both the hotel lobby (which offers free coffee) and the restaurant do not open until 8am. As an early riser, 8am is pretty late for me. At around 7am when I was out walking my dog, one lady came back to the outdoor area with Starbucks (it's a few blocks away). Another lady was walking in the direction of the lobby thinking it was open so she can get coffee. Upon discovering it was still closed, she let out a pronounced, "oh noooooo!"
Other than that, we had a comfortable stay. The staff was so attentive to our pup and even remembered his name every time we came into the lobby or when we saw them outside. It truly made us feel special.