Showing posts with label Kids Friendly hotels in Maryland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kids Friendly hotels in Maryland. Show all posts

Fun Things Reviews ICE! at the Gaylord National featuring Frosty the Snowman

day trip ideas with kids , family friendly holiday activities
Fun Things Reviews ICE! at the Gaylord National featuring Frosty the Snowman

A must see event this holiday season is ICE at the Gaylord National in National Harbor MD. Each year the Gaylord plans out a different theme to recreate all in ice.  This year's theme is Frosty the Snowman.   Join Frosty and his friends through the retelling of a holiday classic.   Favorite scenes come to life in more than two million pounds of hand-carved ice sculptures, including a two-story tall ice slide.



What you need to wear
Hats, gloves, winter coat, Anything else that will keep you warm, layers is the key.  Once you get your tickets you will make your way to the blue parka section.  They have coats in all sizes, believe me the coat will be a welcomed layer once you step into the exhibit.  



Once inside
After you get your blue parka you will make your way to a tent to get your photo taken.  Then you proceed to the ICE tent, once you are inside you will be happy that you wore those extra layers so you can enjoy the story of Frosty.  

ICE features:
  • Walk-through holiday attraction, kept at a chilly 9 degrees
  • Two million pounds of hand-carved ice sculptures
  • Four ice slides
  • Six individual rooms depicting the story of Frosty the Snowman
  • The Frostbite Factory – a live carving zone
Tips 
  • Purchase you tickets in advance online (they do sell out)
  • Bring a camera to take plenty of pictures (but make sure your camera can deal with the frigid temperatures).  Just make sure you can work it with your gloves on
  • Try to visit during non peak hours 
  • Take you time walking through there is so much to see
  • Definitely take a trip or two down the ice slides
  • No strollers are permitted inside the ICE exhibit
  • You can park at the The Gaylord National, or there are parking garages throughout the National Harbor area
Visiting ICE put my family and I in the mood for the holiday season.  From the Philadelphia area National Harbor is about an 2 and 1/2 hour drive.  Because there is so much to do in the National Harbor you can do this as a day trip or an overnight stay.  Click here to read more about the National Harbor.

For more information:  http://www.marriott.com

 Location:  Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center
201 Waterfront Street National Harbor Maryland 20745 

 This event is appropriate for:  the whole family

 Price: $16-$34


Disclosure: My family and I received complimentary tickets to visit ICE.

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Fun Things Kids Visits Residence Inn National Harbor

Kids Friendly hotels in Maryland , kids friendly hotels/resorts
Fun Things Kids Visits Residence Inn National Harbor
Residence Inn National Harbor


From the moment we arrived at the Residence Inn National Harbor we felt like we were home. The front desk staff greeted us with a smile and were eager to help us, explaining where to park and were to visit on our stay at the National Harbor.  The kids received activity books during check in which is perfect to keep them busy while parents unpack and organize the room.

The Room
We had a 1 bedroom suite which was roomy enough for a family of 4.  My husband and I had a king size extremely comfortable bed and the kids shared a sleeper couch, which they said was comfortable.  I loved that we had a full size refrigerator, 2 burner stove, and microwave in the room   We could store our leftovers and heat items up when the kids were hungry.  We also had wonderful view of the Potomac River from our room.

Breakfast
Each morning complimentary breakfast was served in a room off of the lobby.  This is great for families.  You save money and don't have to worry about finding a place to eat every morning while away.  The kids loved the make your own waffle station and the assortment of toppings available. The staff was helpful, making sure each guest had everything that they need during their stay.  I enjoyed the fact that coffee and hot water for tea/ hot chocolate were always available to make in the lobby throughout the day.


Staff
I could go on and on about how wonderful the staff was at the Residence Inn National Harbor.  They always greeted us with a smile.  They would share ideas on what we should do in the area, they even shared their favorite pizza shop when we were craving pizza one night.


Pool/ Fitness Room

The pool was nice and the kids had fun.. They have an indoor pool that is open from 5 pm to 10 pm. The hotel also has a fitness room with a treadmill and other equipment.  What I found super convenient was free ear buds to use while working out.







Overall
The Residence Inn National Harbor is a great value for families traveling to the National Harbor area. You don't have to go out to eat every meal, you can cook in.  It's even great to cook in snacks or leftovers. They even have a grill to cook meals on in their patio area and a fire pit to sit outside and relax after a day of sight seeing.    The hotel is close to all the activities in the area and easy to get to.
For more information:  http://www.marriott.com

 Location:  Residence Inn National Harbor Washington, DC-192 Waterfront St National Harbor Maryland 20745

Disclosure: Thanks to the National Harbor Visitors Bureau and The Residence Inn National Harbor for arranging for our complimentary stay at the Residence Inn to facilitate this review. As always all thoughts and opinions are our own.
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Review of Hyatt Regency Baltimore Maryland

Baltimore Maryland , East Coast Family Vacations
Review of Hyatt Regency Baltimore Maryland

During the President's Day break from school my family and I stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore.  The Hyatt is in a wonderful location for anyone visiting the Inner Harbor area in Baltimore.  The hotel faces the harbor so you are close to all the action and have a spectacular view.  You are also in walking distance to the Baltimore Ravens football stadium and the Baltimore Orioles baseball stadium.

 The Staff
Many hotel chains these days say that they have the best and friendliest staff. The Hyatt Regency Baltimore delivers on that promise. Every staff member we passed all through the hotel no matter what their job was said hello and asked us how they could assist us. They truly seemed eager, almost happy for us to make a request so they could help us with something/anything. It made us feel at home and appreciated as a customer.

Check In
The check in process was quick and easy and the staff was helpful with offering suggestions on what we should see during our visit.  I noticed that if customers are waiting for check in, staff member would come up and offer to help them in any way they could.  


Rooms
The rooms at the Hyatt are spacious enough for a family of 4.  I loved that the windows are floor to ceiling  and you could have amazing views of the harbor.  Each room has a mini refrigerator which is perfect for drinks or small snacks when your family is relaxing in the room.  The beds were very comfortable.  I also liked that they had a noise machine in each room to block out your typical hotel sounds.  I think this is great for families because children sometimes have a hard time falling asleep in hotels.


Restaurant Bistro 300

 Not everyone is a fan of eating at hotel restaurants, but you definitely need to check out Bistro 300.  They just recently opened up in this totally renovated space.  We ate breakfast and dinner and both times our meals were delicious.

 Dinner
Hyatt has a philosophy of making sure that the food they serve is as fresh and flavorful as it can be.  My kids loved the choices on the new children's menu.  Plenty of healthy choices like whole wheat spaghetti and turkey meatballs, salad k-bob, sunbutter, jelly and banana sandwich.
My kids choose the steak with mashed potatoes and asparagus.  They gobbled up their meals, without me encouraging them to take a few more bites.  My 10 year old who is extremely a picky eater actually ate the asparagus and she usually doesn't eat it at home.  She also commented that the mashed potatoes were much better than moms.  My 7 year old who is a big fan of mashed potatoes said that she could tell that they were homemade and not from a box.  My husband and I ordered the cream of crab soup that had large chunks of crab in it and the Harbor salad (similar to a greek salad) both were a great way to start off our meal.  For our meals we got the Sweet Corn Cioppino and the Dry Aged New York Strip.


Since the kids did such a great job eating their dinner we decided to do desert. The kids loved the home made twinkies, (they never heard of twinkies before).  My favorite was the black forest trifle with pop rocks, the pop rocks had all of us cracking up at our table because they were so much fun the eat.  We had never tried Moorenko's ice cream before and we enjoyed all the different flavors like bread pudding ice cream, chile pepper ice cream, and cinnamon ice cream.

 We left our meal very stuffed from all the delicious food we tried.  The staff at the restaurant was also extremely nice at explaining the menu to us and suggesting food choices.

 Breakfast
We went back to Bistro 300 for breakfast in the morning we were checking out.  They offer a breakfast buffet with fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, fresh muffins and much more.  They also have a menu with plenty of selections for a yummy breakfast.  The kids can do the buffet or they can order from the kids menu and get cinnamon pancakes, breakfast smoothie, fruit and yogurt, top your own taco and cereal.

 Overview
The Hyatt Regency in Baltimore is a great location for a family getaway this summer or during a school break.  In the summer they do have a roof top pool with sun deck.  The hotel also offers a walkway to the Inner Harbor area, which makes it much safer to get there.  The staff goes out of their way to make your stay enjoyable and relaxing.
For more information:  http://baltimore.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels-baltimore/


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