Basecamp South Lake Tahoe

It's the faux-rustic, outdoorsy details at the Basecamp Hotel that appeal to couples, solo travelers, and families. Founder Christian Strobelin teamed up with designer Elaine Cotter in 2011 to infuse the hotel with a camping theme. The outside of the hotel, with its small and plain parking lot, looks like any other two-story motel, only with colorful balcony chairs and room doors. The lobby has a masculine, outdoorsy feel with mixed wood accents, a flat-screen TV, rustic tufted leather couches, large picture windows, and a fireplace. Chalk messages above the doors are inscribed with quirky sayings such as "Get Lost" or "Take a Hike."

Near the basin of Lake Tahoe, the Basecamp Hotel is right on the California/Nevada border and is convenient for outdoor adventures. The Heavenly Mountain Resort is a six-minute drive from the hotel. The Lakeside Marina is a 10-minute walk and offers boat and water sports equipment rentals. Numerous shops, bars, casinos, and chain restaurants are also within a 10-minute radius, including Harvey's Lake Tahoe Casino and Hotel, just across the street. The Lake Tahoe Airport is a 15-minute drive away. The Tahoe Rim Trail in Nevada is four-minutes by car.

Keeping with the hotel's camping theme, rooms are adventurously designed with pops of bright color and quirky decorations such as hand-drawn silkscreened maps, lamps that resemble camping lanterns, and camp coolers. Rooms include flat-screen TVs and modern bathrooms with wall-mounted toiletries instead of travel-sized ones. Second-floor rooms have balconies that look out over the parking lot. Suites and family-sized rooms have bunk beds, projector screens, and kitchenettes with mini-fridges and microwaves. The Great Indoors room has a tent pitched over a king bed, a picnic table, a fake fire pit, and forest wallpaper. TV in this room is available upon request. Keep in mind that rooms don't have air-conditioning, but do come with ceiling fans.

The Basecamp Hotel brings camping inside. Their small, quaint bar serves gourmet hot cocoa and locally brewed beer. It's painted in dark blue with chalkboard artwork and industrial accents such as metal stools and a rustic bar top. The little on-site restaurant has a flat-screen TV, a fireplace, and a chalk deer head drawing that reads "no deer were harmed in the making of this deer." There is also a long wooden dinner table, where communal dinners are held seasonally to encourage guests, or "explorers" as they are called here, to socialize. At night, the small rooftop hot tub, complete with its own fire pit, attracts a younger party crowd.