was there on 12/21 overnight. If you are staying, inspect your room carefully and pull back to see the sheets. Our room on one bed there were disgusting stains, we stripped and grandson slept on my personal blanket and his towel on the pillow. My bed clearly had something wrong as there were little hard objects that disrupted my sleep. Not sure what they were, advised housekeeping in the am. I'm still waiting for a manager to call me back to advise if it was bedbugs. My sons room had confirmed bedbugs where I visited. I was very itchy after sleeping on the bed until showered and had some small rashes that resolved in a day. All food at B Luz and Italian were good but about 25% higher than outside the resort--Consider bringing your own foods. read more

We have been coming here for the past 5 years. In those years the cleanliness, quality, etc. sure have went downhill. The kitchen stove top and inside oven was filthy, like the housekeeper never cleaned it. Someone had traced"I'm dirty" in the grease on the stove top. It took 3 times of my husband reporting this issue. We went to the arcade and decided to do the escape room. We paid $80.00. Got through the first little part and found that whoever before us had damaged the screen so we couldn't even continue the game. They would only give us credit, not our money back. Next we went to one of the restaurants. Paid almost 100.00 for the 4 of us to eat. The macaroni was dried out and hard, the onion rings were cold when they came out. The food is way overpriced for the quality and quantity. Down at the waterpark little cafe place. There was a male employee working. He was literally yelling and fighting with the other employees. The lady cashier had to get after him. He is not a good representative of the place and does not work well with others. There was a diaper that was broken all over one of the hallway floors for hours before anyone came and cleaned it up. People walk barefoot from the pool on these floors. You go to sit and relax out on the porch and all you can smell is marijuana. Real nice considering this is supposed to be a family friendly atmosphere. Very disappointing on how the cleanliness and everything is going downhill. read more

Favorite Waterpark around MI-OH I've been here 5 times the last few years and we always have a great time the arcade is a lot of fun Also don't pass up the pizza here it's so good All the attractions are a lot of fun some days can be very over crowded but we still manage to have fun read more

We were here over the weekend and had a really good time. My daughter had a gymnastics meet so we decided to make a long weekend of it. This place is huge. We had to drive to a different section to be closer to our room. Our room was really nice with the safari theme. We got in late so decided to take in the sites the next day. The water park was a lot of fun. Get there early if you want a table and to not have to wait in a long line. Before 10 we were able to go in the hot tubs right away. We have a 2 1/2 year old so we camped out by the kiddie area. He loved it. Our older daughter loved the big kid stuff too. For dinner that night we went to the Ivory Coast restaurant and the food was decent. The only reason I don't give this 5 stars was the price of the food at the water park. 9 bucks for a hamburger is pushing it. Overall it was a lot of fun. read more

Kalahari - Resorts Near Me - Sandusky, Ohio

worse place. I got a concussion whiplash and broken toe. 12 incidents in one weekend of people getting hurt. while I was brought to the hospital they tried to remove my things and kids out of my room when the hotel wasn't even at capacity and they had rooms available. I had to get the police involved while I'm in the hospital. go to aquatopia h2o or great wolf. do not go here read more

Can't complain. Nicest indoor waterpark I've seen. Overall fairly clean and really nice resort with some wonderful restaurants. Beds were a bit rough but room was nice as well. Parking/check in left a bit to be desired. read more

Great! Love coming every year, prices are decent in the winter and the park is as good as advertised. And convention center is done well.

Other family members have been here multiple visits. It was my first and hopefully last visit. The first issue we encountered was we booked 2 rooms and a suite in advance and were assured the rooms would be near each other. When each party arrived in the afternoon, we were told there were no more rooms located together. And despite our suite being non-smoking, it smelled like the previous guests had smoked. Again no other suite available to move us to so management provided a discount on the room rate. During our visit, staff entered our room to survey the condition of the rooms citing a project to determine which rooms will be included in a future decor update. All the hotel staff we encountered seemed very young and inexperienced. The sheets, towels, all the linens have seen many days and need replaced. It was very convenient to offer multiple food options onsite and the food was solid. We ordered pizza one evening, went to one of the restaurant another evening, had ice cream, and went to the breakfast buffet each morning (à la carte at the other restaurants weren't much cheaper). We were there in July and the outdoor water park was closed due to lighting. Thankfully, the children had a great time all around and the spa treatment I had was relaxing. read more

We decided on a last minute trip for my sons birthday this year. We have been to many Waterpark hotels through the years and although the attractions are great at the Kalahari the service, professionalism, and crowd are not. We witnessed many guests doing unsafe things like getting out of tubes on water slides and walking on the slides, being misinformed about slides and near drowning experiences. Never have I been to Waterpark that is a family resort that allows guests threatening lifeguards or seeing 2 concussions happen from slides. These were things we encountered in less than a 12 hour window. Security would come but do nothing. The fact that they allow outside guests into the Waterpark is frustrating for those that pay for overnight stays. It just seems to bring a more party crowd. The amount of alcohol being served was out of control. I would not bring young children here our boys are 10 and 12 and they were concerned at points of our stay. I would NOT recommend this location to families. Very disappointed in our stay we will not be returning. To much money, unsafe feeling, crowded, and dirty. read more

I've always had a nice experience here, with kind, helpful staff. As a local to the area, I haven't stayed at the resort in several years, but visit for their water park and spa services (mostly the spa :) navigating the resort is always easier than I expect it to be. The facilities are always maintained well and clean. The spa is a lovely experience that shouldn't be rushed, and the spa staff make sure you're aware of that and take as much time there as you'd like. I've had several massages and a facial here and would recommend both -- my mother went and had a facial with me (she dislikes massages) and really enjoyed herself too. She mentioned wanting to go again. read more

Conference Center is a joke for work meetings. Had a 3 hour, 25 person meeting there. Hour one..server in and out 7x as was not set up in advance. Not his fault(feel bad for him). Hour two they had guys hammering and repairing door adjacent to our conference room. Both of these show Poot management as we were in midst of scheduled presentations. Hour 3, during final presentation they decided to clear room, they could not wait till we finished so 37x over 20 min they came in/out to remove food, coffee, plates, coffee, so on. Completely disrespectful and disruptive. Lastly, a work crew tripped a fire alarm and we were exited prior to finish. Also, dirty and when you call in to say "never been there, what entrance do I come in", you get multiple wrong answers. Hundred acre complex and they can't tell you where to park or door to use to get to Executive Center aka conference rooms. Is not a place your business should go, ever. read more

This is a totally awesome and affordable family vacation. Rooms are clean and smell great. Once you get past the sticker price of the room and realize you are getting access to a first theme park for 6 to 8 people for 2 days ie Room cost 480 for 8 guest thats$60a day per guest, well water park is 2 days so $30 day at a water park and you get to spend the night. My one complaint is there are no loyalty program. As much as I like the place I'm not sure how much I am going to keeping coming back to a business that only takes, takes, takes. This is my 3rd night here this year and at around $500 a night, it would be nice if they said here is a room upgrade, or $100 arcade credit for you kids, or $100 restaurant comp as a way of saying thanks for coming to us. Hope to here this change or I will start going to other places that offer a free night or other comps after 3 or 4 stays. It's just good business to keep customers coming back. read more

This hotel is a mess! I had to change rooms multiple times, the first room smelled like smoke. The manager tried to argue that the hotel was booked and wouldn't change my room. After 10 minutes of arguing, the manager finally agreed to give me a new room. The second room was filthy! I called the front desk to get our room cleaned. The cleaning lady was very slow at changing our sheets because of stains and holes in the sheets. She was clearly upset when I didn't tip her. I was awoken the next morning at 5:00 by screaming from the room next door. I changed rooms, again, later that day. I woke up sweating and realized the air conditioning had broken in the middle of the night. I don't know why anyone would take their families here for vacation! read more

When we went they had wvery thing closed but two slides and pool. The pools where so dirty they should have been closed. The bar area was closed and the restaurants. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. This places isn't even worth 10 dollars. I'm happy I didn't make the mistake and stay at the hotels. I posted some of pictures on how dirty this place is and all the closed slides on Google. Dont waste your money.​ read more

A friend and I took our two kids over mid-winter break this week after purchasing a Groupon. It was $300 for two nights in the hotel, waterpark passes, and two $100 arcade cards. I didn't really know anything about Kalahari before going and have never been to a waterpark or hotel/theme park destination so I was ill-prepared in a couple of ways. First of all, check-in is 4PM, so everyone arrives at about 3:50. We were in a HUGE line that took an hour to get through. I wasn't sure where to park/unload, and the valet line was enormous and there was no price listed anyplace that I could see so I was wary to hail one and self-parked and navigated a luggage cart through the throngs of people all trying simultaneously to check in. The "lobby" is like a small mall. There are shops, a candy store, a coffee place, a bar and a restaurant all situated in the main entrance. It was a complete zoo (no pun intended) of people, carts, luggage, all to rotating "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and Toto's "Africa" playing over and over. It took an hour to get through the one and check in and we finally walked the half-mile to our room. No joke, it was incredibly far away. The room itself was fine albeit kinda narrow and I'm not crazy about the sink being in the main room vs. the bathroom. We didn't see any bedbugs as I read about in other reviews--thank God I didn't read them before we left!--and our room was clean and the beds were comfortable. No real complaints about the room. The waterpark was enormous and you have to walk around for a while to get oriented and figure out what all is there. I could not tell which slide entrances went where. My son and I climbed an enormous set of wet, wooden stairs that scared the sh*t out of me only to face a huge backlog near the top and I wasn't even sure which tube we'd be entering. We wound up in completely enclosed, totally dark separate slides that freaked us both out and I hurt my elbow whizzing around a corner. We didn't go on any more slides after that. There is a "lazy river" that you sit in clear inner tubes to float around in but there are so many vacant tubes bobbing around it's more like bumper cars and if you get separated from your child it's a little harrowing navigating them. The kids really liked this attraction but it was very tiring to me. They do provide small, scratchy towels so you don't need to bring one but you leave your belongings at a table at your own risk. I wasn't willing to pay $20 (!!!) for a small locker so we took our chances and no one molested our stuff. There's a big food/drink kiosk thing in the middle and most of the adults were carrying around liter-sized frozen or mixed drinks. The food there and at all the other restaurants within Kalahari was french-fry-based. It was seriously awful, crappy bar food at thrice the price. So gnarly that I actually fell into a bit of a depression the second night realizing that our dinner options were bad hamburgers and cold tater tots for $16 again. The only good food we had was the breakfast buffet which was $29 for two people, plus tip because they make you sit and be served beverages by a waitress. The candy shop charged $9 for a lollipop and about an ounce of bulk candy. On the plus side, if you bring your own booze you can freely drink it and carry it into restaurants or the arcade of the waterpark and no one says anything. I wish I had thought to bring flip-flops and a robe but it's ok to walk around barefoot in a bathing suit if you don't. There were people of all ages, shapes, sizes, and manner of dress walking around at all times. Tons of kids and teenagers everywhere. There was a very pronounced chlorine smell that didn't get to me until the second day, when I started to feel like my throat was shedding skin and my sinuses were gushing. My son and his friend both had rashes on the second night and first aid and a security guard rushed to the room when I called down and gave us antibiotic creams. They refused to say if this was a common occurrence. The water tasted salty so I'm not sure if they're using salt AND chlorine or what but it felt toxic after a while. The hot tub was warm and fun to be in in the cold but after a few minutes I started to feel like I was in a huge, filthy bath with a bunch of strangers and got skewed out. We think the rash may have its origins in this hot tub. The arcade was fun and the $100 went a long way but it was insanely loud--as was the waterpark, you will be shouting the whole time--and the food in the arcade was GROSS and the dining area was filthy. It was like a campsite---trash and food strewn around, overflowing garbages. If you're not picky about food and enjoy eating deep-fried overpriced crap then the restaurant situation will not bother you. It was the worst part, along with the chlorine and the constant walking miles and miles. I logged 6 miles in one day. Also: I was really surprised we didn't get food poisoning or strep or something . read more

My family and I enjoyed the Waterpark and the activities. We had fun in the arcade too. However, we didn't have fun waking up to bed bug bites and food poisoning. We left a message and spoke to guest services who had to verify that we weren't lying. The lady, Sue Peterson had an attitude the entire time on the phone, the manager of guest services. I am completely grossed out and the fact that I was treated with disrespect is appalling. We will never go back. This issue still hasn't been resolved. They also overcharged our card and that still hasn't been refunded. We should of paid half the price at Splash Lagoon and would of had a better time. What a shame read more

Kalahari - Bed Bug Bites from Kalahari Resorts. We were there for over 3 days and this is appalling - Resorts Near Me - Sandusky, Ohio

Not impressed. Came up from Kentucky wanted to try a new park out. Living were we live we do have options. We can go to Tennessee and the wilderness of the smokies. We can go to Indiana and go to French lick. Or ever great wolf at kings island. We are water park vets. The place just really disappointed me. The value wasn't there. We stayed 2 nights. For around $700. Not cheap. But for "Americas Largest Water Park" I figured what the hell. The park had a few cool rides, but the long lines weren't worth it. I mean more than a hr waiting for a water coaster.....not cool. They only had 2 boats running.....double not cool. All in all it had 1 of 2 flow riders working. At least 4 slides closed. For what reason I'll never know. And one of the 2 pools for shooting basketball were closed. I know "We" may have been out for spring break. They were understaffed big time. Won't be back. Will tell people to avoid at all cost. read more

My favorite part about this vacation was a present to me from my wife. It was a Salt scrub massage and Spa treatment. I never had a massage before so I was just feeling a bit out of my element but it wasn't long before my masseuse Scott made me feel relaxed ... He was very polite and professional and good attitude I highly recommend Scott. Also the Spa at Kalahari Resorts Sandusky, Ohio read more

Kalahari - Relaxing at the Spa before my massage and salt scrub. Scott was my masseuse and I highly recommend him - Resorts Near Me - Sandusky, Ohio

This is about the 6th time I've been to the Sandusky Kalahari and it keeps getting worse and worse. In the span of 24 hours the wave pool and lazy river were shut down for poop and adult hot tub shut down for vomit... I would like to point out there were underage kids in there being bought alcohol. I left the resort on a Monday morning for a coffee run and was disgusted at the amount of trash all over the parking lot. People act like animals here. All night long kids were running up and down the halls and it sounded like a stampede of animals...... no employees in sight to fix this. The walls were thin and you could hear people partying. I can't comment on the food, we ate out because place was overpriced. The room was fairly clean. read more

I pleasantly surprised by the level of cleanliness and professionalism of the staff. They absolutely love th2 owner, whose name I cant recall right now. Employees took pride in their work and their workplace. One employee said that working there has "changed my life". How many times do you hear that in a positive statement. I didn't enjoy the waterpark as I was there for a conference but it looked fun. read more

I am completely obsessed with this place! It's just me & my husband that visit at least once a year & we always have so much fun! There's something for all ages: waterpark, huge arcade, mini golf, bars...what more could you want? Plus the rooms & entire hotel are always very clean & the staff are super attentive & helpful! Seriously plan a visit here if you haven't already! read more

You'd think for as much as they charge that they would be a little nicer at check in. I'm may be overly used to chain hotels that pamper their repeat guests. Got to one check in was told to go to another to get our room key, unloaded the car only to be told we don't have a room ready. Paying $300 and having no place to change for the pool really means we've lost a day to use the resort. As big as this place is you'd think they would have this figured out a bit better. Not worth the money. Since our check in we've also faced: - stepped on glass and cut my foot open - no hot water in our room - terrible customer service when calling front desk This place has really gone downhill fast. There doesn't seem to be any management anywhere to be found. Just a bunch of unhappy grumpy workers who like making their guests miserable. read more

Less than 1 star. The main attraction slides take 1 to 2 hours to ride bc the conveyor belts or rafts have issues and they are only using 1 raft for the 2 rides. Then they were allowing ppl to cut lines when ppl started bringing own tube up, which means longer in line. Mgmt is a joke has no idea how to problem solve and even said they have been having this issue for awhile. read more

For one night stay we paid $545 for the room alone. The sheets / comforters were stained and the floor of our room needed vacuumed. The bathroom was tiny. We also had to walk what seemed like a mile to get to our room from the water park. The park was crowded and the drunk 21 yrs olds all over were loud and weird. The BLux had really good food & we had fun at the arcade/ mini golf. But this place is definitely not worth 600-700$ . Won't be back with our kids. read more

I didn't know where to start when I walked into the resort and I don't know where to start with this review! Kalahari was overwhelmingly huge. In a good way! You'll never be bored...there are plenty of things to do. **Since check-in isn't until later in the afternoon, it's best to get there early, register and retrieve your park passes and enjoy the park all day before you check into your room. **You can rent a locker inside the locker room OR in the park area. Locker rental is $5 with a $10 deposit. You must return the deposit slip along with your key to get the $10 back. **The womens' locker room was COLD. The changing areas were small. **Bring your own beach towel. Their's are rather small. **Bring shower shoes to walk around in. I didn't. I wore flip flops and left them at our table, then walked around barefoot. I regret not bringing and wearing shower shoes. My feet ended up scraped up from the lazy river. Some of the stairs to get to the rides felt gooey and some puddles were questionable (spit? snot??) **The snack bar food was delicious... just VERY expensive. And slow. **The outdoor pools & activities are geared for smaller kids. **The indoor pools & activities are geared towards all ages. **The wave pool water was SALTY. Close your lips tight. **You'll see people walking around with HUGE cocktails. They are expensive, but you're paying for the glass. It was $26.75 the first time. You could refill for $18.75, but go for top shelf liquors (otherwise, it's WEAK) for just a few dollars more. Better yet, have the top shelf Strawberry Long Island. **There is a 21 & up (ONLY) hot tub/swim up bar! **There are many water slides. Some are for multiple riders, some are for single riders, some are for duo riders. Be prepared for lots of steps. **There are poolside cabanas you can rent. **There are various activities held throughout the day: painting pottery, arts & crafts, decorate (& eat!) your own cookie, etc. These are listed in a brochure at the check in desks and in your room. **There is an arcade for lots of dry fun. **The beds are EXCELLENT. So soft -- and after a long day of activity, they are much appreciated. **Double shower head in shower!! **Amazing room decor! **Unfortunately, for a 2 room suite, there is only ONE lightswitch that controls BOTH rooms :-( You are truly at the mercy of the master bedroom. Once they flip that switch, it's lights out for you. **The room phones have this BRIGHT red display light. Find something opaque to cover it up with. The alarm clock light is rather bright, too -- turn it around to face the wall for a dark room to fall asleep in. **Avoid the huge lobby and check in at the Sands part of the resort. Much easier, fewer people, a hike to the water park, but once you find out where your room is, you can figure out your routes then... and even change parking spots to better accomodate your indoor travels. **There are plenty of eating places inside. Also bars & lounges for adults to relax child free! One day here was enough for me. It was a lot of fun. Anyone with children should definitely visit Kalahari. There is truly something for everyone. read more

I gave it a two because my child liked it. If it hadn't been for that redeeming point, I wouldn't have given more than a one. Admittedly we went during what is probably one of the busiest times for them of the year, but having paid top dollar ($600 per night for a very mediocre two bedroom, two bath suite) I expected more. When we arrived, the rear lobby we were sent to looked like a refugee camp. There were families huddled everywhere as they waited for luggage carts, bell boys and the long line to check in. There was no escaping the drafty cold air as the doors opened and closed right on to those waiting in the half hour check in line. This should have told me what what was yet to come. Unfortunately, the drafty cold air scene was repeated in the waterpark, where the childrens' slides are located right next to the park entrance (and cold air). Parents were visibly shuddering as they waited in the water for their kids. Beware of the restaurants/room service. Most of the food we ordered was of poor quality, other than the pizza. We spent over $100 per meal to feed 6 people and some of the meals (stir fry) were completely inedible. My husband said his steak was the worst he has eaten in his life. So if you are going, order the pizza, which we all agreed was pretty darn good. The rides in the park were fun and safe. One of the lifeguards told me that the winter before the water and air were at least 10 degrees warmer. That would have made a big difference. Even he was shaking as he watched over us. Perhaps you could get those wet suits/swimming shirts to ease the chill. It is also *really* loud everywhere in the park. The only quiet place we found in the park was the adult only hot tub, which is located behind the surfing attraction. In case anyone wondered, drinking fruity rum cocktails in a hot tub does not make you forget you are in Ohio. The bathrooms were dirty in the park. No TP in the women's room over by the bars. On the good side, we liked the wave pool, lazy river and some of the tamer attractions. The lines at the big slides were l-o-n-g and waiting 30 minutes to ride a slide for 6 seconds is not my idea of fun. I can't see us going back, but maybe if you went and stayed and ate elsewhere it would be a better experience. They say you can't bring your own food in to the park, but we saw plenty of people who did just that. I have traveled all over the world and have stayed in very primitive places. I think it might be OK during a slower season, but we could not wait to get out of there on the last morning even though we could have stayed and gone in the park for the day. Total spent in 2 days on 6 people at Kalahari with hotel and food there was close to $2,000. Not worth that at all. read more

We stayed a few nights here for my 7 year old daughter a few months ago. This place is so overcrowded that we had to wait in line for 45 minuets just to go on one water slide. There was no place to sit in the water park itself. If they didn't sell day passes and just let the guests who stay at the hotel use the water park it would've been so much more enjoyable. My advice would be to go to a different water park that does not sell day passes to avoid overcrowding. Not a good place to go and have fun with your family. read more

Watch out for hidden $29 resort fee! This was our first time staying here, and I thought the room was fine. We came to meet up with family and spent one night. The kids had a lot of fun, though the lines to get on the outdoor water slides were very long on this Friday in July. The reason I am giving 2 stars is for the ridiculous and mostly hidden $29 dollar "resort fee " which is lumped together with the taxes, and not explained unless you go searching for it. The website and all the advertising claim access to the Waterpark is included in your hotel stay. Yet when you research the resort fee it says that it is to cover access to the Waterpark(?), as well as things like Wi-Fi and a concierge. What a ridiculous hidden charge! It completely contradicts the hotel's own claims about what your stay includes! A more honest establishment would just make this part of the advertised cost of your room. Also worth knowing- check out is at 11:00 am, and while you are welcome to stay all day, a locker will cost you $20. read more

Went for massages and had a great time. The staff was friendly, facilities were clean, and the massage was just what we needed! Would recommend. read more

This is the most overpriced hotel I have ever stayed in. Their excuse? A "waterpark" you can't use. Their rooms look clean, but are they? During a 4 night stay I saw housekeeping once, and that was after I had to make a request. Their park itself is mediocre at best. Half their waterslides are closed, and the other half is staffed by a miserable staff that obviously hates their jobs. You have lifeguards with perpetual scowls that openly state they don't care. Some of the slides have no line, and when you get on them you see why. The slides with lines are artificially produced. Too many rafts clog the lazy river, that it is is not very lazy. I had to throw rafts away just because I wanted to be with my family, but this was further hindered by a swarm of children with no parents roughhousing and power swimming between my family while lifeguards did nothing. When did lifeguards speak up? When my family tried to take the rafts to a nearby slide that used the same rafts. We were told not take them, and get new ones. Unfortunately there were no new ones to be had. The pile was empty as people kept their rafts as they finished. When I complained to the lifeguard, he dismissed me and said to wait. Food is ridiculously expensive in restaurant. Their Italian diner was a conglomerate of Italian movie stereotypes, then cost $200 for basic spaghetti and meatballs. Their breakfast buffet is nice, with good food and a good selection, but the servers seem slow on drink refills and bringing the check, which is their one job since it's a buffet, and they seemed exasperated that they kept charging me for adult meals for my 12 year old child. To top it off, my entire wing lost hot water on the last day, only to find out some had been without for two days! Long story short, don't waste your time. Avoid the Kalahari like the desert, and make sure you have at least $3000 for the trip. read more

It's time to re-review here & share some fun love! Overall 3.5. I have a cell phone review here to make as i on a long car ride home. My past experiences have actually been somewhat horrific here for me to one or two star a place. I can't review this one trip forgetting my prior four swearing I would never return to this place. Things seem to be improving in the right direction. We experienced zero rude staff in three days. Our reservations, as always, was different... Once we got there the staff seem to be ones that care to have guests and it's dead season and low volume days of the year. Renovations are in progress, so we shall see what is soon to come of the lobby area. There was about 15-25% capacity in the hotel these three days. They were at 100% over the leading weekend for some cheerleading competition in town. I am very happy with the staff we encountered everywhere, as well as I for the first time ever (Fifth vacation here) have zero complaints on customer service and actually compliment them this time for going very far above and beyond what is normal and we are very grateful and were able to make another family very happy as we left and passed them our pizza coupon on. Two happy families (actually three because my cousin's family is very thankful & isn't able to vacation very much). I wanted to keep them out of the arcade already because the WATERPARK was open, but the arcade is the best gift you could give those boys & they didn't take long at all! The staff were beyond generous on every measure. I am embarrassed at how generous they were that it felt fantastic to be able to pass a "free large pizza + 4 pops coupon" on to a young family at 5 pm who would love dinner soon (the kiddos started Doritos) - we chose well and it felt so good to pass the generosity forward. I hope the overall customer service changes remain and once the lobby is done with off season renovations, that the place keeps it up and can make the trip a pleasure rather than an awesome park spoiled by horribly rotten experiences with staff and zero star customer service. The customer service this trip was a 5 star (once arriving to check in, reservation and call transfers to hang ups or no one answering - like the waterpark staff during night hours are NOT present to answer a call - why transfer callers there). I NEVER thought this would happen here after my first visits. I told myself I would never return - but my followers here know, and readers would learn, that amusement parks and waterparks is what I do and LOVE. I can't kick the habit. I am high on LIFE. This is easily done with water slides and roller coasters. The slides are as fun as ever. The closed ones on low capacity days are being rotated much better. The big ones everyone loves on the one half of the park always remain open. The yellow three person one = perfect choice to leave that one closed if you had to pick one and open it on the weekends. The lazy river here isn't really "lazy" but is very beautiful pushing the safari style theme. The walls are finishing being painted and now some plastic decorative animals also decorate. You feel like you are floating along beautiful artwork jungle and have some African themed stone wall decorations spitting a stream of water or some fountains at you. I enjoy one trip around the lazy river each visit enjoying the display. Its a lazy river with some very beautiful scenery. You feel like you are on vacation somewhere when you hit then tunnel and corner wall for sure. When they used to have a night club, the 30 year olds (we are the adults or just too he big kids...you pick!) here requested Africa by Toto to the DJ. That explains this place. Elephants, Safari, Africa... You feel the theme well here. We will return. I hope there really is some new general manager. Someone has their hands on something here and from a 5 hour drive to visit multiple nights and 5th visit...: thank you this time and please keep up the improvements and new standards. That was an amazing vacation here compared to my last 4 that the drinks, adult hot tub and swim up bar, and rides (like I miss surfing here now) that all used to be the only thing to make me some back. Great potential here. It was beyond disappointing to see it getting worse and worse. I am delighted to see things better and better. I hope these changes are to last and weren't just our lucky surprise. I thought with great changes all around this place absolutely deserved a fresh review and fresh tips. PLEASE keep it up! We look forward to our next trip! Cheers! read more

Supposedly the US's largest indoor water park. This is like the "Las Vegas" of Ohio indoor waterparks. Very crowded during Christmas Holiday!! Hotel room experience was very good. Clean rooms designed for families: extra towels, extra trash bins, extra pillows. Ordered extra pillows and they arrived promptly. We had a great check-in experience with fast and courteous staff. I requested a higher floor room and they accommodated with a smile on their face. The water park wasn't run so well. They often ran out of towels, bathrooms weren't serviced often, bar service is slow and Zulu Grill was horrible. Need to operate the waterpark better to become not only the biggest, but the best. read more

This review is strictly for the Reserve restaurant within Kalahari Resort and not the resort/water park as a whole, which I rate positively. I tried to write a review for the Reserve only, but it got merged here. Otherwise, I would give the resort/water park a 4-star rating. Usually restaurants within theme parks are always outrageously overpriced and poorly operated, and the Reserve is no exception. Four of us came here after spending the afternoon downstairs at the water park, and we were very hungry and very soon frustrated and impatient. We only ate here since we didn't want to eat inside the water park or leave the resort. Upon first impression it looked nice. It was around 5:00pm but not busy at all. The hostess acted like she absolutely hated her job, as did every other worker we came across. We were sat next to the only other two tables in the place that had people, so that was kind of annoying. Then, the waiting game commenced. One server came up to us first and took our drink order. Another server came by to see if we had our drink order taken yet, and a third server delivered the drinks. We didn't know what the hell was going on or who our actual server was. The table next to us was sat 10 minutes after us but somehow received prompt service. That larger group was in and out much quicker than us, and that was irritating. A fourth server came to our table to finally take our order, and our food was delivered--25 minutes later--by another unhappy worker. In total, five workers came to our table, but once we got our food, they all disappeared. Our $20 appetizer was the only worthwhile thing we had. Our entrees were worse than what you could get from Denny's. My burger, which I wasn't even asked how I wanted it done, was crispy on the edges and had hardened cheese. It was a sad looking hamburger. My friend ordered chicken alfredo, and he said it was the most flavorless $20 pile of noodles he ever had--washed down with a nasty looking Long Island iced tea. He and his girlfriend's bill was $81. My wife and I spent $31 since we both ordered burnt burgers. We waited so long for our bill that my friend had to go up to the bar to complain to someone since all the other workers seemed to disappear. We wanted to complain to someone, but we didn't know who the hell, if anyone, was in change that afternoon. We were in there for over an hour-and-a-half, and it was one of the most annoying dining experiences we ever had. read more

I went here with my family and friend on a Labor Day Weekend. We spent a total of 5 days here. Saturday and Sunday were packed, so we had to wait at least 30 minutes in line for some of the slides. Monday and Tuesday were perfect. Everyone enjoyed it a lot. Now I definitely would like to visit it during the winter time. Some people I met there said it is a different experience when they go during the winter, and that we definitely should do that. Look for special days, holidays and experience the real fun. Or just go during the week when it's not so packed there. Either way you would love it. read more

So I didn't read the latest reviews since Covid prior to going. Big mistake. There were no Covid precautions besides wearing a mask in the resort outside the water park area. As soon as you enter the water park, it is like a can of sardines. No masks. No social distancing. Nothing. I feel like people were closer then they ever were. I would highly recommend not coming here now or anytime while Covid is still a thing. I was so uncomfortable and left the same day. read more

This past weekend, we went to Kalahari for the first time with another couple. We got a GREAT deal from a friend of ours who was meeting us up there with a few of their friends. We couldn't of gone if we hadn't gotten this amazing deal. $99.99 for one night stay with 4 free water-park passes; not bad of a price when you divide it between 2 couples ($50). Check-in wasn't until 4, but we were told we could pre-register as early as 11 and enjoy the water-park, so why not! We went to check in, and our room was already ready, which was a bonus for us. We read some reviews on bedbugs and we didn't have any issues. Although, we checked our room just to make sure. Upon Check-in, we were told we were being charged an extra little bit because taxes went up on October 1st. Okay, no biggie; but as we were leaving on Monday and checking out. The front desk lady told us we'd be charged because of taxes, and I mentioned that when we checked in, the lady did that. She explained that when we checked in, it wasn't processed. I don't know, none of that whole thing made sense to us, especially when she swiped my boyfriends CC a few times. The park was amazing! It wasn't crowded like during the summer months, but we did have to wait in line no more than 10-15 minutes. The Flo-rider was the longest wait... even though the clock was 60 seconds, a lot of others got more than a minute... so it took a bit longer than everything else. We heard the main restaurant wasn't all that great (from our friends and even reviews on Yelp). We decided to try the Buffet, but after we were told it was $24.99/pp, we decided to head downstairs and get a pizza. Kalahari is a money pit... that's for sure! You think that with all that there is to do there, they wouldn't charge as much. Overall, our stay was great! We'd definitely come again if our friends could get another great deal (which they come often). Can't wait to come here again, and I hope it's during the winter when a lot more kids are back in school! :) read more

The food is overpriced. $6.50 for a coors light. The adult frozen drinks are $30, but $20 if you reuse the glass. The facility looks clean. The outdoor slides are fun, especially the blue one! The outdoor adult hot tub and bar is relaxing. The rooms are nice but a suite is $350 and up a night, sure it includes water passes values at $32 for 8 people. A regular room is $200 usually read more

I honestly can't even describe how disappointed I was for the daily housekeeping service during my stay at the Kalahari Resort. I thought servicing the coffee pot and checking the trash can were things that were required everyday. the coffee pot wasn't touched once all week and the trash can was left like that 3 days. read more

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I will start by saying initially I had my doubts and now having stayed here I would give 4.5 stars if I could. My sister had been here before and suggested we go for a girls weekend. So we planned to go on a weekend in October. It was going to be me, my sister, and niece. We had a wonderful weekend. I have to say I am impressed with this place. I will start with the room. We chose the Nomad room. It was big and suited our needs. It had 2 full beds and a pull out couch (which my niece took). We had a fridge, microwave, and coffee pot (always a bonus). We had a balcony with a nice view of the outdoor areas (even though it was too cold to be outside) and we had a gas fireplace (which came in handy). It was clean (very clean) which again is always a great thing! It was also surprisingly quiet considering the amount of kids and families that are here (other than my sister's snoring). The check in process was fast, friendly, and we were able go get into our room early because it was ready. Yippee! The water park is big with lots of slides, kids area, wave pool, lazy river.... it was clean and fun! It was busy but it was not too bad considering. The spa was clean and relaxing. They offer a variety of services including massages and nail services. The food selection is good as well. There are a few sit down places, candy place, coffee place. What we tried were really good. There is a big arcade and mini golf as well. And don't forget the animals. You can get your picture with an animal for a small few or for a larger fee have an encounter with a cub (i.e. tiger when we were there). And pottery which was a blast! Overall, wonderful, family friendly place with lots to do and friendly amazing staff! read more

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Belongings stolen I went here for a fun weekend and I was told that I needed to switch rooms with our group. They lost our bag of cups, 3 in total that cost $90 during the promotion. After trying to replace them with coffee cups and actually accusing us of stealing the items ourselves, I stated that I would file a complaint with the BBB. Low and behold this hotel is not registered with the BBB. Thank for a great weekend! read more