Any great kid friendly/fun hotel/resorts in CA/Northen CA with

[lilye13]

Hi all,
We've moved to northern CA this past year from Arizona, Scottsdale and I can't seem to find any nice hotels/resorts out here that would have really nice kid pools -wading for the toddler and manageable for the 4.5 year old and things like that. We were certainly spoiled in Scottsdale because there were so many beautiful fun places to stay. So we are trying to plan a vacation exploring California and i haven't been able to come up with any nice places to look into. We would like to stay with in 3hour drive of SF but realize we need to broaden our arc to LA and maybe even San Diego( we have been to La Jolla- La Jolla Beach and Tennis club)but preferably would not like to go that far.
Ideally we just want a place for a 3-4 nights where we can stay with the kiddos and swim and beach and play without having to head out in the car everyday to do any thing. A fun kid friendly pool(s) would be just great. Does this sound familiar to anyone or am i just dreaming!
Thanks

[wencit]

Have you thought about Monterey/Carmel? I can't give you any specific hotel recommendations since I live close enough that they are just day trips for me, but if you want to spend an extended weekend there, I'm sure you'll be able to find some kid-friendly options. There is plenty of beach and swim action in both Monterey and Carmel, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium is world-class. You can walk around and explore Cannery Row with the kiddos.

Santa Cruz is also about a 30 minute drive from Monterey, and you can visit the Beach Boardwalk there -- a big hit with my DS! Your kids can play on the beach and then do the whole amusement park thing all in one day.

Have you been to Lake Tahoe yet? It might be right on the edge of your 3-hour drive requirement, but that's another family vacation destination that's very popular with Northern Californians for beachy, water-play fun.

Hope that gives you a few ideas!

[Tondi G]

My first thought was Monterey for the aquarium and the beach there... we haven't been but would really like to make a trip up there sooner than later!

as far as San Diego goes for water park pool experience we just stayed at the hyatt on Mission Bay and they just did a huge total renovation which included a new pool area with 2 larger water slides that end in a zero entry pool and smaller pool outlet for a baby waterslide (that my toddler adored) and another simple pool that was nice and warm to just swim in!

There is also the La Costa Spa hotel and resort up closer to Legoland. Apparently the Grand Pacific Palisades hotel in Carlsbad has a water play park area too!

There is always the Disneyland hotel and Grand Californian that have slides and such too! My boys both love the Neverland pool at the Disneyland hotel!

You might want to go to Trip Advisor and check out beach towns and see what the reviews are like for area hotels! Otherwise find a good hotel with a decent pool and stay somewhere closer to a waterpark where you can visit for a day! here's a site that lists waterparks in CA

http://themeparks.about.com/cs/water...waterparks.htm

Go city kids is also a good place to look into things for families!

http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com...E7D7E6F98A4F5C

Good luck

[lilye13]

Thanks!
We love the Monterrey Aquarium, we usually do it as a day trip. Places to stay over that way are pretty basic, not the resort like place we are looking for. That Hyatt in San Diego sounds great for the next trip down that way! But for now we are trying to get away for a few days closer. (I also have been hesitant about approaching Disney yet since DD is only 14 months but have heard about a Marriot in Newport Beach.)
So you have me thinking about Tahoe. I have never been. No idea what it's like there.
Can you point me to the more kid fun places to day, I saw this deal at travel zoo but hesitate that kids may not be so welcome since it has the casino-
http://hotels.travelzoo.com/resorts-spas/407255
but the price is great!
Thanks for the websites too. I have been trying to weed out the kid fun thing on tripadvisor but it's been hard.
Thanks again though!

[salsah]

lilye13,

did you find what you were looking for? we are looking for the same thing right now. i would love to hear about what you found, where you went, where you stayed.

tia!

[lilye13]

You know the best I could find out was in Avila and Pismo beach, The Lighthouse Suites. Big over sized rooms( one property has two room units), on the beach, but not new or fun pool. I read about it on Tripadvisor. But we ended up with a bit of a surprise preg #3 and I was sick as dog all summer so the car ride down would have been terrible besides everything else. We arae actually heading to Arizona end of the month and are soooo looking forward to the many fun kiddie pools and things the hotel resorts have to offer. If you discover any thing please share.

[salsah]

thanks. we weren't able to find anything either. i'll let you know if we discover something.

[Tondi G]

You know the best I could find out was in Avila and Pismo beach, The Lighthouse Suites. Big over sized rooms( one property has two room units), on the beach, but not new or fun pool. I read about it on Tripadvisor. But we ended up with a bit of a surprise preg #3 and I was sick as dog all summer so the car ride down would have been terrible besides everything else. We arae actually heading to Arizona end of the month and are soooo looking forward to the many fun kiddie pools and things the hotel resorts have to offer. If you discover any thing please share.

would you mind sharing the resorts you like with cool pool/family friendly amenities in Arizona? I've never been to AZ but my mom is currently in Sedona with some girlfriends staying at a beautiful home with an awesome pool and views of the red rocks.... the pics are stunning. Makes me realize we should start venturing out to different states in the US too.... I've only been to a handful of states myself!

[lilye13]

Surely, i can only speak for Scottsdale, where we lived for 5 years and are going for vacation next week. The Hyatt Gainey Ranch has a nice pool area with a little beach part perfect for the little ones and a slide for bigger kids. And then all these little pool areas spread about the pool part. Sorta hard to explain. They have also gondolas that run in the evening though we never got a chance to do it. We stayed there just before we moved here to Nortrhern Ca. This time we will be staying at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa which has a 'lazy river' pool and slide and from what I understand also a beach entry and also a small playground. We wanted to stay at the Westin Villas which are condos and have their own pool and you can use the ones at the hotel as well. They are 1 or 2 bedroom with kitchens or kitchenettes so much more convenient for traveling with kids. We will then be staying down at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass (DH has a conference) in Chandler and have heard great things about the property but haven't been there yet. Pretty much all the resorts in the Scottsdale/Phoenix area have really great pools and grounds. There is a Marriott at Desert Ridge that also has condos too and they have have great pools. I know the Hyatt, Westin, and Marriott have kids clubs too. As far as Sedona we only took day trips there to cool down and see snow one day! Hope that helps a little, feel free to pm me for any other questions. As far as things to do with kids in Phoenix/Scottsdale - The Zoo is really nice and there is a fun train park McCormick Stillman in Scottsdale.
HTH!
Elizabeth

[Dcclerk]

For the future, if you like the Westin in Scottsdale, I think you will like the Hyatt in San Diego (Islandia by Sea World). It isn't as big as the Westin, but it does have some suites, and some little waterslides (though no lazy river). It is right on the bay and very close to Sea World. It also isn't too far from the beach (a long 20 minute walk over a big bridge) and a little boardwalk area.

The resorts in the Palm Springs area are very on par with the Scottsdale ones, too. We stayed at the La Quinta Resort and thought it was fantastic for kids. No slides/lazy river, but tons of pools (one only a foot deep), we had a suite, huge grassy area for playing, a saltwater pool that we never had to share with anyone else the entire time we stayed, basketball courts, tennis, playground, etc. I know the Westin in Palm Springs does have a waterslide, too.

I've heard nothing but good things about the Four Seasons at Aviara (north of San Diego), too, but haven't been there, yet. I've been to a wedding at the Huntington Beach Hyatt, and it looked like it would be decent for kids, too.

I do understand the desire for a resort similar to the Scottsdale resorts. My DS still refers to the Westin Kierlands as the best hotel he has ever been to