Family Travel: Picking the right hotel

Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe 

It's almost Spring and travel sites are in full swing to make sure that the masses take advantage of travel deals and getaways. I just received an email from TripAdvisor for the 25 Best Hotels for Families. I was pleasantly surprised that Italy and Florida appeared 7 and 6 times on the list. That's pretty much half the list right there. But those destinations make sense as, Italy, with its metros and trains, make traveling around easy. And what kid wouldn't like to visit where "pizza and pasta" came from.  Florida has sun, beaches, and Disneyworld. Enough said. Lucky for me, I've been to both destinations. Just not yet with my kids.

It got me thinking as to what makes a hotel ideal for families.  I have my own personal requirements when it comes to choosing hotels when I'm traveling with my kids. But those requirements will change as time passes and the kids age. I've written about travel several times on this blog and in my other travel blogs, so I feel I have some credibility to give guidance and feedback on what makes hotels and destinations family-friendly. 

Whenever we all travel together to a new destination, Mr. Fliz and I research for the best value of our money, and not necessarily, the best hotel/resort. We, like many families out there, want to get more with having to pay as little as possible. Makes financial and practical sense. Both Mr. Fliz and I research destinations and lodging as best we can. This provides guidance to see what the average hotel/resort charges and helps us develop our lodging budget. Once we've established that, I begin to compare amenities against what we ideally want in a hotel/resort. Sometimes, we'll use reward points or a combination of both rewards and cash at certain lodgings. Pretty sweet, because most of these places are Starwood Properties. Get perks like that, here.

We've been blessed to have had the opportunity to stay at some great properties that allowed Mr. Fliz and I separate sleeping quarters from our kids---or at the very least, a big enough space where we can tuck a crib or bed in a corner where the little rugrats won't wake up, and the adults can still stay up to watch T.V., enjoy a bottle of wine on a balcony, etc. Those things matter, to us, at least. Because it's OUR vacation too. I've used TripAdvisor several times (probably every single time we need to research lodging, actually) and really appreciate the user reviews and photos. Just like Yelp, be wary of who is reviewing. I'm an avid reviewer there and pretty honest about how I view the property. I do my best to upload photos when I can so that others can benefit from our stay. We've stayed at budget hotels and at 3-4 star properties. 

Depending what we want out of our vacation, we look for properties that are centrally located to public transportation, banks, grocery stores, restaurants, etc. We don't always like to eat at the hotel and like to venture out and about. My youngest is still too young to take advantage of any kid-specific programs at most hotels, so having a pool or having beach access is a plus if we're doing a beach vaction. If there are nearby parks or large open spaces where they can run around and explore safely, is a luxury. 

I prefer having a small kitchen (fully-stocked ones are very much appreciated when you travel with kids, because it means less packing) or kitchenette, a washer/dryer in the room or on site (hey, some Starwood Properties offer that!) is a BONUS. That means I can pack less clothes and it's just comforting knowing I can clean our clothes before we leave so I have less crap to do when we get home. Sometimes we get lucky where the hotel/resort staff are so accommodating that they'll give us freebies to use for our kids, like a discount or free meal at one of their eateries or stores. Preferably, an ideal hotel is where the staff understands the needs of parents. Babysitting services, in-room entertainment for kids (like movies or giving complimentary toys/books), special eating times where there's entertainment provided for little ones, certainly go a long way in helping that property stand out among others. 

What are some of your lodging needs when traveling? For more information on my reviews on TripAdvisor, lookup "better3rd."

St. Maarten/St. Martin (Caribbean) at The Westin Dawn Beach & Spa
View from our balconyMicro was only 9 months old

Cancun, Mexico Westin Lagunamar 
Micro was 20 months old and I was 6 months pregnant