Back in November, my family and I booked a trip to Kalahari Resort. Between school, basketball practice and my husband and my crazy work schedules, I think it is safe to say everyone in our family needed a break from the craziness. We live about 50 minutes from the Poconos so we decided to take a mini-vacation for some overnight fun!
We found an amazing deal on groupon where we got a room and arcade credits for $179 plus taxes and fees. It came to $231 altogether. This includes the room, waterpark passes for 2 days and arcade credits. It was an inexpensive way to disconnect from all of the outside stressors and chores. Here is a little review of our stay and a must have packing list for visiting Kalahari resort!
Check-in isn’t until about 4pm but if you arrive early, you are able to use the water park starting at 10am when they open! We arrived at about 12pm – and it was busy! A ton of people had arrived at the same time so the check in line was long, but it went rather quickly. We booked the standard Desert Room which included 2 queen sized beds, a roll out couch with fridge, microwave and coffee maker. It was perfect for what we needed.
Kalahari Waterpark – Our Experience
The waterpark is huge. A little overwhelming at first, but there is fun for every person in the family. All children under 48 inches are required by the resort to wear a life vest, which they provide but it is on a first come first serve basis – so go early! My kids can swim but I made them wear the life vests anyway just in case. My kids loved the wave pool, lazy river and the kiddie water slides. We also did the Victoria Falls Family Slide which was fun.
At 3pm, we got a text saying our room was available and after playing some arcades we went up to put our stuff away. After settling into our room, we went to the waterpark for about 2.5 hours. We returned to our room where we showered and changed and then had a lovely Italian dinner at Sortino’s Italian Kitchen. The food was delicious but there was so much. After dinner we hit up the candy shop and got some chocolate covered pretzels for the room. It was a great day and the kids were wiped – very soon after they put on their pjs, they were sound asleep.
The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast in our room (I packed cereal, milk and bowls with spoons) and headed to put our stuff in storage so we can use the waterpark. My husband surprised me with a hot stone massage so while he took the kids to the waterpark, I enjoyed a full body hot stone massage for 55 minutes. It was glorious. I met up with them at the waterpark and we went in the lazy river, wave pool and Victoria Falls Family Slide. By 2:30pm the kids were pooped and we were ready to head back home.
As with everything, there are pros and cons even to Kalahari Resort. Here are my list of pros and cons that I found during our stay.
Cons of Kalahari
– I expected the water park to be warmer on the inside. While waiting for the family slide (there was a quite the line), we were all chilly.
– To enter the waterpark, you have to go through the arcade area. Immediately my kids wanted to play games and that is what we did. Thank goodness for the arcade credit from Groupon we were able to play bowling, laser tag, mini golf, and some of the arcades without breaking the bank.
– The towels at Kalahari are small and thin and just don’t cut it to dry off an adult, definitely pack your own towels.
– Be prepared to spend some money in the arcade area. Credits for the games vary, some even cost 14 credits, so your money does not go far.
– Pack snacks, drinks and breakfast if you plan on staying. $2.25 for a soda in the vending machine is ridiculous. They have everything you need in the resort, but you’re going to pay extra for it.
– The staff that we encountered were not the friendliest, but this may just have just been our experience.
Pros of Kalahari
– They thought of everything you could possibly need or want for your convenience and a price in the resort.
– There are rides and slides for kids and people of all ages and heights. It is a ton of fun.
– They have 3 great restaurants inside – a steakhouse, an Italian Restaurant and a Burger and shakes place. We ate lunch at B-Lux Bar and Grill which was great. At night we ate dinner at Sortino’s was delicious as well.
– They have a ton of fun activities for the kids including a cookie decorating activity every single day. Check their calendar of activities to see what they have planned for your stay.
– There are no room keys – your wrist bands act as your room key so you never have to worry about losing them!
What to Pack
Here are some must haves to pack when visiting Kalahari:
– Bring your own towels. They do have them at the waterpark, but they are thin and very small.
– A waterproof case for your phone. We bought these cases from Five Below for a little over $5 a piece. They worked great and come with a necklace to wear your phone.
– Water shoes or flip flops for waking back to the hotel room.
– Wet bag to put wet bathing suits in for the drive home.
– Snacks, drinks, and breakfast for the room.
If you are thinking about going, definitely keep an eye out for deals. Groupon continues to run amazing specials for the resort. My kids had an amazing time and have not stopped talking about it since we got home. We will definitely make our way back – probably in the summertime to see how the outside part of the park is as well. Thank you Kalahari, for an awesome time and some unforgettable memories!
If you have not yet checked out our Disney on Ice experience, be sure to click here to see more of our family adventures!
