REVIEW: Kalahari Family Resort, Poconos, PA

https://youtu.be/ii7M6YTSKN8

I recently had the opportunity to join over a dozen Macaroni Publishers in the Northeast and their families on a trip to the new Kalahari Family Resort during its Grand Opening July 1st in the Poconos, PA. My husband, two daughters and I stayed 3 days and 2 nights and had an unbelievable time. If you are looking for a family getaway that is within driving distance (Kalahari is only about 2 hours and 20 minutes from Danbury!), then keep reading! 

Kalahari is an African Safari themed, all-under-one-roof destination resort. In addition to the resort in the Poconos, you can find Kalahari Resorts in Wisconsin Dells, WI and Sandusky, OH. Its main feature is a huge, 100,000 sq. ft. indoor waterpark — the largest in Pennsylvania!  It also has a 30,000 sq. ft. Family Entertainment Center (featuring bowling, glow-in-the-dark mini golf, arcade games & more), full-service restaurants, a state-of-the-art spa and 6,000 sq. ft. of retail space for shopping. There really is enough to do on the resort property to keep the entire family entertained. But because Kalahari is conveniently located in the beautiful Pocono Mountains, you can also venture out and explore more of what the Poconos has to offer — there is a lot nearby such as horseback riding, archery, fishing, sledding and snow shoeing.

There is so much to share about our trip to Kalahari, but a few big things stand out in my mind that make a family trip to Kalahari so appealing. 

The Importance of Family Time

With any family vacation, spending quality time together as a family doing things everyone will enjoy is a priority. Many popular family vacation spots get this, but some destinations — like Kalahari— go above and beyond to crank up the family fun a notch or two…or three! Kalahari Resorts is family owned and operated and it shows. During the Grand Opening festivities, Resort owner Todd Nelson took special time to introduce each member of his family and spoke about the unique role each played in the creation of and management of Kalahari Resorts. It was evident that they poured their hearts and souls into this resort. During our visit to Kalahari, it was so easy to celebrate family and spend quality time together because the resort and its activities were truly designed with families in mind: water rides that allowed my husband and I to share a tube with the kids; dining experiences that allowed each member of our family to order something totally different. We even enjoyed some friendly competition with mini bowling (the smaller balls were the perfect size for my 2 1/2-year old) and black light mini golf. We didn’t have to “plan” family fun…it just happened! One thing is for sure — you will not run out of things to do all together as a family during your visit to Kalahari. And you can leave the electronic devices at home...you won't need them! The kids will be entertained for HOURS and by the time you get back to your room they will be so exhausted from the fun they will fall right asleep and wake up eager to do it all over again!

Unique African Safari Theme

Sure, there are plenty of themed family resorts out there. But what really sets Kalahari apart from the rest is its unique African Safari theme and the way in which it is beautifully and tastefully executed. Nothing feels forced. The Nelson Family actually traveled to Africa for creative inspiration for their resorts and even brought back artwork and collectible items from their adventures. Check out this video from their trip! From the desert style room decor and museum-quality art on the walls to the safari animal statues and roaming costumed characters, our family felt transported to the real Kalahari in Africa during our stay. The theme was also an opportunity for the kids to learn about and appreciate another part of our world in a way that will stay with them long after we checked out to come home. My little one now has a plush camel she takes everywhere and my older daughter is enjoying her safari-themed art kit that she earned accumulating tickets at the arcade. 

Superb Customer Service

The employees at Kalahari went out of there way to ensure that we had a comfortable stay. Check-in and check-out was smooth. The housekeeping staff would not only say, “Hello” each morning while we passed them in the hallway…they’d actually go a step further and ask if we were having fun and if there was anything that we needed. And while dining out at the buffet restaurant, my daughter expressed disappointment that they didn’t have broccoli to add to her mac & cheese (I know…you’re thinking, broccoli?! Yes, she really does love it!). So the manager on duty overheard and offered to ask the chef to make some for her. Within minutes, he hand delivered a plate of sautéed broccoli to our table, served with a huge smile. Everywhere we turned, the resort staff made us feel right at home during our stay. 

A few tips for your trip:

• Bring a stroller with you to use to get around the resort if you are traveling with little ones who will get tired of walking. Kalahari is big! It’s possible that your room will be a long walk to the water park and activities. My stroller came in especially handy when my little one needed to nap. Plus, the basket underneath was great to store my beach tote (see next tip!), little prizes from the arcade and souvenirs.
• Bring a beach tote or bag to bring along dry clothes for the whole family and whatever else you think you might need to have with you. For example, I brought a hairbrush so I could fix my daughters’ hair after we changed from swimming and went to grab a bite to eat. Other items I packed in there were tissues, my phone/camera (so many photo opps!) and light-weight sweaters (air conditioned areas will feel very cool after swimming and walking back to your room with wet hair!).
• Utilize the lockers to safeguard your valuables while you enjoy the waterpark. Upon check in, all members of the family are given a wristband to get into the waterpark and into your hotel room each day. You have the option to enable the wristband to place charges to your room so that you don’t have to carry your wallet with you every where you go.
• Invest in a waterproof case and lanyard for your phone/camera. I didn’t have one of these and had to keep getting out of the water to go get it to take pictures. It would have been helpful to have it around my neck to capture those moments of spontaneous, family fun. 
• Organize a family safari scavenger hunt. Macaroni Kid organized one of these for our families that came and it was a lot of fun. Carve out some time to just walk around the resort, take in and appreciate the intricate decor and encourage the kids to try to find all of the different safari animal statues along the way. My kids loved finding and climbing on the statues. My older daughter particularly loved the zebras (which are located in the Convention Center) so we visited them every day. :) 
• Most of all, just have fun! 

Ready to plan your trip to Kalahari? Book your stay at www.KalahariResorts.com/PA

NOTE: Phase II of construction just began and should be complete by 2017. Phase II will add 400 guest rooms and suites, more than 100,000 sq. ft. of convention center space, expand the indoor and outdoor waterpark, build a Safari Outdoor Adventure park with dry play features, hiking trails and more! We suggest that when you call to book your trip, ask about which features will be completed by the time you arrive. For example, at the time of Grand Opening, the outdoor water park was not yet complete. Perhaps it will be by the time you book your stay!