Latitude 39º Lodge is the perfect place for a luxurious and relaxing getaway to Lake Tahoe. The Lodge is one of fewer than 100 vacation homes in South Lake Tahoe that can still legally be rented short term, and it's an ideal home base for the Tahoe trip you've been waiting for.

Better yet, it's — somewhat uniquely among rental properties — located within walking distance to bars, restaurants (some really fantastic ones too!), multiple breweries, a CVS, grocery stores and much more. Avoid Tahoe traffic and just walk for basic needs!

In this home, we've smartly placed nearly all bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs, allowing privacy and quiet in those rooms, while the downstairs serves as the gathering space for your group. With four sets of double french doors connecting the great room and the backyard, your group will float between the backyard, the deck, the hot tub, the great room's dining area, the two stone fireplaces, the kitchen and the bar — with plenty of room for your group to spread out.

The backyard, especially from April to November, is the highlight of the home. Dozens of pine trees keep the yard shaded and the temperatures down during the day, while the hot tub and fire pit will keep your group warm long into the evenings. The backyard is both completely fenced in and enormous (12,000 square feet lot), so it's great for both kids and dogs. Two solid-wood corn hole boards and bags are provided, as is a wood-lined bocce court (and balls).

Four strands of 250 string lights have been strung throughout the backyard, making it easy to keep the games or cozy conversation going in the backyard, even long after the sun goes down. And when your group gets cold, you can utilize the 60” gas fire pit surrounded locally made wood furniture, and two electric HEATED lounge chairs — or dip into the luxurious and large 7-person hot tub. Often in the summer, despite all Tahoe has to offer, we opt to relax and hang out in the great room and backyard all weekend.

Meals are a highlight at the Lodge! Whoever is doing the cooking has at their disposal an enormous 7-burner Weber Summit BBQ and smoker (stock up at the renowned Overland Meats, 400 feet away!), a five-burner range stovetop, two ovens, a well-stocked kitchen, a double sink, granite countertops and an oversized refrigerator. Your group will be able to enjoy their meal at the extra-large dining table (seating for 14), at the bar (seats 5) or outside at the outdoor dining table on the deck (seats 8).

For groups that drink, the two double under-counter fridges, a wine cooler, keggerator (with CO2) and beer tap behind the bar make the newly remodeled bar a wonderful place to socialize and enjoy the drink of your choice.

For those that need to get some work done, or just keep up with friends on FaceTime, the Lodge features lightning-fast 400mbps Internet, with a Google Wifi mesh network system ensuring that the wifi is fast throughout the entire home. If anyone needs to split off and get some work done, there’s a 32” LG monitor, desk, office chair, mouse and keyboard in the den.

If you decide to kick back and watch TV, there's a 70” flat-screen television in the great room with an Apple TV that features Netflix, Youtube TV (has most cable channels) and HBO Go. Even better, there’s a surround-sound system, allowing you to get the most of your TV watching, stream your music via Airplay or even plug in your own device (Playstation, Blue-ray Player, laptop, etc) into the spare “Game System” HDMI port should you prefer that.

There’s a newly built, separate laundry room with a double washer and dryer setup, if anyone in your group needs to laundry. And for anyone driving an electric vehicle, free EV charging is provided via the Tesla Gen 3 charger in the garage.

Towels, shampoos, soaps, TP, paper towels and every basic necessity is provided for you, so you don’t need to bring anything except your group, and food to cook.

— UPSTAIRS AND SLEEPING SPACES —
Upstairs, we’ve maximized the number of beds and bedrooms in the house, and outfitted all beds with super comfortable mattresses and pillows. There are 8 fairly separate sleeping spaces in the house spanning 6 bedrooms, as two bedrooms have lofted spaces within them (and the Heavenly Woods bedroom is accessed via a door at the back of the Heavenly bedroom).

I know that’s a little confusing, so I’ve listed all the sleeping places below, and looking and photos can help understand the bed layout as well.

Large “Heavenly” master bedroom: Queen bed, plus a loft with a queen and twin bed (in-room split bath with jacuzzi tub)
“Heavenly Woods” bedroom: Queen bed. This room is the most private and secluded, but you must walk through the Heavenly bedroom to access it (split bath just outside the door)
Small “Kirkwood” master bedroom: Queen bed, plus a loft with a twin bunk bed and one queen bed (direct door to shared split bath)
Back “Squaw” bedroom #1: Queen bed (shared bath)
Back “Northstar” bedroom #2: Queen bed (shared bath)
Den: Pull-out couch queen bed that inflates, allowing it to be just as comfortable as a regular bed. This room has a door to the kitchen. (shared bath)

— CHECK IN/OUT —
Lock access is electronic. Default check-in is 5pm and check out is 10am, but early check in and late check may be available (no guarantees, especially in peak winter and summer). If available, it's $75/hr for early arrival or late check out.

— LOCATION —
We bought this house first and foremost because of the location. After renting a couple homes in isolated locations, we found ourselves not wanting to drive everywhere. So, we found the Lodge! It's super centrally located and walkable to nearby stores and restaurants -- a rare feature for high-end Tahoe homes. There are 3 major grocery stores within a 15-min walk (six within a 10 min drive!), along with a Bevmo, dozens of great restaurants, multiple breweries, hiking/biking paths, a CVS, a 24-hr hospital and ER, salons, bars, a plant shop and all the other shops the Y area has to offer. Check out my map for a full description of nearby amenities.

To set expectations and avoid surprises, the downside of walkability is that house is in a mixed-use neighborhood (there's a pre-school school, apartment building and an office on the block), and there is a RV park across the street. It's incredibly safe (I once left two $2,500 road bikes in the garage with the garage door open all night), so it's really just an aesthetic issue, with an occasional neighbor playing music you may hear. Typically though, it's the Lodge that's the loudest house on the block :)

Additionally, the backyard feels very private despite many neighbors nearby. Most feel that the tradeoff is worth giving up some privacy and isolation to be able to access so many things by foot, but if you're looking for an isolated home in the woods with no neighbors in sight, I want to be up front that this isn't the place.

— ACTIVITIES —
Wondering what you'll do while you're in Tahoe? We’ve got some great sample itineraries we share with all guests for four different types of trips: 1) family reunion 2) outdoorsy weekend 3) guys weekend and 4) girls weekend.

Note: No big events that involve other guests, major furniture needs or catering, like weddings or receptions.