My kids go gaga over hotel pools. It’s a mystery to me.
You see, we live in a humongous neighborhood with two neighborhood pools. The pools are open six months of the year, and they are a nice temperature for swimming at least four of those months.
Over the summer, I take my kids to those pools a few times a week. I prefer to go in the mornings when it’s not so crowded.
Since I grew up in Colorado where pool season is much shorter and most neighborhoods don’t have community pools, I was not used to swimming a lot. When we went on vacation when I was a kid, a hotel pool was a really special treat.
But my kids, who are constantly in pools, still go nuts over a hotel pool. And I’m not just talking about hotel pools like Great Wolf Lodge and Hyatt Regency Coconut Point. Of course, those are water parks, and even I go gaga over them!
I’m talking about hotels with regular, boring rectangular pools. Nothing special, most even smaller than our neighborhood pools.
When we were staying at Hyatt Place Daytona Beach, my kids spend just as much time in this pool as they did at the beach. Why??? This was where my daughter got brave enough to jump into the pool for the first time.
On Spring Break last year, my kids were still thrilled to dip in this pool at the Best Western hotel. The water was freezing!
City Rec Center—Game Changer?
Earlier this year, our city opened a new recreation center just down the road from our neighborhood. It has a full gym, workout classes and an indoor track. It also has indoor pools and an outdoor water park. We purchased a family membership because the price is right and it’s so convenient to our house.
I’ve taken the kids to the indoor pool several times, and as expected, they love it! It has a small channel or lazy river where they spend most of their time.
The indoor pool has a large water slide for taller kids and a smaller water playground for younger kids.
My son loves the diving board, which he has never experienced until now.
The outdoor section just opened last weekend. It has four tall water slides, two smaller playgrounds with water slides and a wide slide. There is also a small lazy river and a spot for water basketball.
I’ve been ready to pull the trigger on reserving a local hotel for a summer staycation night. We could use points to stay at the Gaylord Texan or the Hilton Anatole and enjoy the water parks.
However, now that we have our neighborhood pools plus the pools at the city rec center, I’m wondering if I should forget about the staycation idea.
But There’s Just Something About a Hotel Pool….
Despite having yet another pool option close by that is “free”, I still think my kids will appreciate a staycation with a different hotel pool. They haven’t met a pool they don’t like.
It must be the change of scenery and the new environment of a hotel that is appealing. When we’re at a hotel, we leave many responsibilities behind at home. I won’t be bugging them to clean their rooms or do their homework while we’re at a hotel. Maybe because of this, we’re all just a bit more relaxed at a hotel pool, even if it’s just a regular rectangular pool.
No matter which hotel we go to, my kids will always say their favorite part about the hotel is the pool.
Time is Running Out
As of yesterday, I now have a teenager living in my house. My oldest son turned 13! If you have a tween or a teen, you might understand that I feel like our precious time with him is running out.
In two or three years, he might have a summer job. I hope that he will be able to take a week off for a family summer vacation. But, we won’t be able to go away on a whim as often as we can now.
While it’s fun to see him grow and mature, there is a part of me that wishes he could go back in time for just a bit. He used to love playing at parks, but now he’s too cool for them. He’s still not too cool for a pool, thank goodness.
As my kids age, I know they will become less enthusiastic about hotel pools and pools in general. So, if we have the hotel points available, I don’t see why we shouldn’t splurge on a local staycation for the thrill of a hotel pool.
My kids are spoiled when it comes to travel, I admit that. But, I only have limited time to travel-spoil them, so I’ll do it while I can.
Do your kids go nuts over hotel pools, no matter the size or amenities?
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Staying at a hotel is the only time that I get to swim. I won’t stay at a hotel that doesn’t have a pool!
@brittanyputman15 My kids would be so disappointed if we stayed somewhere without a pool now!
Haha I’m only 22 and only a few years back, I would go to a hotel that didnt have a pool! now? I don’t care about the pool anymore, all I want is the sea haha
@thehealthfulideas I want both! LOL
My kids always love the hotel pools, It’s amazing how far a swimming pool has come these days with all the fancy slides and what not.
@Crystal–Yes! I wish some of those fancy slides and lazy rivers were around when I was a kid.
This is so funny that you wrote about this! As a kid I absolutely loved swimming in hotel pools over a friends pool for sure! Maybe because it felt “fancy”?
@platformsandpacifiers–Yep, the “fanciness” could be part of my kids’ obsession with hotel pools. 🙂
Nancy,
As you know my son didn’t enjoy our Caribbean cruise. But the only thing he talks about is the swimming pool in Miami. Only reason he wants to go back to Miami.
We are going to Orlando in 2 weeks and he is the most excited about the hotel pool, despite the fact he is going to see his dad AND go the WDW. 🙂
I am so jealous of your aquatic center. It is like a water park in your backyard.
@Tania I’m glad your son is excited about your upcoming trip! I once saw an article that polled kids about what they liked most about their vacations, and the majority said the hotel pool. At least my kids aren’t the only ones. 🙂
Welcome to the 13 club…it’s so sad in a way, and I’m with you Nancy…precious time is running out. That’s why I’m cramming as many vacations as I can until he goes into college because I know it will be harder to coordinate schedules. We don’t have a pool or a community pool so my kids love hotel pools. On our San Francisco road trip, we stayed at 1 hotel (out of 4) with a pool — thank goodness it was indoor and they thoroughly enjoyed it. Last trip to DC — pool wasn’t open — but I warned them as it was a sightseeing trip. This summer…pools, slides, lazy rivers galore at the hotels that I booked. I think I’m more excited than the kids.
@Stephanie Sounds like you have a fun summer ahead! Ahhhhh, lazy rivers…
I’m an adult and I still love hotel pools!
@Sarah For the most part, I do too. A few of the hotel pools we’ve been to are too cold for my taste, but my kids don’t seem to mind. 🙂
We have a neighborhood pool and our own pool, but my kids still love going to a hotel pool. Maybe it’s just the change of scenery. I am super jealous of your aquatic center though!
@Jennifer I’m jealous you have your own pool! We just tried the outdoor aquatic center last weekend. It was a lot of fun! It’s not nearly as big as the aquatic park at the city next to us, but at least I won’t lose my kids there. If it were any bigger, I’d need my husband to go as backup.