Since I should have been in bed a long time ago already, I figured why not just stay up a little later and blog. So here we are!
Now that it's been well over a week since I promised my Storyland Part 2 entry, I will try to be brief. Long story short(ish), we stayed at the North Conway Grand Hotel. Like I already mentioned, it is located on the same grounds as a factory outlet mall. Which was great for us, as we needed to buy poor Claire a pair of shoes. So the location was great, and the hotel itself was incredibly family-friendly. There is a restaurant right in the hotel that had a kids' menu and a breakfast buffet where kids eat free. The food was no great shakes - standard issue grilled cheese and hot dogs on the kids' menu and lackluster choices for the grownups and a little pricey for what it is. So lackluster that I had nachos for dinner. When we go again, we'll venture "off campus" for meals. As we drove past the hotel up towards Storyland the next day, we discovered tons of restaurants along the way that I imagine would be much cheaper. But, it was pouring when we got there, so the convenience of not having to leave the hotel was a plus.
The hotel also has an indoor and an outdoor pool area. We arrived late afternoon in the rain, so we had an early dinner and took the kids to swim. It had stopped raining, so we were able to use the outdoor pools, including a wading pool for the kids and a hot tub for the grownups. There's also a cool fire pit. Every night, the hotel does crafts and hosts an ice cream social in the lobby. So like I said, incredibly family friendly.
We reserved the "family suite" which, while a little pricey, I'd absolutely stay in again. The suite had a huge living room, including a good sized table where you could definitely have dinner, a small fridge and a microwave. The living room had a pull-out couch and a TV/entertainment center. The bedroom was separate and contained a king-sized bed and a pull-out couch. They provided a pack and play for Claire, which was nice. The bathroom was really good sized with a bathtub big enough to bathe both girls at once. What we did was bathe the girls like we do every night and then we put them to bed in the bedroom, Charlotte in the pull-out bed and Claire in the pack and play. I read them a few stories, turned on their sound machine (I brought one with me) and they went right to sleep. Mr. P and I were able to close the door and hang out in the living room, watch TV and relax. We crept into the big bed in the bedroom around 11 and everyone slept through the night.
So that's the hotel rundown - as for Storyland, it's what you'd expect. It's an amusement park for kids under 7 or so. We went on an overcast, disgustingly humid day so I think it was less crowded than it might otherwise be on a Saturday in August. We spent just under 3 hours there and that was more than enough for the girls. And me. The highlight for me was when we walked by the public restroom and Mr. P queried, "What is that SMELL?" I laughed and reminded him that not only was it a public restroom, but the majority of the clientele at Storyland wears diapers. That they poop in. And then they have to be changed. And those poop diapers go in the trash and stink up the joint. So yes the smell was appalling but what can you do. Oh - and there is clean(ish) space adjacent to the restroom for nursing/feeding/changing. Not Disney World clean but again, it's an amusement park for babies in northern New Hampshire. It's exactly what I expected.
Whew, that was long. I would definitely bring the girls back, but I'm thinking maybe next time I'd do a spring or fall trip up there.
In other news, Charlotte started school again this week, I am her classroom's PTO room parent, we had our new swing set delivered and assembled and I entertained several of Charlotte's friends here one afternoon for a playdate. I'm working essentially full-time (from home) through the end of September and I've started going to Crossfit at 5:30am and oh yeah, I turned 36.
What are you guys up to?
Now that it's been well over a week since I promised my Storyland Part 2 entry, I will try to be brief. Long story short(ish), we stayed at the North Conway Grand Hotel. Like I already mentioned, it is located on the same grounds as a factory outlet mall. Which was great for us, as we needed to buy poor Claire a pair of shoes. So the location was great, and the hotel itself was incredibly family-friendly. There is a restaurant right in the hotel that had a kids' menu and a breakfast buffet where kids eat free. The food was no great shakes - standard issue grilled cheese and hot dogs on the kids' menu and lackluster choices for the grownups and a little pricey for what it is. So lackluster that I had nachos for dinner. When we go again, we'll venture "off campus" for meals. As we drove past the hotel up towards Storyland the next day, we discovered tons of restaurants along the way that I imagine would be much cheaper. But, it was pouring when we got there, so the convenience of not having to leave the hotel was a plus.
The hotel also has an indoor and an outdoor pool area. We arrived late afternoon in the rain, so we had an early dinner and took the kids to swim. It had stopped raining, so we were able to use the outdoor pools, including a wading pool for the kids and a hot tub for the grownups. There's also a cool fire pit. Every night, the hotel does crafts and hosts an ice cream social in the lobby. So like I said, incredibly family friendly.
We reserved the "family suite" which, while a little pricey, I'd absolutely stay in again. The suite had a huge living room, including a good sized table where you could definitely have dinner, a small fridge and a microwave. The living room had a pull-out couch and a TV/entertainment center. The bedroom was separate and contained a king-sized bed and a pull-out couch. They provided a pack and play for Claire, which was nice. The bathroom was really good sized with a bathtub big enough to bathe both girls at once. What we did was bathe the girls like we do every night and then we put them to bed in the bedroom, Charlotte in the pull-out bed and Claire in the pack and play. I read them a few stories, turned on their sound machine (I brought one with me) and they went right to sleep. Mr. P and I were able to close the door and hang out in the living room, watch TV and relax. We crept into the big bed in the bedroom around 11 and everyone slept through the night.
So that's the hotel rundown - as for Storyland, it's what you'd expect. It's an amusement park for kids under 7 or so. We went on an overcast, disgustingly humid day so I think it was less crowded than it might otherwise be on a Saturday in August. We spent just under 3 hours there and that was more than enough for the girls. And me. The highlight for me was when we walked by the public restroom and Mr. P queried, "What is that SMELL?" I laughed and reminded him that not only was it a public restroom, but the majority of the clientele at Storyland wears diapers. That they poop in. And then they have to be changed. And those poop diapers go in the trash and stink up the joint. So yes the smell was appalling but what can you do. Oh - and there is clean(ish) space adjacent to the restroom for nursing/feeding/changing. Not Disney World clean but again, it's an amusement park for babies in northern New Hampshire. It's exactly what I expected.
Whew, that was long. I would definitely bring the girls back, but I'm thinking maybe next time I'd do a spring or fall trip up there.
In other news, Charlotte started school again this week, I am her classroom's PTO room parent, we had our new swing set delivered and assembled and I entertained several of Charlotte's friends here one afternoon for a playdate. I'm working essentially full-time (from home) through the end of September and I've started going to Crossfit at 5:30am and oh yeah, I turned 36.
What are you guys up to?