I used Priceline to book us 2 rooms. We really wanted an indoor pool so I booked a night at two different hotels. Priceline is so easy to use and usually gets me a room at a 3 1/2 star hotel for around $50 a night. Score!
The first night we checked into the Courtyard Marriot by the newly renovated Chesapeake Arena. We had a great from our balcony and the kids loved it. Our room was very small, but we made it through. The big draw for this hotel was the indoor pool. When I took the kids down to the pool it was completely empty. We had a blast playing pool volleyball and just being silly. Meanwhile ZK was picking up pizzas from Humble Pie. Our friend owns this superb pizzeria. I highly suggest the cheese bread with the beer cheese dip. I can eat my weight in that! When the kids went back down to swim later in the evening, it was over run by people who were letting others in that weren't staying at the pool and had brought their own liquor bar in there. Boo! We finished off the evening watching Christmas specials.
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| Yep that is Bricktown in the background. This was the coveted view according to the concierge. Don't agree! |
The next morning we had homemade cinnamon rolls that Lioness had made for us. The hotel didn't offer a complimentary breakfast so we prepared accordingly so to the cost down for the weekend. It was so yummy! We also opened gifts with the kids and they loved the novelty of opening them in a hotel room. They went back down with ZK to swim one more time.
Since we had time to kill before we could check into the next hotel, we decided to go to the Art Museum. Brown Bear had won a family pass and was really wanting to use it. The older kids (minus lioness who basically sat on the bench in each gallery) really enjoyed it. The museum provides backpacks for the younger ones filled with art supplies to keep them entertained. This worked beautifully for Koala. Lion Cub had one too. It didn't get used as much. They had a art class that started at 1 for the kids. We went to the suburban to eat and then came back in for the class. They were making Christmas cards. All the kids participated, even Lioness! There were lots of supplies provided and the class was free since we are members.
After the class the kids really wanted to do something else. We were very close to Myriad Gardens. It was a little tricky to find a parking spot for free (remember we were trying to keep it thrifty!) but it was worth the hunt. It just re-opened and was so much fun! We strolled through the new gardens admiring the landscaping. It was a beautiful day so we didn't hurry. The children's play area was a blast! I think they could have stayed there quite a bit longer. We wanted to get checked into the next hotel before we facetimed ZK's family which cut the time a little shorter than they wanted.
Check-in at the Residence Inn was just as simple and pain-free as it was at the Courtyard. Our room here was quite a bit bigger and had a full kitchen. We knew this coming into it so we brought food to cook. Simple things like hotdogs, baked beans and spinach dip. We also had cookies and brownies that we made at home. The Residence Inn has a sport court that drew my oldest immediately! He went and checked out a basketball and talked Lion Cub and I into playing with him. We played for about an hour. When we came back up, ZK and Lioness headed over to Bass Pro to spend his gift card. Brown Bear headed back to the courts with 2 of his siblings. They spent at least another hour out there. I can't tell you how much we appreciated this extra amenity.
After dinner, some of them went to the workout room. It is very nice and has a wide range of equipment. They are still down there as I type this. The other kiddos built a fort in the closet area. This hotel also has a breakfast buffet for their patrons and we plan on partaking of it.
Think a stay-cation might be something you want to do? Try Priceline! It could bring it down to your budget. You don't need to stay in a hotel, but it is fun and makes you feel like a tourist. We thoroughly enjoyed this weekend. It came in under $175 for everything, including the food.
There are always so many things to do that are free or nearly free. Just visit your cities website or Google it and see what other sites come up. In December our town has free museum Sundays. It is a good time to see other museums and see if there are any that we would want to visit again. Parks are always good ways to spend time together for free.
Have you ever had a stay-cation? What did you do?
I leave you with this hilarious video of the Zookeeper. He prides himself on being able to ride anything and not getting dizzy or sick. Just ignore my cackling and you will enjoy it. I promise!
1 random thoughts:
funny video! i could never do that!
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