Our Family Staycation at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach!

We recently realized we have not taken a family vacation in the last three years since we had our daughter! Seeing that our days of being a family of three are limited and traveling somewhere in my 3rd trimester was not a good idea, we thought it would be fun to do a local staycation! We called it our “Siblingmoon” as it would be the last time the three of us would get dedicated time together. No offense to Little Sister on the way, but we thought it would be special to do one last trip before she joins us!

So early this week, my husband took off work, we both totally “unplugged” and ventured off to the beautiful Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa for two nights.  The property recently opened Slyders, an extraordinary $4 million dollar activities pool and water playground, the only one of its kind along the OC coast. 

Can I tell you how wonderful it was to pack up the car and be at our destination in 15 minutes?! It was completely stress-free and EASY! I have to say after having so much fun locally, I don’t know if we would travel far for a family vacation again!

The property is absolutely breathtaking. It is definitely a luxury resort, with an upscale California casual feel, and is incredibly family-friendly. There are several beautiful water fountains on the expansive manicured grounds, a cute little Village with shops and restaurants, and even a Pizzeria and game room. It was fun just letting her run around and explore the property. One night we took the lighthouse bridge over to the beach and took a beautiful walk to the Huntington Beach Pier.

Our room was AMAZING. We stayed in a suite with an ocean view and a wonderful balcony where we had breakfast each morning. There is really nothing better than breakfast with an ocean breeze! Staying in a suite made it so nice as we could put our daughter down for bed while my husband and I could stay up and play cards (we LOVE cribbage – and only play on vacation!) without waking her. It was so ultra-relaxing….oh just typing this makes me want to go back!

Let me tell you about Slyders.  It is, simply put, family paradise! With the exception of taking about a 30 minute break for lunch, my daughter was in the water for probably seven straight hours! It has many features to keep little ones and parents entertained throughout the day – 3 water slides, two fire pits, a pool cafe and bar, a toddler wading pool and oversized Jacuzzi.

Throughout the day, our daughter “rotated” from one pool feature to the next. First she would play around in the one foot wading pool (PERFECT for little ones!), then she would want to play in the big pool, then into the massive Jacquzzi to warm up.  Since my belly rendered me un-waterslidable, my husband took her down the little waterslide about a hundred times. She just couldn’t get enough! She also loved the inner tubes and baby floats the pool had for the kids. You don’t even have to pack your pool toys! We literally had to drag her up to the hotel room at the end of the day, she didn’t want to leave.

On the second day we had a few local friends to visit and rented a cabana to celebrate her birthday. Yes, you can host a pool party at this hotel! Isn’t that awesome? Their pool party packages are so fabulous, it warrants its own post. I will do one next week – stay tuned!

I could go on and on about how amazing the resort is and how much fun we had. I wish we had more time to take advantage of everything the hotel had to offer! They have Camp Hyatt and SophistiKids programs for kids, beach cruiser rentals, Beach Butler service, pool activities like “Dive-In Movies” at night, fire pits for roasting s’mores by the pool or on the beach (s’mores kits available at the grocer in the Village), and the list goes on and on. I guess we just have to go back and make this a yearly tradition!

AND, for locals, starting Sept. 8th (after Labor Day), you will be able to purchase day passes to Slyders Pool! Cost is $15/child (kids 2 and under free)and $25/adult. It includes access to the pool for the day as well as reduced valet parking rate of $6. Definitely something to keep on your radar, as this pool would be such a fun place to take your family, especially with our gorgeous Fall weather.

So, if you are wanting to get away this summer, but don’t want to spend the money to fly or drive some place far away, the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa is the IDEAL destination for a memorable family staycation! 

At the risk of sounding corny, but I truly believe it, this was one of the most special times we have shared together as a family. I will carry the memories of our stay there for a long time to come.

Have a great weekend everyone! Here are some pics of our adventures at the Hyatt!