Gorgeous view of Tamarack Lodge!
The husband and I just got back from Mammoth. It was crazy cold! Especially for Southern Californians who are used to 60 degree weather being cold. Well, imagine 15 degree weather! It was bizarre! The trip was amazing as I do not ever remember seeing this much snow!
Tamarack Lodge, The Review - I really wanted to like this lodge the minute I stepped into the lobby area. This lodge is tugged away from town and nestled in the woods. With its quaintness and old-world charm, one can tell that this lodge has weathered the times. It is definitely not the Marriott hotel but I wasn't looking to stay at the likes of the Marriott. I wanted something rustic and charming so I booked Tamarack Lodge. We decided to book a room at the lodge instead of one of their cabins. Perhaps that was where things went wrong.
Pros - WIth the woods as your backyard, hiking as well as winter activities such as cross-country skiing are at your disposal. People are friendly at the lodge. The lobby area is a great area to gather together for a leisure evening reading, a game of Scrabbles or Chess or just a casual chat. As you step out of your room (if you are staying at the lodge) or as you open the front door and step into the lobby area, the cinnamon from the hot apple cider will tickle your nose. An attendant at the bar area will be able to take your drink order. For such a cold evening, most people will order the hot apple cider or the hot chocolate. People will gather at the tables or couches to enjoy their evening. There is no TV. There is internet but it's not worth the trouble (my Blackberry was quicker than the lodge's internet). The room was clean and small. The bathroom was extremely small with a corner sink, a toilet and a standing shower. The view from the room was wonderfully pleasant as you can see the woods. On this occasion, the snow was the view. There is no TV in the room.
Cons - So why then do I sound like I did not like the lodge? Well, for starters, at $ 200 a night, I expected better amenities such as a hairdryer already in the room. Perhaps I am picky but we had to request for a hairdryer and we had to pick up the hairdryer from the lobby area. There was no bottom sheet on the double mattress that they had. BUT my biggest grip with the lodge is the fact that between 7 to 8 a.m., we can hear people walking, actually if you ask me, stomping above our floor as well as outside the hallway on our floor. I understand that it is an old lodge but come on now....there should be signs to tell the guests to walk quietly especially if the floors creeked like mad. I was perturbed as I was awoken two of the three days we were there due to people stomping around. Unfortunately, a cranky me will result in a cranky review. The nights were fine as it seemed people were more considerate at night then they were in the morning. Perhaps they were thinking everybody woke up early or something. Sighed. If we decide to stay at this lodge the next time round, we will stay at a cabin as it is away from the lodge and we would not have to share walls, eh, in this case, floors.
Now here are a few more pictures:
Front view of Tamarack Lodge
Here is me, cross-country skiing
Lake Mary - Before
Lake Mary - After. We crossed Lake Mary. In hindsight, it was a very stupid and dangerous idea but it was a lot of fun. We would not recommend doing what we did. I don't think the husband was too fond of the idea but I wanted to cross the lake. 
