A 2-day guide for a childfree getaway to Lake Tahoe.

Recently, Austen and I took our first flight in a year and a half to Lake Tahoe. We have had a number of friends visit the area in the past. However, an internet search or the description given by friends could never really accurately describe the vastness or beauty of the lake or its surroundings.

After a scenic drive from Reno, we arrived at Edgewood Tahoe Resort where we received two complimentary glasses of champagne, quickly dropped off our bags, and left for dinner at Kalani’s. Kalani’s is a Hawaiian eatery located in Heavenly Village right across the border in California. Although they had a limited menu due to the pandemic and they had sold out of the Mahi Mahi, we still had a wonderful dinner of steak, halibut, and a sushi roll.

After dinner, we walked back across the border into Nevada and immediately went to Harrah’s Casino. We capped ourselves at $200 and pretty quickly lost it at video Roulette and slots. To drown our sorrows, we walked back across the street into California and hit up our all-time favorite ice cream shop, Baked Bear. We love Baked Bear so much, we seek it out in every destination we know it exists. We have also seriously considered opening up our own franchise.

As hard as we tried to sleep in the next morning (because hey, no kids!), we couldn’t. We ventured down to the Bistro within our hotel and had a delicious breakfast outside on the patio overlooking the lake. After breakfast, we took a quick 30-minute drive to Eagle Falls Trail. A lesson we quickly learned: get there early. Parking is a nightmare. We had to park about a mile away from the trail on the narrow shoulder of a 2-lane road on the side of the mountain. Although it was a little nerve-racking walking from our car to the path, it was worth it. The only word that could even begin to describe this trail (Eagle Falls Trail to Velma Dicks to Eagle Lake) is “breathtaking”.

On our way back to the hotel, we made a quick, unplanned stop for lunch at the Emerald Bay Bar and Grill. The food was delicious and the perfect post-hike fuel. When we returned to the hotel, we immediately grabbed our swimsuits and went straight down to the pool where we spent hours lounging, hanging out in the hot tub, and being the competitive people we are, racing each other in the pool when everyone else had left.

After the pool, we made plans to walk down to a restaurant on the beach to watch the sunset. Shortly into our walk, we came across some Lime scooters and had to take advantage! This was the first time either of us had been on an electric scooter and man, was it fun! The process of renting the scooters was easy; just a quick download of the app, connection to your PayPal account, and bam! you’re off to the races.

Unfortunately, we found the restaurant we had planned to go to wasn’t open which actually ended up working in our favor. We talked to the Edgewood Resort security guard and he told us we could sit at the Edgewood Restaurant bar without reservations; we had looked at the restaurant itself 3 weeks prior and it was booked solid. After our quick chat with the security guard, we walked down to the beach to watch the sunset. We had the entire beach to ourselves. We felt like this sunset was made just for us.

After the sun fully set and it got way too cold for our liking, we walked back to the Edgewood Restaurant and sat at the bar. While we enjoyed a glass of Pinot Noir and a Le Sureau Noir (blackberry lavender schrub/elderflower drink), we made friendly conversation with the bartender. We had a wonderful evening talking, laughing, and enjoying our wide array of food including the Hudson Valley foie grais, elk, and lamb.

If we did it all over again, we would hands down stay at the Edgewood Resort but we would make sure we booked more than just 2 days. Overall, our time in Lake Tahoe was nothing short of perfect. It was a wonderful time away from our hectic daily lives and we enjoyed reconnecting with each other. However, we missed our girls terribly and were so happy to come home into their little, big hugs!