My family and I were among the first guests at the new Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos last week. Let me tell you, it was beyond what I expected! I put together a short video of my top 10 reasons why you should vacation at Kalahari.
There are 5 people in my family: me, my husband, my daughter who is 14, my son who is 12, and our youngest son who is 5. Vacationing with a family of 5 is getting more difficult as they each get bigger. When our youngest, Blake, was first born, it was easy. We could take a Pack & Play wherever we went, and just set that up in our hotel room. But now, it's tough. Most hotels have 2 double beds and for an extra charge, we can get a rollaway bed, which is never very comfortable. Kalahari is family friendly. They really have put family first! My family stayed in a Desert Room, which is the smallest and most moderately priced room that Kalahari Resorts has to offer. It sleeps up to 6 guests! There is an additional charge for more than 4 guests per room, but there is a pull-out sofa that is super comfortable and still leaves plenty of room to move around, even when that is out. Another way that Kalahari thought of families when designing this room was by putting the sink outside of the bathroom, so 2 people can be getting ready for the day at the same time. It is definitely also worth mentioning that every room comes with a microwave and mini-fridge, which is perfect for snacks, or even a quick breakfast in the morning.
Normally I would not mention the gift shops, except maybe in a list of what the resort has to offer, but these gift shops are unlike others and came in super handy. Of course, it is possible to buy your typical souvenirs like magnets, keychains and tshirts, but there is so much more! One of their gift shops, called "Indigo Swimwear and Accessories" has swim wear. Now, when I first got there and saw this store, I wondered who would come to a waterpark resort without a bathing suit. Well, we all had bathing suits, but my daughter's broke during our second day there, and it was not reparable. Not a problem! She put on a cover-up, and we headed right into the store. Less than a half hour later she was back in the waterpark having a great time! And we didn't even feel "stuck with" whatever was available. Oh no! They have an entire wall of different swimwear, plus many racks. The hard part was choosing which one she liked best!
One of the places I enjoyed stopping each day was at the coffee shop, and while I was getting my Caramel Latte and my daughter's Vanilla Latte one day, I was chatting with the barista. (Sidenote: every employee I encountered was genuinely happy to be there and offered a friendly greeting.). The barista told me that during Christmastime they go all out with lots of decorations, so now, of course, I am already planning a December vacation sometime in our future.
Between the friendly staff, family-friendly rooms and activities, the great slides and activties in the waterpark, and the delicious food, this is one place that I see my family returning to often. Now, I know what you are going to ask: How much does it cost?
My family can stay at Kalahari in the Poconos (which is only an hour and a half away) for $365.14 for one night, which includes the room tax and the extra $35 charge for our 5th family member. That gets us 2 full days (9am-9pm) in the waterpark, too! Because even though check-in is at 4:00, the resort has locker rooms to change in and we have use of the resort for the entire day we check in and check out. It's really like we are getting 2 days in the waterpark, plus our hotel room, for nearly the same price that it would cost us to go to other local amusement parks for just 1 day.
In addition, if you did not want to stay overnight, you can purchase a 1-day pass for $49/person.
Visit www.kalahariresorts.com to book your vacation.
*Kalahari Resorts hosted my family for a two-night stay at their Poconos location to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.
