Rancho Las Palmas Archives - Jen is on a Journey

Splashtopia Water Park at Rancho Las Palmas Resort (part 2 of 2)

July 19, 2010 by The Mom Jen 2 Comments

For your entire stay at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort, each member of your party receives a daily wristband to Splashtopia, the property’s own waterpark. You will find two spectacular water slides, a lazy river, a splash zone, and incredibly a beach with white sand and toys provided to all guests! Adults, teens, and kids of all ages can spend the ENTIRE day here, especially in the summer! You tend to forget the high temperatures and the fact you’re in the middle of the desert when you enjoy Splashtopia!

The Lazy River Encircling Splashtopia, grab an resort-provided inner-tube and float around the currents of the Lazy River. Cruise around once or 10 times, it’s relaxation at it’s finest. With 5 spots to hop in and out, even my 4 year old hopped on and to a ride. Be careful though, if you slide out of the tube, the current is strong, my youngest needed her floaties in here just in case. There are 5 life guards on the river, they make sure everyone has a tube, no swimming here! I could do this all day, all vacation, plus poolside drinks are served in plastic cups with lids, so take one with you on your ride! Even midday in July at 115 degrees, the maximum wait for a tube is about 5 minutes!
Waterslides
2 waterslides will take you for a fun ride if you are at least 42” and 48” tall! Slide down a longer or shorter route, feet first only for a wonderful thrill. It’s been 24 years since I’ve been on a waterslide last and these were SO fun! When you splash down, beware water likes to shoot up your nose if you’re not ready for it! Only my youngest was too little for the slides, but really she didn’t mind at all. Thursday and Saturday evenings, sign up for the Slider’s Cup where age-grouped children and adults can race for the best times! Winner’s in each age group win a smoothie, grand prize winner’s can win a weekend stay at the resort. My oldest competed but didn’t place, she had a great time doing it though. My husband now says he would have, had he known adults were eligible!

Sandy Beach
Though far from the ocean, get the feel of the beach! Little ones too small for the waterslides, can grab some park-provided shovels, buckets and other toys and play in the sand at the water’s edge. This area was great for my four year old, where the water level is low, she can go floaty-less with supervision, and stay cool! She even practiced a little swimming between my husband and I. This are is pretty crowded all day, and when the sand gets on the pool bottom, is rough on adults sitting or kneeling in there. There is restrooms near by, a drink stand, water station, and lounge chairs all around for maximum comfort.
Splash Zone
Another spot great for all ages is the splash zone area. Stand beneath constant streams of water, get buckets of water poured on your head, shoot streams into the lazy river, and cool off on the hottest of days.

Dive-In Movie
I can’t stop being impressed by Rancho Las Palmas Resort! Two nights a week you can literally watch a movie from the pool. There is a big screen by the pool adjacent to Splashtopia (though Splashtopia is closed during this time) and at dusk it’s movie time! The big kids and my husband went and watched Goonies Friday night and it was incredible. Unfortunately, my youngest had since gone to bed so I stayed back in the room. If I opened the door though I could hear it!

Poolside Store
Forget sunscreen? No problem, the store has plenty of pool supplies and toys just for that reason as well as drinks and ice cream! If you want a pool float toy, they’ll even blow it up for you! Also there are about a dozen Cabanas around the pool that are available for rent. Inside you will find all day shade from the elements with a ceiling fan, lounge chairs, towels, and bottled water. Rental is by the day and starts at $125.
If you’re thirsty or hungry, the Splash Grill will deliver food, snacks, and drinks (alcoholic and non-) right to your lounge chair! Look out for waiters in the orange tees shirts to help you out!

Towel stations are located in two spots, one near the pool and the other near the sandy beach, no room key or deposit needed, just grab them when needed and deposit them before you leave in any of the dirty towel buckets. Water stations with cups and ice are available around the park to keep hydrated, we frequented those areas a lot over the weekend!

Also around are outdoor shower areas to wash off sand and chlorine.

I can’t say enough about how wonderfully staffed Splashtopia is, towels were always available and replenished, the area is impeccably clean! The 7 Life Guards help keep the park safe and minus about 30 minutes the whole weekend when the pool was closed due to pH levels being off, it was truly a spot that everyone in the family can enjoy!

Splashtopia Water Park daily admission is free with your paid nightly room fee at Rancho Las Palmas Resort, which can be a huge money saver compared to other water parks for 3 full days and 5 family members!! Being back at home, we truly miss the resort and Splashtopia, it’s going to be an annual trip for us now, and we look forward to heading back!

Read Part 1

Our hotel was comped for two nights and Splashtopia admission was included. The opinions are our tried-and-true experience and was not influenced by any source.

Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa Review (part 1 of 2)

July 19, 2010 by The Mom Jen 1 Comment

My family and I are getting really good at packing for a weekend away! For the 5 of us, two suitcases, a bag of electronics, and snacks can send us on the road for 6+ hours! Our most recent trip was to Palm Springs. Approaching our destination in Rancho Mirage, CA we watched our car thermometer rise slowly from 100 up to my first experience with 118 degrees! Here, amid the mid-summer heat, you can find an amazing oasis called Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa.

From what I read about the resort, we all were looking forward to the gorgeous air conditioned rooms as well as the property’s very own water park, Splashtopia!

The resort has a grand entrance of style and elegance, you feel you are among the rich and famous, though families are the big draw to the hotel. Check-In at the resort is 4pm, if you arrive early, you are invited to enjoy the resort to it’s fullest while your room is prepared. We were given a map, filled in on all the resort amenities, locations for food, drinks, and snacks, and were given our “wristbands” for Splashtopia. Each day of your visit, each member of your party gets a wristband that gives you a full-day’s in and out privileges. (I will write an individual review of Splashtopia in a upcoming post). Golfers will love the golf course in the cooler months, while others can try out the fabulous Spa options, depending on the nature of your trip!

The rooms for the resorts are spread around the property in separate units, housing about 20 rooms per unit. When leaving the registration area, you can drive to your unit and park just outside for easy access to your car for packing and unpacking! The units have two stories with the ground level offering a patio. Our patio with table and chairs opened to the lake for amazing views. We were thrilled to know that our poolside unit’s front door was just steps away from the pool and Splashtopia!

For our family of 5 the air conditioned (complete with ceiling fan) King room was large, just right to fit all of us. The sofa pulls out to sleep two children, while the long couch cushion served as my oldest’s bed! The rooms include a desk area with access to laptop internet and FREE wireless connectivity for the length of your stay! The rooms are equipped with locking mini-bars and snacks, priced high, but there if you need them. Coffee and tea are provided free in-room. The bathroom is gorgeous and spacious, providing a hair dryer and the most scrumptious smelling mango lotion, shampoo, and conditioner.

There are some great places to eat without leaving your room or the property during your stay. BluEmber is an elegant restaurant that is also completely family-friendly. When I walked in for dinner with shorts and a tank top, I said to my waiter, “I feel underdressed!” He came back to say, we want to give our guests the best, even those with children, and you dress for the weather and season. That made my day! With fine salads, steaks (my husband had a NY), and more, adults can get exactly what they want in a fancy restaurant while keeping their kids happy too. With each paid adult entrée (breakfast deal also), a child 12 and under eats free from their children’s buffet filled with pasta, chicken tenders, pizza, fries, fruit, crudités, and cookies!

Just across from BluEmber is the Palms Café and Grill. For breakfast, enjoy Starbucks coffee, donuts, pastries, yogurt, fruit, and cold cereal. For lunch and dinner, there are tons of snacks, sandwiches, and even pizza!

Adjacent to the pool, The Splash Grill is available, outdoor seating and constant misters cooling you down, you can enjoy chips/salsa, hot dogs, salads, sandwiches and great smoothies and adult cocktails. Even better, you can get your meal delivered to your lounge chair at Splashtopia or around the main pool. Meals and drinks can be charged to your room, so don’t worry about carrying cash or cards around to the property.

During our stay, my husband and I checked out the Tranquility Pool. Located near BluEmber and The Café Grill, this pool and spa area is for adults 18 and over, plays music geared for a mature crowd and is definitely serene spot to relax. We spent about an hour and a half here, sipped drinks in the pool and realized quickly so much calmer a pool area can be without kids, no splashing, no screaming! If you come without children, this is the place to be.

Something simple but necessary in the summer heat, I enjoyed having the water stations throughout the pool areas. Plastic cups, lids, and straws, water and buckets of ice are necessary to keep hydrated and I found myself refilling my cup multiple times a day, encouraging the kids to do so as well. Let me not forget the lifeguards that you find everywhere in Splashtopia! Hundreds of kids and parents can feel secure that at any time you can trust a life guard to help out if need be. I counted seven on hand at any one time!

For one reasonable rate (packages start at $129/night), your whole family can enjoy your stay at Rancho Las Palmas plus enjoy all the features of a water park free! It’s an all-inclusive vacation. And right now, you can get 50% off your 3rd night!

Let’s mention the savings as well…For 3 full days of a water park you can pay up to $35/per day/per person, that’s about $500 for a family of 5 in addition to a hotel in some locations! My husband and I are already planning our next trip out! My sister-in-law & 2 young sons lives in Arizona and we’re thinking about meeting at Rancho Las Palmas next year!

Read Part 2

Our hotel stay was compensated for 2 nights in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are our tried-and-true experience and was not influenced by any source.

Headed to Rancho Mirage, Where the Thermometers Melt!

July 15, 2010 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

A first for my family, we are headed to Rancho Mirage this weekend to experience the Rancho Las Palmas Spa and Resort! We will experience what the gorgeous resort has to offer along the lines of dining, accommodations, and family-fun. We’ve never been to this part of California and are thrilled at the chance to visit. Though it’s the middle of summer and the forecasted temperatures are in the 114-116 degree-category, we are anxious to experience property water park called Splashtopia hosting waterslides, a lazy inner-tube river, and even “sandy beaches.” Stay tuned for our full review, stay cool this weekend!