Kalahari Resort, Sandusky Ohio

Our family has visited the Great Wolf Lodge and the Castaway Bay indoor water parks a few times since they opened. Now that our family has grown to six (children ages 13, 7, 6 and 3), we were ready to give Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky a try. From what we heard, it was the largest of the 3 in the Sandusky area which can be good or bad. Here are some of our thoughts after the trip.

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The Good:
- for a family with children of different ages, there is plenty to do for every one
- during spring break week, they seemed to have plenty of room options just a couple of weeks in advance. When we arrive, they were booked to capacity though, so reservations are a must.
- even when full, the place didn't seem overly crowded and lines to slides were reasonable
-there are areas such as the lazy river and wave pool that the entire family can enjoy
-our room was clean and the pull out sofa was a good option for the children
-good coffee and donuts gave Mommy energy to keep up with the children

The Bad:
- it's difficult to stay together and find each other unless you make a plan to meet at a certain time
- wish they had more clocks to figure out what time it is when trying to meet up with your group
-late check in and early check out make the time spent in the room very limited, but the locker room facilities were adequate to shower and get ready to go home
-observing the lifeguards staring off into the distance and bored looks on their faces didn't give me the biggest confidence in their abilities to respond to emergencies, but I am CPR certified and actually use those skills, so I was ok with that:)


Tips:
-Many area rec centers offer discounted rooms when school is out during the week, but expect to see all your neighbors there :)
-arrive as soon as you can to avoid long lines at the reception area
-pack swimsuits in a separate bags and head to swim since rooms are most likely not ready right away
-research nearby restaurants and print coupons ahead of time as food is pricy at the resort itself

Will we be back to Kalahari? Absolutely. But next time we will likely return to Castaway Bay and combine it with a summer trip to Cedar Point.

OVERALL: 8/10
PARENTS: 9/10
KIDS: 10/10
FUN: 9/10
EDUCATIONAL: 2/10 (there are educational opportunities at the resort, but we didn't go there for that)