We came to Tahoe Sands with a bit of trepidation. We have family who are owners there and they were quick to warn us that it wasn't a 5-Star resort . In fact, "run down" was mentioned more than once. When we arrived we were pleasantly surprised. Our one bedroom cottage had fresh paint, updated furnishings, and a newly cleaned carpet. It didn't take long for the first problem to crop up though. I tried to call the front desk with a question and the connection was so full of static, a conversation was impossible. The desk clerk called back and told me to use my cell. I tried, but since they'd given us a room across the street and nestled next to the mountain, I had spotty cell service. I had to cross the street and pass the office to get a decent signal. I reported the phone issue in person 3 times, once a day for the first three days of our visit. My husband reported it twice more. Each time I was assured that they knew about it, and someone from maintenance would be there "tomorrow." Someone did show up on the fourth day - to ask if the blinds were working. I mentioned the phone and he assured me it would be fixed before I left at the end of the week. It wasn't. In fact, I never saw him again. The facilities show some wear and tear. The pool deck is impossible to walk on comfortably due to the flaking pebbles in the PebbleTec. The staff projects an air of trying hard, but fall just short of giving great service. The family I mentioned above has said that the place had gone downhill since they started staying there, but in the last couple of years, it has improved. I could see the efforts. They have a bit farther to go.

We just stayed here with some friends in a lakeside 2bed/2bath room with a pullout sofa. From looking at the pictures, we were expecting something kind of old and outdated, but we were thrilled when we arrived and the room was completely refurbished! It looked like new! The beds were relatively new and comfortable, with the exception of the pullout sofa... The pullout sofa was new, but the mattress springs were uncomfortable. The kitchen was a wonderful convenience and the local Safeway got a lot of business from us. The only problem with the kitchen was the refrigerator. Unbeknown to us, it was set to the coldest setting when we got there and it froze all of our food (hence the reason we had to go to Safeway to replace a lot of the food we bought!!).
The resort is in an excellent location right on the lake and close to skiing. My only complaints would be the inconvenience of having a front desk that's only open 9am-9pm and the somewhat "extreme" check-in (4pm) and check-out (10am) times.
We were having some issues with the website we were trying to book the resort through, so I called the resort directly and asked them to beat the price of the website I was looking at. I booked it over the phone for a great deal, and I would highly recommend that everyone give the resort a call to book! That will also give you an opportunity to make sure you're in a refurbished room (I'm not sure if they've redone all of them yet). We would stay again in a heartbeat!!

These rooms are actually small apartments. The one bedroom is quite spacious with a large bathroom, full kitchen, pull out sofa, nice bedroom, recently replaced mattress and very nice feather comforter. Our friends rented the two bedroom with the same amenities, bathroom was much smaller, living room had a gas pot belly stove. Nice quiet place to stay, we really enjoyed and would definitely go back again.

Like some of the other reviews that you'll read on this site, I was also wary about booking a room here due to some of the negative reviews, but it was for New Year's Eve and there weren't many choices in my price range.

Let me first say that I am a very experienced business traveler, with probably close to a thousand hotel stays over the last 20 years, usually in three or four star hotels. I will not stay in a backpacker hotel or even a two star hotel if I can help it, but on the other hand I do not demand evey little upscale luxury and service that you'd expect at a five star hotel. Basically I look for comfort, quiet, cleanliness, safety, and the feeling of basic quality.

I was very happy at Tahoe Sands. Really comfy Queen sized bed, great heating, flat screen TV, free fast WiFi, spacious, clean and modern kitchenette and bathroom. Even though there was lots and lots of snow the parking was totally adequate and fully accessible without four wheel drive or chains.

I'm guessing that some of these negaive reviews that you'll see are old, because I honestly didn't see anything that some of these folks were complaining about. And other negative reviews are perhaps from people who have unrealistic expectations from a hotel in this area.

My recommendation is that I would stay there again with no hesitation, I'd have no problem bringing my wife there or recommending this place to family or friends. It's a great deal for the price.