Girls' Weekend Getaway- Kalahari Waterpark Resort

Girls’ Weekend Getaway
Kalahari Waterpark Resort- Sandusky, Ohio
April 16-17, 2010

An indoor water park is not my typical destination. I prefer state parks to water parks, smaller hotels to large resorts and like to explore an area rather than stay within a complex. But, I found a great price as part of a University of Findlay Alumni Event and decided with my friends Jan and Janet and my sister Megan to take a quick weekend getaway.

We met at my place around 10:30am on Friday morning and packed up the Vue with our overnight bags and a cooler full of wine and food. We decided to bring our own breakfast, lunch and snacks and eat out only for dinner. We were on the road before 11:am, heading up Interstate 77 North to I-80W to US Route 250 N. We arrived a little after noon and our room was already available. Although cozy, our room was immaculate and had everything we needed- a micro/fridge, a flat-screen TV, a fairly private balcony with a nice view of a pond, a large bathroom and two comfortable beds. Every detail was addressed- beds had faux canopies, the lighting was made from faux ox horns- all the decor screamed safari. We moved into the room, had lunch, a few glasses of wine and then headed down to the water park.

Years back, I’d had a bad water park experience where I lost control on a particularly hairpin turn of a waterslide and went from going feet first and on my back to flipped over and going down on my chin, elbows and knees- scrapped up and bruised, it was my ego and pride that were most hurt that day. I had not braved a water slide since, sticking to the wave pool. But, the water park was a blast! I built up the courage to try the Rippling Rhino, a 4-person tube slide where we plunge into complete darkness, spinning around turns and down slopes. Next we tried the Swahili Swirl, another multi-person tube slide where we ended up shooting into a giant funnel. After a few fast rides, we decided to head to the lazy river where we laid in tubes and floated around the perimeter of the water park, going under waterfalls and bouncing off of the walls- it was quite relaxing. I enjoyed the lazy river, the wave pool and laying in a lounge chair reading magazines but the highlight of the park was the indoor/outdoor hot tub with swim-up bar. We spent quite a while and drank many drinks while sitting in the hot tub, steam rising into the chilly mid-April air. At some point it started to rain, which only added to the novelty of the entire experience. After enjoying the water park into the evening, we decided to head back to our room and get ready for dinner.

As we walked around the resort we found plenty to do outside the water park. There is an arcade with indoor mini-golf, some shopping including a boutique with cute bathing suits, cover-ups and sandals, a spa, restaurants and a candy store. We had dinner at the Great Karoo Marketplace and everything was fantastic! The atmosphere was casual but the decor was very nice with huge dining tables, canopied booths and interesting artwork. We walked past a HUGE buffet with just about everything but we decided to order from the menu. We ordered the Southwestern Quesadillas and the Shrimp & Crab Cakes for appetizers and both were superb. Janet tried the Cranberry Chicken Salad, Jan had the Club and Meg and I shared the Pepper Jack Chicken sandwich- our meals were delicious! Our server did a good job of recommending drinks, as well. We stopped by the Candy Hut as we were leaving and chose a few items for dessert like chocolate-covered strawberries, huge peanut butter cups and truffles.

After dinner, we decided to have a little more fun at the water park. Megan and I rode a few two person rides like the Zip Coaster, a watercoaster with uphill climbs, freefalls and sharp turns, a raft ride called Victoria Falls and the Wild Wildebeest and the Elephant’s Trunk, tube slides that I deemed two of my favorite rides. We ended the evening in the hot tub, drinking until closing time. The area had filled with quite a few rambunctious characters and we had a good time laughing and enjoying our drinks. By the time we headed back to our room, we were exhausted. We ended the evening by drinking wine and relaxing on the balcony.

The next morning we got up early and headed back to enjoy the water park a little more. After doing a few of our favorite slides and reaching a goal of climbing at least 1000 steps during the weekend, we headed to the wave pool. We made the most of the pool by swimming laps, battling the waves, dodging people and getting a great workout, all while having a blast splashing around. We relaxed one last time in the outdoor hot tub. The steam rising from the water in the cold air of early morning hours made it a beautiful sight. Although we could have stayed until 3:pm, we were tired out by the point and decided to head out early. We were on the road by 11:am and back home by 12:30 on Saturday afternoon.

It was just a quick weekend getaway but we did all sorts of activities, relaxed and had a great time. Everything was in one large complex- it was nice to be able to walk from the park to our room and back whenever we wanted. It was a very active excursion- there’s plenty of walking, stair climbing and swimming. There were many little perks which made our stay enjoyable, including the Kalahari Outpost, a gift shop that had everything from canned soup, candy bars and postcards to bottle-openers and corkscrews (which we just happened to forget), the laundry facilities on each floor in which we dried our towels and suits and all the coupons for the restaurants and spa that we received at check-in. We continually commented on how our visit to Kalahari far exceeded our expectations. Although it isn’t my typical destination it ended up being a good time with great friends!