Kid-friendly Accommodations Archives 500 Places With Kids

Hotel del Coronado – A Lovely Victorian Lady

By placeswithkids | February 29, 2012 - 11:53 am | blog, California, Kid-friendly Accommodations, US/Pacific West

One of my secret vices is watching NBC’s new drama/musical Smash. For those who don’t follow the show, it’s the story of making a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. So why this digression when today’s post was supposed to be about the Hotel del Coronado? Because the Hotel Del (as locals call it) was also the setting for one of my favorite movies starring Marilyn Monroe – Some Like It Hot and it looks exactly like it did in the movie.

Hotel Del Coronado

The Hotel Del (as locals call it) occupies prime real estate on San Diego’s Coronado Beach and offers a variety of family-friendly room choices.

Coronado Beach San Diego

Our first night at the Del we stayed in one of its family suites in the historic main section of the hotel. And while the room was lovely and spacious, it overlooked the parking lot and employee entrance – a very noisy place at 4:30 in the morning. When I requested a different room, the management was gracious and immediately placed us in connecting rooms in a significantly quieter, but less charming section of the Hotel Del Coronado – their Ocean Towers. The room was luxurious and large and most importantly – quiet. I’d also suggest their California Cabanas, which are close to the Main Pool.

We enjoyed dining at two of their restaurants – 1500 Ocean (which had a kid’s menu – not always an easy find in upper-end hotels) and Sheerwater, their more casual grill and breakfast area. And their breakfasts?? One word – amazing.

View from Sheerwater Grill

There are plenty of shops contained in the Hotel del Coronado and I had a fun time finding Easter candy for my guys at Spreckels Sweets & Treats, while the boys enjoyed The Blue Octopus, a toy store.

Everything at the Hotel Del, alas, was not perfect . . .

I had arranged for a facial and massage at their spa as a “treat” for me, and while the massage was fine (though nothing special), the woman who gave me the facial was annoying. She kept trying to sell me on their “products” and suggested that the makeup/cleanser/etc I regularly used was inferior and filled with chemicals that were going to ruin my skin! I get that this is how they make extra commissions – but don’t tsk-tsk at me when I tell you that I’m not interested. Just. Move. On.

Would I go back? A definite YES!

Oh and did I mention that while we were there I was treated to some yummy eye-candy in the form of shirtless Navy Seals on a training run along the beach? Definitely a plus in my book!

Kid-friendly hotels in Rapid City, South Dakota

By Anne Patrone | October 25, 2011 - 9:21 am | blog, Kid-friendly Accommodations, Road Trips, South Dakota, US/West & Rocky Mountains, Western US Parks

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Our hotel's tame waterslide

With so many activities in and around Rapid City, South Dakota, a must for any family is finding a kid-friendly hotel/motel to rest and relax in after a long day of sightseeing. And what could be more kid-friendly than an indoor watermark? My guys spent over an hour each day unwinding in the pool and enjoying their (relatively) tame slide .

Water Fun at the Hotel

Most of the Rapid City hotels have some sort of indoor waterpark – a must for a climate that is cold for most of the year, but there are three hotels that are at the top of their game that I wished I’d known about before I made our reservations at our less-than-spectacular hotel.

Best Western Ramkota Located just off of I-90, the Best Western Ramkota, Rapid City has a large indoor waterpark with a huge pirate ship for kids to play on (and water cannons as well!)
La Quinta Inn & Suites Rapid City Part of the WaTiki Waterpark located off I-90, guests of the hotel have full access to the waterpark which includes six waterslides, a lazy river, and an arcade.
Fairfield Inn & Suites Rapid City Also part of the WaTiki Waterpark, this hotel offers a Marriott-based option for families to enjoy the fun.

WaTiki Waterpark in Rapid City, SD

WaTiki Waterpark photo by Kurt Magoon via Flickr.

Playing Cowboy at the Bill Cody Ranch

By Anne Patrone | October 3, 2011 - 8:40 am | blog, Frommer's 500 Places, Kid-friendly Accommodations, Road Trips, US/West & Rocky Mountains, Western US Parks, Wyoming

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Entrance to the Bill Cody Ranch

Deciding to stay at a dude ranch in Wyoming was easy (especially since it was listed as one of Frommer’s 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up) - finding a ranch that didn’t require a week stay was a little tougher. Fortunately, a TON of searching yielded up a gem that my guys are still talking about and would go back to in a heartbeat – the Bill Cody Ranch about 30 miles outside Cody, Wyoming and around the same distance from the eastern entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Road trip wise, the Bill Cody Ranch was in a perfect location. It was close enough to Jackson that we were able to easily get there after an exhausting day looking at wildlife in Grand Teton National Park and marveling at geysers in Yellowstone BUT it was also isolated enough that I didn’t get cell phone service (though the free wi-fi in the main lodge was amazing . . . )

Cabins at Bill Cody Ranch

Operated by a couple from Texas who run the ranch during the summer months, the Bill Cody Ranch was cozy and very family-friendly, with a well-run restaurant that served hearty breakfasts. We stayed in the main lodge, originally built in the 1920s and owned at one point in its history by Bill Cody’s grandson (also named Bill Cody).

Low ceilings, but cozy quarters at the Bill Cody Ranch

No TVs in the rooms pushed the kids outside to try their hand at “roping” a cow or cooking s’mores . . .

Ropin’ a “steer”

While I hiked up a nearby hill to admire the scenery (and get cell service for a phone call home to hubby!)

Amazing scenery from the top of my “hill”

Like any good dude ranch, they also offered trail rides of varying lengths . . .

Horses saddled up and ready to go

. . . but more about that tomorrow . . .

Best Western Canyonlands – Family Comfort

By Anne Patrone | September 6, 2011 - 7:46 am | blog, Kid-friendly Accommodations, Road Trips, US/Southwest, Utah, Western US Parks

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Best Western Canyonlands in Moab, UT

One of the hardest things for me when planning a trip is deciding where to stay. I take so many factors into account – price, location, room size, and amenities.

Fortunately for me, the choice was easy when we stayed in Moab, Utah – I picked the Best Western Plus Canyonlands Inn.

After a disappointing stay at the Four Seasons in Las Vegas and a charming (but cramped) overnight at the Bryce Canyon Lodge, the Best Western Canyonlands Inn was a welcome relief.

We chose to stay in one of their three family suites – large two bedroom apartment-style rooms that as comfortable as they are large.

Kids’ room in the Best Western

When my kids were younger, it was easy for them to share a bed (or a pullout couch). But now that they’ve gotten older (and bigger), they need the extra space that a separate room provides both for their clothes and general detritus AND because they like watching sports and/or cartoons nonstop.

The family suites (which were less than reserving two separate rooms) gave us tons of space and more.

Small living area (and kitchen) at Best Western Canyonlands

The kids and I each had separate bedrooms with huge high-def TVs. A small kitchen area with microwave and fridge allowed us to heat up leftovers from a previous dinner for lunch as well as keep our water bottles nice and cool.

The wi-fi in the room, like all Best Westerns, was FREE and easy to access. I made use of their well-lit laundry facilities while the kids enjoyed the pool.

And last, but not least in my book, we enjoyed a hot, FULL breakfast (eggs, waffles, biscuits, bacon, and fresh fruit) each morning. We are breakfast eaters – as in, if we don’t eat something in the morning, we’re cranky all day. So having such a nice one provided as part of our room charge was a pleasant change of pace from all the higher-priced resorts where everything extra is charged (hey, Four Seasons, are you reading this???)

The Best Western Canyonlands in Moab, Utah, is a “Plus” hotel, which I gather is a step up from their usual hotel. Having said that, I’ve never been disappointed with Best Westerns and their service – they’re clean, comfortable, a good value for the money, and best of all . . . they always serve some type of breakfast.