Big Pines Mountain House of Tahoe is a hotel for travelers looking for a place to stay with budget-friendly rates. Here, you get what you pay for and a little bit more. From the outside, the hotel doesn't look like much: the rooms are built in a U-shape surrounding the central parking lot and the green painted building is surrounded by a pine forest. Inside, the lobby has a typical mountain lodge feel with high wooden ceiling and wooden reception desk and door frames; a fireplace keeps the room cozy in the winter months. The lobby doubles as the breakfast room and has a shop for snacks, beverages, and small selection of clothing items. Overall, the atmosphere is quiet and low-key with both the staff and guests mostly keeping to themselves. 

Big Pines Mountain House of Tahoe is situated in a quiet area of South Lake Tahoe, with mostly other small hotels and residential properties in the immediate vicinity. It's just a block away from the main road and within close walking distance to several restaurants, bars, shops, casinos, and entertainment areas -- Heavenly Village is a four-minute walk away and Tahoe Crescent V Shopping Center is eight minutes on foot. For skiing, the Heavenly Mountain Resort is within a five-minute walk from the property or the world famous Heavenly Gondola Run can be reached in eight minutes by car. There's a private beach on Lake Tahoe that's about a 12-minute walk from the hotel. The closest bus stop is a three-minute walk from the property. Tahoe City is an hour's drive and Reno-Tahoe International Airport is an hour and 10 minutes away by car.

The 75 guest rooms at Big Pines Mountain House of Tahoe are simple in decor but include a good variety of amenities for a comfortable stay. The decor is mismatched with olive green or beige walls, floral bedspreads, patterned curtains, industrial carpeted flooring, light wooden furniture, and framed paintings on the walls. Some rooms have had a slight refurbishment and now feature blinds and wooden vinyl floors and feature laminate wood accent walls behind the beds. All rooms include air-conditioning, flat-screen TVs, mini-fridges, microwaves, tea- and- coffee-making facilities, telephones, desks, safes, irons and ironing boards, and free Wi-Fi. Some rooms include a fireplace and/or kitchenette equipped with an oven, burners, microwave, mini-fridge, sink, and cookware. The free snack basket in each room is a nice touch. Bathrooms feature shower/tub combos or walk-in showers and come with hairdryers and toiletries. Some bathrooms look a bit tacky and in need of a fresh coat of paint.

One of Big Pines Mountain House of Tahoe's best features (during the summer months at least) is its outdoor heated swimming pool, which is quite uncommon for hotels in the area within this category. There's a free buffet breakfast each morning, though it is limited to cereals and pastries with no hot options on offer. There's no full restaurant, only a selection of snacks, clothing items, and beverages for sale in the lobby. The meeting room can accommodate small- to medium-size events and comes with a fully-equipped kitchen and fireplace. There's also an internet-connected computer in the lobby with a printer, along with an ATM. On-site parking and Wi-Fi throughout the property are free. This is a pet-friendly property.