Best Lazy Rivers

06/08/2024

We’ve been staying here at Tahiti Village for 3 1/2 weeks now due to the birth of our precious granddaughter! We come here partly because of the fabulous lazy river. We arrived before Memorial Day and the water was fairly warm but that must’ve been their date for lowering the temperature of the water. It now has a bite when you get in. I understand, I mean it is 107 outside this week but oh how just a little more warmth would make it better.
One of the great things about Tahiti Village lazy river is they allow you to have your own floaters for the most part. I did see them say no to tubes that were huge. I think they prefer for the tubes/floaties to be see through. We love to use our blow up noodles for floating the “river” as they give us more control and allow us to be mostly in the water.

They also have a nice large pool with a volleyball net, loungers in the water and a sand play area and zero entry into the pool.

Yes, the hotel is a little dated and rough around the edges but it also has so much going for it as well with shuttles to the strip and to the grocery store! Kitchen, barbecues and even activities for the kids. They have suites with a kitchenette, suites with a full kitchen, jetted tub and steam showers. Or you can get a 2 bedroom, sleeps 8 (2 bedrooms with king beds, 2 fold out sofa beds in each of the living areas) suite which is just the larger and smaller suites opened up between them.
A great place to try out your first lazy river.

03/14/2024

I recently was blessed to spend the day at the spectacular JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort, specifically in the impressive pool complex. Where I spent the day drifting down their lazy river in near perfection.

I purchased day passes for myself and hubby as well as one of our son’s family when we were in Scottsdale, AZ at the end of February. We used the Resort Pass app and for 60.00 each (price varies, was 40.00 the next day) we were treated to a little slice of paradise in the sun.

There were very few people when we arrived around 11:30, hours at this time of year were 11-4pm during the week. The pool complex is large, complete with 3 slides, pools, a hot tub and of course a lazy river. Since it was February the high for the day was about 75 and on this day, the sun cooperated all day. We were thrilled when we stepped into the lazy river to find a welcoming, near bath water temperature for the water, my favorite! I’m guessing around 90 degrees.

They have a plethora of clear tubes for your use but I noticed some people were just walking or swimming the river, a big no-no for many lazy rivers I’ve experienced. I was thrilled to just swim, wiggle and walk our maiden trip around. We were pleased with the speed of the river, no spots of getting stalled like you often find. The river was wide so it would most likely still be enjoyable with many, many more people. After awhile we donned our tube for a float. Unfortunately, for me it is a little hard to hang over the tube from the inside due to one of my shoulders. To float on top of the tube in 75 degrees was a wee bit chilly. Unfortunately, they were not open to the idea of me using my own float. We love when we are able to use our blowup noodles wrapped around us which make for the most excellent lazy river experience because it is easy on body parts, and you can be fully immersed in the water. However I have only found a couple rivers that have let me and in subsequent visits I wasn’t allowed. We needed a solution so what we did figure out is if we “found” the less inflated tubes it was much easier for me to use.

A feature of this river that I appreciated after the rather speedy nature of it is there are a few places you can “pull over” and rest or to just bask in the sunshine.

I am happy to report there weren’t any sprays or waterfalls that you had to dodge so it truly was a lazy river, I even closed my eyes a few times!

The rest of the pool complex was amazing as well, at least visually with waterfalls, fabulous seating areas, some even in the water. There were many pools but interestingly no one was in them, possibly they were too cold. I didn’t try them out as the river is my jam.

There were three slides, one particularly looked quite fun when my son and grandson went on it. Taking a two person raft, down the twisty tube ending with a final upswing ramp that sent them flying. Well that’s what it looked like from the ground, I’m not a slide girl.

Chairs were comfortable, umbrellas plentiful, staff were very friendly, from the moment of “take as many towels as you like” we knew a good day was ahead. Every team member we encountered was a cut above and actually seemed to enjoy their job.

Food was pretty good, Expensive as expected however our lemonade was refillable for 5.00, an amazing deal for a resort pool! Food and pitchers of ice water were delivered to our chairs.

The only tiny negatives we found were the slippery bathroom floors with wet feet and the birds that were slightly aggressive trying to get the food once you set it down.

The resort itself is quite spectacular as well, looking at the pictures. We did not have the time to explore more. Prices for rooms at the time we visited by day pass were in the $900's but I did find some dates in May that showed prices closer to $500 a night.

All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend a sunny day in Phoenix when escaping winter in the Pacific Northwest!

Well done JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa!

03/14/2024

05/20/2023

I LOVE lazy rivers! Lazy rivers are the epitome of a vegging vacation. There are vacations where you go and see and do and then there are those where you lounge and read and relax, a vegging one. A lazy river should definitely be a part of that kind of vacation. You hop on an inner tube and float down the river letting go of all your cares. I can spend hours floating, especially because I’m almost always with a friend or family member to chat with along the way. It is a rare occasion these days to spend a good chunk of time with someone special to you without a phone in your hand.

A few years back, ok 5! We were down to our last two teenagers at home, 2 boys 16 and 18. I didn’t think they would like a lazy river, that they would see it as boring. I was wrong! We took a trip to Texas for Spring Break. We spent some time in San Antonio, one of the nights was spent at the https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/satjw-jw-marriott-san-atontonio-hill-country-resort-and-spa/ Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. It is a fabulous place, with lush green grounds and a fabulous lazy river. It is a good length and visually enjoyable. Amazingly, it was not crowded on the early day in April. We changed and headed to the pool to introduce the boys to this wonderful creation, a lazy river. It was interesting how things unfolded. We went around a bit trying to hold on to each other’s raft so we could stay together. Once we figured that out we found we had time to talk. All kinds of interesting conversations ensued, which is impressive with teen boys! Surprisingly, they loved it and wanted to go back the next day before checking out. A new item was added to the list of vacation activities with these wonderful young men.

Not only are they good for the older kids but younger ones as well. I didn’t discover lazy rivers when my kids were smaller but I recently read a great article by Robin Hutson (https://luxerecess.com/hotels-with-lazy-rivers-florida-family-resorts/ over at LuxeRecess that shared how lazy rivers are great with the younger set as well. She says “Compared to swimming in large pools with our kids, lazy rivers are easy on parents. We venture side by side. We all move in the same direction, and no one gets lost.”

There's nothing like good hotels with lazy rivers to rejuvenate a family. These are our favorite Florida, Hawaii, and Bahamas resorts with lazy rivers.

05/20/2023

Welcome to my page all about my favorite lazy rivers. I might talk about other vacation ideas as well.

Where is your favorite lazy river?