Our favourite winter mini vacation destination
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We've been coming to Lake Taupo Holiday Resort once or twice a year since Xavier was a baby and it has quickly become our favourite winter destination for a mini vacation. Located on the fringe of Taupo city you can be there in under 2 hours from Hamilton and on arrival the entire resort becomes your playground, it's true - as soon as you arrive you'll be in holiday mode.
The thing we love most about the resort is that you never have to leave and your stay is not impacted by the weather - there is something to do if it's fine, freezing or pouring with rain. The obvious choice of entertainment is the incredible thermally heated lagoon pool which includes a splash pad for toddlers, a spa, hydroslides, a cave with a 4M dive pool, a swim up bar and a giant poolside screen. While holidaying here with toddlers is possible [we've done it and you'll be in good company] we're really enjoying it now that our boys can all swim, we're yet to break our 7 hour swimming record that's how much time we spend in the pool!
There are ample campsites which we've utilised in the summertime but we much prefer visiting in the winter time and as a family of 5 we appreciate that the cabins are big enough to accomodate us [bigger families IYKYK].
Here's my top 7 tips to get the best out of your stay;
- When booking your cabin consider its placement on the park campus - we much prefer to book the cabins nearest the pool without a bathroom. Why? We'd rather the short walk back to our room after swimming and use the VERY tidy ablution block next door. The self-contained cabins are located nearer the back of the park and we don't enjoy having to coax three wet little boys back to the room. That said, you could drive up to reception park your car and enjoy the pools.
- We bring breakfast, lunch and snack foods with us and order dinner at the swim up bar or head in to Taupo for a meal, part of the fun for us is a few nights off dinner duty. A movie plays daily at 5pm on the giant big screen and no-one ever wants to get out so we almost always find a seated poolside section and enjoy pizzas, burgers and fries while the movie plays.
- Licensing means you are not permitted to bring food or drink into the pool area so we eat breakfast before our morning swim, get out for lunch and either do some sightseeing or enjoy the many other features of the park before swimming several more hours from afternoon until evening. There is cold water at the swim up bar to keep you hydrated and a water fountain too so as camp mother make sure everyone regularly downs a glass of water
- Pack your scooters, bikes and a basketball if you can - it's joyous to watch the children make new friends and scooter/bike around the park together. Added to that there is a pump track for them to enjoy as well as a basketball hoop, playground, jumping pillows, mini golf, tennis court and the Neo 360. Told ya, you really don't have to leave!
- If you have little children don't forget their swim vests and pool noodles to help keep them afloat. Goggles are a must especially if you want to explore all the nooks and crannies of the pool and see the treasure at the bottom of the cave.
- The iced-chocolates are very very good and we have a rule...one drink from the bar a day. Most time the boys choose to wait and enjoy their ice-chocolates for dessert and right now they're trying to graduate from a small to a large [insert wink face and the flying money emoji's].
- There are washing lines but we like to bring our own airing rack to hang our togs and towels on between swim - no one like putting on sopping wet togs or using a damp towel.
Keep this place in mind if you're considering some family time - I think you'll come to love it as much as we do. X