Tag Archives: staycation

Our staycation at the Westin Lake Las Vegas

Westin Lake Las Vegas

The view from our room at the Westin Lake Las Vegas

To be honest, the Westin Lake Las Vegas wasn’t really on my radar until recently. Sure, I’m a certified hotel nerd who can tell you about almost every hotel in Vegas. (Wondering how much a room at the Red Rock is going for on a given night? There’s a good chance I’ve recently checked the rates and can tell you!) However, Lake Las Vegas wasn’t an area that we’d visited since moving to town in November. Besides…when it comes to Vegas hotels, the big, flashy casino/resort accomodations on the Strip often get the most attention.

Luckily, I had the opportunity to become more familiar with this hotel and the Lake Las Vegas area in general. When an invite to a media event turned into a complimentary one-night stay at the Westin, I eagerly scheduled our quick Vegas staycation and prepared myself for drinks by the pool, s’mores by the lake, and a glimpse of that strange juxtaposition of lake and desert.

Don’t expect over-the-top glitz like you’d find on the Strip. Lake Las Vegas may be a thirty-minute drive from Las Vegas Blvd, but it feels like it’s worlds away. The hotel, and the surrounding community, seem very serene. And when you’re travelling with kids to Sin City, serene can be a good thing.

Here’s the breakdown of our stay at the Westin Lake Las Vegas:

First Impressions:

I love the way the resort looks as you drive onto the property. Tall palm trees, the dark beige building against bright blue sky…it’s lovely. Once inside, we noticed the Moroccan theme, which follows guests through their entire experience.

Westin Lake Las Vegas

Beautiful and serene

And while we’re talking about first impressions, have you noticed that Westin hotels smell absolutely outstanding? How do they do it? We’ve stayed at Westin hotels several times, and that smell always reminds me of past trips and pleasant memories. (I can’t be the only person who has noticed that heavenly aroma!)

The Room:

We stayed in an alcove suite, which consisted of a sitting room with a convertable sofa and (you guessed it!) an alcove area that housed the bed and two night stands. The extra space in the alcove suite is great for families, although I wish there was more separation between the bedroom and the sitting area.

Westin Lake Las Vegas

The alcove suite

The room also had a balcony, although it was very narrow. It provided just enough room for one person to stand. This actually makes sense since this is Las Vegas; sitting on a balcony in the sweltering heat when you could be poolside would be utter madness.

balcony. Westin Lake Las Vegas

*verytinybalcony*

Overall, we were happy with the room: clean, spacious, and comfortable.

The Pools:

The Westin Lake Las Vegas offers guests two large pools and a water slide, not to mention lake activities like kayaking. The pools were clean and appeared to be well-maintained. My five-year-old daughter enjoyed the water slide, although it certainly wasn’t the fastest we’d ever been on. A man-made beach by the lake offered the perfect place for roasting marshmallows after dark, and an evening movie by the pool was a nice way to end our day.

Westin Lake Las Vegas

Fun on Lake Las Vegas

The Westin Lake Las Vegas is a good kid-friendly option for those visiting from out-of-town and for Las Vegans looking to get away for a short staycation. With its location right on the lake, this hotel offers guests more than just a comfortable bed. This is a great hotel choice for those who want a relaxing Vegas experience.

Note: I received a complimentary one night stay, but we paid for our own food and activities. All opinions are my own. I was not asked by the Westin Lake Las Vegas to write this post.

Insider Tips: Making the Most of Your Stay at the Westin La Cantera

Grilled Peach with fuschia flower. Westin La Cantera.

I was thrilled to be invited to Westin La Cantera’s mom blogger getaway. Over the course of three days, we ate amazing food, learned about Texas wines, had breakfast with Tweetie Bird, splashed in the pool, enjoyed some mom-time at the spa, and met exotic creatures. I could start a new blog and have months worth of posts covering this getaway!

Instead, I’ll boil it down for you. I’m giving you the insider tips that can help make your stay at the Westin La Cantera extra-special!

Wine Tasting for Resort Guests and the General Public

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to sit down for a wine tasting with sommelier Stephen Krueger. He selected four Texas wines for us to try, and I was pleasantly surprised. The Inwood Estates “Cornelious” tempranillo, made from grapes grown near the Texas/New Mexico border, was my personal favorite.

Believe it or not, the Texas wine tasting is open to the general public and costs only $10! Tastings are held everyday from 5-6 in Steinheimer’s Lounge.

Wine Tasting. Westin La Cantera.

Cool Off in the Hill Country

They don’t call it the Hill Country for nothing! Due to the increased elevation, guests will find a nice breeze and cooler temperatures, 3-4 degrees cooler than downtown San Antonio. We ate lunch outside in July, and it was actually comfortable. You certainly don’t find that in other parts of the city.

Know What You Eat

The food at the resort is so good. It’s hard to know where to begin: BBQ Pork Nachos, Chef Armstrong’s chili-rubbed beef, the breakfast buffet at Brannon’s Cafe…everything I ate was delicious. The coolest part? The resort is all about the farm-to-table philosophy. In fact, we got to try grilled peaches with micro-arugula, topped with a flower. And guess where that flower came from? Right outside, from a plant on the La Cantera property.

Chili rubbed beef. Westin La Cantera.

Fantastic Kids Club

You may be asking yourself how you’re supposed to enjoy all of the wine tastings, fancy flower-covered food, and tranquil awesomeness if you’ve got the kids in tow. That’s where the Westin Kids Club comes to the rescue. Kids can do either a half-day or full-day program, which includes all sorts of fun activities like arts and crafts, movies, swimming, and jumping in the bounce house. And the kids club isn’t limited to the busy travel season. It’s open everyday, whether there are lots of kids staying on the property or only a few. My daughter loved the kids club when we stayed at the resort over Easter weekend, and she loved it again this time.

Meeting Tweetie Bird at Westin La Cantera.

Special Rates for Residents of Texas and Oklahoma

Residents of Texas and Oklahoma qualify for special rates. Just book online or call and use the code RESFLOAT. Special rates are valid for those arriving Thursday through Saturday, and guests must show a valid ID to prove their state of residence. Also, families can consider booking the Legendary Summer Getaway package, which includes discounted tickets to Six Flags. Specials are subject to change. Call the resort if you have questions regarding special packages or discounts.

Hopefully, these tips will help make your stay at the Westin La Cantera even better. Click here to get a peek at our Westin getaway!

Note: I received a complimentary two-night stay, spa services, food, and a few other perks. However, all opinions are my own. I was not asked by the Westin to write this post.

Our Westin La Cantera Staycation

You’ve probably heard the word “staycation,” a term that people have started using during these economically tough times. I’ve never been a big fan of the concept. I was skeptical. Fooling yourself into thinking you are out-of-town when you’re actually not? That seems a little unlikely.

But that’s exactly what happened over Easter weekend in San Antonio.

View from our balcony at Westin La Cantera. April 2011
View from our room at the Westin La Cantera

We spent two nights at the Westin La Cantera Resort in Northwest San Antonio. We had such a wonderful weekend, it’s hard to know what to discuss first. The pool, the kids club, the gorgeous room, Easter brunch, the excellent customer service–all of these helped make our weekend relaxing and fun.

Our check-in was a breeze, and I was thrilled with our room, which had two double beds, balcony, refrigerator, and a spacious bathroom with two sinks. Our room was also outfitted with an air purifier, which was perfect for a family whose list of allergy issues is a mile long.

Our room at Westin La Cantera. Two double beds, balcony.

The Westin La Cantera was ready for E.’s arrival, and her name was painted in colorful letters in the bath tub. E. also had a reservation at the Westin Kids Club for a few hours on Saturday.

To be honest, I was a little nervous about sending E. to the kids club. E. and I spend most of our waking hours together, and I wasn’t sure how she (or I) would react to being away from each other in an unfamiliar environment. About halfway through her kids club time, we snuck over to Discovery Junction (the kids’ area, which is filled with bounce houses and slides) and saw that she was having a fantastic time. Later, when we went to pick her up, she told us she couldn’t leave yet. “Mom, I’m having too much fun,” she said.

During E.’s stay at the Westin Kids Club, my husband and I enjoyed a quiet lunch at Brannon’s Cafe. We sat outside overlooking the pool. It was a wonderful spot to enjoy a casual lunch. I ordered the “Adult Mac n’ Cheese,” which included blackened chicken, arugula, and mushrooms.

"Adult Mac n Cheese" at Brannon's Cafe. Westin La Cantera.

In the afternoon, it was time for swimming! I love the resort’s Lost Quarry Pools because they offer something for everyone: a zero-entry kids’ pool, a large pool with slides and a volleyball net, and an adults-only pool and hot tub. E. enjoyed splashing in the zero-entry pool that was shallow enough that she could wander around without much help. She also loved going down the slide.

Pool Westin La Cantera.

When it comes to holidays, the Westin La Cantera knows how to make them perfect for kids. Our Easter consisted of the Zoomagination live animal program, a beautiful brunch in the Grand Ballroom, a visit with the Easter Bunny, and an Easter egg hunt.

Despite all of the wonderful amenities and activities at the Westin La Cantera, the thing that impressed me the most was the outstanding customer service. Every employee that I met was helpful and friendly. They remember you, whether you met them six months ago at the Hill Country Holidays event or earlier that afternoon while you were eating lunch.

And then there’s social media. Have a question before your stay? Send them a tweet, and you’ll get a response right away. This hotel knows how to use social media, and I love that it is so easy to feel like you “know” the resort before you even arrive.

As you can see, we managed to pack a lot of fun into one weekend. And we didn’t even step onto a plane or drive hundreds of miles. The really crazy part? We actually fooled ourselves into thinking we were on vacation! It didn’t matter that we were only a 15-minute drive from our house.

In summary:

Pros: Oustanding customer service, kids club and other kid-friendly activities, spacious room with balcony, holiday activities.

Cons: No furniture/chairs on balcony, so there’s no place to sit.

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay, and I would definitely recommend this hotel to others.

Chocolate Fountain, Westin La Cantera. Easter brunch
From the chocolate fountain at Easter brunch

Balloon animal in the making at Westin la Cantera Easter brunch.
Lots of fun for kids at Easter brunch, like balloon animals and face painting

Bearded Dragon at Westin La Cantera
My daughter met this guy at Zoomagination

Easter egg hunt, Westin La Cantera
Looking for Easter eggs at the Westin La Cantera

Note: I received a discounted stay at this hotel. However, all opinions are my own. I was not asked to write this post.

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