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Doubletree Resort by Hilton Lancaster, Places to Stay in Lancaster with Kids

 


 

Since I’m originally a local to the Lancaster area, I can’t honestly write about my awe of the Amish lifestyle or the calm and peaceful serenity of Lancaster County. While that is a part of the charm of Lancaster, I know there are many, many other reasons it is a special place to visit and live. That’s why I am so excited to share this Weekend in Lancaster series with you.

 

Ever since I relocated to New Jersey, I’ve wanted to take my family to the area where I grew up and share some of my favorite holiday traditions with them. There are so many, many things to see and do there, especially at Christmas time. If you’d like to plan you own trip, I recommend starting with a visit to this website for a great guide to the area’s Christmas festivities.

 

Lancaster County is a big place. For this trip, we stuck to the Southern Lancaster County areas of Strasburg, Willow Street, and Lincoln Highway for a quick overnight trip. As you know, it’s only a short drive from New Jersey, making it an ideal destination for a day or weekend trip. Traveling with a baby and toddler in one day is doable, but it’s not much fun. We find we have the most relaxing time when we can stay over at least one night.

 

So, after the excitement of our visit with Santa at the Strasburg Railroad, we headed over to the Doubletree Resort by Hilton Lancaster for an early check-in and a quick nap for the kids. Four fresh, warm chocolate chip walnut cookies greeted us upon our arrival. The baby danced around in the elevator and we just had to try the cookies, so needless to say it took a little longer than planned to get them both settled in for the nap.

 

Posing for some holiday photos on the sleigh set up at the Palm Court entrance.

While they all slept, including daddy, I took a stroll around the hotel to see what I could discover. Here’s what I found that Doubletree Resort by Hilton Lancaster has to offer families:

  • Activity board near the front desk listing family friendly activities for the weekend.
  • Beautiful banquet setting, the Palm Court
  • Christmas decorations and poinsettias throughout the lobby
  • Sleigh available to use for family Christmas portraits located on the first floor near the rear exit.
  • Duck pond
  • Willow Valley Chapel with Nativity Scene outside (Non-denominational Service at 8am Sunday and open daily for prayer and quiet meditation)
  • Turkey Hill Beverage and Ice Cream Vending Machines near the Pool and Indoor Water Playground
  • Fitness Center
  • Arcade
  • Star Fish Cove (with Activities for Kids on Saturday and Sunday)
  • Sweet Shoppe
  • Cafe 24 hundred bar/restaurant

 

The Doubletree Resort by Hilton Lancaster is located at 2400 Willow Street Pike, Lancaster, PA 17602.  It is off the main Route 30 strip, but only about a 15 minute drive from all the family fun in the area, including the Strasburg Railroad & Choo Choo Barn, Dutch Wonderland, and Downtown Lancaster. The Historic Hans Herr House Museum is a short 5 minute drive. So the location was ideal for this trip. Across the street you’ll find Willow Valley Square which includes Darrenkamps, a family run grocery store, and a McDonald’s with a play area, along with other shops.

Our DoubleTree room included:

  • 2 queen beds
  • pull out couch
  • DoubleTree by Hilton signature Sweet Dreams bedding
  • Crabtree & Evelyn bath products
  • free wireless internet access
  • 32-in. flat screen TV
  • refrigerator
  • Wolfgang Puck coffee maker
  • hair dryer
  • iron & ironing board
  • crib (free upon request), cots also available ($10/night)

According to their website, the Doubletree also has several amenities we didn’t take advantage of including:

  • In Room French Spa
  • Golf Course
  • Wagon Rides
  • Business Center
  • Tennis & Basketball Courts

After our quick naps, we headed out to enjoy an evening at Dutch Winter Wonderland. We already had ours, but tickets were also available at the front desk. When we arrived back at the hotel, we ran into Santa, who pulled up on a local fire truck to greet children and hand out candy canes. My son was ecstatic!

Look who showed up on a fire truck at the hotel!

After tucking the kids in bed we left my mom in charge, and my husband and I headed out for an evening of local history at the 1719 Hans Herr House for their Candlelight Tours. We also enjoyed a drink at The Lounge in Cafe 24 Hundred back at the hotel before turning in to our comfy bed, only to be woken at 6 am by an exuberant toddler who discovered his swimsuit in the suitcase. Luckily, the breakfast buffet at Cafe 24 Hundred also opens at 6:00 am and I was able to occupy him with a visit to the McDonald’s play place across the street. At 8 am on Sunday, we had the entire place to ourselves.

The McDonald’s play place has

  • a tree house play area with slide
  • Mario Kart video games
  • a basketball hoop
  • an air hockey table that kept coming on without quarters


We also  participated in the holiday shirt activity in the Starfish Cove while we waited for the water playground to open at 10:00am.

 

Enjoying some play time at the indoor water playground on Sunday morning.

 

What you should know if you stay at the Doubletree Resort by Hilton Lancaster:

If you plan to swim at the Doubletree Resort

  • Make sure you bring swim diapers, they are required.
  • There is a pool, whirlpool, and indoor water playground.
  • The tube slide drops you into 5 ½ feet, but most of the water playground is under 3 feet deep.
  • You must be 42” tall and under 18 to ride the tube slide.
  • There is a frog slide and rainbow sprinkler in the shallow wading area.
  • Indoor pools close during storms and reopen 30 minutes after the last sight of lightning.
  • Street shoes are not permitted in the pools.
  • The hours are different for the pool and water playground and vary based on hotel occupancy. If you have any questions, ask at the front desk.
    • WINTER WATER PLAYGROUND HOURS
      • Monday – Thursday: 10 AM – 12 PM and 4 – 9 PM
      • Friday – Saturday: 10 AM – 10 PM
      • Sunday 10 AM – 9 PM
    • WINTER POOL HOURS
      • Sunday – Thursday: 9 AM – 10 PM
      • Friday – Saturday: 9 AM – 11 PM

If you are traveling with babies or toddlers:

  • Cribs and roll away beds are available by request.
  • There is a free parking lot.
  • Room Rates may vary so it’s best to check the Doubletree by Hilton Lancaster site for rates and availability.
  • If you’ve stayed in the area before you’ll notice that the adjacent Willow Valley Inn & Suites, Bakery and Willow Tree Smorgasbord are now closed. Plans for redevelopment of this part of the property are in progress.
  • There are several publications and guides in the lobby to help plan your visit. Be sure to look for “The Week” which lists local church services and other events. We even found a listing of holiday light shows in the Saturday evening paper.
  • There was also a holiday coloring and activity guide, along with crayons, that we picked up for our son.

 

My son had an absolute blast and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Doubletree Resort for your stay in Lancaster. The staff there was friendly and always greeted us with a smile. From a fabulous selection of food at Cafe 24 hundred (Read our breakfast review here), to entertainment for our kids, and the festive decorations throughout the lobby, every detail was fabulous. When we pulled in our driveway at home, my son even yelled, “NO! We NEED to go back to the Doubletree!”.

 

To view our pictures from the Doubletree Resort by Hilton Lancaster photos visit our Facebook Gallery.

 

Click over to see the rest of our Family Travel to Lancaster series.

 Visit Lancaster

In full disclosure, this is a sponsored post from the Doubletree Resort by Hilton Lancaster. We were provided with a room for one night and breakfast buffet at Cafe 24 hundred. These things were arranged so that we could review the Doubletree Resort by Hilton Lancaster for its family friendliness.  However, our opinions are honest and based on our experiences at the Doubletree Resort by Hilton Lancaster.

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