Family friendly Las Vegas: Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Desert Club Resort

Guest post written by Sisily Calvert.

While most think of Vegas as Sin City, my family loves to take the challenge of finding family friendly Las Vegas Nevada experiences, as the city is our home away from home. We recently tallied up our trips to Las Vegas and in just the last four years since my daughter was born, we came up with a staggering 30 plus times. Believe it or not that is a decline from the 12 times a year we visited up until I gave birth in ’08.

las vegas with kids

“What does Vegas possibly have that is family friendly?” That is the usual question I get when other families learn about our obsession with this desert town. While there are several things that fill up our days while in Vegas, I want to talk about a recent gem that my family and I were so lucky to experience.

Our last six years have been spent in luxurious hotels in rooms that are bigger than our house, which of course makes mom and dad happy. What I’m about to let you in on is happiness for the entire family.  The Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Desert Club Resort is nothing less than family vacation perfection. What started out as “how bad could it be,” turned into both my husband and me saying that hands-down, this was the best Vegas vacation we have had. Let me remind you we are not amateurs at the Vegas vacation thing.  The Holiday Inn Club Vacations resort exceeded our expectations and completely undermined our previous stays.

las vegas

Villas:

The minute we walked in we felt the comforts of home. What immediately caught this mom’s eye was the full kitchen: no kitchenette here. What I had wished I’d known is how comprehensive this kitchen was. So I will do my best to list everything I can remember: full size refrigerator, full size stove, full size dishwasher with soap, coffee maker with coffee, microwave, toaster, dishes, silverware, pots and pans, tea kettle and tea, wine opener, can opener, sharp knives, dish soap, dish towels, and paper towels. If I would have known there was a toaster and full size coffee maker, I would have been more prepared. Another huge bonus is the full washer and dryer in every villa. It was so wonderful to come home with a suitcase full of clean laundry; this was a first! Our villa seemed newly upgraded, with beautiful furniture, flat screen T.V., the biggest bathtub I have ever seen, plus updated kitchen and bathrooms. There is one thing that needs improvement and it’s the pillows, they are so hard and thick it was more comfortable to sleep without one.

IHG villas

Service:

Checking in was almost fun! That might sound weird, but from the moment we arrived it really felt different than other hotels in Vegas (not to mention other hotels in general). Other hotels should take notice; the Holiday Inn Club Vacations staff is trained and hired for customer service. What I found to be even more astounding is when a small problem arose, from phone call to door knock was less than five minutes. That has never happened anywhere I have stayed. Bravo to you, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, for hiring and or training people correctly.

villa kitchen

Restaurant:

Prospector Joe’s Gold Mind Bar & Grill is their on-sight restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The food is reasonably priced and tasty. My husband enjoyed a chicken pesto Panini while I enjoyed an amazing beet veggie burger.  Remember the incredible service that I was talking about; expect the same from the incredibly friendly and fun restaurant staff.  It was 119 degrees the weekend we went and they threw in a complimentary frozen lemon-aid for my daughter!

Pool:

The pool is where we spent most of our time. The property has five pools spread out between the villas. We liked the pool closest to the restaurant because it had the waterfall and was a bit livelier. We also loved that if we got hungry or thirsty that we didn’t need to go far to get a quick bite or a cool drink.

Game room:

The Game Room was a really well equipped to entertain children and adults alike.  Make sure you bring your quarters (they also have a change machine) and rack up a game of pool, air hockey, or video games. This was a great place to beat the heat and have a little friendly family competition.

Holiday Inn Club Vacation game room

Bottom line:

I would absolutely recommend Holiday Inn Club Vacations when traveling with kids. The atmosphere was so family friendly and fun. In some of the major hotels in Vegas people give you snarky looks when children tag along; not everyone loves the sound of children splashing in the pool when they’re nursing their hangover! Holiday Inn Club Vacations is a smart family choice considering all the amenities in the room as well.

Date last visited: June 2013

Distance from the interstate: near I-15

Room rates: Villas started at just $109 at the time of visit.

Directions: From I-15 North or South: Take the Flamingo Road East exit. Travel past the Strip (Las Vegas Blvd.) to Koval Lane. Turn left (north) on Koval Lane and the resort will be on your right.

Disclosure: My family and I received a complimentary stay to facilitate this write up.  I was not told to express a certain point of view.  All views are my own.

Photo credit: Sean McEntee, Sisily Calvert, Holiday Inn Club Vacations

Shares