The Coachman Hotel

Two renovated mid-century motels fused into one boutique hotel with a mountain-lodge sensibility, the Coachman sits close enough to Lake Tahoe that you can smell the pine and close enough to the Nevada state line that you know exactly what your evening options are. The lobby bar pours Stumptown coffee by day and local beer by night, which covers most needs. Rooms lean toward camp-rustic chic, amenities are spare but well-chosen, and Heavenly's gondola is a short walk away.

One honor, in evidence: