Kalahari has the largest indoorwater park of the 3, and is the largestresortlocated in the Poconos. I went back into our pictures and corrected the post with the actual picture of the Great Wolf Lodge bathroom. Many of the activities are located right on the main level off to the left of the main lobby so they are very visible. (especially Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge) If you were to drive from Kalahari, to Great Wolf Lodge, and then to Aquatopia the total distance would be approximately 11.3 miles and take just 26 minutes. The TV in the room seemed to be new and was the largest of any we saw at the three resorts. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Second, certain areas of the waterpark, especially the hot tubs, the wave pool and small kids areas were overcrowded. 16 years ago Save I'm pricing a stay for a Christmas gift and Wilderness is about $100 less per night ($165). The kids really enjoyed the cabin themed suite which was adorned with a lot of cute character images. We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. You all have multi room suites as well as an African Queen Suite.Let's talk about the African Queen Suite for a moment. Some of the profit from any sale may merely make it intoourpocket instead of Jeff Bezos'! Nothing? I also added a note how COVID-19 has delayed our plans to stay @ Aquatopia. Tom Foolerys also has a mirror maze, escape rooms, indoor ropes course, laser tag, rock climbing wall, XD dark ride and bowling. I will note as a previous reviewer did that Great Wolf Lodge had SPECTACULAR lifeguards. Adventure Update # 040: Toilet Seat Police! The mountainous / hilly location complimented the overall lodge theme and it was nice to sit out there with the kids as the weather cooled in the evening. On our previous visit a couple of years ago we felt the place was showing some wear and tear. If your brand of parenting involves stiff drinks, Kalahari is much more liquor focused, with bartenders and full drinks. Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your recent visit. Thank you for taking the time to comment! Kalahari Resort, including Pocono Mountains location. Im pleased to hear that you enjoyed the various sections of the waterpark. There is also a cafe (Cafe & Bar) and a restaurant (Horizons) located right off the main lobby. One is about 13 minutes long and is about Brinley Bears fun day and the other is about 8 minutes long and is about the origin of Great Wolf Lodge. Kids jumping in and out, the areas are not guarded by staffsame problem as Great Wolf. Kalahari was the cheapest on Friday evening but the most expensive during the week & the second most expensive on Saturday evening. Salaries are taken from job posts or reported by employees and are not adjusted for level or location. There is one primary restaurant on the main level on the left side of the lobby / front entrance. We didn't expect gourmet food at a waterpark, but the nachos were so tasteless that my 12-year old pushed them aside and asked for a chicken finger. more. Kassi was terrific! Hopefully you can come again soon but until then, take care! Thanks for your review! Adventure Update # 64: Summer Vacation 2022! There was also only one sink in the room (as well as only one bathroom which had only a standard sized tub). The water is warm, but not too hot. We went to all three water parks in the Poconos (Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari & Aquatopia) to find out which one is the BEST water park. We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. Were going in January. The drive was almost exactly 100 miles for us and we arrived a few minutes after 1:00 pm. Much more concise! The balcony/patio was laughable. Inspired parents sharing the joys & adventures of the parenthood journey! EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. Hello! Then to get to the lower level you have to take the stairs. Kalahari has the largest indoor waterpark of the 3, and is the largest resort located in the Poconos. The lobby was somewhat hectic with the number of people filing in and out, restaurants, shops, carts filled with souvenirs for sale, and a long line at the guest registration desk. For our Wednesday June 26th, 2019 stay @ Kalahari the cost of our room was $249.99 with taxes & fees amounting to $66.09, bringing the total to $316.08. If you are going to Cedar Point, Castaway is located right at the beginning of the causeway to CP. Kalahari Resorts opened in 2015 in the Poconos. Hopefully you can keep returning and finding even more ways to have fun with us as the kids grow. A water park comparison guide for the water park headquarters of the USA The Poconos! The distance from the lobby to our room was an extremely long haul for her. With multiple flexible rooms and more than 15,000 square feet of outdoor event space, our Wisconsin Dells resort has your next special occasion covered with: Adaptable event spaces for birthdays, weddings, cocktail receptions, conferences, meetings, and more. We simply love everything about it! Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. Great Wolf Lodge has a woodland creature and forest theme, while Kalahari has an African theme. Agreed, Great Wolf or Castaway would be better. The other kids and I voted for Great Wolf Lodge. Hello, Erika! If I was ever to get a weekend alone with my wife we would go to Kalahari since there are more amenities and it is not so kid-centric. Most of the activities (at all of the resorts) are priced a la carte. Chip Williamson All Rights Reserved. Most of the time we were at Aquatopia we ate FROM Trails End Pub & Grille. It is the best themed lazy river out of the three water parks in the Poconos! Water park temperatures at all three Poconos water parks is the same @ 84 degrees, year-round. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review. (If we wanted to watch tv, we could go to our room.) The hostesses and the servers were professional and pleasant. There are other places with better miniature golf courses and a regular bowling alley does a better job for bowling so we tend not to spend our dollars on those activities when we are at Great Wolf Lodge. The sound system is rather poor and the performance is rather loud. In addition to hair dryers and clock radios, guestrooms provide microwaves, refrigerators, coffeemakers, and minibars. Both resorts in the Poconos have a water coaster. We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. Let's talk about the Royal Hospitality Suite at Kalahari Pocono. Which Poconos waterpark do you like best? It is so fun for my children (12 & 4 years old) and for adults too!! Hey, thanks for the great reviews! Bigger waterpark and more rides than Great Wolf Lodge. The water park @ Kalahari is HUGE. * > Please call 1-877-KALAHARI (525-2427) and request booking code O1107. It is especially better for younger kids ones who dont want or need a life jacket! We ended loading up the car, checking out (automatically at 11:00), and then using our onsite privileges for a few more hours before going offsite at a nearby restaurant to each lunch and hitting the highway to return home.My biggest concern about the facility itself is that the elevator from the lobby to the lower level waterpark is not easily discoverable or accessible. Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? We were on the bottom level and we had a small patio walk out area next to the ropes course. Since we are usually there for just one night we resign ourselves to it being a pizza for dinner night. Great Wolf Lodge recently renovated their suites to a more updated style and clean look. The cabin was towards the front of the room and was semi-private for the kids. Thank you for pointing out my mistake! Sitemap, The Ultimate Guide to Kalahari Resort Locations in the US, The Ultimate Guide to Great Wolf Lodge Locations in the US, The Ultimate Guide to Six Flags Locations in the US, US Cultural Hotspots: The top US cities for a vacation packed with culture, How Shipping Luggage With Ship Camps Makes Summer Camp Prep Easy, The Worlds Best Spring Break Destinations, Chicago Family Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting with Kids. This was our 3rd visit to Kalahari, the 2 previous times we stayed was before March 2017 when the resort was only half way completed. Clean, safe & staff so friendly! Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. You could definitely capture everything this place has to offer in 2-3 days. But, if or when we do return, I look forward to spending more time in that adults-only grotto. Kalahari is absolutely immense! Aquatopia made an effort to do some theme-ing with the Kartrite Quest /Adventures but this really only covers the water park and the activities for kids to the left of the lobby. Check there and compare prices with their website to find the lowest prices for your stay. There were 2 bathrooms one off the walk-in area and the second one in the master suite. Whereas, the roofline @ Great Wolf Lodge is blocky. Our complaints fell on deaf ears, as we needed a certain amount of space for.our family, and the hotel informed us that there was nothing they could do. Please see our partners for more details. Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. We have never patronized the restaurant as it does seem expensive. Although our room was not yet ready (official check-in is at 4:00), we received our bracelets to use the waterpark downstairs and we were advised that we could store our luggage in an adjacent locked storage area. Great Wolf Lodge offers resort lodges with indoor water parks near both large theme parks. To the credit of one observant & kind employee he noticed the exceedingly poor service my wife had received and apologized to her later in the day when he saw her. The floors were full of paper, tissues, dirty towels, used dippers, used shampoo packets etc and there was no attendant in sight. Kalahari was definitely newer and nicer but also more expensive. (But It Wasnt Horrible), Using United Miles to Increase my Relatives Chances of Getting Hungarian Visas. People who got there after her were served well before her. Please email me directly at PAConnect@kalahariresorts.com. Yes it is HUGE but it is also laid out well and serves as a destination itself within the resort. As I mentioned earlier with 4 kids ranging in age from 2 10 we are not very often dining in @ a restaurant. We had no real negatives about Great Wolf but in all honesty, Kalahari Resort surpasses them on almost all levels, but to no fault of Great Wolf. Take care! Comparison between Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge water park Great Wolf Lodge has a woodland creature and forest theme, while Kalahari has an African theme. The splash park area of the water park devoted to smaller children (toddlers Penguin Play Bay) is very weak compared to Kalahari and somewhat awkwardly placed on a second tier of the waterpark close to some steps going down. When he pulled down the Murphy's bed, dirty nastiness came down with it. At Kalahari, there are two separate, toddler play areas. The suite had an interesting layout, but who could enjoy it when you were struggling not to vomit. The room was not only spacious, but didn't reek like cat urine. We did really like the lazy river at Aquatopia. I know that camelback has a swim up bar at its resort but I have never been to the other two. Kalahari features a number of signature sit-down restaurants (Sortinos Italian Kitchen (Italian food), B-Lux Grill & Bar (Burgers & Shakes), Double Cut (Steakhouse). Thank you, again. Kalahari seems to have a bit more of a selection when it comes to very large rooms. It's small enough to feel cozy but large enough to feel like you are actually at a hotel. Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? The splash park or toddler area of the water park was rather small. This was terrific we will likely do all three spaced out over a few years, but this absolutely helped us figure out what order to go in. As I indicated above I should not have been charged a fee for parking since we did not leave a vehicle at the resort and were dropped off. Poconos Waterpark Comparison Guide: Kalahari versus Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge! From the pricing you see above you can understand why we usually opt for the kids to miss a day of school when we head over to one of Poconos water parks! For size reference, Great Wolf Lodges water park is the smallest at about 79,000 square feet. Camelbacks Aquatopia seems to strike a particularly good balance for children in the 10 + age group and is the best water park for pre-teens and early teens. So I guess you just dont need it that much. For the price I would expect better service. Although I am admittedly not a big fan of buffets, we figured it would be easy for everyone to find something they liked. Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. Ax throwing, ropes course, zip line, off-road Segway tours through the forest & switchback UTV tour. Klahari is themed and decorated as an African resort. Kids are going to want to explore all areas of this place and we find it frustrating reading reviews about those complaining about how expensive everything is. > *Valid exclusively for past guests of Kalahari Resort - Sandusky, Ohio. We LOVED IT!More. Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. Since our last visit to Great Wolf Lodge they have established a relationship with Dunkin Donuts and there is one located on the main floor just off the right of the lobby. When looking at Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari as destinations for families, they both offer plenty of fun activities. When you leave make sure to return the towels and swipe the wrist band again or you will be charged for the towels. Try getting on the email lists of both of these resorts to learn about the discounts they offer throughout the year. Camelback Resort & Aquatopia are somewhere right in-between Kalahari & Great Wolf Lodge by almost every measure! Likewise the lobby is magnificent! The Kalahari Resort is well appointed, nicely decorated, and the facilities are well maintained. Kalahariis the biggest of the 3 and has a wider range of offerings that will appeal to both adults & children. We also only stayed one night, so Im not sure how often housekeeping visits. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. We are a family of 6 with four kids ranging in ages from 5 12 years old. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Miles for Family with appropriate and specific directions to the original content. For families with teenagers this is the best water park for you. Kalahari still boasts plenty of kiddie water slides, but it also has more thrilling slides for older children. 4600 Milan Road Sandusky, OH 44870 (800) 641-9653. Generally we are there for some water park fun and that is what Great Wolf Lodge does best so that is where we spend the majority of our time. Also, Outdoor pool and some small outdoor water slides (all seasonal). We usually just order a pizza and eat it in our room with maybe a salad. During our long walk to the room (the opposite end of the facility), he was VERY professional, engaging and helpful. So the water park is what we usually focus on. We say this because Aquatopia has the most activities (rock wall, laser tag, escape room, etc) at its resort that will likely appeal to pre-teens and early teens. My husband was brave enough to continue exploring as I sat out on the ground level patio. It may come down to a simple question: How old are the children in your party? Berrellis Italian Chophouse wasnt really an option for us as this restaurant is physically located in a different building from where we were staying & where the indoor water park is located. Hence our balcony seemed to be under ground and we were looking at a high retaining wall for a view. Weve stayed at GWL Williamsburg and Kalahari in the Poconos. That is with just 2 adults and 4 kids. Great Wolf Lodge is better for younger kids, IMHO (ages 2-12, maybe); there are more self-contained areas for easier supervision, whereas Kalahari is better for slightly older kids (maybe 5-15,). The ladies bathroom and changing area looked tike a war zone! (GWL = Great Wolf Lodge & K = Kalahari). Thank you for your support! In November 2020, a competitor to GWL opened in Texas. Let me start by saying that we have visited the Great Wolf Lodge location in Fitchburg, MA on 2 separate occasions and had enjoyable visits each time.

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