SAVE A LA MODE

Save a la Mode hits the road! Vacations are personal. Like holidays, we all feel differently about them, celebrate differently and have vastly differing expectations. Our family loves to travel, and I love to share useful information with others, so I’ve decided to review our latest trip just in case you have the same idea of the perfect getaway. Maybe this is your next destination, or you just want a rare glimpse of the clan behind Save a la Mode!

Desperately seeking a family vacay, Hubby and I hit the internet last month searching for a list of spots that met our “hotel requirements.”

Hotel Requirements:

• Zero entry/ beach entry swimming pool (a must for little ones and our sanity)
• A coffee shop in hotel
• Multiple hotel restaurants that are scrumdiddlyumptious
• Maid service – It’s called a vacation right?
• A luxurious place to relax
• Within 30 minutes of an airport

After much consideration (we take vacation hunting very seriously), we settled on The Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa. Say hello to a hidden gem!

Bathed in sunset views over Estero Bay, Hyatt Regency Coconut Point is an oasis with innovative restaurants and a semi-private island beach. To top it off, they just opened a brand new 3-acre pool complex with a meandering lazy river, slides, and activities for the entire family.

Packing snacks, organizing outfits, thinking through every possible scenario, and making sure each family member is taken care of is the hardest part of any vacation; although in a way I secretly love it, like folding laundry {dont tell my husband}! Once you’ve got these minor details in check, the fun begins. Operation RELAX!

Arrival: 


We flew into RSW, rented a minivan, and were at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort within 25 minutes. One big plus; parking is included with a hotel stay and conveniently attached to the resort.

Publix and Target are very close to the hotel. After checking in, we stocked up on juice boxes, granola bars, fruit, chips, nuts and other snacks to eat for the week. Resort food can add up fast, so this is an easy way to save money when you have kids that want a snack every hour. We also picked up a few picnic lunch items to take to the beach in our YETI Hopper (purchased off Amazon Wharehouse Deals for half price and packed in a suitcase– we don’t travel lightly).

A few other items you might find in our bag…

• 2 Yeti Tumblers for keeping our pool drinks cold
• 2 blow up beds ( this link if you’re buying 2 )
• 2 puddle jumpers
• Waterproof Cell Phone Bag for underwater pictures
• Bling2o swim goggles
• Water Barbies
• Submarine toy
• Baby Monitor
• Noise Machine

This kid-friendly hotel offers scheduled crafts and activities (poolside hula hoop contests, slide races, bubbles, etc.) throughout the day as well as giant Jenga, giant Connect Four, a putting green, corn hole, and rock climbing.  Our kids made up silly water games and practiced new swim tricks.

There are two slides attached to the zero entry pool- You must be 42” to ride the larger light blue slide, and the dark blue tube slide has no requirement. Both of these were a HIT! My daughter barely made the 42” cutoff {phheww!} and my son stuck to the baby slide.

The Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort shares a property with Hyatt Coconut Plantation, A Hyatt Residence Club, which is only a trolley ride/short car ride away. You’ll want to check out the pools and lazy river here at least one day. They do require a wristband that you can pick up at the concierge desk before leaving the hotel.

Vacation Highlights (from the kids): 

• Hunting for lizards -There are a lot on the dock leading to the boat ride.
• Roasting s’mores- Two fire pits are running every night and s’more ingredients/sticks are sold in Cool Beans. We saved the sticks and purchased extra ingredients at Publix.
• Repetitive trips down the water slides.
• Lazy River (both hotels have one).
• Breakfast on the balcony.
• Hotel arcade with little trinkets and candy machines.
• Pool inflatables that you can rent/buy. Go ahead and buy one on the first day of your trip!
• Pushing the elevator button — is this normal?

Each morning we’d wake up and sit on our balcony with an iced coffee and pastries from Cool Beans. The kids found this to be exciting and fun looking down on the pools they would soon take over. Our room view was spectacular! We reserved a Bay Suite that had a bedroom, two bathrooms and a living room with a door in between. The Bay Suite is very spacious, to the point that it has four separate balconies. You’ll even find a balcony in the guest bathroom. It worked perfectly for putting kids to bed while still having our space.

Every guest room has free internet, a mini fridge, and a whopping 65″ TV with built in Chromecast that allows video content from Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, the Google Play Store and other services. It was perfect for streaming our kid’s favorite shows!

Private Beach Info:

Walk down a roughly .3 mile boardwalk and hop on a boat that runs back and forth every hour. On the days we went to the beach, we packed lunch in our cooler and spent the afternoon there. Bathrooms and picnic tables are available but no food or drink vendors. We scored great beach chairs and an umbrella courtesy of the hotel, and alternated walks along the beach, sandcastle building, and splashing around in the ocean.

You can and will likely want to bring your stroller to carry tired kids, beach gear, food and towels to the beach. We learned the boat allowed strollers after our first trip lugging four towels, a cooler, beach bag and two kids there and back.

The beach is extremely shelly in spots so be careful when your little ones are walking around. I brought a few bead strings with us, and we made shell necklaces on the spot. <3

We saw numerous dolphin and other wildlife on the boat ride to the beach.

Looking at the beach we veered left and zipped to the chairs at the far end. They were away from others and near the restrooms and beach picnic tables.

 

Restaurants we dined at during our visit:

• Cool Beans– Starbucks coffee and fresh bakery treats to garden salads and sandwiches on the go.
• Tarpon Bay Restaurant– Our absolute favorite! My mouth is watering just thinking about the BASILICO dish (capellini pesto deliciousness).
• Corkscrew– An outside restaurant for dining around the pool or at one of their umbrella tables.
• Tanglewood– Offers a dinner buffet every weekday. We enjoyed this as an easy dinner one night when the kids were tired, and we wanted to eat at our own pace.
• Coconut Jacks– You’ll have to drive to this one, but it is a fun getaway and your typical seafood joint with a nice patio overlooking water.
• Big Hickory Fishing Nook Marina Restaurant– Another off-site spot but somewhere I would recommend. The restaurant overlooks the gulf and is an actual boat dock that people motor over to for dinner. The food is A+ but I was disappointed they don’t offer frozen drinks.
• Alberto’s on Fifth– Located off site in Naples, FL.

[Cool Beans]
[Cool Beans]

[Corkscrew seated dining behind me] [Swimsuit: Kate Spade]

The last day of our trip we decided to head over to Naples (a 30 min drive) for some shopping, dinner, and sunset at the Naples Fishing Pier.

It ended up being a DATE NIGHT at Alberto’s on Fifth!

[Naples Pier]

[Naples Pier]

We’ll chalk this one up as a GREAT vacation and the perfect destination to get away from the hustle and bustle of life. Kids need the chance to make their own unscheduled, event-free fun from time to time—and moms need to build sand castles and indulge in nightly s’mores once in a while too. We’ll be back Bonita Springs!

Listening to live music from an event hosted at the hotel.

Happy Kids = Happy Parents. Our favorite restaurant/air travel activities…

• Wireless Headphones
• Surprise Eggs/ Blind bags –I’ve made my own by wrapping knock off Shopkins (my daughter can’t tell the difference) with wrapping paper and putting them in Easter eggs.
• Mini Magnetic Doodle Pad
• Twozies
• Thomas & Friends Train Maker 
• Post-it Flags (get creative, these have entertained my kids ever since they developed their pincher grip)
• Water Wow
• Crayola Color Wonder
• Melissa and Doug Puffy Stickers
• Lalaloopsy Minis
• Thomas Minis Single Surprise Packs
• Crayons and a Coloring Book
• Do a Dot Activities with Sticker Dots
• Boogie Board
• Small Play-Doh Sets
• Tegu Pocket Block Set

Just in case you need a few more pics…

[Cheers to smoothies by the pool!]

[Cover Up: Hatley]