Kalahari Resort
Wisconsin Dells
Our family and four other families that are friends of ours spent the weekend at the Kalahari Resort in the Wisconsin Dells. For our own family, this was our second time at the Kalahari. We had visited there five years ago. This time we went with 9 adults and 12 kids and we had a three bedroom condo and a two bedroom condo, which were across the hall from one another in the "Sands" building in the convention center side of the resort. The condos at the Kalahari were great. Each family had their own hotel room, bathroom and outside entrance to the hallway. Each room was connected through an adjoining door to a common area. In the common area there was a living room with pull-out sofa, 2 arm chairs, and a flat screen TV. There was also a fully stocked kitchen with a breakfast bar that seated four and a kitchen table that seated six. Each room and the living room had a balcony. The side bedrooms had two double beds in them and the center bedroom had one king bed. All the bedrooms also had a mini fridge and a microwave in it. I had requested a rollaway bed for both of the rooms that had a king bed, but we never received them. One family brought an air mattress for their kids and that worked fine. The accommodations were very clean and comfortable. The condos are great because everyone felt like they had their own space and privacy, and we were able to come together comfortably as a group. All of us brought food and we were able to eat and share food together throughout the weekend. One night we ordered a bunch of pizzas from Sarentos, a great Italian restaurant in the Wisconsin Dells. The pizzas were delivered promptly to the room and it was delicious.
On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate the service at the Kalahari a 7 this time. The Kalahari is so big and there are so many people that there is bound to be some confusion or mistakes. We had a few minor bumps with the front desk, but nothing that was a huge deal that deserved complaining about.
Since the Kalahari is a big place, prepare to do some walking. We never find walking a problem. Bring a stroller if you have a small child to tote. From the area where the condo units are at, you have to walk through a sky walk to the main hotel building, take two elevators, and then walk through the connecting building to the indoor water park area.
The Kalahari has a very nice indoor water park. I enjoyed it a lot more this time than when we had visited 5 years prior. What I liked about this water park is the fact that there is enough to entertain all ages and that there are many rides that allow 2 or 3 riders at a time. There are also no height restrictions, which made it more enjoyable for some of the kids. The indoor water park has a wave pool, although the waves are not as strong as the wave pools at the neighboring Wilderness or Great Wolf Lodge resorts. There is also a lazy river, a flow-rider surfing and boogie boarding ride, water basketball, 2 rope monkey bars areas, a dark tube slide, a body slide, a "toilet bowl" slide, a 2-3 person boat ride, 3 hot tubs, a large kids play area with an activity tree house, 2 infant slides, baby jumper swings, and two medium water slides for kids. In the back section of the water park there is another little kid section with 7 or 8 other small slides. There is also a family raft ride that seats up to 3 riders and a cool Master Blaster ride where the water pushes you up and down hill to create a roller coaster affect. We all had a great time at the water park and it was the first time that I felt my kids got to go on a large selection of bigger water rides. The lines for the rides were not horribly long and the water park never felt over crowded. We didn't have a problem finding seats or towels. If you visit the Kalahari in the summer, there is also an outside water park. This is a little extra bonus when the season is right.
We usually bring snacks from our room down to the water park for convenience and cost savings, since the food is always expense at the resorts in the Dells. It is usually not a problem, but on our last day a crabby older woman that worked there went through the water park telling people they couldn't eat their food that they carried in. I just said "OK" and continued to let the kids snack and just kept our stash of food out of sight. That is what most people were doing too. I thought that was pretty ridiculous. We have never had that problem at the other large resorts in the Wisconsin Dells. Everyone there has spent a lot of money just to be there. You would think they could be a little nicer and not be so pushy about forcing people to buy their expensive food. This place makes zillions of dollars and that was a rude way to act, in my opinion.
Between the hotel and the indoor water park there is also an area with a good sized arcade. There is a good variety of games were you can win tickets for prizes. There is also a place where you can pay to get your hair braided or a temporary tattoo sprayed on. Outside of the Kalahari, but right next door is the Desert Cinema, which has lots of current and not so current movies playing.
Inside the Kalahari there are quite a few places to eat. There are grab and go places where you can purchase just about anything. Inside the water park there is a place you can purchase snacks are prepared or hot food. The Kalahari also has some sit down restaurant options and a place where you can order take out such as super duper large pizzas that cost $30. There is also a sweet shop where there is a large selection of candy, candied apples, and ice cream. I noticed that there was a large breakfast buffet that looked very yummy when I peeked through the window of one of the restaurants that looked out into the water park. There is also a gift shop, a paint your own pottery studio, and a spa.
The lobby is a busy place where there is usually a lot going on, but it usually feels warm and inviting. In the lobby there is a baby lion and a wallaby on display. You can pay to have your picture taken with either of the animals. It looked to me that when you have your picture taken that you are not allowed to touch or pet the animal. We didn't do it. I just don't think a lion, even if it's a cub, is trustworthy enough to be around little kids.
The Kalahari is a good place to stay for single families, or groups. There is a large conference center there, so the Kalahari does cater to very large convention groups.
We had a great time at the Kalahari. I would recommend it. We had fun at the water park and we very satisfied with our room and condos. It was very fun to go with four other families. It was a good experience.
http://www.kalahariresort.com/
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