I’m here to tell you that miracles still occur. I was witness to such a miracle, when for four whole hours, my teenaged daughters left their cell phones behind in our spacious hotel room at the Great Wolf Lodge.
We were fortunate to be invited for a press trip over opening weekend. The day before we departed I rolled into town, exhausted after a business trip to Dublin. I’d been gone a week and had an awful case of mom guilt with severe symptoms of missing my kids after traveling abroad without them. This hotel/wonderland promised to be the perfect remedy. I figured I would sleep and the kids would play, and in between we’d all get to be a family again. A family with a maid, and a chef to prepare our food, and our own pools, arcade and bowling alley downstairs. I’ve always wanted to be that sort of family/ Most especially when struggling with jetlag.
The laundry could wait. Childhood is short.
Days and weeks that stretch into months offer shockingly few chances to get away with four kids, and create a memorable vacation where everyone can relax, and everyone is happy, together.
Great Wolf Lodge is a well established family destination in other parts of the country. My expectations were definitely set by the many positive stories I’d heard from friends and family on the east coast and in the Midwest.
“It’s basically kid paradise,” they told me.
Great Wolf Lodge properties are known first and foremost for their waterslides, something that is not in short supply in these parts. Here in So Cal you must go big or go home. Our native small humans are rather spoilt with bigger better and wetter waterparks than most of the country, and the good weather to make it worth while to build them. I wasn’t sure how an indoor park would play here,,but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s massive and it works. The giant slides are thrilling. My 19 year old daughter got up uncharacteristically early to be first in line for them.
My youngest liked the wave pool. I was relieved to watch the staff and lifeguards running regularly safety checks. It made me much more comfortable about him playing in the waves.
My kids could have spent all day at the waterpark, but there was so much more to do. This was the part that I was not aware of, and for parents of kids that are less excited by wave pools and lazy rivers, take heart, The following additional attractions and activities at Great Wolf Lodge promise to engage and entertain:
- Interactive Wands and MagicQuest Game throughout the hotel
- Mini Spa “Scoops” with kidsafe products for manicures and pedicures
- Stuffed Animal Workshop (Even more games and adventures can be played with the animals
- Mini Pin Bowling
- Interactive Movie Making Experience
- Story Hour in the Lobby
My two sons got into the MagicQuest Game and were excited by the idea that they could return to the property with their special personalizable wands at some point in the future, and still use them to play some more. There are several package deals that allow you to experience all the activities the resort has to offer.
I was impressed by the quality of food at the resorts restaurants and the attention and care given to making sure food was safe and suitable for guests with allergies. Most everything is made fresh on the property with local, fresh ingredients. I tried a gluten free pizza which was pretty decent. When I requested a gluten free dessert, the chef brought me a giant bowl of berries. This is good stuff.
Of course Dunkin Donuts is not particularly healthy but the availability of hot coffee and donuts in the hotel lobby, makes both kids and parents very happy.
We did not stay in one of the guest rooms with bunk beds, but our kids were still snug as a bug in a rug in our spacious suite that slept six comfortably.
I’m not kidding when I say it was a miracle. My kids did the hokey pokey. I thought I was hallucinating.
If you want a place to go where the whole family will be sure to enjoy themselves., you probably cannot miss at Great Wolf Lodge. Lucky for us in Soc Cal, we have the biggest , newest one. Find out more, and see the latest deals at the Great Wolf Lodge Southern California on their home page.
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