The Peak Summer Season Welcomes a Tahoe Casino Revamp and a Serene New Lakeside Haven on the East Coast
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Two lakes, two coasts, two very different definitions of a lakeside mountain escape. On the Nevada-California border, Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe has completed a full reinvention of one of the Sierra Nevada’s most storied casino properties. On the other side of the country, The Harborvale has quietly opened on the shores of Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont, offering a more understated and idyllic retreat.
Caesers Republic Lake Tahoe
Tahoe, California
Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe announced their official opening this week, as they complete a multi-phase renovation. The site was formerly Harveys, which has been on this Nevada-California state line since 1944, when it opened as a café and gas station with three slot machines. The updated property features redesigned guest rooms, a modernized casino floor and a substantially different dining and nightlife picture than what was here in the past.
Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen is the chef’s first restaurant in Northern Nevada, and Lisa Vanderpump’s Wolf by Vanderpump gives the property a second high-profile name with a definitively “Tahoe” mountainy vibe. Cleo’s covers the coffee-through-cocktails arc during the day.
Tessie’s Cocktails & Chords runs live music -- rock performances and immersive entertainment offerings. A Summer Concert Series runs at the on-site amphitheater for visitors who want to organize a trip around a specific show. The High Dive Pool and Lounge has a heated pool, hot tubs and cabanas. The resort connects to Harrah’s Lake Tahoe via an interior walkway, giving guests access to both properties — nearly 1,250 rooms combined and close to 88,000 square feet of casino floor.
The location remains right on the Nevada-California state line at the center of the South Shore. For winter skiing, Heavenly Mountain’s gondola base and the surrounding village is about a mile away. El Dorado Beach on the California side is just a short drive along the lake.
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The Harborvale
Burlington, Vermont
Lake Champlain runs roughly 120 miles along the Vermont-New York border, with the Adirondacks rising on one side and the Green Mountains on the other — a setting that proves idylic pretty much any time of year. The Harborvale, which opened July 7 as part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, is a 161-room hotel built directly on Lake Champlain’s shoreline. Just in time for the height of the summer season, it’s a property designed to make the lake experience an integrated part of the stay rather than just a view from the window.
The Great Room is the social center, with a lake-facing bar and gathering space with afternoon tea, acoustic sets from local musicians, fireside storytelling pop-ups and daily sunset toasts featuring cocktails tied to the day’s weather. Executive Chef Doug Paine runs the restaurant, which operates seven days a week from café service through dinner and an evening bar. The menu is built around seasonal, locally sourced ingredients and what the hotel describes as “timeless American” cooking.
For guests who want to get out on the water, the hotel offers learn-to-sail packages and curated picnic baskets for the waterfront, and connects visitors to partners including the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and the Community Sailing Center. The Burlington Greenway, a lakeside path running along the waterfront, is accessible directly from the property.
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