Live near Houston and looking for a hassle free vacation?
Last weekend Houston hit its hottest day ever recorded, and even though we were outside most of the day, neither my kids nor I noticed the heat. We were too busy splashing around in the pool of The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center!
And what a pool it is! The resort calls it an “Oasis of Fun,’ and with two massive waterslides, a splash pad, gradual entry pool with tons of shallow water for the younger set to splash, play and swim in, as well as deeper spots for chasing dive toys and exploring fish on the bottom and sides, plus set ups for water volleyball and water basketball, it is exactly that. Oh, and did I mention the two waterfalls my kids liked to ‘hide’ behind or the music that plays underwater? SO fun!
My kids are five, eight and 10 years old, and each of them had a blast. Plus there was tons to do for toddlers and even babies. We’ve been to plenty of vacation spots but it is not often that we find a pool area that actually has something for every age group while letting the parents relax and enjoy their children without worry. This place has it… they were even smart enough to keep their baby pool well away from the bigger pool so moms of the littler ones won’t constantly have to re-direct their crawlers and can instead just have fun with them. Brilliant!
But ‘just’ the pool wasn’t all there was to do. Roly the clown engaged the kids in his crazy juggling, unicycle and tiny tricycle riding as well as his lasso tricks. He helped kids spin plates on sticks and balls on their fingers. And he did it all without being intimidating, but instead completely welcoming and just a little goofy.
There was also another clown doing face and body painting and a master balloon bender! My daughter asked for princess stuff and ended up with an intricate crown and scepter. My younger son came back a fierce-looking blaster (great, I know) and I saw some crazy octopus, aliens and even light sabres that even Anakin would have enjoyed.
Something else that struck me about the pool area was that there was no shortage of lounge chairs both in the sun and the shade… and there were several cool water misters, so sun bathers could bake and those wanting to stay cool had plenty of options.
To cool things off even more, we were offered complimentary frozen orange slice and grapes throughout the day.
The adjacent Cool Water Cafe served burgers, hot dogs, wraps, appetizers and salads and a long list of refreshing drinks that you could order at the cafe or poolside.
I especially like that the kids meals were not only generous, but they came with a big serving of fruit and a massive chocolate chip cookie.
I skipped the chips that came with my wrap, and still had plenty to eat.
We arrived a bit before check in to enjoy the pool area and did exactly that until dinner time, when we opted to head back to the room and order room service.
The room was generous in size and had plenty of space for the rollaway bed we need. I also liked that the bathroom wasn’t cramped, either.
We had every intention of taking in the Dive In movie at dusk,
but the kids were happily wiped out after a day at the pool, so instead we watched the end of a movie on TV and slipped off to dreamland.
The next morning we made our way to the restaurant’s buffet breakfast which offered lots of your typical breakfast buffet fare (omelet station, waffles and pancakes, scramble eggs, sausages, bacon, cheese blintzes, cereal) but also some fantastic lighter options.
There was a whole table of fruit, which my kids loved, and some yogurt, granola and fruit parfaits in martini glasses that my kids said they would love to have for breakfast at home, too.
After breakfast we went back to the pool for a few more hours until it was time to get back to reality and head home.
Unlike most vacations, though, our trip home lasted only 30 minutes and we had just one bag to unpack upon arrival.
Aaaah. Perfect!
Why hadn’t we taken this vacation MUCH sooner?
Truth be told, my husband and I ‘won’ a stay at the resort months ago in a silent auction, but had never put it to use. We have had every intention to use it, but things just kept coming up. Then the resort contacted me at the beginning of the summer and invited us to experience the resort for one night on them. We wiggled the schedule a bit and made it happen. (And to make it even better, we visited on my son’s 10th birthday. I don’t think he will ever forget THIS birthday treat!)
After this past weekend, I can’t believe I haven’t cashed in on my other voucher yet! But I will be, soon.
This was a fantastic quick, hassle-free getaway. If you live nearby, or can add a day or two onto a trip to Houston to have some more fun, I strongly suggest you consider The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center. As you can see, we had a blast… and even stayed cool.
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