Lake Charles, Louisiana

My parents called and asked if we wanted to meet them somewhere for a few days over Spring Break and we were all in!  We contemplated going back to The Woodlands Resort since we had so much fun the last time we were there but I really wanted to try someplace we hadn't been before.  My parents {might} enjoy going to the casino, Mike likes to golf, and my kids LOVE to swim so we decided on Lake Charles, Louisiana.

After making our reservations, I started looking around trying to find things for us to do...  If you are looking for a laid back vacation, Lake Charles is your place!  Admittedly, at first I thought "what are we going to do?!"  but the kids quickly showed us they can make anyplace feel like an amazing destination!

 Loaded up and hitting the road!  It's about a three and a half hour drive from central Texas and it took my parents about the same coming from northeast Texas.

We had a slight hiccup in our reservations but it definitely worked out to our advantage! We got our nights mixed up at our original hotel and by the time we realized it, they were completely booked.  Golden Nugget to the rescue - and for the win!

 

 We were hoping for just a nice, clean, run-of-the-mill hotel room but we were welcomed by so much more! 

 We had planned to split the kids up and let one or two stay with my parents but because of the awesome set-up of the room, they all stayed with us.

 The kids couldn't wait to enjoy breakfast at this tiny little booth!

 We had a few laughs about the tub being in our room!

Holden just couldn't wait - she had to climb in and try out the tub!

 It's truly the little things for me - like a separate water closet and two sinks!  When you are sharing a room with four other people, these are life savers!

The girls checking out our amazing pool view!

We ate all our meals on site.  I've listed them at the end if you are interested in where we ate (we aren't big food connoisseurs so there aren't any foodie pics!). ;)  BUT, we are definitely experts in dessert!  The Chocolate Box at the Golden Nugget was a place we made sure to visit each day of our stay!

Holden loved the white chocolate covered pretzels!

 And the rest of the family enjoyed the ice cream!  We {might} have taken advantage of the free samples!

 And once we got back to our room, the girls couldn't pass up a bubble bath in the "fancy" bathtub!

After a {some}what good night's sleep (Mike and I were the lucky ones since we got to share a bed with Hope-y - she slept a-MAY-zing!) everyone was up and ready to start the day!

 *travel tip - if you are dorks like us and travel with your own pillows, never use white pillowcases!  We have certain pillowcases that we only use for traveling - the hotel never thinks they are theirs and they are hard to miss when packing and loading up to leave!

 It was a gorgeous day!!!

Our hotel was located just down the road from a Target so each morning, Mike would make a run to grab cereal and milk for everyone!

 Hope was {just} a bit excited about going swimming!

 They were so ready to get in but made their mama happy by stopping for a quick pic!

 The pool was "heated"...

 They went around the lazy river no less than 257,851 times!

 Proof that I did get in the water - but not for long!  #brrr

 #typicalteen

 After a quick lunch at the Claim Jumper, we decided to check out the hotel "beach".  The kids loved this area!  Plenty of space to build sand castles, turn cartwheels, and make sand angels!  They also have fire pits that would be fun when the evenings get just a tad bit warmer.

 There's also a beach-side bar so you're never too far from a tasty beverage!

 After the beach the kids convinced Dede to swim with them!  Holden definitely has the gift of persuasion!

 Later that afternoon, we took the casino trolley over to L'auberge to check-in for our remaining two nights in Lake Charles.

After a long day in the sun, we were ready for dinner!  We cleaned up and headed downstairs to grab a bite at Jack Daniel's Bar & Grill. 

 The kids loved looking through this money fountain - filled with coins from all over the world!

 Holden and I loved all the art - a license plate United States map and an American flag made out of chains!

Hope was beyond exhausted so Mike carried her up to bed.  She was so tired that she slept in her dress!

 Rise and shine, it's morning time!  Hope was enjoying breakfast in bed - cheerios out of a coffee cup. #wearesofancy #andapparentlyitwastooearlyforpictures

The girls couldn't wait to try out the pool at L'auberge.

 While the girls were swimming, the boys took advantage of this nice area of turf and tossed the football around for a bit.

 We enjoyed spending our Spring Break with Dede and Pop Pop!

And we enjoyed spending our Spring Break in Lake Charles!

Lake Charles, thank you for welcoming us and giving us lots of memories from Spring Break 2016!  

If you are looking for a nice, laid back destination - this might be the place for you!

Oh, and before I forget, here are the restaurants we visited on our stay:

Cadillac Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar

(special kudos to our waiter at Cadillac's for going to get Hope cheerios - he made her day!)

Claim Jumper

Jack Daniel's Bar & Grill

Favorite's

Be sure and come back soon when I share details about a little side trip we took to Holly Beach!

Do you have a special place you enjoy visiting just to get away from it all?  I would love to hear all about it!  

Thanks so much for stopping by {and for making it through all the pics)!  
Gig 'em and God bless! 

Holly

I would love to have you link up at the Waiting on...Wednesday link-up - a place where you can link up what you are waiting on, going through, making, anything - as long as it's family-friendly!  :)

check out my FAVORITE link-ups page to see where else I'm linking up today!