Lapita Hotel Staycation, Legoland, and Motiongate at Dubai Parks & Resorts

Back in August, a friend mentioned that their company was offering a summer deal for stays in Lapita Hotel. For a very budget-friendly price, the package included half-board (buffet dinner and breakfast) and tickets to Dubai Parks and Resorts Legoland, Legoland Water Park, Bollywood, and Motiongate for 2 days. Since the only plans we had for Sophie’s birthday was for her to celebrate it at school, Hubby and I decided to take advantage of the deal and book our family, my sister, and her son for a night’s stay on the last weekend of September.

The day after Sophie’s birthday, Caila received another award from school. It was another reason to celebrate, so we decided to surprise our kids about the staycation; waiting until we were at my sister’s apartment where they actually thought we were staying the night. Of course they were overjoyed with the news when we told them. So happy and excited, off we all went to the Polynesian themed hotel on the 29th of September.

When we arrived, we immediately noticed that the lobby of Lapita Hotel was packed with a few couples and lots families waiting, and the lines at Reception were few and long. It was the same day as the Big Day Out of the ARN radio stations in Dubai, so it was quite a wait. Considering the hotel’s check-in time is from 4pm, I had already expected that we would have to leave our bags for safekeeping and return later once our rooms were ready. Fortunately, not only were our rooms ready when I checked us in, the rooms were also next to each other. What a relief!

Our rooms were in the Tiare building. After we asked one of the staff who pointed it out to us and explained the direction we could take to walk there, we opted to wait for the buggy so we could enjoy a little tour of the property. Plus it was just too hot to walk! Our Deluxe Twin Rooms had balconies where we could enjoy scenic views. We could even hear the screams of people on the rides at the park across the river☺

Not wanting to waste any time, we headed to Riverland where we had lunch at a fast food restaurant. After we had our fill, we rode the train to the park our girls really wanted to go to.

As soon as we entered Legoland, Caila and Sophie were practically screeching and jumping with glee. Surrounded by the bright colors and statues of one of their favorite toys, they didn’t know where to go to first. Looking around, we instantly saw the Factory and decided to enter. After all, if we were going to spend a lot of time at Legoland, this would be a good way to learn how the popular interlocking bricks are made, right? We went up to a room where we were shown a video explaining all the steps, and after that we went down to see the machines in action. And before leaving the Factory, all of us were given Lego bricks as a token of our memorable visit.

What followed next was hours of endless fun as we explored the theme park. We oohed and ahhed over the impressive structures at Miniland while the young ones built their own buildings, we flew planes at the City Airport, put out fires at the Rescue Academy (that was soooo tiring!), steered boats at the Boating School, drove cars at the Driving School, went up and down the Kids Power Towers, pedalled up and down on Merlin’s Flying Machines, screamed on the Dragon’s Apprentice, and ate ice cream and quenched our thirst in between because it was a really hot day.

Basically, we spent the rest of our day there and didn’t leave until we noticed Sophie was lagging behind because she was getting tired from all the walking and excitement. Plus, she didn’t have a nap that afternoon so that explained why she was “low batt.”☺

After we had rested in our rooms, we walked to Kalea, Lapita Hotel’s international all-day dining restaurant. We were delighted with the variety of dishes and desserts that were available from the buffet. There was also an area for the little ones, a mini spread of savory items and sweets they could choose from.

Stepping out from the main hotel building to walk back to Tiare, we heard the sounds of fireworks which we guessed were to mark the end of the Big Day Out. The colorful lights that brightened up the sky entertained the kids and us adults for a good number of minutes. And we didn’t stop looking up until the last firework had sparkled.

At the time of our booking, I had mentioned to our friend that our stay was a birthday getaway for Sophie. So imagine her delight when, upon entering our room, our little girl saw a cake especially for her.

Caila, on the other hand, began to feel jealous and asked why she didn’t receive a cake too. When we asked why, she answered “Because I received an award. Isn’t that also why we’re staying here?” Oops! To pacify her, I simply explained that the hotel didn’t know about her award. I told a white lie and said that the lady at Reception had probably noticed Sophie’s birthday when I showed her Emirates ID, so that’s why they sent the cake. I’m not sure if she was convinced but she stopped complaining after that. Whew!

The following morning, we went back to Kalea where, once again, we sat at the same table and enjoyed a hearty meal from the wide spread of breakfast items. It was a good thing we arrived early (around 7:30am, I think), because about half an hour later, a queue of guests had started to form outside, waiting for the other diners to finish so they could be seated.

Done with breakfast, we walked back to our rooms where we started getting ready to swim at the hotel pool. In the end, only Hubby, our girls, and their cousin went swimming while my sister and I opted to take pictures and watch them enjoy the water from the lounging chairs.

Fast forward a bit...once everyone had showered, clothed, and packed, we headed back to the hotel lobby to check-out. It wasn’t as busy as the day before, but there were still a lot of people waiting with their bags. Thankfully, check-out was a breeze and while I was at the counter, Hubby and Gabe had handed over our bags for safekeeping while we visited the theme park one last time before leaving.

Just like the day before, we rode the buggy to the entrance of Riverland, had lunch at McDonald’s, and then headed to Motiongate where our girls had fun meeting Shrek & Princess Fiona, Hiccup & Astrid, and Po at Dream Works.

Of course we went on the rides: the Swamp Celebration, Shrek’s Merry Fairy Tale Journey, Melman-Go-Round, Dragon Gliders, and I can’t remember what else.  It was really fun for all of us!

Unfortunately, since we still had a long way back home and there were still things to do to prepare for a new week ahead, we had to leave without getting the chance to visit the other attractions and parks.

Two days is definitely not enough to make the most of Lapita Hotel's facilities (like the Luna & Nova Kids/Teens Club) and explore all the different theme parks at Dubai Parks and Resorts. Take my word for it. There are just so many things to see and do! If we could, we would probably stay there for 3 or 4 days ☺  Hands down, this has got to be one of the best family resorts we've stayed in.  We're definitely going back next summer.

Lapita Hotel
Dubai Parks and Resorts
Sheikh Zayed, Dubai
Phone: 04-8109999