Family Fun Among Tranquility at The Resort at Cypress Hills Saskatchewan

A few weeks ago my family of 6 visited one of our favourite vacation spots, Cypress Hills, Saskatchewan. As I mentioned in my post, Road Tripping to The Resort at Cypress Hills, fond memories keep bringing our family back to the location. What once started as a vacation spot close enough to home in case anything happened, became the most requested family travel spot from our kids. Normally we enjoy the campsites but this time, the folks at The Resort at Cypress Hills graciously hosted our large family at the resort.

Whether you are looking for more privacy or prefer more of a glamping experience, The Resort at Cypress Hills offers a range of accommodation types to suit every size and type of family with their hotel rooms, townhouses or cabins. We have crammed our large family into hotel rooms on numerous occasions for a night or two but when it comes to a vacation, we look for spacious, self-contained and affordable accommodations.

On this trip to Cypress Hills, we chose the largest townhouse option. With 3 bedrooms, a large open kitchen to living room area and 2 bathrooms, we had 850 square feet of living space to relax in when we weren’t out enjoying activities together as an active family. A full kitchen is at the top of my list when searching for a place to stay; 4 kids eat a lot and although we eat out on occasion, having a kitchen to prepare our own meals leaves us a budget for family activities to explore in the area and those are memories we just don’t want to give up.

The townhouse rooms were a good size, sleeping 6 comfortably, with plenty of storage space for clothing, bikes and toys. The master bedroom also had plenty of room for the playpen we brought along for Baby Ro to have his own space without having to pack it up each day to gain space. Although the decor was a bit dated, the space, options, cleanliness and affordability made up for it two-fold. I particularly noticed how clean the townhouse was despite the fact it was nestled among the forest; I may have naturally expected spiderwebs or dust but from what I could see, the rooms were well taken care of and beds were comfortable with clean linens daily, had we wanted.

Amenities

One evening we decided we were too tired to cook a meal back at our townhouse; thankfully part of the luxury of staying at a resort is the on location dining options. The Resort at Cypress Hills offers Ivan’s Restaurant with a full service dining menu or The Pines lounge where you can enjoy a casual dining experience.

Ivan’s Restaurant

The foodie in me was most excited to experience the food and drinks. It was hard to choose an entree but in the end I loved this crusted Chicken Cordon Bleu with caramelized onion gravy; I’ve had Chicken Cordon Bleu several times, it’s ones of my favourites, but never quite like this and it was delicious. Hubs and Miss Priss chose Rib Eye Steak, my second choice. Naturally I stole a bite from my daughter; it was juicy and full of flavour.

The Pines

Another evening our eldest, Miss Priss, offered to watch the younger ones so Hubs and I could enjoy a mini-date at The Pines lounge. It was a quaint little place with gorgeous authentic and rustic decor, table tops made of log, sanded, polished and lacquered to perfection. The bartender was very friendly and courteous, she provided excellent service with cocktails made to perfection.

Spa and Fitness

For those of you who prefer a more relaxed activity or rainy day fitness, the resort offers spa and massage treatments or fitness and yoga classes. had we stayed longer, Hubs and I would have definitely taken advantage of a treatment or two.

Family Activities

All school year long we are on the go so when we get the chance to spend time together as a family in the summer, we make every minute count. Cypress Hills has numerous activities for families to enjoy, many within biking or walking distance on the many trails accessible right from the resort:

• Biking or hiking trails – The back deck on our townhouse was nestled right in the forest making our morning coffee a tranquil start. In just a short walk down the townhouse path, we could step inside the forest onto the trails accessing all areas of the Cypress Hills area.
• Campfire pits – Available at the resort for guests to enjoy; we enjoyed s’mores on more than one occasion as the perfect ending to our evenings at the resort.
• Games – The resort has a horseshoe pit and volleyball net located on the resort for guests to enjoy but with a short walk down the trails to the beach, your kids can take part in tether ball or fun on the playground.

• Rentals – Peddle boats, canoes or kayak rentals are available by the beach or simply take your water and sand castle toys for free-play at the beach for the day.
• Mini Golf – For down time, the Mini Golf course is perfect and has just enough challenges for every member of your family. Our 4 year old was a little young but she still enjoyed putting the golf ball at the odd hole.
• Swimming – Preferable on a hot day, the public swimming pool has depths for all ages. A swimming pool with shallow to deep waters, a wading pool for the little ones and a hot tub with sauna area for the big kids.
• Horseback Riding – Trail rides are available a short drive or bike ride from the resort at reasonable prices and perfect for any age, especially those who are looking for a relaxed experience. We have gone several times and enjoyed it but this time we chose a more authentic cowboy experience at the Historic Reesor Ranch. This experience is meant for older ages so I stayed back with the little ones at the ranch while Hubs, Miss Priss and Squeakers rode off on a cattle drive for the afternoon. They came back with positive reviews of their experience, a definite must experience adventure, if you are looking for something more in depth than a trail ride.
• Ziplining – Reservations are recommended but with a short walk from the resort, you can enjoy a day of family adventure fun in the forest, rock climbing, zip-lining, challenging yourself in the trees among the rope playground or for the little ones, a mini-zip. We spent a day at Eco Adventures and I can highly recommend spending time adventuring together as a family.

To see other pictures of our family experience at The Resort at Cypress Hills and area, follow me along on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and follow The Resort at Cypress Hills on Twitter and Facebook. To find out more information about the area, go to the Cypress Hills Destination website and follow along #TimetoExplore on their Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Disclosure: I was provided a stay at The Resort at Cypress Hills in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.