Stardust Lodge, South Lake Tahoe

I've been staying at the Stardust for a week in the summer for the past 5 years. It's the perfect place to be! The location is amazing, right across the street from Heavenly Village and a couple of blocks from the casinos in Stateline, NV. The staff are always eager to be helpful, doing anything they can do make my stay more enjoyable. The range of activities, which many other people have mentioned, from hiking or biking to Italian or Mexican dinners to kid-centered activities like t-shirt dying, offer something for everyone. The pools and spa are great, and I especially enjoy the "adult time" in the afternoon. The beach that you have access to is beautiful, and only a short walk away. I agree that the decor of the rooms is outdated, and some of the rooms are on the small side - but did you go to Lake Tahoe to spend your trip in your room?!? The rooms are always clean and I always feel safe here. The Stardust is THE PLACE to stay.

I am a member of a New Zealand Maori Dance group that visited and stayed in South Lake Tahoe as part of the arts series performing at various schools around the area. We stayed for a week. Our stay was awesome, we utilised all the facilities they had to offer. The swimming pool and spa were the favourites even during the snow falls. A nice place to stay close to everything. The staff were great and very helpful.

We stayed a week May-June 2009, had sunny weather and rain, thunder and lightening, making it the perfect Tahoe week. The 1 bedroom we had fit me, my husband and 2 kids just fine, it had a microwave & full size fridge which was great. We enjoyed the pool, hot tub, free games and dvd's for use and inexpensive meals that they provide at a low cost. The room could use some updating, but it was still clean and provided what we needed for a whole week. The grounds are very well landscaped, while we were there they had hundreds of flowers to plant delivered. My husband rode his bike in the ride around the Lake, and it was perfect weather on that Sunday. I will stay there again.

SUMMARY: **Stayed one week **Great hotel activities and great location near ski area, beach, and restaurants **Way below average room size detracted from an overall really good hotel (resulting in 3 Stars) **Several room issues including stuck window and one bathroom safety hazard **Room was clean upon arrival **Upgraded rooms available based on vacancy LIKES: We loved the location of this hotel/resort. It is right across the street from the Heavenly Gondola area making it a great location for skiers, shoppers and sightseers! It is also just a short walk to the beach from Stardust and the hotel provided us with a free pass for entry into the beach. A marina for renting boats/Sea Doos is right next to the beach as well. Also, good restaurants are within a quick walk in any direction! Additionally, there is a really good family environment at the hotel with several daily activities for kids and adults. My son (10 yrs old) really enjoyed the ones he participated in like the tie-dye shirt making. The two heated swimming pools and two large spas were always very clean and were never too crowded. In one of the pools they have an "adult time" from 2PM to 5PM for that little get-a-way time (for better or worse). The staff also provides a free dinner for two people on a couple of nights during the week ($7 per extra person). The choices were Mexican food night or Italian food night. We chose Italian food night and it was pretty darn good! We heard from others that the Mexican food was great! Based on just this I would have given the place 4 stars but..... DISLIKES: The room was terrible! Although clean, the room was small and cramped with a horrible color scheme and safety issues. The queen size bed was crammed in the room with a dresser and couch. The space between the dresser and the foot of the bed was just enough to get one person through as was the space between the bed and the couch. The shower/tub door leaked like crazy whenever we took a shower. We had to mop up the floor with the towels every time we took a shower and then had to get new towels from the front desk or housekeepers. I told the front desk about this 3 times and nothing was done to fix it! It was so bad that once we forgot to mop up the floor and the water crept out into the dinning room and into the sleeping area! Again, three times I told them about this and the last time I emphasized how unsafe this was! Still, nothing was done about it. We didn't need it but there was no AC in the room so we opened the window and put the provided fan in the open window. Short of breaking it, this window took just about every ounce of muscle I had to open and close it which was very irritating to say the least. The color scheme looked like it was from some 6 year old girl's fantasy land or something. Various shades of pink/purple all over with a ceiling that looks like whipped cream (yummy)! Other rooms, from various people we met, didn't have quite the dramatic (or traumatic) colors and probably were 1970's era style. Some people might like the retro look but we couldn't find any... Luckily we didn't spend a great deal of time in the room otherwise it would have been a much different vacation to say the least. We did find out later that is was possible to upgrade to a room with bedrooms, larger kitchens areas, and air conditioning. Even though we didn't need the AC the additional room would have been nice.

extremely clean,quiet,great staff,AAAAA location,just across from gondola,in the heart of SLT village,we had a great time,would highly recommend

If you come to ski, it won't get much better than Stardust. Not only are they directly across the street from the Heavenly gondola (and 2 blocks from the transportation center for shuttles to Sierra and Kirkwood) but they are only a few feet from Powder House rentals and have discount coupons. I was able to rent a performance ski package, including insurance, for $88 for 4 days. The accomodations are on the small side, but if you are like me and just want a place to crash with a hot shower and a TV, this is it. Extras like cheap meals a few nights a week...free donuts, coffee & fruit every morning and ammenities like free food and drinks at the Sunday night "welcome", two hot tubs and a heated pool -- you can't beat it. Great customer service and friendly staff. Walking distance of the casinos too....maid service only 2X a week but so what...(you can ask for additional service if needed)

My husband and I spent the weekend at the Stardust Lodge. We had a great time!!! The lodge was literally right across the street from the Heavenly ski lift and lots of shopping and food. Our room was not upgraded, but it was very comfortable, clean, and everything worked well. The front desk said that many of their units are upgraded (but ours wasn't). We stayed in a studio which is very small, but it had a kitchenette, table and 2 chairs, closet, queen/full bed, couch, large TV, DVD player and a small bathroom. We were very comfortable and since we were at the back of the property, we were near the second spa. The front desk was soooo nice and helpful. They provide lots of optional activities and free games, work out room, foozball, and an inexpensive dinner on some nights. There are also lots of free DVDs to rent which is great for a night in. On a side note, the catcierge (Dusty) was a very sweet cat and it was nice to get to pet a cat when we were away from our own. Bottom line...We got a great deal and had a great time. We will be coming back next time we visit Tahoe!!!

In appearance, the Stardust was quite disappointing, especially since the old-fashioned motel-like building is surrounded by modern, luxurious hotels. But the location was great--very close to the casinos, beaches, and gondola area. We had a one-bedroom unit for the week for 3 adults, including my 85-year-old mother-in-law. We had requested a downstairs room but our request had been forgotten, and we had to wait an hour and a half to get our room. But because the parking is so limited, we still found it very difficult to get my mother-in-law to and from the room. We often had to park in the back and either walk all around the building or climb steep stairs to get to our room. Our tiny room was nicely decorated and clean, but with the uncomfortable sofa bed out, we could barely navigate past the table and refrigerator to reach the bathroom. We had a full-size refrigerator, but the microwave was smaller than an average-sized dinner plate! We were told we could get a hot plate at the front desk, but there was really nowhere to put one, so we didn't do so. There was no A/C, and it was stuffy even with all windows open at night and all the fans on high. Luckily there was not a hot spell during our stay. Bicycles and other ameneties were not free, but for $50 you could use the bikes, borrow DVD's, eat at one of the food events during the week, and use a beach a couple of blocks away. We never did use that beach because it wasn't the most attractive with a line of ugly structures (?) a few feet off the shoreline. On the positive side, the staff was very friendly and helpful, the food events were a nice way to save a little on eating out, the maid service was excellent, and the flowers in front of the building were gorgeous. I would recommend no more than 2 adults in the one-bedroom unit, and don't bring anyone with limited mobility here.

This place is basically an oversized mobil home split up into tiny rooms. I'd rather chew my arm off than have to stay in this dump again.

I have stayed at the Stardust twice, and have never seen such a knowledgeable staff at any other timeshare I have visited. I dealt mostly with Kenny and Joel, who were always helpful, and had suggestions on activities in the area. Kenny even recommended a great doctor who was nearby. The rooms are clean, and comfortable. The maids do a good job, and are also friendly. The lodge has activities planned every day, to include dinners, luncheons and other social activities. If there is a cost, it is very reasonable, and worth it. I hope to be able to make it back to the Stardust.