Ski Season is Coming! Resort at Squaw Creek Review

This post was sponsored by FamilyGetaway.com, the first advertiser on the Family Travel Ad Network, a partnership among Ciao Bambino, Delicious Baby, Travel Savvy Mom, The Vacation Gals, Trekaroo, See Jane Fly, and Traveling Mom.

It’s time to start thinking about ski season and to get accommodations booked, particularly for longer stays and popular ski weekends. Lake Tahoe is 3-4 hour drive from the San Francisco Bay Area (provided you choose your departure times judiciously to avoid peak periods).

I have a soft spot for the North Lake Tahoe area as I grew up skiing here and although I now live at the foot of the Alps, I’m steadfast in my belief that Tahoe is one of the most beautiful wilderness areas anywhere in the world. Winter weather and snow conditions are less predictable than say Colorado and Utah ski areas, however, the trade off is the mild temperatures make things easier and more comfortable with young kids.

Where to stay in Tahoe is always a conundrum. Private homes are popular, but have more restrictions for weekend stays and unless your rental is ski-out, you’ll be stuck with all the work involved in skiing, i.e. schlepping kids and equipment to the mountain.

Which is precisely why staying within a ski area at a full service resort is such a treat and exponentially reduces the hassle factor involved in skiing with kids.

The Resort at Squaw Creek is one of a handful of upscale resorts with a wide range of onsite amenities in the North Lake Tahoe area. The property includes multi-room condo units with kitchenette facilities as well as standard hotel rooms. Skiing is expensive and one way to keep costs down is to have breakfast and/or lunch in your room — an easy task when you have basic kitchen supplies and a fridge at hand.

With 3-4 onsite restaurants depending on the season, you don’t need to drive to dinner (love that after a long day on the slopes), plus, there are a few additional dining options in the Village at Squaw, a 5-minute shuttle ride away (free shuttle provided by the resort).

The Resort at Squaw Creek is ski-out with an important family travel caveat: the lifts from the hotel lead to intermediate runs, there is no beginner terrain that is ski-out from here. In addition, the ski school drop off is located in the village.

Properties like Resort at Squaw Creek are gems for teens that want to ski on their own.  The ski-out set up and resort amenities mean they can have a bit of independence in a safe setting.

The hotel offers a fee-based Mountain Buddies childcare program (daycare style vs. camp style, see my article describing hotel kids’ club differences) for ages 4-12 which is a nice feature for kids that can’t or aren’t ready to ski and/or parents that want some solo ski time. There’s an ice skating rink on the property open over the winter months, as well a year-round heated pool and hot tubs (although the kids’ pool and slide is open for summer only). Note, there is a $16 daily resort fee here—it’s never fun when that is a surprise.

FamilyGetaway is offering 2 great packages right now at Resort at Squaw Creek.  One ends at the end of October so you’d have to hurry, but the other is a ski package including 2 lift tickets.  Buy any family package before October 15th and get an additional 15% off! Click here for more information.

Photos courtesy of Resort at Squaw Creek

Relevant Links:

Welcome FamilyGetaway.com to the Family Travel Ad Network on Delicious Baby

Family holidays at Stowe, Vermont on TravelingMom.com

Ciao Bambino’s family-friendly review of Resort at Squaw Creek

Fly fishing for kids at the Resort at Squaw Creek

Best Lake Tahoe hikes with kids

Favorite kid-friendly Lake Tahoe activities (summer)