There are a couple of key things about stay-cations that really take out the stress equation:
1. Packing is so much easier. You literally just throw a swimsuit and a couple of tanks and shorts into a bag for each member of your family and you're good to go! You know what the weather will be like so you don't need 18 million outfit options per day - easy peasy.
2. Much shorter travel time. When your stay-cation time is over, you're home in 30 minutes (give or take!). Coming from the person who had the worst luck on our last drive home from California - TRUST ME, this is a huge deal!
3. You're not a total newbie. I like to be pretty familiar with an area when I vacation, which makes stay-cations such an attractive option! You sorta know the area and attractions, but most likely haven't taken the time to really explore. It's familiarity and adventure rolled into one - a perfect combo in my book!
We recently got back from the most fabulous stay-cation at the Hyatt Place Mesa. We live in North Phoenix, so we were super excited to check out all that this hotel and the East Valley had to offer!
When we first walked int the hotel we were blown away by how nice it was and how friendly the staff was. Every single time we passed the front desk during our stay, the staff greeted us with a welcoming smile and wished us a great day - I feel like by the end of our stay they knew us all by name!
Our room was super modern and so well appointed too. There was a huge comfy sectional sleeper sofa and a separate sleeping area with two queen beds, that were so comfy that both Adam and I remarked how we both had the best nights sleep there that we've had in a very long time! Our room overlooked the pool and had gorgeous skyline views of the nearby attractions and even Camelback and Pagago Mountain views too - so pretty!
Speaking of nearby attractions, the Hyatt Place Mesa is located in the heart of Mesa River View which is a prime location for shopping and entertainment. We LOVED being able to walk to so many nearby attractions and even dinner one night.
It is home to the always fun Bass Pro Shop which we had so much fun walking around in and dreaming out one day purchasing a boat!
The Mesa River View Park is less than a mile away from our hotel and so much fun for the kids! Our family absolutely loves playing outdoors and checking out new parks is one of our favorite activities.
River View Park has some of the coolest playground equipment we've ever seen and such a fun splash pad and even a lake too! One morning I went running in the park and had a blast!
We were lucky with cloud cover on the morning we spent playing there so we were able to spent a lot of time enjoying the outdoors as a family.
We also loved checking out Mesa's Pioneer Park. This place has probably the most unique playground equipment I have ever seen - so many creative designs and fun pieces to climb up, slide down, and run through.
They also had a cool life size train engine replica that the kids loved and another neat shaded splash pad area. If your family loves parks like ours, you would love Mesa!
Another fun area attraction we loved was Tempe Marketplace - its only 2 miles from Hyatt Place Mesa too! This is such an awesome place for with so much to do. We spent an entire evening there eating dinner, browsing the shops, playing some games, and then ending it with some frozen yogurt after letting the kids run through the splash pad that's in their center courtyard area.
As an Arizona State grad, I'm always blown away by how much this area has grown and all of the amazing shops, restaurants, and entertainment options this area has now.
I have several friends who have an annual tradition with their kids to do a stay-cation the last weekend or two before school starts - a time to reconnect and relax with their families before its time to buckle down. I think it would be really fun to stay at the Hyatt Place Mesa for a long weekend, and with all this nearby top-tier retail, you could also do a bunch of back to school shopping while you're at it!
Even if you don't want to venture out, the Hyatt Place Mesa has a bunch of things to keep you busy at their hotel too. We absolutely loved their resort style pool! It was crystal blue and the perfect temperature and had fun little fountains that spray water into the air.
I really appreciated that it had shaded lounge areas and misters too - perfect for escaping the sun and taking a breather in-between cannonballs into the pool! They even had a hot tub too that we loved to dip our feet into after the sun went down!
I think my son's favorite part of the hotel was the nine hole putting green. We love when hotels have an in-house entertainment option like a game room or mini-golf. It's something fun to do when you come home from dinner and aren't yet ready to retire to your room.
If my son's favorite part of the hotel was the golf, then mine was definitely the food! I think I could write a whole blog post about their breakfast at the Hyatt Place Mesa - seriously it was THAT good!
Breakfast is included in your stay and it's incredible. We stayed there two nights and there were different options everyday which I loved.
There were so many healthy and gourmet options like Cage Free Scrambled Eggs, Rosemary Potatoes, French Toast, Bacon and Sausage, Greek Yogurt, Oatmeal with all the fixings and the yummiest fruit salad.
The hotel also offered several other 24/7 dining options which was super handy!
They have a all-day gallery menu that offers many choices for hot or cold meals that you can eat in the hotel dining area, poolside, or in your room, a coffee and cocktails bar, and even a grab and go market with quick bites, drink, and (our favorite!) dessert options. We LOVED their cookies and chocolate lava cake too!
Which is a good time to talk about their fitness center - ha! They had a great fitness center that I took advantage of one morning. It overlooked the pool and was fully stocked with top of the line cardio machines, free weights, and medicine balls.
I loved that it had runners painted on the wall too - which I forgot to talk about until now - this hotel is actually right at the start and finish lines of the Mesa Phoenix Marathon! So cool right? I had several friends, both from in and out of town, that stayed at this hotel for that race because the bus pick up line is literally right outside the front doors of the hotel. I really need to take advantage of this next time I run that race!
Speaking of taking advantage of something good - the kind folks from the Hyatt Place Mesa have extended a special offer to stay at their hotel for all of YOU! You can save 20% off your stay by using corporate booking code 112324 or clicking HERE will apply the savings for you automatically. Savings are good for bookings now through September 30th on travel dates now through December 31st, 2018.
So there you go friends, if you're like me and a little over summer already - do yourself and your family a favor and book that super fun stay-cation now for a killer deal. I promise you'll have a blast and make some incredible memories too (as noted from my picture overload on this post - sorry, #notsorry!)
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