Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Sandusky

“Very cool. My kids absolutely loved it! I will be going back in the future. However, I have my concerns. I want to preface this whole review by saying that this is absolutely a 4.5 out of 5 experience, and these experiences do not diminish that. Some of the following adecdotes were great things, and some were major problems with experience. In no particular order: 1) Very awesome inside park staff that understood our needs and helped to make things better overall. 2) Outdoor big slides staff (Tornado Alley, etc) was clearly understaffed and under-trained. The lines for each slide were unclear, and even staff did not understand how to appropriately organize the top of the tower. At one point, a family group repeatedly cut lines, and decided that they could be wherever they wanted at the top, while slides where inoperable. It ultimately felt UNSAFE. 3) We had an incident with my son where he was the first of THREE down a slide. He had minor scrape to his foot. Guard did not help initially, and an off duty Paramedic stepped in toale things right. Even so, when First Aid was requested, it took a long time, and several trips by staff to secure proper materials to aid the injury. Something that would have taken 2 minutes in my own home. 4) On a Sunday when we were in the park, it was clearly understaffed, and in general felt unsafe, some of the aforementioned in incidents occurred on this day. Three frantic men running five slides, one man running a slide that I usually saw two at. I didn't think it was completely bad, but it was rough in some areas. 6) Many customers had absolutely ZERO respect for the rules and societal customs that make for good experiences. This more than anything was the biggest negative of our stay. Large groups deciding that they could cut lines and skip weigh-ins, bad language, apparel that was totally inappropriate for the setting, and so on. Inconceivable that people could attend the park without even a basic understanding of etiquette or rules. 5) Some absolutely great work at the Flow Rider experience by all staff we interacted with. Patience and strength in every moment we encountered there. 6) Compliments to "black shirts" (only way I know to describe what seemed like site managers) who all listened to my concerns and acted on them. Finally, I would definitely come to Kalahari again, but hope that some areas are addressed to help increase positive experiences.”

“We always have fun. This time, a lot of the slides were closed for maintenance - it wasn't very busy so it was a bummer we couldn't ride the slides as much as we wanted. The room was nice, but there was hair and a used washed cloth in the shower. Not a huge deal, but still kind of gross. Overall, we had a great time.”

“I always enjoy staying at the Kalahari for events. I stayed in a suite with a kitchen, which was great. My only issue with the room is that the dishes in the kitchen suite always have dried food left on them from previous guests. Otherwise service is great, staff are friendly, room service is prompt, and the activies are fun! The indoor waterpark has been renovated recently so the slides look a lot safer. Waterpark staff are always vigilant for guest safety. Overall a very good hotel experience!”

“The prices here are INSANE. The cost of a water bottle is through the roof. They had snacks in the room with a crazy cost as well and if you have any smalls God forbid they accidentally open any of them cause you will get charged. We had to ask directions in the hotel part cause we went the wrong way and we asked 3 different people who couldn't help (no English) before we found someone who could point us in the right direction. The only pleasant interaction with ANY staff was check in but that was it. Dont eat here between the poor food quality in the outrageous cost. Go somewhere else down the street away from the resort. I wish I could say it was a blast but it was super chaotic. Parents don't watch their kids and life gaurds/people walking around dont do anything about it when kids are acting up. We walked out late at night from the arcade at closing and a bunch of teens we're sitting at the tables right in between the pool and room access smoking weed and nobody cared (had to walk my kids past them) The little zoo was disappointing. They could and SHOULD do away with that all together. The only other thing to note is they are NOT handicapped friendly”

“We did a day pass on a Monday in May. We’re usually a Great Wolf Lodge family, but wanted to try a different water park experience. I’d recommend purchasing day passes the night before, as the price increased by $10 per person the day of. We paid around $200 for two adults and one child. When we arrived at the water park area, I was happy to see there was plenty of seating available. However, I was surprised to learn that after spending $200 on admission, towel rentals were an additional charge — about $10 plus a deposit. Towels available for purchase in the gift shop were around $35 each, so definitely bring your own towels if you’re doing a day pass. After also paying $20 for a locker rental, I realized the $99 sundeck cabana may have actually been worth it since it included four towels and a safe. For comparison, Great Wolf Lodge does not charge for towel rentals. There were some options for younger children, but about half of those areas were closed during our visit. The wave pool also had videos playing that felt mildly inappropriate for children at times, although later in the day more family-friendly Disney music was playing. In addition, the lazy river was closed for most of the morning. Overall, this park seemed more geared toward teenagers and adults rather than families with younger children. Unfortunately, based on our experience, I don’t think we would return.”