We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The Tripadvisor website may not display properly.We support the following browsers:
Windows: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome. Mac: Safari.
Contact accommodation for availability.
There are similar hotels available.
View all
Mandia S

A rare gem

5.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed 08 Sept 2020
We accidentally “found” this treasure while doing a general search of hotels in the area. I was fairly excited after reading reviews. When we arrived I was delightfully surprised at how much better it was in person ( I already thought it looked great)
This is a nice, quaint, eclectic, interesting, FRIENDLY place to stay with staff that went above and beyond for our entire stay! I would live here if I could! Loved the size of the rooms, linens, comfortable beds, gorgeous bathroom. All of the recommendations from Supervisor Eric were not only spot on, but places I will visit every single time I go! A great holiday weekend at an excellent price! Stay here, the location is great!
Date of stay: September 2020
Room Tip: Room #6 with the balcony is the best!
5.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
5.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
Problem with this review?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nearby Hotels
R 4 279
R 3 645
Fully refundable
  • Hotels.com
    R 4 132
  • Algotels
    R 4 279
  • StayForLong
Free Wifi
Free parking
Pool and hot tub on June 3, 2023
R 2 033
  • Expedia.com
    R 2 041
  • Agoda.com
    R 1 777
  • Priceline
1.4 km from Border House at Crystal Bay
Free Wifi
Free parking
R 3 020
Fully refundable
  • Expedia.com
    R 3 126
  • Skyscanner.com
    R 2 113
  • Priceline
2.2 km from Border House at Crystal Bay
Free Wifi
Free parking
R 4 588
Fully refundable
  • Expedia.com
    R 5 204
  • Vio.com
    R 4 093
  • Hotels.com
    R 5 766
3.0 km from Border House at Crystal Bay
Free Wifi
Pool
Hotel entrance overlooking Lake Tahoe - evening
R 2 709
Fully refundable
  • Expedia.com
    R 3 145
  • Agoda.com
    R 2 312
  • Priceline
3.9 km from Border House at Crystal Bay
Free Wifi
Free parking
Private pier & beach located right on on Lake Tahoe in Tahoe Vista, CA. Our cabins are cozy, with all of the amenities of home and unparalleled access to Lake Tahoe. Lakeside and lakefront cabins are located on the same side of the road as Lake Tahoe, and the forest-side cabins are just across the street.
R 3 694
  • Hotels.com
    R 3 691
  • Agoda.com
    R 2 883
  • Priceline
4.0 km from Border House at Crystal Bay
Free Wifi
Free parking
Winter Wonderland
R 3 705
  • Vio.com
    R 3 700
  • Agoda.com
    R 3 511
  • StayForLong
4.2 km from Border House at Crystal Bay
Free Wifi
Free parking
R 2 567
Fully refundable
  • Official Site
    R 2 094
  • Agoda.com
    R 1 651
  • Expedia.com
    R 2 576
4.6 km from Border House at Crystal Bay
Free Wifi
Free parking
R 3 376
No prepayment needed
  • Booking.com
    R 3 368
  • Skyscanner.com
    R 2 809
  • Hotels.com
    R 3 377
4.7 km from Border House at Crystal Bay
Free Wifi
Free parking
Go to your Happy Price
  • Expedia.com
    R 6 130
  • Skyscanner.com
    R 5 019
  • Booking.com
    R 6 071
5.5 km from Border House at Crystal Bay
Free Wifi
Beachfront
View more hotels in Crystal Bay
Reviews (41)
Filter reviews
41 results
Traveller rating
19
14
4
2
2
Traveller type
Time of year
LanguageAll languages
Traveller rating
19
14
4
2
2
See what travellers are saying:
Selected filters
Filter
Updating list...
3 - 8 of 41 reviews
Reviewed 13 October 2017

I thought I had done my homework and this place was a "boutique" hotel. Plus, I used to work at the Crystal Bay Club as a blackjack dealer (many decades ago!!!) and was excited to check it out.

Good news: robes, towels, shampoos, hair dryer, coffee maker, TV and fireplace. But here's the bad news in four parts: 1) couldn't find the front door to check in using google maps; after driving around we found a little sign on one door said to go inside the casino and check-in 2) Then our room keys wouldn't work to let us in from the outside, necessitating another trip to the casino to have them re-keyed (we weren't the only ones this happened to as people were cued up on our return). 3) We finally get into our room and it's really hot, the thermostat said 80 degrees and it wouldn't "unlock" to change the temperature. Had to find a phone number (to the casino) where the guy who checked me in said he would send over maintenance. Which he did and we left for dinner as the maintenance man said he had to get codes to unlock it. We came back after dinner and though the temperature was now set at 70, you still couldn't adjust it and the AC kept coming on to try and cool it down. Still hot all night! 4) And who the hell are all the people going in and out of the back door by our room all night and morning? A party of people came in at 2:00 a.m. but there were individuals coming and going every 15-30 minutes. Impossible to sleep.

Lastly, this is not an inexpensive hotel. Yet there was no door from the bedroom to the bathroom (there was a curtain, so cheesy) and the sink cabinet was a facade with fake drawers. I say find another hotel either in Kings Beach or Incline Village!

Date of stay: October 2017
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Value
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
2  Thank Leslie M
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 18 September 2017

Room 10 was tiny, I've been in bigger closets! A typical cruise ship room is substantially bigger. The bathroom was nice but there was no door to it, not my thing.

Now the TV. There were over 1,000 channels. 900 were either grayed out or when you clicked on them Dish network wanted you to "upgrade" to get that. What you could get was about 70 Infomercial channels, 15 sports channels, 8 kids channels, and the rest music video channels. And on top of that the TV was on the wall over the coffee maker and made it almost impossible to make a cup of coffee in the broken down Keurig.

Room tip: Stay out of room 10. Doors are thin and you can hear people in the halls
Date of stay: September 2017
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Sleep Quality
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
1  Thank James H
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 5 March 2017 via mobile

Although I was solo, my room number 7 was fabulous. Large, well appointed, water bottles, kureg coffee maker, gorgeous finishes, bathroom is oooooooo haven't tried the chromatherapy tub yet...tonight!!! Quiet w windows closed. The casino is a brisk 3 minute walk next door. Check in is inside the casino. Leave your luggage in the car if you drove. If you did not come for music do yourself a favour and go see whatever bands they have booked. Buy tickets if necessary, ask when you check in, or research before you go. Reddog productions books some fantastic bands!!! Crown room has free shows and last night's band was off the hook and ironically from SF where I'm from. Hadn't heard of them but will be going to see them live now for sure.

Border House is perfect and small only a few rooms. So book fast if you are going fir music!!!

Also I flew to Reno airport and took the Northlake shuttle 50 ea way. If you've more than one, hire a towncar or private ride. Biltmore while a rundown in need of love casino is right across the street. Nortlake shuttle stop is Biltmore.

Date of stay: March 2017
Trip type: Travelled solo
Thank QueenVSAK
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephanie P, Manager at Border House at Crystal Bay, responded to this reviewResponded 12 April 2017

Thank you so much for your review of the Border House Hotel. We are happy to hear that you not only enjoyed your accommodations at the hotel, but were also able to enjoy the amenities offered by the casino as well. It's great that you were able to discover a new band as well! Please think of us again if your travels bring you to beautiful North Lake Tahoe!

Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 17 February 2017

Somehow found a rate of $150/night last April 2016. I'm remembering it now because I'm to find a place for next week (Ski Week) and the rate is double that!

We stayed in Deluxe Suite #7. The queen beds were comfy, the fireplace was warm, and the chromatherapy tub was ... weird.

We definitely appreciated the wireless Internet and the bathrobes. All in all a very posh change from our usual cheap North Lake crashpad, the Tahoe Biltmore. Just wish you'd offer some great deals again... maybe in the Spring?

Date of stay: April 2016
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
    • Location
    • Sleep Quality
    • Service
Thank notyoutoo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephanie P, Manager at Border House at Crystal Bay, responded to this reviewResponded 23 February 2017

Thank you so much for your review! It's great that you enjoyed your stay with us so much last year. Our rates do tend to go up during holiday weeks here in Tahoe. Keep on eye out though, we will definitely have Spring Specials again this year!

Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 11 November 2016

I booked a room here for a one night stay on Wednesday, November 9th. The room was comfortable and attractive but I had one problem. At approximately 2:16 a.m., the security system malfunctioned and began beeping. I called the front desk and they had someone come and fix it which took around 10 minutes but it definitely ruined my overall experience.

Date of stay: November 2016
  • Trip type: Travelled on business
    • Value
    • Sleep Quality
    • Service
Thank 601mell
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephanie P, Manager at Border House at Crystal Bay, responded to this reviewResponded 14 November 2016

Thank you for taking the time to review the Border House Hotel. I apologize for the alarm disturbance that you experienced. I am pleased that our staff was able to rectify the issue quickly.

Thank you again for your feedback.

Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
View more reviews