The Best Resort Packages for Dad
Pursell Farms in Sylacauga, Ala. (All photos courtesy of resort)
By Katrina Brown Hunt
Father’s Day has long played second fiddle to flowers-and-brunch Mother’s Day, but hotels have figured out a nice secret: Dads are typically pretty easy to please.
We found a plethora of Dad-centered packages — with barbecues, beer tastings, and rounds of golf, as well as creative spa treatments, cool flight simulators, and even a little pampering for what may be Dad’s favorite family member (the car). Here are 11 resorts where you can take Dad for a little coddling — and the rest of the family can whoop it up at the same time:
Pursell Farms (Sylacauga, Ala.)
This resort overlooking the Appalachian foothills near Birmingham is a no-brainer for tackle-box-toting dads. Stay at one of the luxury cabins or cottages and you can do The Killer Bass Fishing Package, which will begin on Father’s Day weekend and run throughout the summer. You’ll get the use of a boat with trolling motor, snacks and soft drinks, a lakeside lunch box, and a country-style breakfast. The resort also has golf, duck and quail hunting, and a clay-shooting range. The package starts at $149 per person.
Otesaga Resort Hotel (Cooperstown, N.Y.)
The hometown of the Baseball Hall of Fame is a natural Father’s Day destination, and the Otesaga Resort Hotel is upping the ante with its Grand Slam Package, which includes daily breakfast, one lunch, and tickets the Hall of Fame, as well as tickets to the Fenimore Art Museum and The Farmers’ Museum. As a bonus, Cooperstown is also home to enough microbreweries and wineries to have its own Cooperstown Beverage Trail, where you can take tours or do tastings. The Otesaga hotel package starts at $419 a night.
The Peninsula Beverly Hills.
The Peninsula Beverly Hills
The legendary Peninsula in Bev Hills is opening the spa (and the garage) to dads with its Double Detail for Dad package, which runs all though June: Dad gets a 90-minute body scrub and deep-tissue massage in The Peninsula Spa while Dad’s car gets its own spa day—a custom car wash downstairs in The Peninsula garage. The add-on package is $245, while summer weekend rates start at $910 a night.
Farmer’s Daughter Hotel (Los Angeles)
If dad grew up watching “Top Gun” over and over, the retro Farmer’s Daughter Hotel in the Fairfax district of L.A. has his number: its package with Fly the Dream lets him play in a state-of-the-art F-16 simulator, with 180-degree screens for a pretty darn realistic flying experience. The family-friendly hotel also has a pool and offers good proximity to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, CBS Television City, and the beloved shopping mall The Grove. The package starts at $299 and is available through June.
Hotel Jerome.
Hotel Jerome (Aspen, Colo.)
The historic Hotel Jerome in the Rockies is offering a BBQ Class and Dinner for Dad: on Father’s Day, the hotel’s executive chef offers dads a fun class on grilling and prepping marinades, followed by fabulous BBQ dinner for the whole family. The cost is $45 but of course, dads eat free; weekend nightly rates start at $459.
Crystal Springs Resort (New Jersey)
The 4,000-acre resort in the Adirondacks, an hour from NYC, has immediate Dad appeal with its seven golf courses and Father’s Day brings a Sunday barbecue with unlimited beer; Dad can enjoy tastings from New York microbrewery Newburgh and a cooking demonstration by the resort chef, joined by “Top Chef” winner Kevin Sbraga. When you stay at the resort’s hotels—either the Grand Cascades Lodge or the Minerals Resort & Spa, you can book a FootGolf package—which gives free use of the putting green, a $50 dining credit and a free round of FootGolf for each family member, an all-ages where you kick a soccer ball into over-sized holes on a golf course. The hotel also has an indoor pool complex with water slide, great for kids. Father’s day lunch is $70 per adult, $45 for kids 12-20, $22 for kids 4-11 and free for kids under 4. FootGolf package starts at $291 a night.
Myrtle Beach Seaside Resorts (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
If dad can’t possibly OD on golf, take him to this oceanfront, condo-style resort on the Grand Strand, where The Father’s Day Golf Getaway includes four rounds of championship golf at its “Big Cats” courses: Lion’s Paw, Panther’s Run, Leopard’s Chase and Tiger’s Eye. At the resort, kids can play in the pool, compete in sandcastle building contests, and tie-dye T-shirts. All units have fully equipped kitchens and private balconies. The package starts at $475 per golfer.
Omni Mount Washington.
Mount Washington (Bretton Woods, N.H.)
This resort in the White Mountains has both golf and “canopy tours” along its tree-lined zip line course. On Sunday, dads play golf for free with any paid adult or he can glide through the treetops for free, in the three-hour canopy tour, with any paid adult. Stay at the resort’s Omni Mount Washington Hotel —a National Historic Landmark that opened in 1902—and you can do a Dive Into Summer Package, which includes a $100 cuisine and cocktail credit (one on-site lounge is a former speakeasy), a backpack for the kids and (so Dad can sleep in) a late check-out.
Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort (Hilton Head Island, S.C.)
Who says Father’s Day lasts just one day? This family-friendly resort on Hilton Head is offering a four-night Dad ‘n Everyone Package, which includes a two-bedroom villa, a three-day bike rental, a two-hour kayak trip and a two-person golf lesson, meant for father and daughter or son. The package averages out to $349 a night.
Lake Lawn Resort.
Lake Lawn Resort (Delavan, Wisc.)
This resort covers 250 wooded acres along Delavan Lake—about 90 minutes from Chicago — offers water-sports rentals, a mini golf course and an arcade. This year, they have a two-night Father’s Day Getaway package, which includes a $100 resort credit as well as access to the Father’s Day Patio Grille Beer Brunch on Sunday that features St. Louis-style ribs, tri-tip, smoked lake trout and beer-boiled shrimp. Packages, which include the Brunch, start at $599 for two nights.
Alta Crystal Resort (Greenwater, Wash.)
This 23-suite resort inside Snoqualmie National Forest, and just outside Mt. Rainier National Park, appeals to both outdoorsmen and indoorsmen: it has a heated pool, a rec room with foosball, and satellite TV. Its Bring Dad to the Mountain special includes a Father’s Day weekend full of festivities, such as a barbecue with bonfire, a Wilderness Survival Quest scavenger hunt, a mountaintop lunch, and easy access to the gondola, trails, and views in Mt. Rainier National Park. Room rates start at $199 for a one-bedroom suite that sleeps four.
More from MiniTime
Kid-Friendly Golf Resorts
Slopeside Fun Sans Snow at These 8 Mountain Ski Resorts
5 Awesome L.A. Beaches for Families
