Woodloch Resort a Spring/Summer Pandemic – Related Review

Woodloch Resort -what is it?

Woodloch Resort is America’s #1 rated, family resort according to USA Today!  We last visited the all-inclusive, Woodloch Resort during the winter season and I wrote all about the 5 reasons families must visit in this post.    THIS post features what’s NEW at Woodloch and what to expect during the pandemic.  And it will showcase all the family-fun recreational activities to be had during the spring and summer seasons.   Read on and make sure to share with another family that would love this!  We actually went with another family the last time and it’s such a popular place to travel with family, and is a popular meeting place for reunions and team-building groups.  But before we get into that, here is a quick overview from Trip Advisor.

Why Woodloch Resort?

If you’re looking for a family road trip from the NY area, THIS is the perfect spot.  Just 3 hours away from NYC, Haley, PA will transport you from the concrete jungle to a woodsy, secluded area in the pristine, Pocono Mountains lake region.  Here, you’ll immerse yourself in nature, breathe fresh air while frolicking through its 1200 acres, and enjoy lakefront views like this.   It’s a serene and much-needed getaway for most New Yorkers.   And it will truly feel like the escape you needed after a long lockdown.  You’ll be surprised to find that while being a rural getaway, it’s so easy to jam-pack with so much family fun!  Normally, I’m the social director of the family – researching, planning, and figuring out how to occupy our time while getting us place to place in the city. Here at Woodloch, there is so much to do and it’s all amazingly on-site making my activity coordination responsibilities SO much easier.  Note, there is no traditional kids club where you can drop off your children. This family-owned resort is more about spending time together and making new memories.  And I promise you, you WILL!

What to do at Woodloch

Family activities that encourage teamwork include options such as: family feud, Olympics, trivia contests, beach volleyball and scavenger hunts.  There are also baking contests, carnival activities, petting zoos, and (for-an-additional-fee), jewelry making and painting classes.

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J loved her painting class ($30) and the jewelry making ($5-10 extra).  For the sporty types, there was golfing, tennis, basketball, rock climbing and archery. For water-lovers, there’s boating, paddle-boarding, swimming (indoors and outdoors), bumper boats and even a waterslide that drops swimmers into shallow lake water.   For laid-back vacationers, there’s bocce, shuffleboard, putt putt, drum circles, cooking demos and bingo.  Teens will love the zip line and climbing wall (both activities require you to be 13 and up),  archery (10 and up), escape room (extra fee), dance parties, go karting, the arcade, and swimming.  Little ones will love the bumper cars, junior go-karts, indoor and outdoor playgrounds (outdoor playground is NEW this year), the arts and crafts room, daily activities in the kids club, bumper bowling, the toddler indoor play space and (indoor) splash zone.  You could stay there all week and still not be able to finish everything you want to – there is just SO much to do and try!  NOTE – to keep safe during covid times, activities were booked through a new app registration system which allowed for ensuring limited capacity, contact tracing and proper sterilization of equipment in between bookings.  Click here to learn more about Woodloch’s wellness standards and how they’re ensuring both safety and fun!

Dining at Woodloch

While enjoying all this old-fashioned fun, you’ll work up an appetite and totally appreciate their all-you-can-eat, meal plan.  We had the 3 meal/day meal plan but honestly with their portions and knowing how much we ate at each sitting (could not resist anything it was so dang good!!) we could have gotten away with the 2 meal/day plan.  I’m pretty sure I gained 5 lbs from this one weekend. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE walks away in awe of how tasty everything is.   YOU WILL LOVE THE FOOD!! Their insanely delicious food coupled with their famously warm and genuine hospitality, will leave you feeling nothing but nurtured and taken care of. And isn’t that what we all need after this hard year? Plus their greeters and servers make you feel like you’re right at home (if home was a spectacular, never-ending playground with hundreds of activities awaiting you).  Since 1958, families have been returning here with friends, families and groups.  It is a popular place for reunions and I can understand why!

Woodloch’s LIVE entertainment

My favorite part of this trip post-lockdown life was the live entertainment and my spa day though.  Who else craved live music and entertainment after this long pandemic period of staying indoors and having everything cancelled?? I cannot tell you how GOOD it felt to be sitting in a (socially-distanced) audience listening to a live band play favorite tunes from each decade.

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It brought life back to my soul as I sang along and celebrated what most definitely seemed to be the end of this covid catastrophe.  And the comedic magic show the 2nd night was so fun for kids of all ages from 2-92!  Part balloon-artistry, part puppetry and packed full or surprises, it delighted us all and Juliet loved being part of the show!  (They encourage audience participation which made the show all the much more memorable).

Woodloch’s must-experience spa

SPA? Did I say spa?  YES! They have an award-winning spa on their 1200 acres and a mile-long lakefront.  And it is the peace-filled, pampering that you NEED. My poor, neglected nails needed some loving so I opted for their 100-minute mani/pedi. Click here for the full 25-page spa menu which includes everything you can imagine plus float therapy, prenatal treatments, treatments just for him and couples’ selections.  Voted into the top 10 domestic spas by Travel & Leisure, you will love this spa retreat!

woodloch spa, best spas, best spa, poconos spaThe Lodge at Woodloch is the Woodloch Pines, sister resort – one that is also all-inclusive but adults only.  It is consistently reviewed as one of the best wellness resorts and romantic getaways – just see this list of accolades and global awards!

Let me know if you have any questions about Woodloch or their spa in the comments below!  I’d be happy to answer based on our two trips there.  Again, see this post about all their winter activities and 5 reasons families need to visit Woodloch. And make sure to share this post with a friend!

Many thanks to the Woodloch team for hosting us!  Your hospitality is unmatched and we have such fond memories of Woodloch and our stay there.

We were hosted but all opinions are 100% my own.

 

5 Ways to have a Mermazing Mermaid Party (even during a pandemic)

mermaid party, mermaid birthday, mermaid theme, mermaid decor, mermaid cakeMermaid Party!

Last year my daughter decided her upcoming 8th birthday would be a mermaid themed party.  And I was determined to make her dreams come true -pandemic or not. So mermaid party it was! If you too are over the zoom calls, can’t do a street parade and or can’t do a front yard fiesta, read on to see how we SHELL-abr-8-ed!!

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1). Limit guest count.

Only invite a couple or few besties whose families you trust have been acting in a Covid safe manner. We had an extremely small social pod that we ever so rarely met with through the past year. And from that mini pod, we invited 3 little girls and got lucky because right before the mini pod gathering, everyone had tested negative. Kids are less transferable and less in danger for catching and having any serious symptoms so it is with those facts we proceeded to celebrate on a smaller scale. (Click here for the 20 person 7th birthday recap from last year.).  As an additional measure, you can ask to ensure that their family members have not experienced any symptoms and or been in contact recently with someone who has had symptoms or covid. 

mermaid party, mermaid party ideas, mermaid birthday, sleepover tents, sleepover party ideas, mermaid squad, how to throw a mermaid party2). Make memorable mermaid decor!

We decided to host the party in our home ‘cuz living here in Manhattan, drive by car parades are not a thing and it was too cold in February to do anything outside. Plus I liked the idea of having my fully sanitized home be the private venue from which I could work for days on perfecting some extra special decor details. mermaid decor, mermaid food, mermaid theme, mermaid themed party, mermaid party ideas

Adding this splash of color felt like a happy burst of energy – the perfect thing to combat lockdown life.  Don’t we all need a little extra color these days?  Thank you to Chic Sugars for sponsoring our beautiful mermaid themed cake!  You incorporated the party colors perfectly and we adored all the mermaid fin toppers and ombre frosting!  Click here to see the Valentines cake they made for us last month!  Both were so so delicious and were the perfect focal point of our decor!  Based in NJ, they service the entire NY area too and can make ANYTHING you dream of. 

chic sugars, mermaid party ideas, mermaid party, mermaid theme, mermaid themed birthdayCheck them out! They were featured on the Food Network and have an amazing portfolio!!   

teepee in the city, how to throw a mermaid partyMermaid balloons, balloon garlands, DIY starfish chair accents, grand kiddie tablescapes, and teepee slumber party setups also created a wow experience for our mermaid squad! 

Special thank you to our event partner, Teepee in the City who brought in these adorable sleepover sets and helped set the scene for such a special night!  The set includes teepees, fairy lights, mattress, sheets, blankets, pillows, rugs, trays, lanterns, customized teepee labels, garlands, mermaid tail blankies, a birthday sign and load in/out!!  They can customize to your theme and have lots of options to choose from!  It was the first time sleeping over someone else’s house for a couple of our little guests and thanks to these sparkly night lights and super fun teepees, they did just great and were so excited to spend the night!  I highly recommend this company for all your sleepover needs.  They would make an extra special addition for a lockdown movie night as well! 

Click here for 4 tips on elevating your tablescape!  Thank you to our decor partner, Wish for allowing us the store credit to pick and choose from your amazing selection! Stay tuned for a separate blog post with links on where to purchase everything plus our recommendation on mermaid themed gifts, fashions and favors too!

3). Stagger drop offs and pickups.

I gave parents a 30minute range from when they could pickup and drop off their kids. And upon entering, kids washed hands and changed into their mermaid dresses. Matching mermaid costumes were given to all party go-ers and also to their 18” dolls care of Mini and Me official. The girls loved twirling in them and noted how they weren’t itchy like other costumes.  

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We have a couple others from their vast costume selection and we just love their style, machine-washability and the fact that they don’t leave a trail of glitter everywhere like many other costumes do. 4). Entertain mermaid style

Swimming, mermaid bracelet making and mermaid TV shows were on our list of todos. But we also had fun playing with pretend makeup, and singing kareoke too! With a little creativity, it’s easy to add a themed twist to any kiddie activity. Sing songs from the Little mermaid soundtrack. Instead of passing the potato, pass a mermaid doll or instead of duck duck goose, play fish fish mermaid for instance.

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We were lucky enough to have a private session at our pool since during the pandemic only 1 apartment is able to reserve the entire pool at a time. It worked out in our favor! The girls had a blast splashing around and trying on Juliet’s new mermaid tail. They had a such a swimmingly fun time that they begged to go back to the pool the very next day!

5). Provide under the sea themed foods & treats

For snacks we had goldfish in pretzel and classic editions (swimming in clear fish bowls). For treats, we made clams with pearls (Nila wafers with frosting and a huge pearl sprinkle in between). And for shell treats, we simply frosted lines on madeline’s that were shaped in shell form. It made for an easy and fun baking activity for Juliet to prepare pre-party! The next morning, I made mermaid bagels by taking our gifted rainbow bagels from Liberty bagels/midtown bagels and adding natural food coloring to the cream cheese spread. Lastly I topped them with mermaid sprinkles and a cute mermaid toothpick topper. The girls went crazy over their breakfast in bed!

5). Find FINtastic favors

besides the beautiful mermaid costumes (that by the way are so soft and comfortable many of the girls chose to sleep in them), guests left with lots of fun surprises!! “Look at this stuff; isn’t it neat??”  Each mermaid’s teepee hid a goody bag filled with: a flippy sequin mermaid tail purse, mermaid outfit for Barbie, mermaid pen, bracelet in one of the party colors, squishy coral slime, and a mermaid stamper. Plus each child left with a party balloon!

mermaid party favors, mermaid themed party, mermaid party ideas, mermaid themed birthdayThis couldn’t have all happened without a little help from my friend and professional party planner Xin from Le Petite Prive who came over the night before (masked) and helped me get the balloons made, and generally help setup backdrops for me.  Having this on-site assistance from a professional planner is something I don’t normally have so it was SO appreciated!  I loved bouncing ideas off her, and having a partner in crime as we secretly set up the decor away from my little who only saw it when she came out of her bedroom slumber the day of her birthday.  If you need full-on event planning, styling, install and the full package though she is available for all of that too!  Her calm nature, and can-do, positive attitude will help relieve any party planning stress you may experience.  Plus she has an incredible eye for events and her style is so elegant.  What an honor it was to work beside her!

Above photos are a mix of my iphone shots and images from Andrea Kay Images.  She specializes in weddings, family portraits and all sorts of event photography and works primarily in the Long Island / NY area. She’s a joy to work with and always returns stunning shots and will stay safely masked for you!!

Tell me in the comments below, what your favorite party of this party was!  And follow me on Instagram for more daily inspiration for celebrating the everyday in style!

 

 

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