Our 2nd wedding anniversary was coming up and we had already decided we wanted to go back to Lake Tahoe (we got married in beautiful Lake Tahoe on November 23, 2019). I had the idea to make it a babymoon/anniversary trip in one since I was already six months pregnant. We also saved a little money instead of doing two trips and we had already done a Utah trip and had a Montana trip planned for a week after, so it just made sense to do a little less traveling.
Day One
We woke up much earlier than usual, 5am and headed out to Tahoe. I had packed breakfast, lunch and other snacks for the road as we had about a 7 hour and 30-minute drive ahead of us. For this trip I made egg and turkey bacon wraps, chicken salad and crackers for lunch and had packed snacks like paleo turkey jerky, sliced grass-fed cheese, goat yogurt, pomegranate seeds, bananas, blueberries, and some grain free chips.
We stopped a few times for stretch and bathroom breaks but made it up in great timing. There was no snow, so it was a pretty easy drive. We also saw some cute deer on the way up, thankfully they were off to the side of the road and not running in front of our car, ha-ha. We came up the mountain and saw the beautiful Lake Tahoe once more. Crystal clear, blue and surrounded by amazing ever green trees.
For this trip, we decided to stay at Basecamp Hotel, which we had stayed at for part of our trip when we came up for our wedding. It’s a cute boutique hotel with fire pits, corn hole and just has an overall fun vibe. This location is on located on Tahoe City, which is one the northwest side of the lake. Mike and I love this side of the lake because it is much quieter than the south shore. Still, there is plenty of cute shops, restaurants and things to do on this side.
After checking into the hotel, we walked across the street for a quick walk by the lake. There is a beautiful walking path right across the street that follows the lake. During our walk the sun was already setting, the air was crisp and cold, and the water was calm and clear. It felt so great to be back! After our walk, we made it back to the hotel and freshened up. We decided to try sushi for dinner, about 10 minutes from our hotel. They had plenty of baked and pregnancy safe options, so I was super excited to give it a try!
Once we arrived, we found out they have all you can eat, which was great news for Mike! I got a couple of cooked lobster, crab and shrimp rolls which were all VERY delicious. Mike proceeded to order pretty much the whole menu and shocked the sushi chefs with his continuous orders. At the end they pretty much just gave us the check because I think they thought he couldn’t possibly order more. He totally could have but we decided to call it a night, hah.
We headed back to the hotel and decided to sit by the fire pits for some homemade smores. I had made some Einkorn Cinnamon Graham Crackers and brought Hu Chocolate and some really good sugar free Grass Fed Gelatin Marshmallows. The smores ended up being probably one of the best ones we had! Even better, we knew they weren’t full of sugar and other not-so-good ingredients and preservatives.
Here is the link for the ingredients:
Hu Paleo Dark Chocolate
Vanilla Paleo Marshmallows
Day Two
After a good night’s rest, we headed to the lobby for tea and breakfast. We then made our way over to the south shore, about a 50-minute drive, for our spa appointment at Edgewood. I was SO excited! Once at the spa we were greeted with champagne and sparkling cider for me. We did a couples massage- I got the Prenatal Massage and Mike getting a Custom Deep Tissue Massage. They had one of those pregnancy pillows where there was a cut out for the stomach and breasts. Let me tell you, being able to actually lay stomach down was AMAZING. The ladies did such a great job and were so sweet and professional. After our massage we had fresh tea and cookies in the lounge and then spent a little time in the hot tub (feet only for me!). We headed to the locker rooms where I was able to take a relaxing shower and Mike got to use the Sauna.
I of course was starving after our massage, so we decided to grab some lunch at the restaurant in the hotel. We split a delicious chicken sandwich with a salad and fries. The food was spectacular, and we’d definitely come back for dinner sometime. After lunch, we walked over the private beach and enjoyed some sunshine right on the lake. We warmed up by the fire and then started to head back towards our hotel. Once we arrived, we relaxed for about an hour and then changed and headed to dinner at our wedding, West Shore Cafe.
Two years ago, Mike and I got married at the beautiful West Shore Cafe. It started off as a small restaurant specializing in fresh, farm-to-table food and then started booking weddings and other special events. Now, the restaurant is open on a limited basis with a lot of the business going to weddings. The venue features a small inn, with the rooms located on the second level (there are only 5 or 6 rooms). When we had our wedding, we booked all the rooms and were able to stay there for a few nights. The rooms are amazing with a beautiful unobstructed view of the lake. The venue itself is also incredibly beautiful with a rustic, simple yet elegant feel. We honestly did not even use very many decor items for our wedding because the venue and the view are just so amazing.
Mike and I were excited to be back for dinner at West Shore. After all, the food is SO delicious. Everyone at our wedding had raved about how delicious the food was, which made us so happy as there is nothing worse than going to an event with bad food. Once we arrived, we were seated by the window and saw the string lights twinkling on the dock. Memories immediately flooded my mind of us walking the dock and saying, “I do”. Our waiter ended up being someone who actually worked our wedding. He didn’t remember us, which is good considering they only really remember the weddings where something went wrong or bad, ha-ha. We started with the butternut squash soup and the crab cakes. The soup was rich and creamy, and the crab cakes were full of flavor. For our main course, I had the Miso Wild Salmon and Mike had the elk (sourced specially from New Zealand). We didn’t leave any food on our plates! Lastly for dessert we had the pumpkin creme Brulé and lemon blueberry cheesecake. Both incredible! After dinner we took a quick stroll on the dock in the 20-degree weather and headed back to our car.
Day Three
We woke up to a beautiful day in Tahoe with sunshine, blue skies and a slight chill. After my stomach rumbled a few times, we headed straight to breakfast at a restaurant we had tried when we were here for our wedding, Fire Sign Cafe. The food is great, and they have tons of options. The portions are also actually pretty huge, and we weren’t able to finish our food, which is incredibly rare for us! After a delicious breakfast we drove over towards Emerald Bay for a hike. We ended up doing the Rubicon Trail at Emerald Bay State Park. The area to drive down to is closed so you need to park on the main highway during the winter season and walk down through the campground. There was plenty of parking and the walk down to the actual trail was not bad. We ended up doing just under two miles. Keep in mind during the off season, the bathrooms and water are unavailable. We always bring water and supplies no matter the situation and would highly advise everyone to do so no matter how short you think your hike is going to be! Always better to be prepared. We also carry headlamps, emergency kit, life straw, trail mix, emergency blankets and dress in layers.
After our hike, we decided to drive over to Truckee, as we had never been there and had some time to spare before dinner. We drove to the “downtown” area and walked around and checked out a few stores. It was a cute little are with small local boutique style shops and beautiful mountain views. Mike and I found a great local coffee shop where we enjoyed a decaf oat milk latte to warm up. After our stroll through town, we headed back to our hotel to get ready for dinner.
I love watching many of Gordon Ramsay’s shows so when he opened a Hell’s Kitchen in Tahoe right after our wedding, I knew we would back to give it a try. After we freshened up, we headed to the south shore to Hell’s Kitchen, located in Harvey’s. I’ll be honest, I was a little surprised it was in this casino as it was pretty run down and in desperate need of a refresh. Regardless, the restaurant itself was very nice. We started with the burrata and tomato salad (amazing!) and then I had the chicken while Mike enjoyed the famous beef wellington with foie gras (ethically and humanly sourced from a special farm in New York). We finished with the rich and tasty toffee bread pudding. Highly recommend this dessert if you go to any of his restaurants. Overall, the food was fantastic, and we had a wonderful time.
Day Four
Sadly, it was time for us to leave Tahoe. We packed up and stopped in Truckee on our way out to get some sandwiches from a local health foods market. We always have such a great time in Tahoe, whether it’s summer, fall or winter there is always so much to do. The food is delicious, and the nature is incredible. If you have never been, I’d highly recommend making your way to Tahoe soon!
