Last week my girlfriend and fellow blogger, Alex, and I took our four kids under five on a Calgary road trip (and even drove down together in one vehicle)! Though slightly exhausting, the trip was full of laughs. We spent three fun-filled days exploring some kid-friendly C-Town attractions and enjoying the amenities *cough* incredible waterpark *cough* at the Sheraton Cavalier Calgary.
Today I’m sharing all the details in case you’re thinking about planning a Calgary road trip in the coming months!
Our Hotel: Sheraton Cavalier Calgary
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there’s travelling with kids and there’s travelling successfully with kids. You can take your kids anywhere but making it an enjoyable experience requires a bit of preparation… and a handful of patience.
That’s why I was so pleased to partner with the Sheraton Cavalier Calgary Hotel to return to their property for our third time. The Sheraton offers suites with amazing layouts ideal for travelling with kids. Each suite has a large bathroom, bedroom and a separate living area furnished with a sofa bed, tv and dining table.
This trip, it worked perfectly because I put Elle and Emmett to sleep in the bedroom (Emmett still sleeps in a crib and the hotel brought one up for us – no need to bring our own pack ‘n play). I then had full reign of the separate living area to enjoy a glass of wine and catch up on work. I could’ve opted to sleep in the hide-a-bed but instead snuggled up in the king-sized bed with Elle. Then, each morning when the two of us woke up before Emmett, we tiptoed back into the main living space so I could start getting ready while Elle watched a show with breakfast.
Other benefits? The hotel provides free high-speed internet, has complimentary parking, offers room service and has a variety of restaurants onsite. We visited Colors Bistro for breakfast and it was delicious.
A Few Questions I Received Over on the ‘Gram
Do you have a discount code? Does this hotel offer deals with local attractions?
The Sheraton Cavalier Calgary is currently offering packages with Calaway Park and the Calgary Zoo. They come up when you search for rates on a specific date – there’s a deals tab.
Does this hotel permit pets?
Yes, they do allow pets and charge a nominal $25 fee to cover extra cleaning on departure.
Had a Splashing Good Time at the Oasis Waterpark
As far as hotel pools are concerned, it doesn’t get much better than this!
On the second day of our trip, we spent almost five hours with the kids at the Sheraton Cavalier Calgary’s 3,000 square foot Oasis Waterpark. It has two 250-foot waterslides, a kiddie pool, swimming pool, two-tier hot tub and sauna – which translated to hours of fun for all of us.
We went into the day, not being sure what to expect. It was our first time taking the kids to the pool without our husbands to even out the adult-to-kid ratio. I’m happy to report that all four kids were excited to try out the waterslides. Emmett was hesitant at first (he’s only 2) but once he started, he couldn’t get enough! Alex’s eldest, Colton, was the only one of the four brave enough to go down solo, so Alex and I took turns going up with each child. It went really smoothly and made for such an easy, fun day.
It’s also pretty mind-blowing looking back on photos of the kids in this same pool a few years ago. Emmett’s now the same age that Elle was during our first trip here!
Played All Day at Granary Road
I don’t go around recommending things lightly but I must say: if you’re looking for an awesome day with the kids, go to Granary Road! Their Play and Learn Park is probably the best facility I’ve been taken the kids to in Alberta. Yup, it’s that good.
Granary Road has 36 acres with 11 larger-than-life exhibits sure to capture the attention (and energy) of toddlers and tweens alike – from zip lines to three-story slides and in-ground trampolines. Plus, on Fridays, Saturday and Sundays, they have a farmer’s market! We visited on a Thursday so didn’t get to shop but saw the space – and it totally gave me Granville Island vibes!
We had such a good day, I wrote an entire blog post on Granary Road so you can find out more.
Got Wild at the Calgary Zoo
The Calgary Zoo has been our must-visit attraction during our last three trips to Calgary. It has sprawling, beautiful grounds and well-kept facilities, and the kids love checking out its fuzzy inhabitants – from the super cool (literally) penguins to the hippos and giraffes.
We were also pleasantly surprised to catch the zoo’s “Dinosaurs: Awakened” exhibit featuring 27 animatronic dinos, on now until Halloween 2021.
Dined In Style with Bubbles and Brews
Can you say ooh-la-la?
Alex and I met up with our friend Sarah and dined in style at Bowness Park with this luxury picnic set up by our friends at Bubbles and Brews. Check out this post for more photos and details!
A big thank you to Sheraton Cavalier Calgary, Granary Road and Bubbles and Brews for hosting us. As always, all thoughts are my own.
Xo Holly Hunka
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