I will preface this with saying that I am probably a bit biased as we are repeat visitors to this property with well over 50 nights. It holds a lot of great memories of our kids as they grow up. Over the years we have seen the good, the bad, the ugly and the great.

The Property

I do think they are coming due for a major renovation and the property has lost a bit of its "newness".

Hopefully they will upgrade the lazy river to the new generation of quieter pumps.

I noticed they completed the wood work repairs on the exterior.

Their parking and access is much more easier to navigate than Lost Pines with parking only a few steps away from the entrance (no shuttle cart needed). If you do self park, take the lot on the right side when entering the property.

As noted earlier you don't have the river or large expanses of native area to explore like Lost Pines.

There is plenty of resturants and shopping near the property (unlike the early days).

Just across the highway from Sea World.

Take the 1604 Loop not Loop 410 to get to the property if you can. Less traffic.


Activities

They still host an assortment of activities for children including crafts, games, movies on the lawn, pony rides, wagon rides, easter egg hunts, smores, etc..

If it rains, they are very good about bringing activities inside instead of just canceling. I remember one rain filled trip where they had the kids do a pie eating contest and a gummy bear eating contest in one of the ballrooms.

I love the lazy river. It is more shaded than Lost Pines and no slide pool to interfer with your tube nap.

They have a kiddie pool, an adult's only pool, a play sand beach and a family play pool as well as the aforementioned lazy river.

They have a shuttle that will take you to their Timeshare Vacation property where you can have access to their pool, slide, etc... We have never taken it but it can be a nice break from the property.

We have spent several July 4s there and loved sitting on the golf course to watch the private fireworks.


Reservations - Rooms

I always seem to have issues with reservations if I make any type of changes. For some reason they seem to always pulled up the canceled reservations but not the new ones.

I think this is just part of the charm of Hyatt's I.T.

They often have specials on Twitter/Facebook or Email.

Beaware of the rooms are ready emails. I get them at 11am but my room is often not ready until much later.

Preferred grounds are rooms they have on the lower level that open up to the garden areas. You pay a premium but you are closer to the action and you have much more room to spread out versus a balcony. Just avoid rooms adjacent to the building entrances as you will hear all the foot traffic and get whiffs of the smokers (sorry I don't have room numbers).



Staff

Always friendly and nice, they treat Diamonds well. On our most recent stay they gave us a suite and added a double for our friends so they ended up with a two bedroom suite instead of the traditional one bedroom.


Atmosphere

This is a family resort, if you are traveling solo or without kids, this may not be the most relaxing hotel. I am a kid at heart so even when surrounded by kids, I am OK but not all folks find that relaxing.

I have never spent any time in the adult pool, however the few times I peaked over there I never saw any kids.


The Spa

I don't "spa" but my wife loved it and I hear good things from those who visit it. Not sure if it is the spa or getting away from the kids however they like it.


Golf Course

I don't golf but my friends who do love the course. So my opinion is totally useless but I wanted to at least acknowledge that there was a really good golf course.


Food

Standard hotel resort food. Nothing special but not terrible. Decent value and the serve staff is very accommodating for young ones.

Charley's long bar is a great evening hang out at the ground level and they have a formal resturant as well.

The most popular eatery for families appears to be the Springhouse (buffet/casual dining) Resturant and Uncle Eds (pool side service).


Regency Club

I seldom see it crowded or full. Many times during our last visit we had it to ourselves. Food is OK and they keep snacks and drinks out all day so you can get refueled while taking a break from the river/pool.

It is at the 4900 wing of the hotel.

It does need some updating but it is more than sufficient. I always find a WSJ to read and a quiet corner to read it in.

In Closing

Overall the loads are definitely down from past years. Many of our trips have been there when the lobby was always packed, the river was wall to wall people and you would have to get into a fight to the death to secure chairs at the pool. However, any time you can do a Sunday check in versus a Thurs/Friday you will be well served (excluding holidays) with most likely a crowd free stay.

Not a national destination resort (IMHO) but a great regional family get away with friendly staff and a relaxing enviroment. We will continue to go back.

I hope this helps anyone considering a visit.