My family of 4 spent a night at Legoland New York for $600. The hotel was kid-friendly, but I wouldn't stay overnight again.
Ted Berg
- To celebrate my son's birthday, my family spent a night at the Legoland New York Resort for $600.
- There were decorations and activities everywhere, so it was impossible to be bored at the hotel.
My family of four has been to the Legoland New York theme park for day trips, but we'd never stayed on the property before since it's only a 90-minute drive from my home in New York City.
But we recently spent a night in the adjacent hotel to celebrate my son's 6th birthday.
We stayed from Friday to Saturday — which was about $250 cheaper than staying from Saturday to Sunday — and paid $600 for a package that included the room, parking, and tickets to the theme park.
Here's what our quick visit was like.
Our first impression of Legoland New York's hotel didn't disappoint.
Our 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter were excited to visit the hotel, and the lobby was a great introduction.
It included a large, Lego-inspired play structure with bins full of Lego bricks, a small store, and even a Duplo area — the brand's line for kids aged 18 months to 5 years old.
We booked our room online and checked in quickly at a kiosk.
Stepping on Legos was nearly unavoidable, so I had to wear thick shoes.
The hotel was clean and the staff clearly worked hard to keep the toys tidy, but there were just so many Legos.
I opted to wear shoes with a thicker sole around the hotel to avoid stepping on them.
Legoland New York was optimized to prevent boredom.
There was a lot to look at and details to discover in every direction of the hotel, like little games on the walls and interactive storytime in the lobby every evening.
We even had a scavenger hunt in our room that challenged our kids to discover the secret code to a treasure chest, which had a couple of small Lego sets inside.
Even the elevators were themed.
My daughter especially loved the elevators because as soon as the doors closed, a disco ball spun to the beat of classic disco songs.
I found the elevator most entertaining when I was stumbling down to the lobby for coffee in the morning. Another visitor got on, and we stood there in awkward silence while the disco ball failed to get us to do the Hustle.
The rooms were unsurprisingly great for families with kids.
We chose a pirate-themed room because our kids like boats, but the hotel also offers other themes like kingdom, Ninjago, and Lego Friends.
The room was separated into two sleeping areas — one with a king bed and another with bunk beds and a trundle bed. We loved the separation because my wife and I could leave the lights on after our kids' bedtime, which isn't usually an option I've had in hotels.
It was a nice touch that the room's coffee area also had complimentary juice pouches.
No details were overlooked — there was Lego decor everywhere in our room.
Our walls were decorated with a Lego octopus and a skull with crossbones. The shower curtain was even decorated with a Lego scene, and the shampoo bottles had little Minifigures on them.
The walls also had Lego pegboards for when creative ideas struck.
There were advantages to eating at the hotel's restaurant, Bricks.
Dining out with two exhausted children can be a stressful experience.
Fortunately, the staff at Bricks was friendly and patient. It was nice to eat in a relaxed atmosphere and have the kids in bed soon after the meal.
But the food seemed overpriced and a bit underwhelming.
Bricks' prices were fairly predictable because it's a restaurant inside of a theme park, but it still felt a bit expensive to pay $12 for a small portion of buttered noodles.
I ordered a fried-chicken sandwich that wasn't my favorite, but my wife had a delicious bowl of mac and cheese with boneless Buffalo wings on top.
The breakfast food also left a lot to be desired.
Rather than a buffet, the hotel's complimentary breakfast is a family-style meal. We had a choice between pancakes and French-toast sticks.
We chose pancakes and waited about 40 minutes before the food showed up. Our food was a little cold, but the server was apologetic and brought us fresh French-toast sticks.
There's also a bar in the lobby.
I didn't visit Skyline Bar in the lobby, but I found it comforting to know it was there. An alcoholic drink or two might be a compelling option at Legoland in the future.
The trip was perfect for this occasion, but the prices seemed a bit high.
Both of my kids had a great time on the trip because the hotel and park were perfectly suited for children their age, but Legoland New York's prices felt a bit steep for me.
Since it's not such a long drive for us, we probably wouldn't stay overnight at Legoland again if we visited the park.
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