Golf Resort - Pitstops for Kids

Central Oregon golf resort pick: The Lodge at Eagle Crest, a Holiday Inn Resort

June 19, 2013 By Amy Hagstrom

Forget what you thought you knew about the Holiday Inn brand. Holiday Inn Resort has reinvented the name with properties like the Lodge at Eagle Crest in Eagle Crest Resort, which serves as a great home base for families who enjoy both golf and other outdoor activities.

There are no shortage of golf resorts in Central Oregon. We’ve been to most of them, and they certainly all have high standards and individual strengths. Eagle Crest Resort‘s strength lies in its casual, family-friendly vibe and competitive pricing. It’s a very large resort (comprising mostly of vacation rentals and private homes), but no matter where you go, you’re greeted with a smile from staff and residents alike. Located in Redmond, Eagle Crest is only minutes from Bend, where families can river raft and mountain bike in summer and ski in winter. And if you’re a golfing family, you’ll be in heaven with three 18-hole courses on-site.

When we arrived on a typically sunny day in June, we certainly noticed the three 18 hole golf courses first: golf is king here. However, we almost immediately learned that there’s much more to Eagle Crest than chasing little white ball around in the grass (is it clear my kids are the golfers in the family, not me?).

Eagle Crest Recreation:

Bring your bikes! Eagle Crest is divided into two main areas: Resort and Ridge. And it’s large…very large. We like to park our car and leave it, so having bikes meant we could ride to the sports centers (more on that later) and dining. If you can’t bring bikes, they can be rented at the Resort Sports Center by the hour or day, and there are many great bike paths throughout. We like the long loop skirting the whole property, which dips in and out of high desert scrub area and residential neighborhoods and fairways. If you’re up for it, mountain bikes can be rented, and single track trails can be accessed not far from property, right off Cline Falls Road.

Bike rentals start at $8/hour for kids’ bikes to $20/hour for specialty bikes, and yes, your kids will want to try these. They have surrey bikes for two, plus high intensity trikes and fun scooters. There are regular cruiser bikes as well, and tag-alongs and trailers. Our kids most enjoyed trying the novelty of Longe Boards, which are little stand-up paddle boards for the pavement. Don’t rent these specialty items for longer than 1 hour: they are simply too hard to pedal for much longer, though they are fun. Rent regular bikes for the main trails!

In addition to biking, there are no fewer than three sports and recreation centers in the resort. The Resort Sports Center has an outdoor pool and hot tub, tennis and racquetball courts, and ample bike rentals (for the extra fee), and the Ridge Sports Center on the opposite side of the resort offers the only indoor pool, indoor basketball court, and full spa. The third center–Westview–is located well away from the others near the stables, and includes a children’s spray park and outdoor pool. All centers have exercise rooms and classes.

Horseback riding at Ikiutan Stables is one of the most enjoyable resort riding experiences we’ve tried. We loved that our guide listened to our description of our ability level and let us trot our horses and have more freedom than usual. Our hour ride took us across high desert without a house in sight. When I learned that Ikiutan is owned by the same ranglers as at neighboring Brasada Resort, I wasn’t surprised; we had a fabulous ride there as well. At $50 a person for a 1 hour ride, prices are on par with other area resorts, and definitely worth the expense. Pony rides are available for young kids, though kids as young as five are welcome on regular group rides.

Eagle Crest Golf:

You don’t have to be a golfer to enjoy Eagle Crest, though it certainly helps. As mentioned, the resort is very casual and friendly, and this extends to the courses. Kids are welcome, and nine holes are available to play instead of 18 on at least one course. We had a great nine hole experience at the Ridge course (even on a crowded day in June): the course was challenging but accessible…the kids did not feel frustrated, even though it was clear this was no kiddie course.

A great way to get started is a visit to the putting course. 18 well-designed holes on the course include sand traps, water hazards, and beautiful landscaping. It looks just like a little version of the real thing, and kids can practice chipping and putting. The course took us about 1.5 hours, and was a highlight for the kids. In fact, Calvin kept asking if ‘we could make one of these in our backyard’. No way: it’s way too sophisticated! The putting course is affordable too: only $6 for kids and $10 for adults. Our crew all thought it was much better than a miniature golf course.

Lodging:

As mentioned, the Lodge at Eagle Crest is a Holiday Inn Resort. Rooms are standard, but very well appointed. Beds are very comfortable with ample pillows and new duvets. Rooms include a mini fridge, and suites with kitchens are available. For our family of five, we had a standard room adjoining with a one-bedroom suite, which was perfect for preparing meals and spreading out. Lodging guests can access the sports centers with day passes. (There is also an outdoor pool and hot tub, as well as playground, right at the lodge, and kids eat dinner and breakfast free at Aerie when staying with an adult.)

Dining:

Dining is a bit limited at Eagle Crest, likely due to how many homes and vacation homes are on property (reducing need for multiple restaurants). Bring food and cook in your kitchen! Alternatively, we ate most our meals at Aerie, located in the lodge lobby. This small casual service restaurant has good basic meals (think sandwiches, salads, pizzas, omelets and waffles) during breakfast and dinner hours. A few seats are available outside on the patio overlooking the Resort course. Kids eat free off the kids’ menu here if you’re staying in the lodge, which is a great deal, but be advised that kids’ meal portions are fairly small. Older kids will probably want to eat off the adult menu. Equally casual dining is found at the Ridge course, and for finer dining, Niblick and Greene’s serves steak, seafood, and pasta.

Spa:

The Ridge Sports Center houses the only spa, which is small but reasonably priced. I loved the convenience of having it in the rec center too: I was able to drop the kids off in the pool with Grandma while I enjoyed a 90-minute relaxation massage. The massage was heavenly, or at least I think it was…I may have fallen asleep at one point! The spa is low on frills like infused water and calming ambiance, but high on actual value: the service was great and the rate was the best I’ve seen in a long time. I definitely recommend taking advantage of this while at Eagle Crest.

Room rates:

At the time of our visit, standard lodge rooms started at $144 per night. Vacation rentals are also available, and are undoubtedly the better deal if staying for a full week.

Distance from the Interstate:

Only 15 minutes from Highway 97 in Bend.

Directions:

The lodge is located at 1522 Cline Falls Road in Redmond. From Bend, take Highway 20 West toward Sisters. Follow this approximately five miles to Tumalo, where you will take a right on Cline Falls Road (also called Cook Avenue). Follow this for approximately nine miles to the resort entrance.

Disclaimer: We were guests of Eagle Crest for the purpose of review.

Eagle Crest on Dwellable

Oregon golf resort vacations for kids

June 7, 2013 By Amy Hagstrom

Oregon is a wonderful state in which to golf with your kids. The climate is moderate, the scenery is breathtaking, and while the prices are climbing, the crowds are still low. Families can golf at the following Oregon golf resort properties in a leisurely manner, without worrying about slowing down any other guest’s game. Plus, each golf resort below is a full-scale family vacation property, with swimming, hiking, mountain biking, playgrounds, and kid-friendly dining to keep everyone entertained while not on the links.

Brasada Ranch, Powell Butte, OR: We love the remote setting of Brasada, where families stay in luxury cottages along the fairways (try to spot the wild rabbits who come out at night and at early morning to eat the tender grass!). Brasada Canyons is a beautiful course under blue skies during 300+ days of the year. Plus, kid-friendly tee-off areas make the game more fun for little ones. Enjoy a complimentary golf cart and use of a large practice facility. When you’re not golfing, take a horseback ride or swim at Brasada.

Sunriver Resort, Sunriver, OR: With four full golf courses (including championship courses) and plenty of wide-open Central Oregon vistas, golfers can spread out at Sunriver. Plus, kids play for only $10 at Caldera Links, which is a great place to start out after hitting a bucket of balls. Instead of staying in a hotel room or condo, opt for a Sunriver vacation home as a base for family hiking and biking during your off-time. Take a kayak tour from Wanderlust Tours in nearby Bend, or tour breweries on an adults-only trip.

Club Pronghorn, Bend, OR: Once a private resort for club homeowners, Pronghorn is now open to traveling families. The two award-winning courses (one of which is a Fazio) may be tough for new golfers to tackle, but the Troon Golf Academy is the place to bring kids. Ours got a private lesson including video analysis to help the see what they needed to work on. Kids will also love swimming in the Pronghorn pools and participating in the excellent kids’ club, which includes off-site exploration and on-site themed activities.

Resort at the Mountain, Welches, OR: Families will love the mountain air at Mt. Hood’s Resort at the Mountain, where kids can golf with assurance that they are more than welcome! Family golf is offered Memorial Day through Labor Day from 3-5 pm weekdays, during which families pay only $30 per foursome. Nearby, Government Camp and Mt. Hood offer mountain biking and hiking, and parents can take turns at the spa.

This post written in conjunction with a partnership with VacationRoost.

Brasada Ranch for families: what to do with kids at this Preferred Family resort

April 1, 2013 By Amy Hagstrom

It’s no secret that the Pit Stops for Kids crew loves Central Oregon. With approximately 300 days of sunshine per year, lakes and rivers to swim in, raft on, and fish from, trails to hike, and volcanoes to behold, what’s not to love? And we’ve found our top family-friendly Central Oregon resort in Brasada Ranch.

What makes Brasada Ranch great for families:

1. Lodging: During our first visit to Brasada, we stayed in one of their two-bedroom cabins overlooking a fairway of The Canyons. Not only was our cabin luxurious in every way, from the full-sized, gourmet kitchen to the two bathrooms, living room with fireplace, and large deck with hot tub, but we could truly relax, knowing that we were able to spread out, eat meals in, and allow the kids to play. We loved watching for rabbits to poke their ears out from the sage brush in the evenings (and spot them by surprise on the fairway after dusk). At night, we were spoiled by the quiet (cabins are set decently far apart), the star-studded sky, and our crackling fire.

2. On-site activities for kids: Brasada Ranch is not an all-inclusive resort, but the array of activities that are complimentary with your stay is impressive. The Athletic Center houses all of the following: two outdoor pools (including a current-driven lazy river), outdoor hot tubs, an indoor pool, an indoor toddler pool, The Hideout (an indoor kids’ play area with a revolving climbing wall, Xbox games, toys, and outdoor recreational equipment), an outdoor basketball court, a playground, and outdoor tennis courts. All the above is open to all resort guests, right down to tennis racket rentals and basketballs.

What you’ll need to pay extra for: Brasada is home to incredible golfing at Brasada Canyons and scenic horseback riding from their on-site stables. You’ll want to budget for at least one or the other. And don’t be afraid to let the kids tee up: even though the Canyons course is challenging, there are tee off options for kids as young as my then-seven-year-old. For the grown-ups in the group, a trip to Spa Brasada will not disappoint.

3. Central Oregon recreation: Families can hike directly from Brasada Ranch (as for information at the Athletic Center desk), or can hit the trails in the nearby Deschutes National Forest in Sisters, Oregon. The Braised Family Concierge can set you up with volcano hikes, cave spelunking, river rafting, or kayaking in summer, and skiing, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing in winter.

4. Peaceful, friendly, and kid-approved dining: During our stay at Brasada, we ate at both the casual Ranch House and the upscale Range with kids. Both afforded amazing sunset views of the mountains and valley, both offered farm-fresh, often local cuisine, and both came with family-friendly service. Though Range is pricier, don’t assume it’s a no-go for kids: ours loved sitting by the bonfire adjacent to our outdoor seating while waiting for their entrees, wrapped in cozy wool blankets and sampling homemade s’mores.

Brasada Ranch is a Preferred Family hotel:

What does this mean? It means that Preferred Hotels, a stickler for quality on all travel fronts, ensures that Brasada is convenient, fun, and comfortable for families. How so? If you’re staying at Brasada with young kids or babies, there will be a crib or port-a-crib waiting, high chairs and booster chairs will be available, and you’ll find kid-friendly fare in Brasada’s restaurants. There’s no extra fee for children staying in guest rooms or cabins, and children’s programming is available, as well as babysitting services, should you need it.

Looking for more family-focused Preferred hotels?

We’re picky about our endorsements of family travel tip sites, but Preferred Family makes the cut. Not only will you find a full database of family-friendly certified Preferred hotels worldwide, but Preferred Family’s blog section offers travel tips, hotel reviews, and travel industry news from families just like yours. Look for us while you’re there…we feel so strongly about Preferred Family that we contribute there!

Read Pit Stops for Kids’ full review of a Brasada Ranch stay with kids!

This post written in conjunction with a partnership with Preferred Family.

A stay at Brasada Ranch: a Central Oregon family golf resort

September 6, 2012 By Amy Hagstrom

If your image of Oregon consists of only evergreens and rainy days, it’s time to visit Central Oregon’s high desert. One of our favorite regions for Oregon family vacations, Central Oregon offers beautiful mountains, lakes, and rivers for whitewater rafting, mountain biking, horseback riding, golf, and every snow sport you can think up. It’s also home to a number of family resorts, including Bend Oregon’s Brasada Ranch, a Preferred hotel and spa.

Brasada Ranch is a year-round destination resort on 1,800 scenic acres, much of it wilderness. We visited in late summer, in time to experience the first crisp mornings and cool evenings. Our days were packed with activities, but families could just as easily do nothing but lounge on their sun-kissed deck, swim, and dine in one of Brasada’s two family-friendly restaurants.

It’s hard to describe the beauty of Brasada until you’ve seen it with your own eyes. The lodge and recreation buildings fold gracefully into their natural surroundings; everywhere you look, you’re greeted with restful earth tones and understated architecture that showcase the surrounding buttes and peaks and never-ending sky. Lodge rooms are available, but families will want to book one of Brasada’s Sage Canyon Cabins tucked along the Brasada Canyons golf greens and between sage-covered hills. Our cabin was a two bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom unit, and included a full gourmet kitchen, living room, dining space, and deck with hot tub. We had more than enough room to spread out (and larger cabins are available for bigger family groups). We were able to make our own meals, sit around our fireplace at night, and come and go as we pleased (covered parking makes winter visits easy, too).

Recreation at Brasada Ranch:

Brasada Ranch has, hands down, the best included recreation options of any Central Oregon resort we’ve reviewed. Their Athletic Center includes exercise equipment and classes, but also three pools (with additional wading pools and hot tubs), an excellent kids’ space called The Hideout with ping-pong, XBox Kinnect, Wii games, a rotating climbing wall, air hockey, and a toddler space, plus an outdoor playground, basketball court, beach volleyball court, and tennis courts. (Balls and rackets are available at the Athletic Center front desk for at charge.) Families could spend all day here and never encounter extra fees (unless you charge drinks or lunch to your account from the on-site grill).

In addition to the above pool, Brasada’s second pool is calmer (yet still kid-friendly). Also on-site at the Athletic Center is a full indoor pool (with bay windows that rise to keep the heat down in summer) and wading pool with water squirters and splash area. A plunge waterfall cools kids down, and a full waterslide is great for younger kids.

Additional resort activities:

If you can tear your kids away from the Athletic Center, families have many other options during a Brasada Ranch stay. Miles of hiking and mountain biking trails are accessible right from the resort, and Brasada’s two ponds are stocked with fish. During our visit, we took a horseback trail ride with Wrangler Chris at the Brasada Equestrian Center. Our kids had trail ridden before, so they knew what they were talking about when they declared their high desert ride their ‘favorite part of our Brasada vacation’. What made it special? The attention to each rider (groups are kept small), the beautiful scenery, and the fact that they were allowed to trot their horses along the trail.

Off ranch, Brasada’s recreation center can arrange for fly fishing excursions, helicopter tours, whitewater rafting, or bird watching, and can direct families to the best off-site hiking trails. In winter, families can snowshoe or cross country ski, or take Brasada’s van service to Mt. Bachelor for downhill ski and snowboarding. Brasada excursions, horseback riding, and golf (below) come at an additional (significant) charge; if you’re working within a budget, as most families are, we recommend picking your favorite 1-2 to experience as a family, and spending the remainder of your time busy enjoying the many included recreation options.

Brasada Canyons Golf:

If Brasada’s crown is the natural beauty of the high desert, then its crown jewel is Brasada Canyons. I don’t even golf, but still considered my accompaniment of my husband and kids on the course as one of the most enjoyable parts of my Brasada stay. While Brasada Canyons is certainly challenging, it’s family friendly: just explain that you’ll be golfing with young children or beginners (as the case may be) and the pro shop will be happy to help you book an appropriate tee time and show you the five levels of tee boxes to choose from. We opted to golf only nine holes with our two beginners, and found it easy to manage with golf carts well-stocked with ice water, bathrooms on-course, and friendly staff.

Brasada dining:

It’s relaxing to eat in your cabin, but families can’t leave Brasada without experiencing at least one high desert sunset on the Ranch House or Range deck. The Ranch House features more casual fare: think burgers, wraps, and salads, while Range showcases Oregonian farm-to-fork cuisine that’s truly exquisite. Expect a leisurely dining experience of at least a few hours at Range if you order several courses; while waiting, let the kids play on the lawn or gather around the communal fire pit if eating outdoors. At either restaurant, don’t leave without trying the homemade s’mores.

Brasada Spa:

The Spa Brasada is located adjacent to the Athletic Center building, making it easy for moms (or dads) to step away for a treatment. I don’t often spend time in spas during family vacations, opting for group activities instead, but if you have the time, a visit to this spa is well worth it. I loved the infusion of the natural surroundings brought indoors: the spa’s signature oils and scents are lavender and sage. If you book a treatment, plan to come early or stay late to take advantage of the relaxation room and private pool and hot tub.

Date last visited:

August 2012

Distance from the nearest interstate:

15 minutes off Highway 97.

Room and cabin rates:

Two-bedroom cabins such as the one we enjoyed range from approximately $299-399 depending on season and date. Lodge rooms can be had for less, but either way, book early: Brasada fills up fast in the prime months. Brasada Ranch packages are always offered, and are worth checking!

Directions:

Brasada Ranch is located at 16986 Brasada Ranch Road, Powell Butte, Oregon. It’s only 15 minutes from Bend, Oregon off Highway 97.

As I disclose whenever applicable, my family and I experienced Brasada Ranch as guests of the resort, allowing us to review it for our readers. This hospitality came with no expectation of a positive review.

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