Remember the TV commercial, "Zack! Zack! He's a LEGO maniac!"? That pretty much describes my whole family. We love our LEGO bricks! LEGO building is a part of life at my house. I still have the LEGO bricks that I played with as a child and my three boys have added to our family collection. I'm pretty sure that if you looked hard enough, you could find a LEGO in EVERY room of my house. A LEGO tattoo, representing my three boys, is in my near future. I think you get the picture :) We like LEGO, right? I can't even begin to tell you how excited we were when LEGOLAND Florida invited my family to the media preview of LEGOLAND Beach Retreat!
Our awesome experience at LEGOLAND Beach Retreat began at check-in. Brace yourselves... it's a drive-through check-in! Yep. We didn't need to drag the kids out of the car and into a hotel lobby. We just drove on up, rolled down the window to check-in and our vacation began. It was as easy as ordering fries and a milkshake!
We took the short walk to our bungalow in Sailor's Cove and the kids ran straight for the playground. We were able to bring our bags inside and unpack while the kids got out their pent-up energy from the car ride on the semi-private playground just outside the window. Everything about this place was so well thought out and such a great balance of kid and parent-friendly. Yeah, this was going to be a good family trip.
I'm pretty sure that I squealed with excitement when I realized we would be staying in a life-sized LEGO house. There may or may not be video proof of that :)
The kids loved the beach themed LEGO characters and models decorating the room. They went right to work to build with the DUPLO bricks in the kid area. This biased mom of three, living in a world generally designed for families of four, really appreciated that the kids' room had three beds-- bunk beds and a trundle. Things like the child-size toilet seat adapter (yes, I went there and took a picture,) bathtub rather than just a shower and tiny touches like the "I declare this room is sea monster free" cards really show that LEGOLAND is thinking about how to accommodate families with small children and it makes vacation, well, feel like less work and more of vacation for us parents.
Next stop was dinner at Sandy's Castle Restaurant. Kites, clouds and colorful chairs made the atmosphere bright and cheery. My kids (really my husband) was super excited to see "Shark Suit Guy" in the mural of familiar LEGO characters. Once again, LEGOLAND struck the balance of making both kids and parents happy. The dinner buffet included options of chicken & steak strips, fish, plantains, broccoli, rice & beans as well as more traditional kid-friendly food like chicken nuggets, corn dogs and good old mac & cheese. The next morning, my family also enjoyed the free breakfast buffet which is included with each night's stay at the Beach Retreat.
On the other side of the dining area is a HUGE sandcastle and LEGO play area. The kids (and adults) can add to the castle and build their own creations. Our boys finished eating before us and they had fun building over at the castle while we finished up. Also, did I mention that the sandcastle area is right next to Bricks Beach Bar? The kids can happily play while mom or dad grab a drink to hang by the pool. Happy kids, happy parents :)
Time to play in the pool! They played great family-friendly music and the pool was full of floating LEGO bricks. There is a shallow entry point and the pool is not too deep overall. It's perfect for kids to build. float and swim.
The kids jumped, splashed and swam until they were worn out. Then they took a popsicle break and were ready for some more fun.
While the kids were happily playing, we really could just sit back in the pool chairs and relax. I enjoyed one of Bricks Beach Bar's signature cocktails, the Fish in a Bag. It was like a grown-up Capri-Sun and it was yummy! There was a beach area to play volleyball or build sandcastles. The resort's biggest play outdoor structure for kids was near the pool area as well.
At the end of the evening the children gathered all of the floating LEGO bricks and the lifeguards helped them build a replica of the Beach Retreat's lighthouse. I'll have to remember to use this clever clean-up idea at home! This was followed by the lighting of the LEGOLAND Beach Retreat's giant LEGO lighthouse.
The LEGOLAND Beach Retreat was just that, a retreat. The kids had a blast, my husband and I were able to relax. I cant say it enough: the Beach Retreat, and LEGOLAND Florida in general, seems to have found that magic balance to keep both kids AND parents happy and make their experiences at LEGOLAND enjoyable for the entire family. We are already looking into going back.
Here is a video recap of our trip to LEGOLAND Beach Retreat
Walk-through of the bungalow at LEGOLAND Beach Retreat
I was invited to the media preview of LEGOLAND Beach Retreat and received complimentary overnight accommodations. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
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Nightly room rates start at $135 (plus tax and resort fee) and vary by season, date and availability. Packages including theme park tickets also are available, and Awesomer and Awesomest Annual Pass Members receive a 10 percent discount year-round. To book a stay, visit LEGOLAND.com/beachretreat or call (877) 350-5346 daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
