A FAMILY WEEKEND GETAWAY AT THE ATLAS° HOTEL
Ah, summertime — absolutely nothing can ruin those summertime vibes, except maybe:
- Watching Paw Patrol 24/7
- Having to listen to the Gummy Bear song on repeat
- Constantly being asked “Are we there yet?” on family road trips
While we may not be able to help with the last one, we can help you escape some of the annoyances that come along with the kiddos not being in school.
Are you still unsure if you are ready to venture out of the house this summer? Continue reading to find out more about Kelsey’s weekend getaway to Soaked! Waterpark and The Atlas° Hotel.
OUR GETAWAY TO THE ATLAS° HOTEL
When I was a little girl, I often remember going on little family getaways to cities in our province, staying at a hotel, and going water sliding with our family and friends. Those weekends away, were some of the best childhood memories that I have. Our getaways usually included exploring the city, eating in new restaurants, playing tag on the hotel elevators, and of course racing each other down the water slides. I am pretty sure most of our family getaways centred around my brother and his sports, killing two birds with one stone, but either way it was always a blast. I knew when I grew up and had a family of my own, that I would want to take them away for weekends, to do the exact same thing, and make the same amazing memories. After the last couple of years, this February, we were due for some quality family time to take our minds off the stresses of the world.
I had looked into going to a few places in Saskatoon, as it is a closer city to where we live, but then a few of my friends had posted on Instagram about The Atlas° Hotel in Regina, and I was extremely intrigued! The hotel, which was once The Travelodge, is in a great location near downtown, the University, shopping malls, restaurants, Mosaic Stadium, Wascana Park, and Regina International Airport. PLUS, the hotel featured the really cool “Soaked Waterpark”, which boasts two waterslides, a light up spray pad, a digital water curtain, swimming pool and a hot tub. We also had always wanted to take the kids to the Saskatchewan Science Centre located in Regina, so we decided to make the trek there. I reached out to the hotel, and fortunately for us, they were willing and extremely excited to host our family.
Upon arrival, I was immediately impressed with the modern renovations, and pleasing aesthetic of the hotel. A cozy sitting area with leather furniture, a massive fireplace, a winding staircase, marble reception desk, fruit infused water, and friendly staff greeted us. We were then given our wrist bands to the waterpark, and we made our way to our main floor room. I wasn’t sure if I would like a main floor room, as normally I am quite snobby about the views of a hotel room, but the convenience of our main floor room location, made it completely worth it. Actually at our next stay, that is what I will request again. It was easy to access the front desk with any questions, I didn’t have to chase my children down halls or elevators, the restaurant was on the main floor, as well as the gym, and the entrance to the waterpark.
When we entered our room, again, I was impressed with the cleanliness, and the modern décor. It was nothing super over the top, but great for a family. It did have a mini fridge which was handy for storing the million snacks we had to bring for our children, a Keurig machine with coffee and tea pods, but no microwave just to note. We then noticed we had a surprise waiting for our family in our room, which was a beautiful gift basket full of local goodies. There was even something for the kids! We were so surprised by this gesture! It made it so exciting for us to visit Regina, and we truly felt special being there at The Atlas. I don’t know for certain, but more than likely the gift baskets were a little extra part of our collaboration. Either way, it was still extremely appreciated and thoughtful. To be treated with that extra dose of kindness when doing a collaboration, is not necessary, but it speaks VOLUMES about the hotel, the management, and it’s something that I will never forget. It was also nice to see the hotel utilize and promote other local businesses in doing so. It shows they value their city's small businesses, and genuinely want to promote what Regina has to offer. Very creative.
Another thing that I need to note about this hotel, is their genius print marketing. Don’t know what I mean? Take a look at their Instagram page or website. The text is hilarious, witty, and undoubtedly true. Even their guide to Regina in our gift basket, was intriguing to read. It makes you feel like you are among friends, who truly get you, have a good sense of humour, and will give you the best advice of places to visit and things to do. They genuinely care about you enjoying your stay. No stuffy hotel here! This hotel is ALL about humour, and lots of fun. I am pretty sure our “Do Not Disturb” sign read, “Do Not Disturb, unless you have pizza and beer”, or something along those lines. I loved it!
After getting settled in our room, we immediately hit up the waterpark! I was nervous with it being super packed, which it was, but we still had plenty of room to enjoy ourselves. The pool looks small, but we found it comfortable to swim around in. The hot tub was great, as it had seating all the way around to relax, and quickly became one of our favourite spots to watch our kids play in the splash pad. The splash pad had lights and water shooting up at all different levels, which made it great for kids of all ages. Hollis was a bit hesitant, but eventually warmed up to walking through the water. Maddox LOVED it! He karate chopped every spout that shot up! The splash pad also housed the digital water curtain, which made objects appear in the water falling down. It was pretty cool, and unlike anything we had seen at any other waterpark.
The waterslides were obviously my favourite, as I raced other kids to the top, feeling no shame as I may or may not, have gently pushed them out of my way. If you ain't first, you're last kid!
Maddox on the other hand...he didn't like them so much. We convinced my cautious child to go down twice, and that was more than enough for him. Hollis on the other hand, went down several times! Both slides I found to be about the same speed, but the purple and yellow waterslide is dark, has bursts of kaleidoscopic colours that come at you on your way down, making it difficult to know where you are, or which way it will turn…which I found even as an adult, extremely thrilling! So much fun! I also really like that both waterslides don’t end in a pool like the ones of my generation. Much friendlier for all ages to enjoy, and less anxiety for the parents! I’m sure you all remember the feeling of falling into a pool at the bottom of a slide, and becoming slightly panicked of swimming out of the way, before the next kid would land on top of you. It was the worst feeling! Thankfully that isn't an issue here, and The Soaked Waterpark water slides, have red and green lights at the top telling you when it is safe to go next. Very appreciated.
After our swimming, we went back to the room to order room service. The amazing thing about this hotel and their room service, was that you could pretty much order the full menu (we even ordered calamari), AND alcoholic beverages, with no crazy upcharge fee. With the kids being exhausted, having our supper in our room, mommy and daddy enjoying a few cocktails while the kids jumped on the beds, was the perfect way to end the day. Then just when we thought the day couldn’t get any better, we got a knock on our door. The hotel was serving amazing artisan ice cream to all its guests, from the local ice cream shop, Dandy’s. It was sooooooo good! They actually served it to us BOTH nights, and I don’t regret trying ALL the flavours they offered. Dandy’s is definitely a place I would like to visit in person the next time we are in the city. Another local business promoted by The Atlas!
The next day was filled with more room service for breakfast, a morning swim, an outing to the Saskatchewan Science Centre, and shopping at Cornwall Centre. We also considered skating at Evraz Place (Mosaic Stadium) but given the -30 temperature that day, we chose to head back to the warmth of our hotel instead. We then went for an early supper, and dined in at the hotel restaurant “Dish”, which is extremely warm and inviting, and the food was AMAZING! Seriously, it was so freaking good! The best part? When dining in at the hotel, KIDS EAT FREE!! I had no idea, and it was a really nice surprise! That means more cocktails for mom and dad! Just kidding….kind of. We also had breakfast our last morning at Dish, and not only was it a delicious buffet, it cost us $13!! My husband kept asking the waitress if she was sure that was correct amount we owed, because we were in disbelief at how affordable it was! You can’t feed your family breakfast at McDonalds for $13!
After being extremely full from our delicious supper, we of course went back to the water park! The kids couldn’t get enough swimming, and it’s safe to say they were extremely exhausted on the way home. Thank god, because mom and dad were too.
Overall, I can’t say enough great things about The Atlas Hotel, its accommodations, amenities, friendly staff…EVERYTHING! It’s such a great place to stay as a family. Full disclosure, we were gifted part of our stay, but regardless, I would go back again in a heartbeat! Actually, on the drive home I was discussing with Jory how I want to take the kids down to a Roughrider game this summer, take in what Regina has to offer in the warmer months (farmers market, festivals, beaches, the exhibition, Cedar Creek Gardens, Stonehall Castle etc.) and of course, stay at The Atlas again! I am very impressed, and I would absolutely recommend it to any of my friends who are looking for a great family focussed hotel to stay at while visiting Regina.
Thank you again to The Atlas Hotel for hosting us, treating us SO well, and for helping us create a very memorable family weekend.
