Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Sandusky - Sandusky, Ohio

Natasha J.

My seven year old enjoyed it and had a great time. Me as a parent, thought it was overpriced and way too crowded. Paid so much money, only to not have a single chair or table available, but a cabana could be rented starting at $300. Lockers were $35 for roughly 18x24, purchased a double top shelf drink and it cost over $60 with a tip and a souvenir cup. A waterproof phone case was $35 and the arcade was super expensive also. A large pizza is $40 and $4 or $5 per topping. 2 small scoops of ice cream was almost $10 and the list goes on and on. Just straight up price gouging in my opinion. In the end, I paid just as much for Disneyland for my son and myself, minus our lodging, which I can't wrap my head around.

Staff was very friendly and cleanliness wasn't too bad either. Room was okay, the expensive snacks and waters they keep on the desk in the room were dusty on top, but otherwise the room was pretty tidy.

I just wasn't too impressed. I'm sure we'll go back when my son is older, but I'm not overly excited to return.

Zach D.

This was the first time being here in many years since being a child myself. Overall, I would recommend, my family did have a great time. The room was very comfortable, the heat and air worked great! The beds were comfortable. The bathroom IMO was a little on the small side (I have young kiddos to bath though). The lighting in the room was either too bright or completely dark. The toilet had blood down on the underside of the toilet bowl which was really disgusting and when it rained, our window leaked....alot! Our room was in a very convient location so I did not complain about the leak. The food was good, definitely very expensive, I did feel every place offered pretty much the same limited options with little variety. I also saw many signs posted about a "pizza pub" that apparently was no longer there, I hope the y take those signs down. The waterpark was great, as expected busy. Seating is definitely a challenge, hard to buy drinks and lunch and have them at the pool without a place to put them. There were many far too many unsupervised kids. This part was rather upsetting, I know kalahari cannot be responsible for other guests behavior but all the kids pushing running falling into my 3 year old got rather annoying. At night on the first night there, there was also alot of hallway noise from midnight until 3AM. people yelling running slamming doors etc. woke all of us up. As for the arcade there were many games that took our credits from our card yet never worked. The games are definitely expensive with each game costing approximately 10 credits. 50$ will buy you 200 credits. The prize selection was good with many reasonably priced options especially for my younger kids. The waterpark states that they do not allow outside food/drinks- this was never enforced. Nobody stood at the gate to check people were scanning in or to make sure outside stiff wasn't brought in. I wish I would have known this. Overall we will go back, however it was very expensive, spent far more than I would have anticipated especially since we didn't end up eating many meals there, and the ones we had we were burgers and pizza. Check in was easy and staff was very friendly!

Andrew P.

Note: I've only ever been here in winter time... The outdoor stuff looks like it COULD be pretty cool, but I can't speak to that.

I mean... It's a giant indoor water park with a giant hotel and conference center. There's a ton of people, with not much space. You have to fight for a place to camp out and it's a constant 85-90dB the entire time you're in the park.

That said, my kids had a great time. Food at restaurants is pretty good (but expensive for what it is), rooms are fine... So... It's a one-time family experience for us. I'll keep coming for conferences, so... That's that.

They didn't have our room ready on time, we waited 25 minutes for 2 pretzels (that were already done) and had to even ask for them at that point...

Overall, not great service.

Christopher M.

I was very pleased with my experience there. The facilities are fantastic. The rooms are great. The staff was very helpful and engaging. What takes away from the experience is a threat of being charged for everything if I don't return a towel $30 for example. But I had a massive issue with the spa. Again, the staff was kind and friendly and the massage was great along with the manicure and pedicure. But what I did not like at all is it says couples massage for $125 and I don't recall it seeing per person. So it's $125 x2. Also, there's a $10 Stone charge upgrade per massage too. I thought that was included. Did they put stones on my back/feet? No, they just rubbed me with some hot stones for a couple minutes. BUYER BEWARE. I will never go into the spa again unless it's complimentary. I expected to spend $300 to $400 which was a lot personally, and I spent $521. I talked to guest services next morning and he gave me a $25 card for Starbucks. Some money back on our reservation would have been really nice though. I felt completely taken advantage of. We plan on returning next year. Our experience was great except for that it just seems highly predatory and I would strongly suggest looking into it because the guy at guess services. I really didn't think it was going to lift a finger regarding it. Thank you
Reservation confirmation # CI5BKABN

Mystique D.

My family and I decided to take a day trip to Kalahari, and we had to much fun it turned into an overnight stay. Our hotel room was beautiful and had a balcony to overlook the outdoor area, and the hotel room service was out of this world. It IS a resort, so expect to pay $$$ for things while you're there. We decided to rent a bungalow, which was pricey, but well worth it if you have a child in the spectrum like we do that gets overwhelmed easily. The bungalow had padded recliner chairs, a TV, mini fridge, and personal server. Jonah, our server, made us feel like family and royalty all at the same time. Constantly bringing us food and drinks at the drop of a hat, he was well worth the 20% gratuity and then some we paid him at the end. Not only is the water park HUGE, but there is an abundance of restaurants, arcade games, and services (like a spa, chocolate store and more!) that you can chose from. We were going to spend only a day there, but we ended up spending two days and now we are planning our return in a few months. This vacation offered everything we dreamed of and more. Thank you so much for giving us this incredible experience and memories to last us forever. You've created a returning customer with us!

Jennifer M.

We had a wonderful visit! We especially want to thank Amber (Director of Rooms) and Chanel at cabana rental desk who were both so very helpful and accommodating. The park itself was a lot of fun! Our boys enjoyed the water slides while my husband and I enjoyed the adult swim up bar and attached outdoor spa. The rooms were clean and comfortable. The food was good, and even had gluten free options!!!

Meka M.

We always have a fun time at Kalahari. We love the slides, the lazy pool, the wave pool, the hot tub and the arcade. The food is not the best but it's decent. The rooms are beautiful and quite cozy. The prices are expensive but everything is these days. This is definitely one of our favorite places and we can't wait to come back!

Freedom40819695596

I've had better value and sleep at a comfort inn. For starters when I was checking in on the kiosk I noticed the numbers didn't add up. My stay was ~619 for 2 nights. I put a 290 deposit down months ago. Came in expecting to pay the difference. The charge at the fiest screen was $500+. I thought thay included thr deposit. Only to find on thr nexf screen it wants another 200$ for deposit. I was assured that everything was right by an attendent and even reassured again when i explained everything. Well come to find out when i went downstairs that night to complain about the poor excuse for a couch bed that they actually charged me 230$ for the arcade and food package without my knowledge and if i hadnt gone down i wouldnt have even found out about the giftcards they were holding at the front desk. I asked the front desk lady if i hadnt come down tonignt to complaine would you have called up to my room to let me know about them? She said no its your responsibility to grab them. I didnt even know i bought them. It was probably just a default selected option when checking in on thr kiosk that i missed when i had ancy kids around me asking a million questions. Really upset about that. For as much money as they charge per night along with a daily mandatory resort fee I would think, hope, and assume the beds would be comfortable. Not a chance. After 3 nights I couldn't wait to get home to at least the 150$ amazon mattress my kid sleeps on which blows kalaharis mattresses out of the water. Beware of booking a sofa bed room. You will be sleeping on a mattress about 3-4 inches thick with nothing but metal bars to support you. This would be a 1 Star if they hadn't given us a roll away bed free of charge for our stay. Honestly I don't think I'd ever return. The hotel was filled with ghetto hoodlems which turned me off and the bed situation on top of that. I have never had such a horrible sleep in my life. You think going to a hotel you'd be like wow these beds are so nice I can't wait to sleep in them. Nope they say Queen room but they actually mean full size uncomfortable beds. Save your money, go to great wolf lodge in Sandusky like our friends did who had a much better stay and experience overall. The only thing Kalahari has going for them is the dawnbreaker slide which was fun but definitely does not make up for all the BS.