This Lafayette Couple Left it All Behind to Run a Secluded Inn In Tahoe
TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA – Plenty of Bay Area people with remote jobs fantasize about leaving behind the pressure and intensity of the Bay Area, moving to a beautiful place, and leading a simpler life.
Very few, though, actually follow through.
Former Lafayette residents Jim and Nina Meehan are the exception. Jim is in tech, and Nina works in corporate training and musical theatre. When the pandemic hit, they found themselves working remotely from their home near Lafayette Elementary School.
They thought for a while about moving somewhere with a slower pace, to raise their three kids. When the CEO of Jim’s tech company moved out of state, that was the clincher.
The couple dropped everything, moved to Truckee in the Lake Tahoe region, and took over a boutique, 5-room inn ensconced in the woods near Donner Lake.
Donner Lake Inn is the result. It’s the couple’s passion project. And they recently hosted my family so we could visit and see their little haven in the mountains firsthand.
The Inn
Tahoe in general, and Truckee in particular, is known for two things: giant ski resorts with hundreds or even thousands of rooms, and single-family cabins, often owned by individuals and rented through platforms like VRBO.
Smaller hotels, traditional B&Bs, and inns are a rarity. And that makes Donner Lake Inn stand out.
The inn is situated on a large, wooded property just behind Little Truckee Ice Creamery, walking distance to Donner Lake’s West End Beach.
The Meehans live on the property. And attached to their home are five rooms that they’ve designed to evoke a lakeside cabin.
“After years in the Bay Area, we moved to Truckee full-time to raise our family and breathe new life into this charming, under-the-radar property,” the Meehans say in their description of the inn.
My family visited in February. We brought our three young kids along.
Donner Lake Inn is easy to access, and the location is one of the inn’s best features. There are fairly few accommodations close to the Donner Pass area, with ski hills like Boreal and tubing spots like Soda Springs, Tahoe Tubing and Sugar Rush Tubing nearby.
Donner Lake Inn is only 10 minutes from these spots. When we visited, we were able to spend our first day in Tahoe tubing for hours at Tahoe Tubing near Boreal. When we were thoroughly exhausted, it was an easy drive down the road to the inn.
The inn is a nice blend of a traditional B&B with a more modern AirBNB type of experience. Although the inn is attached to the Meehans’ home, you’re not staying inside the home itself–the rooms are separate.
That provides a more secluded feel, and each room has its own entrance, bathroom, etc. The checkin process is self-serve; you get a code for your door, and can let yourself in when you’re ready.
The Meehans are there to help you with any questions you have, and to provide as much advice and hands-on support as you want.
But you also have your own space and can come and go as you please. After a day of tubing, it was nice to crash at the inn without even needing to stop at a front desk–we could just let ourselves into the room and get settled in.
Although the inn is in a lovely wooded area, there are several things in walking distance. Little Truckee Ice Creamery is literally at the end of the driveway, and Donner Lake is steps away. There’s also a small grocery store and gift shop about a block away, and several restaurants within a 10-minute walk.
There’s also a hot tub for guests next to the Inn’s garage.
There’s an EV charger in the Inn’s parking area, which I appreciated. We were able to juice up our electric minivan before each day of exploration.
The Room
We stayed in Room 3 at Donner Lake Inn. Again, there are only five rooms at this tiny property, so it’s easy to choose the specific one you want.
Our room was cozy, with a queen-sized bed, a bunk bed for two of the kids, and a lovely little reading nook under a big window with views of the snow and the woods.
Although we smushed all five of us into Room 3 (as professional travelers, we’re used to making hotel rooms work), another room at the property has a three-level bunkbed, so it would be ideal for a family as large as five people.
The Meehans know all about this. They also have three kids (albeit older than mine), so accommodating families is in the Inn’s DNA.
The room was decorated with a cabin-like feel, with comfy blankets, plenty of Truckee-themed pillows and throws, and a small table with a TV.
It also came with a mini-fridge and microwave, which made it easy to store and re-heat leftovers from various restaurants we tried during the trip.
The bathroom had a vanity and sink, as well as a small shower.
Again, having a private bathroom in each room sets Donner Lake Inn apart from many traditional B&Bs, where you might be staying in a family’s home and sharing amenities.
A gas-fired, cast-iron stove provides the room’s heat–another quaint touch that my kids enjoyed.
The Breakfast
Because this is a B&B, Donner Lake Inn provides a grab and go breakfast each morning. For this, you go through special door, literally into the Meehan’s home.
There, they have a daily spread of hot and cold breakfast items. We enjoyed yogurt, banana bread, breakfast burritos, blueberry scones, granola bars and other items during our stay.
The Meehans have also installed a commercial-grade coffee machine.
You can select drinks like lattes, Americanos, and even hot chocolate for the kids, and the machine will brew it right away. This was a nice touch, in contrast to the ubiquitous Keurig’s found in many a brand hotel.
The coffee comes from a local company, another nice nod to the region.
As we grabbed items, Jim stopped by (again, it just means walking down his staircase) to chat. He told me about how his family always loved the outdoors, and decided to take advantage of their remote work arrangements to live a more purposeful, outdoor life.
Today, the Meehans enjoy hiking, paddle boarding, cross country skiing, and volunteering at the Truckee Humane Society. Their oldest son is preparing to go college.
Jim told me how the Inn was their side hustle–something they do out of a passion for meeting people and showing them around the Truckee area.
In short, they’re real people, living their life with their family–and inviting guests to come expereince it with them.
The Verdict
My family had a great time meeting the Meehans and spending a snowy weekend at the Donner Lake Inn.
It was inspiring to meet people who lived in the same town as us, and decided to take a different path in life that worked for their family.
Again, many people think about leaving Bay Area life behind and living amidst natural beauty. It’s cool to chat with someone who took that common dream and actually acted on it.
Donner Lake Inn made a great home base for our family as we skied at Tahoe Donner (more on that soon), visited restaurants in Truckee, and explored the area.
The centrality of the Inn was one of its best features–it was easy to go back there after a busy day on the slopes, and easy for me to drive 10 minutes to downtown Truckee to pick up food for hungry kids.
Having the Meehans on the property was a nice addition. I casually bumped into Jim multiple times, heading to his car in the morning or getting breakfast ready for guests. Yet at the same time, the privacy of the rooms was nice when we wanted to rest in our own space.
Jim told me that February and July are Donner Lake Inn’s busy seasons. I can definitely see it as a great place to stay in the Summer, when you could walk over to West End beach for a swim, grab an ice cream down the block, and avoid the hassle of parking near the lake.
Although the inn can accommodate as many as five people, it would also be a great spot to stay for a couple looking for the B&B experience, seeking a less expensive option than many big resorts, or trying Tahoe for the first time–again, the Meehans are always ready to provide recommendations and local tips.
My own family probably won’t stop everything and run an inn! But we had a great time spending a weekend enjoying the Meehans’ hospitality, exploring Truckee, and savoring a bit of family time in the mountains.
