The Kalahari Resort and Convention center contains guest rooms and suites, a luxurious spa, an indoor waterpark, outdoor pool, family entertainment center, bars and restaurants, daily children's activities and a convention center. In all, it's an ideal AND relaxing spot for the entire family.
When you arrive at Kalahari to check-in, if your room is not ready the front desk will offer to contact you via cell phone once it is. This is fantastic as you'll want to get started on the fun right away! Our first stop was the indoor waterpark. It is amazing and the most impressive aspect to me was that there was something to appeal to everyone. Truly there was something from the littlest ones all the way to your full grown thrill-seekers or hot tub sitters. We headed straight for Splashdown Safari, situtated in the middle of the indoor waterpark. Our kids had never been on a waterslide but once they got their first taste of it, there was no stopping them! 
Grouped together you'll find Tiko's Water Hole, a kid-sized Lazy River and Kid-sized waterslides. This was great for younger kids and offered the fun waterpark experience without the thrills of the bigger slides. Our younger one enjoyed many laps around his own personal lazy river and enjoyed countless rides down the kid-sized slides. The water play area is like a giant and super fun water table! The kids had a blast. There are even swings and water play tables with seats for little ones. 
Beyond watching the smiles and giggles from my kids as they reached the end of each water slide, my personal favorite was the lazy river. It was an activity that we all did and enjoyed together. Our youngest sat on a lap each time around, but enjoyed it thoroughly! We visited the Lost Lagoon to play a little lagoon basketball and spent some time in the zero-entry outdoor pool. The kids loved having both indoor and outdoor options. The outdoor pool had some cozy lounge chairs lining the pool as well as an adults-only swim-up bar.
Some other things to note about the waterpark
- Several food and beverages are available within the waterpark.
- For the grown-ups there are several spots to enjoy cocktails while you swim or lounge.
- Lockers are available for a fee to store valuables or a change of clothes if needed.
- Life jackets are available (no charge) and required for little ones under 48"
- Cabanas are available for rent.
- There are restrooms/changing rooms adjacent to the waterpark where you can rinse-off and change before your ride home, should you choose to stay for the day! There is also a machine to use for drying bathing suits, leaving them just damp rather than soaking wet.
- Towels are available, though we did bring our own as well. We saved our own towels for when the kids were all done and getting a little chilly as we packed up. The towels provided are smaller than your average bath/beach towel.
The evening fun was just beginning! We made our way to the Family Entertainment Center where you can play arcade games, 9-hole miniature glow-in-the-dark golf, bowling and more! We earned a few tickets and cashed them in for prizes at the redemption center. The kids had so much fun and we were all enjoying it together. We also did not need to carry cash around with us as we could charge various purchases to our Kalahari wristbands. You can leave a credit card on file to allow for this option. We spent some time in the beautiful Kalahari lobby area, snapped some fun photos and, of course, made our souvenir pennies to take home. There are a few nice shops available in the resort for anything from snacks to souvenirs to swimsuits! 
We all slept well after a fun afternoon and evening at Kalahari. The best part was that we still had the entire next day to enjoy more of the fun. On your day of check-out, you can stay and enjoy the waterpark all day. We woke and enjoyed some morning snacks and coffee from Java Manjaro. We also had packed some breakfast snacks for the kids and were able to keep them in the in-room refrigerator which was great. We were eager to get a jump start on our water park time!
Our second day involved more of the same Kalahari fun as the day before. We reconnected and let the thrills and playfulness of the waterpark set the tone for our trip. It felt wonderful to have the amenities of a full-service resort to help both mom and dad relax and enjoy family fun! One of my favorite aspects was the fact that we couldn't carry phones around with us in the water. We were forced to unplug and enjoy each other! It felt terrific!
No one wanted to leave. Telling the kids it was time to get out of the lazy river after our "one last ride" was one of the hardest parts of our trip. We talked about our visit on our ride home and the kids couldn't decide on their "most favorite part" as they loved it all. We were sad to pull away and cannot wait to return, especially since Kalahari has big plans coming with their second phase of construction! Sometimes as you are in the day to day moments with your children, you don't know that a memory is being made until it is over. Our trip was such a wonderful memory made - our kids discovered the fun and thrills of a waterpark and we enjoyed the hassle-free vacation that actually felt like one and we all enjoyed the luxury of staying at a wonderful family-friendly resort!
Some "good to know" information for families traveling to Kalahari:
- Wristbands are used as your room key and can be used to make purchases. You can choose whether or not to activate the purchase feature for your children.
- Guest rooms are equipped with microwaves and refrigerators. There are also vending machines available on guest room floors.
- There are several dining options in the resort, all with children's menus or kid-friendly options.
- Interesting note: Kalahari Resort partnered with Clean the World and together they sanitize and recycle used soaps and shampoos left in the guestrooms. The amenities are then given to children and families in need throughout the world!
- There is a fitness center and spa on site.
To book your next vacation-that-feels-like-vacation, visit http://www.kalahariresorts.com/pennsylvania
My family received a one-night stay at the Kalahari Resorts and Conventions - Poconos to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
