In late June my husband will be home on leave and we are looking into visiting Hot Springs. We have some great friends around Little Rock that we will be spending time with (this is the reason for that area). I am looking for any info: preferably an etended stay hotel & fun things to do while we are there. The resorts seem to be more than we want to spend. It will be my husband & I with our two kiddos who at that time will be 4 & 1.5 years. Thanks so much for any help. I want his leave to be a wonderful time for us all.
Thanks for the input! I'll have something to go on now! You guys are great!
We went this summer and had dinner at the back porch grill on the lake (http://www.backporchgrill.com/). It was absolutley incredible. Try to get a seat on the deck.
Enjoy your trip.
I can't give a recommendation, but I can say that you might want to steer clear of the Arlington. We stayed there for a marriage retreat a few years back, and it was a horrible experience for everyone who attended. It was so small that we couldn't find room to pull the ironing board out. I had to sit on top of the dresser to get my makeup and hair ready because there wasn't room to just sit or stand at the mirror. The bathroom was so nasty that we didn't even shower, and the walls were so thin that we honestly heard the people in the next room when they plugged in their iron (or something ) before the sun even came up. It was not a good time.
I'm an Arkansas native so I could go on and on about Hot Springs. It is one of my favorite places! If you go there, there are interesting tours of the bath houses and the hot springs. The Buckstaff is the best bath house and the Arlington Hotel is in the historic part of the city and pretty nice. I used to suggest the Majestic Hotel and bath house but it closed. Sorry, I don't know about extended stay hotels. One of my favorite places to eat is Belle Arti if you like Italian. It is on the main drive in downtown Hot Springs. Another good lunch or casual dinner place is the Faded Rose. There was a pizza place on a corner, real cute with a brick oven I think, that was VERY good. I don't know if it is still there but it was awesome. We went on the Belle of Hot Springs dinner cruise on the lake for our anniversary one year but I am pretty sure kids can go on it and there might be a non-dinner option too.
I recommend taking the tour of the Hot Springs National park & Bath house row. I haven't taken it in years but I was fascinated as a kid. Some friends of mine just went and took the Duck tours with their kids.
If you do a bath, the Buckstaff Bath house is the best. Your husband would love it too. I know it doesn't sound manly but every guy I know that is brave enough, loves it. But just a warning, they actually rub you in the tub - just your arms, legs and back - but surely if you have been to the dr. you can handle this. Some people can be shy but I always say you won't show them anything they haven't seen before :o) They won't be impressed or repulsed. LOL I always do the package that is about $55 for bath, massage, and you get to be in that for at least 1 1/2 hours total. It is so fabulous -- if you have any time where the kids won't be around or maybe for a mommy splurge.
Let me know if you have any more questions, I hope you enjoy our state!
Danielle,
You may want to look for a place between Hot springs and Little Rock as the cost could possibly be less. The area is so beautiful and the drive into Hot Springs is really nice. There are several lakes that are nice in the area as well that you should check out. I belive it is lake Gray that has facilities in a country club setting.
You may want to contact a hotel with a few amentities directly as sometimes they can give you a better rate than an 1-800 number, especially since you are looking for one with a little more ammenties. I also found an extended stay facility that was very nice in a popular area in Texas by offering a reduced rate that of less than half of what the normal rack rate was by using Priceline.com
Good Luck on your search.
C.
