I was told by a friend of mine about Granlibakken because his dad stayed there many times for skiing in Tahoe. My requirements for a hotel was that it had to have a pool and hot tub for after skiing and for my kids who like to swim. This resort had both and it was outdoors. That worked perfectly. I called the hotel and inquired about the rooms and was given the information from the hotel staff directly. I was given a room that was a studio for my family of 4. The room was nice and very comfortable. The hotel staff very friendly and knowledgable about the skiing and the towns around Tahoe. The room met my expectations and the breakfast was fantastic. The location is great for skiing Squaw Valley and Northstar which my 2 boys age 11 and 18 loved. We had a car and parked right in front of our room. The pool and hot tub was outdoors and we walked from our room to the facility. It was a 2 minute walk. The people staying at the resort were very friendly and most had children. I would definitely think about going back. The hotel is centrally located to the town. I really enjoyed Granlibakken and loved skiing Tahoe. We also took a side trip right after skiing to Reno which is about 30 minutes away. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and really liked the staff.

My wife & I came down from Oregon to join our son & his girlfriend for two days of skiing in the Tahoe area. We initially checked into a non-smoking unit only to be subjected to clouds of cigarette smoke funneling in from the neighboring (nonsmoking) condo. The management allowed us to shift to another unit at 10:30 pm, for which we were grateful.
The unit was very comfortable and the breakfast provided was excellent. The ski package was a good value. However, events on the last day ruined the experience for me. On our last day we left to ski, checked out, locking the doors behind us. I returned back to the resort at about 4pm when I discovered that I had left my wallet back in our room. I went to the front desk to explain my situation and to obtain a key to get back into the room. i entered the condo room and went straight to the night stand drawer where I had been keeping my wallet and discovered that it was gone! I immediately checked the floor, and all the surrounding areas in the hope that the wallet was somewhere else about the room--it was not! I reported this situation immediately to front desk personnel: Iste Belafalvi and a younger woman who spoke fluent Spanish. Mr. Belafalvi asked me if I could have left it somewhere. I found this question frustrating, but given his position understood why he would ask me such a question. I replied that I was certain that it was stolen nevertheless I would check all of my belongings (once again!) when I returned back to the Bay Area that night before my flight home. Of very peculiar and alarming circumstance was the fact that on my way walking back to the condo to obtain my wallet one of the housekeeping personnel came out from a nearby condo and said; "no wallet, no wallet". I replied back to her; "how would you know there is no wallet as you don't know where I put it /?!" She immediately turned and hurriedly walked away.
I left messages for Mr. Belafalvi to call me back regarding the status of my wallet and neither he nor any representative from Granlibakken has contacted me.--it is now going on 4 days. Meanwhile I have filed a theft report with the sheriff's office.
From this experience, I am sorry to say that I will not recommend Granlibakken to anyone planning to visit the Tahoe Basin.

We found Granlibakken to be exactly what we were looking for in this particular trip to Tahoe.

1. Great access to skiing
2. Great access to a snow play area
3. Uncrowded
4. Good environment for families/kids

we loved the snow play hill and spend most of our first day saucering down the slopes with the kids.

Our room (basic hotel room) was not what you would call extra fancy, and was a bit small. But it did meet our needs. My wife liked that the beds had extra pillows and they were comfortable.

As with other reviews, we found housekeeping to be a bit slow. We chalked this up to the fact that there was a lot of snow on the ground and they were traveling around the huge grounds and up hills on little carts with snow chains.

We were impressed with the fact that the staff worked very hard at keeping the walkways as free from snow and ice as possible, as well as keeping the road and parking lots plowed.

The staff in the ski hut was very nice and went the extra mile to be helpful.

The included buffet breakfast each morning was out of this world. We loved the variety of foods and beverages. The staff was friendly.

We did eat dinner in their pub one night. While the atmosphere (including pianist) was nice, we did have a few gripes.

1. The selection of kid friendly meals was very limited.
2. Service was very slow and at one point we were convinced we were being ignored. One of the part-owners of the resort was seated at the table next to us with his family (some of which worked at the resort). While we had been done with our meal for at least 10 minutes,no one came to clear our plates or ask if we wanted desert, the wait staff went out of their way to make sure the part-owner did not wait for anything and service for them was very very prompt. Our waitress seemed to have disappeared. We finally caught the eye of a waiter and ordered one desert for us to share. That one desert took almost 25 minutes to finally appear at our table.
Now, I know "membership has it's priviledges", and there is nothing wrong with an owner getting good service. However, I was a bit put off that paying customers were kept waiting while the wine and food kept flowing at the next table who had two or three waiters overseeing their needs.

In all, we had a very good time. I don't think I'll eat dinner in their pub in the future, as I am sure there are other great options in Tahoe City.

My girlfriend and I had heard of Granlibakken and thought about checking it out for years. Finally booked a weekend in a suite with kitchenette for $240 a night. Turns out the place may have been charming in the 60's and 70's, but is in dire need of a major overhaul. The buildings were built as cheaply as possible, with T-1-11 siding and cheap interior materials. Add decades of hard use, hallways and rooms that smell vaguely of Pine Sol, roofs covered with tarps to stop leaks, and you get a stay that's more reminiscent of Boy Scout camp than a luxury resort, which is how they bill themselves. Many warnings in the room about not using too much hot water, not having towels cleaned, charges for extra fire logs (we were given one log in the fireplace that wouldn't light and a lighter with no fluid). Not welcoming. The place has potential, and for $100 a night I might feel happier about such a rustic experience. But it seems the resort makes their money (and is able to charge their high rates) with large conferences. On a positive note, I can say that the front desk staff were friendly, the continental breakfast was as nice as I've had in Grindelwald and St. Moritz, and the location- Tahoe City a 20 minute stroll away- is great.