It’s no secret that we are regular travelers. We have ventured to many states across the country. In fact, I only have nine states remaining to get to all fifty! As you can imagine, we’ve had both good and bad hotel and lodging experiences. Thankfully, we’ve had far more amazing experiences and I am so happy to share some of the BEST hotels and lodging across the US that we’ve stumbled upon!
Best View – Sea Sprite Inn in Cannon Beach, Oregon
The Sea Sprite Inn in Cannon Beach, Oregon is probably my favorite lodging of all time! We adored this little beach cottage so much. It’s nestled right on the beach with amazing views of Haystack Rock! The sunsets were like nothing I have ever seen before, all from the comfort of the living room.
The unit we booked had one bedroom, one bathroom, a full kitchen, and a living room with a sleeper sofa. It was perfect for our family of four! The back door led out to a grassy picnic area with tables and lawn chairs. It was also right on the beach, so we were able to explore Haystack Rock and the tide pools surrounding it! At night, we’d have bonfires right on the beach. For the price, the views here cannot be beat!
Best FREE Breakfast – The Holiday Inn Express in Orange Beach, Alabama
We recently stayed at the Holiday Inn in Orange Beach and we were impressed with many things, but the free breakfast really stood out! It was so nice to actually have a good quality breakfast each morning before we ventured out to the beach for the day.
A big hotel selling point for our family is free breakfast! It’s so nice having one less thing to worry about in the mornings. Let me tell you, this free breakfast is the best one we’ve ever had! They provided such a large assortment for everyone. Each morning there were biscuits and gravy, either sausage or bacon, and eggs. The egg choices were either cheesy omelets, egg white omelets with peppers, cheesy scrambled eggs, or boiled eggs. There were also cereals, pancakes, yogurts, fruits, and cinnamon rolls! We left completely stuffed and ready for a day at the beach!
Best Location – The Kelly Inn in West Yellowstone, Montana
Even though we were on our Yellowstone trip during the historic flooding of 2022 and never were able to go into the Park, we couldn’t have been staying at a better location! Not only was the staff at the Kelly Inn pretty remarkable under these stressful times, the location helped make our stay a little better.
It is so close to the West entrance of Yellowstone National Park, we could’ve walked right in had it been open. We were able to walk from the hotel to the Wolf Discovery Center and even to all of the shops and restaurants on the main street! So, if you’re planning a trip to visit Yellowstone, I highly recommend the Kelly Inn as your home base during the visit!
Best Pool – Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas
We recently traveled down to San Antonio and the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa hands down wins the best pool vote! We spent most of our time at the resort’s five acre water park! This resort has a Texas shaped adults only pool, a large family pool, a lazy river, a lagoon area, and even a water slide! And, the views are pretty breathtaking, too. The pools and lazy river are nestled under so many trees, so even though we were in Texas, the heat wasn’t unbearable at all! If you or your kids enjoy pool time, then I highly suggest checking this resort out.
As an added bonus, there are two different poolside bars and grills, with staff that comes around to take your food and drink orders. You do not have to worry about bringing your wallet with you, as you’re able to charge everything back to your room!
Best On-Site Dining – Chestnut Mountain Resort in Galena, Illinois
We stayed at the Chestnut Mountain Resort last summer on part of our Midwest road trip! This place has so much to offer, but the delicious on-site dining is what stands out to me the most. I find myself craving the breakfasts in the morning and the shrimp salad was to die for!
This is another one of those places that had so many activities and my boys often wanted to just spend the entire day at the resort! It’s so nice when there’s also great dining available for those days that you just want to relax and explore the property you’re visiting!
Best Amenities – Still Water Resort in Branson, Missouri
It’s been years since we stayed at the Still Water Resort, but it’s one of those places that we talk about often! My kids were never bored during our stay here. There are so many water activities available, we weren’t even able to do them all! From a really cool water slide to several different pools, then a lake with paddle boards, kayaks, water trikes, and more, there is something here for everyone!
We also loved the quiet atmosphere around the different units and the food trucks on-site were definitely an added bonus! This is one place that we are eager to return to!
Best Tour – The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado
If you follow along on our adventures, then you might already know that I love a good ghost tour! So, it’s been a dream of mine to stay here at the Stanley Hotel! On our first night at the hotel, we booked the latest Shining Tour and embarked on an adventure to spot some of the ghosts that are reported to roam the property.
We didn’t have luck finding any, but we thoroughly enjoyed our guide and hearing stories of the hotel’s past. We were even entertained with ghost stories and photos of ghost sightings along the way. The hotel is already remarkable, so seeing some of the recreated scenes from The Shining movie on the tour was also really fun!
Best Spa – The Cliff Lodge in Snowbird, Utah
Picture this, you start your morning off doing yoga in a room with floor to ceiling windows set in the mountains. It’s October, so the trees are full of fall colors. But you’re lucky, because you’re also witnessing the first snowfall of the season! This was my experience on my girls’ spa weekend trip in Utah! Following our morning yoga session, we then had full body massages, enjoyed the steam room, had a pedicure, and spent some time out in the rooftop hot tub!
The Cliff Lodge is one of those places that I long to return back to. We had the best time relaxing in the mountains and being completely pampered for the entire weekend! If you’re looking for a getaway like the one I described above, then I highly recommend checking this place out!
Best Hospitality – The Manhattan at Times Square in New York City, New York
We adored the hospitality that the staff at The Manhattan Times Square showed us during our visit over Thanksgiving break! Checking in went so smoothly, even though we arrived much earlier than the actual check-in time. And the staff really liked our boys and asked them if they wanted to stay on a high or low floor. Of course, the boys said, “The highest floor!” So, they actually put us right on the top!
The coolest part was that we were also put in a corner room and we had a perfect view of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade right from our room. That was totally unexpected and I know that the staff had everything to do with what room we got! This hotel is a little older and not the roomiest, as most in NYC are, but we will gladly go back! We had such a special visit and being able to watch the parade from our hotel window made it that much better!
Best Nightlife – The Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada
We were very pleasantly surprised with how much fun we had in Vegas with our boys. And, after three previous visits, I finally got to stay at the Bellagio! It was everything I had hoped it would be. We really loved watching the fountains, even from the room.
We also really enjoyed the nightlife! My kids liked watching all of the people and busyness going on around the casino. And it’s huge, there’s something to explore in just about every corner. We did some shopping, ate great food, watched Jereme play some slot machines, and roamed the strip. Plus, the holiday décor was amazing and I am so happy we got to experience it!
Best Winter Wonderland – Fraser Crossing Founders Pointe in Winter Park, Colorado
If you’re ready to visit the mountains during the wintertime, I highly recommend staying at Fraser Crossing Founders Pointe. Winter Park is already a dreamy winter destination, and this condo complex is so close to the ski slopes and more budget friendly than others we’ve stayed at.
Here, you can relax in your room and watch the snow fall or simply walk right to the base for shopping, dining, and skiing or snowboarding. It’s so convenient, especially if you’re hitting the slopes with kiddos. We’ve never been disappointed with a stay here!
I hope these recommendations help you plan a fantastic adventure! Be sure to continue to follow our travels for more tips on destinations, lodging, hiking, and other family-friendly vacation ideas!
