Blow up swimming pools with slides
Adults might be concerned about sheet thread counts and bathroom counter top materials, but when traveling to a hotel with kids, one question signals whether it merits a happy hotel stay:
“Is there a pool?”
Where kids are concerned, water reigns supreme for top hotel amenity. A winning hotel not only has a single pool, but elaborate water slides and wave pools, an assortment of blow up pool toys and maybe even a swim-up bar, for the sake and sanity of the parents. Kids have always been concerned with keeping their humidity levels high and pruney fingers are proudly displayed to showcase their love for all things water related.
Welcome the summer season at these prestigious hotel pools, guaranteed to please every member of your family with a foray into the world of wet and wild!
North Conway, New Hampshire
The Red Jacket Mountain View Resort is set among the charming Saco River Valley and Moat Mountain Range. Be sure to pack enough bathing suits to sustain the whole family through a series of daily dips — no one enjoys the feeling of trying to peel on a wet bathing suit post-lunch. With its own 40, 000 square foot indoor water park, you’ll be well advised to actually put on your swimsuits before you even depart for your vacation.
Upon arrival, unleash the stored up energy machines (the kids) unto the Kahuna Laguna waterpark: comprised of a zero entry wave pool, multiple waterfalls and slides plus a bevy of other kids to play with, forming lifelong, or at least weekend-long friendships.
Other activities both parents and kids will love include bonfires and story nights, plus whitewater rafting and trail rides nearby. There is also a full service spa onsite, live entertainment in the lounge and a variety of places to eat.
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Stop, drop and run — a tactic employed by antsy children who arrive at the Cape Codder Resort and Spa full of anticipation of the hotel pool’s wet and wild activities. A large open air courtyard filled with beach chairs and sand to dig your toes and sandcastle shovels into. The outdoor salt water pool is heated, lit-up at night and open year round but the real happy-scream inducer is the indoor wave pool — two foot waves swell and crash plus 50 and 80 foot waterslides provide additional thrills. The pool is exposed to a high tech High Intensity Ultra-Violet Light System to destroy harmful bacteria. For the parents, there’s a whirlpool and two saunas to sweat out the stress.
In the evenings, gather round to roast marshmallows by the bonfire or catch a movie in the indoor courtyard with some snacks. A kids activity schedule can keep the kids occupied if you need a moment to rest, but we promise the wave pool will have you joining in on the fun in the heart of Cape Cod.
Duck Key, Florida
At the Hawks Cay Resort in Florida, you can’t escape the lure of the water. Joined by the sway of the palm trees and a view of the crystal clear turquoise Atlantic Ocean, six pools are designed to appeal to every kind of swimmer. Play the part of a mermaid in their unique Saltwater Lagoon, fed straight from the ocean and surrounded by a sandy beach. Bring goggles and catch a glimpse of frolicking sea turtles swimming by or tropical fish. The lush tropical setting continues at the adults-only pool, an oasis of tranquility from the screams emitting from the Pirate Ship pool. There, kids can prance through shallow waters perfect for new swimmers, get bombed by water cannons or spiral down slides at top speeds. Several other pools round out the bunch and cabanas are available for rental with drinks and food available from servers.
The resort also offers a whole bevy of other experiences including fishing, tennis and environmental camps for the kids. If the kids had a say, they’d be voting to stay firmly plonked in the hotel pools of Hawks Cay straight through the summer.
