Escaping The Cold at Castaway Bay, and a Give Away!

Lately is seems life has been revolving around what we “have” to do. Kids are shuttled from school, to dance, to piano, to gymnastics. Homework is completed, dinner is crammed in. Where is the family time? The down time? It feels dark all the time, life is hurried and we live in a constant state of rush. This is not what I want for my family.

When I was offered the opportunity to whisk my loved one’s away to Castaway Bay in Ohio it seemed like it was meant to be. Time away from the hustle, the bustle, the computers and the phones? Yes please. Sign us up!

Following a freak blizzard that covered our city in a blanket of horrible white stuff, the Hubby and I bravely packed up our girls, a cooler of snackage and we were on our way! Final destination, Sandusky Ohio, Castaway Bay, where it is always a balmy 82 degrees!!

We arrived and were warmly greeted by the Castaway Bay staff. Check in was fast and seamless. We received the key card to our rooms, ID bracelets (that also were our passes into the water park), and directions to the main attraction. The Castaway Bay Water Park.

My girls skipped down the hall towards our room, dragging their carry on’s behind them. Do you have any idea how cute that is? We entered our room, the Manatee Suite, and were pleasantly surprised by what we found! Ideally located just a stones throw from both the Crabbie’s Quarterdeck Arcade and the Waterpark, was our suite with a perfect floor plan for a family of four.

In the first Caribbean style room was complete with two Queen size beds, a television and a little table and chairs over looking the bay. The adjoining room housed a King size bed, a second television and an identical table set up. How great is that view! Oh if only it was a little warmer so would could have taken advantage of this fabulous outdoor space.

The King sized bed room also had what is best described as a mini kitchen! A mini bar, counter space, coffee maker and microwave.

The two rooms shared one big bathroom. The bathroom was showing it’s age a little bit, but more then did it’s job for our family of four. Tour of the room complete, we wasted no time jumping into our suits and headed to check out the waterpark!

Now I should tell you, I am always cold. Actually, I think I have been cold for about three months, but when we walked through the doors of this indoor tropical paradise and were met by balmy air and sweet Caribbean music….Sigh, I had finally found a happy place! So warm!!

We staked out chairs near the wave pool and got on with the business of enjoying our day.

Giggles in the Wave Pool.

Races Down the Water Slides.

Basketball in the Heated Pool, and challenging each other at the Cargo Crossing.

Countless number of runs down Rendezvous Run.

Exploring Lookout Lagoon.

….and the glorious hot tub. A hot tub that can seat 91!! Oh my word how I enjoyed that indoor/outdoor hot tub. Sigh…so tingly and warm!

Eventually we did leave the water park and explored the rest of what Castaway Bay had to offer. We feasted on pizza for dinner, created keepsakes with the cutest ever Castaway Bay T-shirts, and had the opportunity to meet Snoopy!

We checked out the gift shops and watched some talented little one’s sing their hearts out at Karaoke night. My little gamers used up their allowance (and then some) at Crabbie’s Quarterback Arcade, and we all indulged in some hot chocolate at Ebb & Edy’s Deli before we finally called it a night. So tired!

Castaway Bay was clean, incredibly well supervised with friendly and accommodating staff, and allowed you to set your own pace. Choose to laze away your day at the water park, or run run run and jam in the activities by taking advantage of the Spa, shopping, arcade, and all the scheduled family fun you and your loved one’s can handle.

We played, we laughed, we re-connected as a family. We forgot about the world for a while. What a gift. These are the moments my children will always remember, these are the memories I want to give my girls.

Thanks Castaway Bay for a great weekend!

Of course I can’t just leave it at that! What a horrible tease it would be to brag about my stay at Castaway Bay and offer you nothing! How about a little giveaway?!

Do you live in the Ohio area?

I have Four Indoor Waterpark Day Passes to give away!

Approximate Value $120.00!!!

*Please note. These are passes for the Waterpark only, accommodations are not included.

How to Enter:

1) If you would like to win these passes just tell me so in a comment! (and leave me your e-mail address!)

2) Want a second chance at winning? I’d love it if you would LIKE my Facebook fan page.

3) One more way to win! Follow my blog publicly and/or tell me that you do!

*Winner will be chosen using random.org. Closes Friday Feb 3, 2012. Giveaway is for day passes only. Open to US and Canadian Residents!

Wishing you all a warm and wonderful weekend!

Safe Travels

Mwah!

*Disclosure: My family stayed at Castaway Bay as their guests, the opinions in this post are my own and were not influenced by accommodation.

UPDATE
We have a winner:) Congrats to number 2!! You are the winner of the passes:) Have a wonderful time as you escape the suburbs!