Family-Friendly North American Hotels

There’s never a dull moment in the J-Kam household; we are traveling 24/7! And because we’ve all been bitten by the travel bug, we value family-friendly hotel accommodations. So for my 1st blog entry of 2012, I will share a list of our upcoming 2012 hotel adventures:

Holiday Inn Express – Syracuse, NY (Fairgrounds)
You can never go wrong with Holiday Inn Express because you get consistent customer services and affordable pricing. We like staying at their chains because we know what to expect – no surprises and no disappointment. Raychel likes the cereal and juice selections at the free breakfast. I like the room cleanliness and the pool/gym amenities. Ray likes the free parking. We stayed here for 1 night to visit my sister and family. She’s attending Syracuse University. We would all stay here again.
http://www.hiexpress.com/hotels/us/en/warners/syrfr/hoteldetail

Disney World – Pop Century Resort
This hotel celebrates and recognizes all the decades of the 20th century. Also, you see tall statues of lovable Disney characters like Lady and the Tramp, Dalmatians’, and more! It’s located right in the heart of the Disney World complex so you don’t need to travel far on their free shuttle buses to experience any of their amazing parks. And a bigger bonus – as a Disney resort guest, you can take advantage of the extended theme park hours. Bye-bye, long line ups! All 3 of us are excited for our 2 night stay in March after a visit with Nana and Poppa at their home in Port Charlotte.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/pop-century-resort/

Westin Grand – Vancouver
Located in downtown Vancouver close to Yaletown, this hotel is really special. I stay here for business but it’s still a great family hotel. It has all the great amenities that Westin/Starwood offers plus excellent bar and restaurant services. You can always find water containers filled with fresh fruit and veggies around the common areas. One morning, I filled up my water bottle with lychee, mints and blackberries. It was quite refreshing. When we go to Vancouver at the end of June, we will be staying here. I’m sure Raychel will love the outdoor pool and the Heavenly shower head.
http://www.westingrandvancouver.com/

Super 8 Motel – Niagara Falls
An affordable chain, with simple in-room features, this is a place where families would go just to rest & shower. A perfect one night stay in the summer! I have Dealfind vouchers for this motel and I will plan to invite the in-laws to join us for a weekend in the summer. There’s an outdoor pool so Raychel can enjoy a dip after a day around Clifton Hills.
www.niagarafallssuper8hotel.com/

Great Wolf Lodge – Niagara Falls
This lodge has everything a child could want – a Water Park, Cabin themed rooms, storytelling time and MagicQuest – an interactive adventure with a Classic wand. What haven’t they thought of?! Another great thing about this place is that there are always promotional codes and discounts. And of course, it’s only 2 hours from Toronto. Hopefully we can plan a 1 night stay with our friends or old neighbours this year. All our kids would love it!
http://www.greatwolf.com/niagara/waterpark

Carnival Cruise – Caribbean 5 days
To celebrate our 1 year anniversary, we will plan a R-cubed cruise trip around the Caribbean. I’ve only been on the Disney cruise and both Ray & Raychel haven’t broken in their sea legs so I hope we get to enjoy an intimate family vacation. And there’s lots of fun, exciting activities on-board for Raychel that we can let her play in a supervised setting while we get Mommy & Daddy time!
http://www.carnival.com/cruise-to/caribbean.aspx