Family Travel Bliss at the Ritz Carlton Buckhead

Credit: Yelp.com

Our recent visit to the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, one of the premier luxury hotels in Atlanta was truly magnificent. Honestly, there is no other way to describe it. It was such a good family travel experience for all of us. From the moment we arrived, we were treated like royalty by the staff and that treatment continued throughout our entire stay.

I had stayed at the Ritz in other cities, primarily for work, and had good experiences, but this was my first time with my children. We needed a diversion, and we needed to relax. Our visit at the Ritz was exactly what the doctor ordered.

The hotel really knows how to cater to families. First of all, they call kids V.I.K.’s. (Very Important Kids). Gotta love that. They think that families don’t have to give up the pampered treatment they can offer when they decide to not drive far for a vacation. They are offering their Family Getaway package through March 31st, 2012 for as low as $279/night.

This package includes overnight deluxe accommodations, American breakfast for two adults and two children in The Café or delivered by in-room dining, guestroom movie with popcorn in addition to dive-in movie at hotel’s pool, children’s self-guided scavenger hunt at hotel, ice cream for children at hotel restaurants, and overnight valet parking (a $32 value). If you want to splurge a bit more, get a suite for $499/night. These packages are valid only on Friday and Saturday evenings and of course are subject to availability. As soon as we arrived at the hotel, the staff offered my children a wrist band so they could get free ice-cream, a small stuffed animal and a scavenger hunt form. I knew that we would drop our belongings and quickly go on the hunt.

As soon as you walk into the hotel and get a glimpse of the incredible lobby, you know you are in for a unique experience. The entire hotel is decorated with classic paintings, antique furniture, marble floors and fresh flowers.

Credit: Yelp.com

We were given the suite and it was stunning. We had a separate bedroom from the kids, which is always a treat when you are traveling as a family. As expected from a Ritz Carlton, the beds are lush and the room is spacious. The bath is made of marble, the linens are Italian, the beds are made of feather and the pillows are goose-down, there are terry robes hanging on the bathroom door, there are flat screen TVs, internet access, free newspapers in the morning and an evening turn-down. The room is really, really comfortable and totally luxurious.

As soon as we dropped our bags, we headed on our scavenger hunt. The hunt takes you on a serious tour of the hotel, answering questions, collecting stamps and gifts along the way. Kids count the elevators in the hotel, the flags in front of the hotel, the rooms in the hotel (we had to ask someone to answer that for us – there are over 500). Along the way, we stopped for our ice-cream. We stopped to watch a pianist playing skillfully and spent a few moments talking to him about how he plays from memory. We stopped for a swim in the gorgeous pool and hot tub and stayed there for hours. At the end of the hunt, we ended up at the doorman, where we had to find out how many bell carts are in the hotel and we received our last stamp. I can’t rave enough about the hunt. It occupied my children for a few hours and they derived so much pleasure from the experience.

The next morning we were all exhausted from a late night so we opted to order breakfast in the room, since we had the option and I knew it would be a big treat for the kids. When we called down we were given a zillion options – grits or potatoes? pork or chicken sausage? coffee or tea? We really didn’t expect the amount of food that came in and everything was delicious. And the children loved lying in bed, watching TV and eating all their favorite breakfast item…even pancakes.

This package is really ideal for a family like ours. The price is certainly right and you can take advantage of it this holiday season. If you’re going during the holidays, you can make an “appointment” for your kids to meet Santa.He comes to your guest room to surprise your child. You have to call the hotel to find out when that is taking place. In addition, they also have their traditional holiday brunches and dinners for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as their annual holiday teas. All their events are listed here.

To book your visit, call (404) 237-2700r book here.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary visit in order to facilitate this review, but all opinions expressed are my own.