Jan

I will be visiting Palm Springs with a seven year old who loves to swim. Any suggestions for a good kid-friendly resort. Anyone with first hand knowledge of the Hyatt Grand Champions, Westin Mission Hills, Marriott Rancho Las Palmas, La Qunita Resort, Rennassiance Esmerelda, or others?
Thanks

Sarah

I always stay with friends or family while out in the desert, so I'm not a lot of help on hotels. I've stayed at the Hyatt Grand Champions and really enjoyed the resort. They're actually all very nice facilities, though I'm not sure how kid friendly they all are.

As for activities with a 7 year old, I'd suggest a day at the Oasis Water Park in Cathedral City. Also plan on taking him out to the Living Desert (my 5 year old niece loved the place - lots of wild animals and make sure to take him in to pet the goats). The Palm Springs Tram is also a fun family event. And you might want to head to downtown Palm Springs on a Thursday evening for market night.

sandy

Oh, my favorite hot spot. You didn't say when you were going, but if you go in the summer, the Living Desert is about 120 degrees. Ditto on the Water Park . You have some good hotel choices for kids--here are my favorites in order: Westin, Rancho Las Palmas, Renaissance Esmerelda. Hyatt was boring. We swim, eat, and shop--kids have grown up spending a week each summer.

Suzie

Just stayed at the Esmarelda in February. Great pool. Has sand at one end for the kiddies to play in and then the shore effect at that end of the pool as entry. Also has great waterfall area and the pool is huge. Has a pool bar and 2 spas outside. We had a corner room that was quite spacious. Beautiful hotel but we couldn't really use the pool as it was in Feb and kinda cold we did make use of the spas and the bar. Very nice. The staff and service was outstanding.

PS Local

Jan:

All of the resorts you mention are good. Westin Mission Hills has a waterslide into their pool that kids really like. The Marriott Desert Springs has a lake that goes into the atrium lobby and features gondolas you can take a ride on. Most of these resorts also have very good kids programs. Oasis Water Park in Palm Springs is a good suggestion, depending on the time of year. There are numerous waterslides, a wave pool and a lazy river. It was just sold to Knotts, so I expect they may improve the park more. Another suggestion for a couple hour outing is the Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert - CDMOD- in Rancho Mirage. Very hands on place for kids.

On the kid friendly scale, I don't think you would have an issue at any of the places you mentioned. The Marriott properties (Las Palmas, Desert Springs and Esmeralda) may have the best kids programs, in my opinion.

Have fun.

PS L

Sarah

You might want to check out the following website for more info on the local area: http://bestreadguide.excursia.com/de...A/palmsprings/

There's an article in the current guide that also suggests taking kids to play minature golf at the Camelot Park in Cathedral City. They also make mention of Uprising Rock Climbing which offers indoor rock climbing for all age levels and abilities.

PS Local

It is always interesting to read guide articles about a place in which you live. My general comment about Excursia is that it seems like less of a guide and more of a paid advertisement---kind of a poorly disguised Expedia knock-off, right down to the logo. But that's about where the similarities end. Some of the places I would never recommend to a visitor. The restaurant guide in particular is pretty pathetic.

I have been to Camelot Park many, many times with kids. It is okay, but starting to show its age. The mini-golf looks a lot better from the street than it does up close, but still fun for the little ones. The best three suggestions for a 7-yr old IMO are Living Desert, Oasis Water Park and the Tram, in that order. If I had to choose between the dreaded Chuck E. Cheese and Camelot Park it would be a toss up, but I might go with the Rat.

PS L

Thomas

PS Local, While I appreciate your honest opinions, I'm not sure that you're thinking like a 7 year old. My son still loves Chuck E. Cheese and always enjoys a round of minature golf. The Oasis water park is also a constant hit with him. While we coaxed him onto the tram, it wasn't a afraid with him. Jan, I'd suggest you determine your child's level of fear of heights before you decide on the tram. And a day at the hotel pool is often the most favorite event of any vacation for a 7 year old.

Larry

Lots of good suggestions from previous posts. Here is a link to a resort I stayed at and the kids loved the pool area and especially the slide:http://www.intervalworld.com/cgi-bin/iworld/respg?519

PS Local

I did not disparage the Camelot miniature golf or Chuck E. Cheese as it relates to kids. In spite of the fact that the mini golf is not in the best condition, some of the bumper boats don't work right and a lot of the arcade games are broken and steal tokens, kids still seem to have a good time. I question that given the conditions, whether it is really a good value or not. My tongue-in-cheek remark about Chuck E. Cheese was a reference to how wearisome the place can become to an adult after going for the zillionth time. But that's just me. Oasis was also high on my list.

PS L