This summer, my family and I took a three-week road trip from California to Montana. We had a two-night stay in the Las Vegas area, but knew we didn’t want to stay on the Strip with our three young boys. Instead we tried out the newly re-launched Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa located just a short drive away in Henderson.
Just 20 miles away from downtown Las Vegas, the hotel, which was previous a Ravella, re-opened under the Hilton name in the summer of 2013. While the change didn’t bring about many physical or personnel adjustments, guests can now earn and use their Hilton HHonor Reward points at this location.
5 Family-Friendly Features of the Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort
1. You’re off the Strip. The noise. The lights. The smoke. The “visuals” of the Strip. All of it is pretty much absent at the Hilton Lake Las Vegas. There is a nearby casino – Casino MonteLago – but as we walked around the hotel and surrounding areas, I never once had to worry about what my three young sons were gazing at.
2. Large pool – with a lifeguard! Pools are pretty much a requirement when traveling with kids. They provide relief from the midday Nevada heat, hours of entertainment and are a familiar site when kids reach a new location. The pool at the Hilton Lake Las Vegas was Vegas-sized, 4ft throughout making it great for kids and had a full-time lifeguard.
3. The Village. While one of the benefits of the Hilton Lake Las Vegas is that it is removed from the busyness of the Strip, it also is pretty removed from a lot of other shops. (We drove 17 minutes one morning to find a Starbucks!) Fortunately, the Village at Lake Las Vegas has a collection of restaurants and shops so that if you don’t want to or need to get in your car, you can find afternoon ice cream and a handful of dinner options. We grabbed dinner at the Mexican Sonrisa Grill one night and can recommend it for families.
4. Free shuttle to the Strip. While it was nice to stay off the main drag in Las Vegas, one night we did take the kids in to see the Tournament of Kings dinner show at the Excalibur. The free hotel shuttle to and from the MGM Grand kept us from having to drive or park and made our excursion with our little jesters much simpler.
5. Ravella Spa. You know the saying, “If mom’s not happy, no one is happy”? For the sake of the family, you really should be sure to visit the gorgeous, 30,000 square foot Ravella Spa, one of the largest in all of Las Vegas. The two-story spa houses 24 treatment rooms, a fitness room, full-service salon, and the unique men’s and women’s “Healing Waters” treatment areas which offer a eucalyptus steam room, dry sauna, icy plunge tub, and jacuzzi – swimsuits optional.
BUT… The one thing I wasn’t thrilled with were the accommodation options. The rooms were nicely appointed with Peter Thomas Roth toiletries, but our only options were a room with one king bed or a room with two double beds. As a family of five with young kids, this didn’t leave us many good options. We opted for a King room with two kids in a rollaway (they only allow one per room) and one in a makeshift bed out of the chair and ottoman. Not ideal. They do offer adjoining rooms, but that would have meant paying for a separate room for my young children to sleep by themselves. Also not a great option in my mind.
Click here to read more about the Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa and to make a reservations.
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Kate Bayless is a writer, editor and reviewer based in Southern California. Visit her on LinkedIn, Twitter or Contently. FTD was not paid for this post. A complimentary two-night stay was provided. As always, opinions expressed are the author’s.
