My family loves staycations because they are cheap, don’t take a lot of planning, and let us see more of our local area. Today we are going to talk all about family staycations.

 

Booking the Hotel for Your Family Staycation

The first step to planning your family staycation is to decide where to go and then book the hotel. Last summer my family went on two staycations. We spent a night in Park City, UT at the Hyatt Place Park City and also spent a night in Farmington, Utah at the Hyatt Place Station Park. For both of those family staycations, we used an anniversary-free night certificate that comes with the World of Hyatt card.

Staycations are a great option for using your annual anniversary-free night certificate. Most hotel credit cards come with an annual free night each year. This alone pays for the annual fee. It’s great if you can use your free night at a hotel that has a high cost so you can get a lot of value from it but a free night is a free night. Another option is to use your free night in conjunction with using some points to stay for a long weekend. I would love to do that sometime and stay at the Hyatt Place Moab. Nights there start at just 12,000 points a night but depending on the time of year, cash prices can be pretty high.

The majority of anniversary free night certificates can’t be used at any hotel, they have a cap. For example, Hyatt free nights can be used at hotels up to category 4. Marriott has two certificates depending on which credit card you have, a free night up to 35,000 points and a free night up to 50,000 points. Hilton is the exception and their free weekend night certificates can be used at almost any hotel.

 

Park City, UT Family  Staycation

We took this family staycation last summer. We only live about an hour away from Park City. As I mentioned above we stayed at Hyatt Place Park City. This hotel is a category 4. We would get more value out of this free night if we went in the winter during ski season but, since we aren’t a ski family, we preferred going during the beautiful summer months. I love Hyatt Place hotels because they come with two queen beds plus a pull-out couch. They are great for a family! The free breakfast is also a huge perk. Their breakfasts typically have a great selection! The kids also loved the outdoor pool.

 

 

 

We spent just one night here. We swam, watched a movie, and had popcorn, and then the next morning we explored the Olympic Park. The Olympic Park has a lot to offer! There are many activities that cost money like the alpine slide, ropes course, tubing, etc. but there are also a lot of great free options! We stuck to the free options on this trip. The kids loved the museum all about the Winter Olympics, they played in the awesome park, and we also watched the skiers go off the jumps and do all sorts of cool tricks in the pool. There was plenty to do there that didn’t cost a thing!

 

If you have seen any pictures of my boys then you know they are a tad obsessed with Nike so, of course, we had to make a stop at the outlets and pop into the Nike store. We also hit up TJ Maxx where we actually found more kid’s Nike clothes at a better price! Just an FYI if you happen to be in Park City and are a Nike fan. During this whole staycation, all we spent money on was our shopping and lunch. Cheap vacation if you ask me!

 

Farmington, UT Staycation

Hyatt Place Station Park is in such a fun location! It is right there at the outdoor shopping center, Station Park. There you will find a movie theater, lots of shopping, restaurants, a water fountain that puts on a fun show with LED lights and music, a seasonal outdoor ice skating rink, a playground, and more. Across the freeway is also Utah’s amusement park, Lagoon. There is so much to do here!

Like our stay in Park City, this Hyatt Place also had a pool (but this one is indoor) and a great complimentary breakfast for World of Hyatt members! The kids had a great time going to the movies, shopping, eating out and getting dessert, playing on the playground, watching the fountain show, and swimming in the pool!

 

Planning Your Family Staycation

When it comes to planning your family staycation here are some things to keep in mind:

• Look for family-friendly hotels, Hyatt Place, Marriott Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, etc.
• Free breakfast can be a huge money saver.
• Kids love a pool so make sure your hotel offers a pool and if you have a preference for indoor or outdoor then make sure you know what you are getting.
• I like to stay at cheaper hotels when going on a family staycation, I like to save my points for more luxurious destinations and accommodations.
• Check out what the local area has to offer as far as activities. We enjoy hikes, museums, zoos, etc.

 

Bottom Line

Staycations can be a great way to make some memories with your family. Thanks to points and miles they can also be very affordable!