Our 2018 “staycation” continued with a three-night trip to Las Vegas. We have been to Vegas so many times, that it almost seems like a second home. Although Vegas is certainly an adult holiday destination, it can also be a great place for a family vacation. We’ve taken my step-kids many times and they love it. On this trip, my step-daughter had just turned eleven and my step-son was nearly nine.

Of course, a Las Vegas trip with kids does not mean casinos, booze, and clubs ( honestly, clubs haven’t been part of my Vegas vacations since my 20’s), however, it doesmeans plenty of pool time, attractions, and creative food.

We’ve stayed at nearly every hotel on the strip and although we would have loved to stay at the Waldorf Astoria, a kid-centric trip gave us a different kind of focus. We picked a “new-to-us” hotel, The Cancun Resort.

The Cancun Resort is actually a Diamond Timeshare property. We are not timeshare owners and we are not interested in getting free nights for attending a presentation. This said, we have discovered that staying at timeshare properties and just paying for them like a normal hotel room, is a great option. They are usually a good value and the rooms are often apartment style, with a kitchen and laundry. Having these features isn’t as important when we are traveling as a couple, but they make a huge difference when we are on vacation with the kids. The kitchen is especially important, as we save money and have an easy way to cook kid-friendly food.

Now, there is a little juggling when it comes to the timeshare hard-sell. They will try to get you to attend a presentation and they will throw perks at you, such as show tickets or free nights at their other hotels. If you’re interested, go for it. However, if you’re not, you just need to be very clear and firm. They may call your room and present you with the offer multiple times- be firm, they will eventually go away. We didn’t experience too much of a hard-sell at The Cancun Resort, but it does happen at timeshare properties.

Although this was my first time staying at The Cancun Resort, I had visited the property in 2004. My godparent’s stayed here during my first wedding and actually threw a family brunch in their suite. During my first visit, I was very impressed with the pool complex, which is what made me consider it for this vacation.

Pool time was our primary objective.

As with many Vegas hotels, The Cancun Resort has a beautiful lobby and friendly staff, who even allowed us to check-in early.

We stayed in a one bedroom, two full-bath suite with a kitchen and balcony. The kids slept on the pull-out couch in the living room. This situation fit our needs perfectly, providing plenty of space for us to spread out.

And our balcony with a lovely parking lot view. A pool view would have been visually nicer, but admittedly the parking lot was mostly quiet. I always use the hotel balconies for a quiet place to read.

The room was a little shabby and in need of a remodel, but it met our basic needs and was not so terrible, that we wouldn’t return.

Besides…

The pool was fabulous. It had multiple slides and was enormous, plenty of space for everyone, even on a busy summer day. We never had trouble finding lounge chairs- which is a big deal. On a previous trip, we stayed at the MGM Grand and the pool scene was a nightmare; completely over-crowded with no spare lounge chairs to be found. The pool complex at The Cancun Resort has a nice layout and is spacious.

The kids loved the pool, but the resort also caters to adults with delicious tropical cocktails served in hollowed out pineapples and an adult-only area with hammocks!!!

Unlike the bigger hotels that have difficult parking situations, it was easy to grab our car from the lot and head out to explore Vegas. We took the kids to Red Rock Canyon, where we had a geology lesson and saw native tortoises.

We hit the strip for a visit to The World of Coke, Hershey store, and people watching.

Next to swimming, eating is always a top Vegas activity. On this trip, we went to Egg Works, which has become my favorite breakfast spot. The Greek scramble (half-size is enough, trust me) is a must and make sure to try their homemade banana nut muffins. The even made Mickey Mouse-esque pancakes for the kids!

At Creamberry, we joined a long queue to experience their instagram famous “Ice Cream Burrito.”

Check out their brag-board..

This monster of a dessert included multiple scoops of ice cream and toppings (of your choice) wrapped -up like a burrito in cotton candy.

It was a little sickly, but definitely worth the experience. One burrito was plenty to share among the four of us.

Creamberry is also known for other tempting treats; such as shaping ice cream into roses and fun cookie creations.

We loved Creamberry so much, that we returned the next day. The kids got normal scoops of ice cream and the adults had Italian affogatos: espresso poured over ice cream and topped with whipped cream. I discovered affogatos a few years ago and they might be my favorite coffee treat. I’m thinking a splash of Bailey’s might up the affogato experience. Thoughts?

The other somewhat strange thing that we discovered on this vacation, is how much the kids love to look at model homes. At the time, we were considering buying property in Vegas and looking at different communities was really fun. I think we were all dreaming of having a private pool. The kids actually requested to go look at model homes, rather than having pool time at the hotel. My mind was blown. In the end, we moved to Colorado, but it was a lot of fun looking at the options in Vegas. Lake Las Vegas in particular, is a beautiful community.