Eilan Hotel Resort & Spa

As stated previously, we are a traveling family. Traveling was something I did prior to marriage and was an agreement with my husband to continue to do after marriage. Traveling is therapy to me. I love discovering new places and seeing different parts of the world. Within my first year of marriage my husband and I went on two cruises- Key West, Bahamas and Grand Turk, explored Myrtle Beach several times, went to the mountains in Tennessee, Orlando, Panama City, Charleston, Charlotte, Raleigh, etc. These vacations were a mixture of overnight stays, weekend getaways, weekly vacations, family visits, etc. Needless to say my mom was the contributing factor to my huge desire to travel.

Prior to marriage, I purchased a timeshare. This is not your traditional time share. We have access to cruises, yachts, resorts and hotels all across the world. We even have access to discounts on flights and rental cars. In my early 20’s I made a decision that I was going to travel for the rest of my life, so why not invest in it. Each resort was like a home away from home and surely once the kids came along this is the environment I wanted them to experience when we were away from home. Once it is paid off you can will it to your kids. Needless to say this was a great investment for my household. Even our honeymoon was booked through this timeshare. After marriage my husband decided to make an additional purchase with this timeshare to open up other travel opportunities for our family. It was stated to us after our first child was born that our traveling would come to a minimum. We took our first vacation when Cp was 4 months old. Needless to say, the birth of our first, second, or third child did not hinder our ability to vacation. It only became more adventurous. As a matter of fact, having this timeshare has made it reasonable for us to travel. We do not have to worry about last minute cost for room and board. We find where we want to go, check for availability for when we want to go, book it and then plan a budget for food, gas and leisure while we are there. The hubby and I agreed that we would take a vacation with just the two of us several times throughout the year and we would take family vacations several times throughout the year. They would consist of over night stays, weekend getaways, and weekly getaways. This was the beginning of our family tradition. It is true that what you expose your children to, they will learn to love also. Now we hear mom and dad where are we going next. My friends use to say, you a re always going somewhere or the question would be, where are you going this weekend, because I know you are going somewhere. Just like I looked forward to going somewhere with my mom, my kids also look forward to going somewhere with us.

The picture you see at the beginning of this blog is our most recent vacation we took with the kids for their spring break. We had never been to this resort and was excited to explore this new area. The resort was next to Six Flags and only minutes away from Sea World. This was a luxury resort. There was a kiddie pool, jacuzzi and several other pools to explore to include an indoor pool and jacuzzi. Prior to leaving for vacation we showed the kids the resort and Sea World online so they had an expectation of where we were taking them. The only things that mattered to them was that it had a pool and they would be able to go to Sea World.

Well the day arrived and it was time to go on vacation. We had our snacks packed, we had dvd’s that were family friendly packed, truck was packed and we were all in the truck ready to go. We always have to ensure we do not have a home alone situation occur, where one kid is left behind accidentally. We stopped for breakfast to eat along the way. Due to our kids being used to traveling, we don’t get the consistent are we there yet or the agitation of arriving throughout the trip. Once we leave the house the only question we have is, is it a long way? Once we say yes, they get in their posture for travel. We pop in a movie, turn the music on for the hubby and I and the journey begins. Baby girl eat her food, watch a little of the movie and then she is sleep. After several hours she may get a little frustrated. By then it is time to stop for a bathroom break, stretch, get lunch and continue the journey. Traffic was horrible due to road construction. The joy that comes over me is to see the smiles on their faces when we arrive. It is like their faces light up. They get out of the truck with great excitement and anticipation to see what the resort has to offer. There is also a joy that comes over me because I too am excited to see what the resort has to offer and what new memories are going to unfold on this journey. Needless to say, this resort was like no other.

After entering the room, the kids were like ooh mommy and daddy this is nice. Thank you for bringing us here. Have you ever been here? We said yes we have been to San Antonio but not to this resort. Next question, where is the pool, can we go to the pool? Needless to say once we settled into the room, the next stop was the pool. It was too cold to go to the outdoor pool so we journeyed to the indoor pool. I wasn’t too pleased with the indoor pool because there wasn’t a kiddie pool. Needless to say they still wanted to get in. While the kids were in the pool, I joined the jacuzzi. After the pool, next was mommy and daddy what are we eating for dinner? Due to the time, we ordered room service and got ready for bed. It was a long day for mommy and daddy due to the drive so all we wanted to do afterwards was relax and go to bed.

One thing about being owners at this resort, was the fact that we were entitled to free breakfast every morning. The breakfast was awesome. It was in the resort restaurant that was also pretty fancy. We had pancakes, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon, sausage, a vegetable omelet, oatmeal, biscuits, cereal, apple juice, orange juice, coffee, hot tea and milk. Each day we stuck with the basics and then we would add something new to try. The kids thought breakfast was cool. Needless to say, after breakfast, the next question was, can we go to the outside pool. The outside pool it was. I fell in love with the outdoor pool because there was 2 kiddie pools, a regular pool that was not deep and then a jacuzzi. The kids had a blast from one pool to the next. Once again I went to the jacuzzi. Below are some pictures of the pool on the outside for your viewing as well as the awesome breakfast.

Each day we planned something to do as a family. One day was spent sight seeing at the river walk downtown San Antonio, one day was spent at SeaWorld, one day was spent at the outlet shopping and the other day was spent at the pool and touring the resort. We would definitely go back and spend some more time in San Antonio because there was still yet more for us to explore. Each family vacation should have a plan of action to give the kids something to look forward to as well as the parents. Depending on how long we stayed, there was a lazy day. On the lazy day we would stay in the resort all day in our pajamas watching television and either cooking in or ordering in. The kids had free play and we- the parents would do some of the things we loved to do; whether that was sleeping, reading, sitting on the patio relaxing, cross world puzzles, playing games on our phone, catching up on social media, going to the gym, etc. Being at home with the hustle and bustle of life, sometimes you just need to be still and relax. If we had someone with us to watch the kids, the hubby and I would add a date night into the vacation as well. Those are always needed too.

Where would you like to go on your next vacation? Or should I ask are you dreaming of going on a vacation at this moment? Vacations are meant to be enjoyed. I believe vacationing is like music to your soul and it gives you a moment to be free and explore a little without the confines of working. Taking breaks is necessary for the body. Too much wear and tear with no pleasure is unhealthy. If you are saying vacationing can be too expensive, follow me as I provide fun vacations and ways to save money while still having lots fun on a budget.

If you liked reading about our adventure to San Antonio and would like to journey with us on other vacations to receive ideas on how to travel with kids, come back to visit the blog and leave comments on what you would like to hear about next when it comes to family vacations. Happy vacationing families.