Thanks to Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel for graciously hosting us and sponsoring this post.
As always, all opinions in the post are my own.
As always, all opinions in the post are my own.
Hotel staycation is quickly becoming my second favorite thing to do (going on a vacation being my first, duh! ;)), and yes, there is a difference between a Saturday and a staycation (in case you were wondering). In between all the summer travels and managing household chores while not traveling (cook, clean, do the dishes, laundry, etc, aka adulting) things can get overwhelming too quickly. And with a baby in the picture, Vinay and I feel like we rarely get some quality us-time together! So staycations are really proving to be a saving grace, and here’s why staycations could be a good thing for you too (parent or not)…
- You don’t have to spend money or time to travel to a specific destination… no flights, no trains, no renting cars. And you most certainly don’t have to wake up at 2 am to get on a flight that will take you to your next favorite destination, just saying 😉
- You don’t have the pressure of exploring everything a destination has to offer – our itinerary is always jam-packed, it’s how we like it (especially when we spend $$$ to travel somewhere), which means, we need a vacation (or what we probably need is a staycation!) after a vacation
- You don’t have to do a thing (except in our case, make sure the little one eats) but to put your feet up and enjoy all the niceties that come with hotel living, and enjoy the summer sunshine and beautiful weather
- It’s nice to explore your own backyard and be a tourist in your own city. There’s something about seeing your city through the eyes (or camera lens) of a tourist that makes you appreciate a place even more.
- Take a real break from your real life and live the little dreams, aka embrace a carefree lifestyle!
On that note, here’s a recap of our staycation experience at one of the best hotels in Bellevue, WA
Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel
Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel
Location, Location, Location… it is THE most important aspect to look for while booking your accommodations when you travel! Combine that with spacious and clean rooms, friendly and knowledgeable staff, and excellent amenities, then you are sure to have one of the most memorable stays during your vacation. And that, in a nutshell, is how our Bed & Breakfast staycation experience was at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel. We left feeling relaxed and rejuvenated after spending a weekend at the hotel!
The Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel is centrally located in the Bellevue Downtown area and it is only 9 miles from Downtown Seattle. It is so central that the biggest mall in the area feels as if it is an extension of the hotel. The sky bridge from the hotel connects you right to the shopping, dining and entertainment center in the mall. With over 200 stores and dozens of restaurants just a stone’s throw away, you could shop till you drop, eat, and repeat. And with an abundance of outdoor recreation – think mountains, lakes, and umpteen number of Pacific Northwest’s famous hiking trails not too far away from the hotel, the nature lovers, and thrill seekers are bound to appreciate their stay at Hyatt Regency Bellevue just as much as the fashionistas or the foodies would.
We were supposed to check-in on Friday but our water heater at home started to leak, flooding our garage and we spent all of Friday trying to take care of the mess and getting things replaced #homeownerproblems (this is what I was referring to on my IG stories). And despite it being a busy summer for the hotel, they were kind enough to move our reservations from Friday/Saturday to Saturday/Sunday (every small gesture counts!). We got a head start on Saturday morning and made it to the hotel as early as possible to enjoy one of the most delicious brunches I have had in the recent past… we didn’t even bother to put our luggage in the room (trust me, you have to carry plenty of things when you are traveling with a baby, whether if it’s just one night or 10). We went straight to Eques restaurant to feed our famished selves as soon as we checked-in (hey, we have our priorities right!).
The Eques restaurant is located in the primary part of the hotel building right opposite the lobby (I say this because the hotel is quiet huge with various amenities, stores and restaurants spanning across buildings). Every ingredient that the restaurant uses is locally sourced and hence of high-quality, no wonder Eques is named as one of the best Seattle restaurants and as one of the best brunch restaurants in America. You can’t help but agree when you easily spend over 2+ hrs enjoying every bite of your brunch. We pretty much sampled each vegetarian item on their brunch buffet menu and more, all while entertaining a toddler. And their Bloody Mary is hands down the best one I have ever had till date (thank you for the recommendation @thehotelsconceirge!). You don’t want to miss their DIY Bloody Mary bar or their omelet station or their kids’ pancake station #yummilicious
Right after that heavy brunch, it was soon siesta time for both the dada and the son. And during that time, I did some online shopping as I waited for my babies to wake up from their afternoon nap (a perk which they never get to enjoy if we were on a vacation instead of a staycation!). Later that evening we went out for a leisurely stroll in the nearby Bellevue downtown park and our baby played/explored all the activities in the park to his heart’s content. We then went to eat at our favorite Indian restaurant, Dosa Corner (we always crave their veggie burgers), more delish food, yes plz! Came back to the hotel, dada and son continued their daily ritual of nighttime book reading. And with all the running around in the park during the day, the baby was fast asleep in his crib. So Vinay and I watched the sunset from the comfort of our bed and sipped on some wine as we binge-watched Netflix and called it a night at 1 AM (and that, my friend, is an absolute luxury once you become a parent #itsthesimplethingsinlife ).
The next day we repeated the whole thing + did some shopping + explored everything else that the hotel has to offer, from the gym to the swimming pool to checking out their media room to prancing around in their impressive-huge-ballrooms. Since our weekends usually tend to get hectic we wanted this staycation to rather be a relaxing experience without heading out to do/see much outside the hotel.
But if you are a tourist or are being a tourist in your own city, then you can be rest assured that Bellevue and the surrounding areas offer something for everyone… see the many kid-friendly recommendations from the Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel below, some of them, even I haven’t explored but are now on my list for when our fam is in the area next time.
All in all, we had such an amazing stay at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel and it was exactly the kind of relaxing weekend our family was craving! I can’t wait to go back soon, at least for another brunch date at Eques 🙂
“AWAY is a place where it’s not about the money you spend. It’s about the moments you share.”
xoxo,
Kusum
Leave a Reply