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Adventure in Lake Tahoe

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Lake Tahoe is one of my new favorite spots in California. It is not only a great weekend getaway but also a wonderful place for families to visit. I was invited to experience the 2016 Kia Sorento as part of an all-expenses paid visit to Lake Tahoe. All opinions are my own. Special thanks to Kia for the amazing adventure.
kia sorento adventure lake tahoe

Lake Tahoe in May is beautiful.

The only thing to make it better was being able to experience it in the 2016 Kia Sorento. I learned that pretty quickly. I flew in to Lake Tahoe on a Tuesday morning and by noon I was already enjoying the clear waters and crisp air. Now that I know how quick and easy the flight is from San Diego we will be going back as a family really soon.

Let’s talk about the Sorento for a moment…

It’s a really fun SUV and seeing it in a really fun place, and doing really fun things was a perfect fit to showcase everything the Kia Sorento offers! I’m intentional in the cars I drive. They have to be stylish, comfortable, dependable, tech-savvy, and fun to drive.

The Sorento was all of that and more.

All Sorentos come standard with:  
  • ABS, ESC, EBD, HAC
  • LED positioning lights
  • Cruise Control
  • Drive Mode Select
  • 17-inch alloy wheels
  • Heated outside mirrors
  • SIRIUS/XM satellite radio and  steering wheel audio controls
They are primed for adventure with Intelligent Dynamax All-Wheel Drive System which continuously monitors driving conditions and anticipates AWD system requirements, rather than reacting to conditions as they occur, and have a new level of refinement including sophisticated textures, soft touch points replaced hard plastics, available Nappa Leather, Yes Essentials easy-clean fabric and so much more!
I love that the Sorento is inspired by nature and the CROSS GT with premium aesthetics that are easily recognizable!

Kia is changing and evolving into a bigger and better auto presence with a massive $1.4 Billion investment since 2002.

The Kia transformation formula includes this massive investment, a passion for design, obsession with craftsmanship, an evolving brand image, elevated ownership experience, and a redefinition of value all starting at $24,900 to stay true to its roots.

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What I enjoyed the most about the 2016 Sorento was all of the above and the ride is really smooth.

It was very easy for me to see every angle and drive it. Being on the shorter side this is my biggest concern. The navigation is easy to use and follow, and the audio sounds amazing! It was comfortable and really fun to drive and reactive to my moves. <— I turned and it did too. It flows well. I could also imagine fitting my whole gaggle of kids into it too. 

Exploring Lake Tahoe in the Sorento was a thrill!

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Back to Tahoe…

I flew in and was whisked away to the Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe.

Totally a fitting place to stay for this adventure. The Sorento was both exciting and relaxing… just like the Ritz.

ritz

ritz tahoe

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And then it was time for dinner at Trokay in the nearby town of Truckee…

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pasta

trukee food

vegetarian

Dinner was amazing and before I knew it I had gotten a really restful night of sleep.

Then, it was time to learn more about the 2016 Sorento and go for a ride!

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And this is the part where I second-guessed my life. 

That was a bit dramatic, but I’m the biggest chicken ever! No disrespect to chickens of course… but this year I have forced myself to push outside of my comfort zone and kayaking in the second deepest lake in North America and tenth in the world will do that to you.

I even wore my standard uniform… a dress to do it in thinking that I would chicken out anyways, and then I didn’t.

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Nope, I got right out there and I LOVED it! I also had the best Kayaking partner so that helped…

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(thank you Kristin for these pictures)

Later that evening we headed back to the Ritz for an Iron Chef like competition.

We were able to cook in the Ritz-Carlton kitchen with a spread of hundreds of ingredients and one hour to do it. I can’t even explain how much fun it was… and even though we didn’t win this was something that is going down in my memory book of the coolest things I ever did! I think the look on my face in these pictures says it all…

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Dinner that night was under the sparkly stars where we all enjoyed an amazing meal and talked about our Sorento Adventures!

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Have you been to Lake Tahoe?

Heather Reese
the authorHeather Reese
Heather Delaney Reese is the storyteller and photographer behind the lifestyle and family travel blog, It's a Lovely Life®! For the past decade, she has vacationed over 150 days a year with her family. She is a vegan, and loves being by the water, spending time with her children, husband, 2 Shih Tzus and Cat.

85 Comments

  • Look at those views! They are absolutely breathtaking. And those food. Bet they’re delicious! I would love to visit Lake Tahoe someday.

  • This looks like an amazing adventure. The lake is beautiful and I would love to visit. Kia has come a long ways in the car industry. I would love to replace our old worn out SUV but it will be a while before I can do that. I would consider the Kia Sorento too. My FIL had one for a long time and just got rid of it. It had 180k on it or more.

  • What an amazing trip! I don’t know which I like more, the car, the view, the hotel, the kayaking or the food – lol!

  • This looks like an amazing trip. The photos look so pretty. I would love to taste all this food.

  • I’ve wanted a Kia Mini-van for many years! They look like great cars. Your pictures of Lake Tahoe are absolutely wonderful! Do you have a really nice camera?

  • We haven’t been to Lake Tahoe before but it looks like an amazing place to visit. This may be in our vacation plans very, very soon.

  • This looks like such a beautiful place to visit, I think I have a cousin up in that area and when she shares photos from there I just drool. Such a beautiful location!

  • Wow! What a fun event! Lake Tahoe is absolutely breathtaking and the food and wine would make it just about perfect! The Kia is a great line of cars! Lucky you!

  • Lake Tahoe is gorgeous, but I certainly didn’t do all the things that you did. Makes me want to go back. My dad lives in Reno, so I should really go more.

  • The scenery is breathtaking and the food looks out of this world good! This sounds like a dream trip for me.

  • The whole place looks absolutely gorgeous. I love all the pictures you have shared here. The dinner foods looks very different and very much delicious as well. I am sure you had a wonderful time at Lake Tahoe. My husband would definitely love this place and I like to add this in my bucket list.

  • First of all I am blown away by the photography! Secondly it looks like you had a super blast…the Kia Sorento looks like a lot of fun and I am happy you enjoyed yourself on these outings!

  • This looks amazing, what an experience! I have to say that the pictures are beautiful and this looks like a place where I could stay forever. Coupled with one of my favorite cars, this could mean heaven for me! I am glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for sharing with us 🙂

  • OMgoodness, the natural setting of your trip is gorgeous, and the color of the water images is mesmerizing. The event looked like a lot of fun – from the food to enjoying the outdoors.

  • Lake Tahoe is so beautiful! I had a really good time following the Kia Sorento Adventure tweets and photos on social media. You all definitely had a good time!

  • This looks amazing. Lake Tahoe is on my bucket list and will have to strike a line soon. Breath taking views and the food looks awesome. Great event.

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