The Kings Mill

                                                  The Kings Mill Resort-Williamsburg

I traveled to the Kings Mill in Williamsburg, Virginia last Spring with an optimistic idea of the resort, but checked-out with a negative review. My trouble at the Kings Mill began when my family and had to wait 5 hours for our room because of a maid service problem. During 3 of those 5 hours, we covered almost every activity at the resort. They did not have a lot of teen or tween activities in the resort. They have an indoor pool and a small game room which were fun (the outdoor pool and lazy river were still closed for the season). After that, we spent the 2 remaining hours in the lobby. The only person who noticed we were on the verge of leaving and going to a nearby hotel was the chef at the restaurant. He started talking to us and then offered milk and cookies. Finally, after the long wait, we got our room. The rooms there are actually condo units spread out throughout the resort.  Anyway, our room was kinda worn and old which we could live with, but the real problem was the ant infestation! We found that out when the cleaning service came by and asked if they could "finish cleaning." We waited five hours already and they weren't done?! Then, all I see and hear are cans of bug spray being used in the kitchen and bathroom.  That was the last straw. We called the conceirge and asked for another room. The new room was cleaner, not as worn, and had no bug infestation. I would give this hotel 2 out of 5 stars for this experience alone. The only good things were the friendly chef, the pool, game room and its proximity to Busch Gardens (see my previous post).

Six Flags Great Adventure, NJ

                                                        Six Flags Great Adventure, NJ

                                                                       

In honor of Six Flags' new expansion that was announced this morning, I will review the New Jersey location. I went to Great Adventure with a group of friends for a day of fun after the long school year. Since it was a rainy day, Kingda Ka was not opened, but other then that I had a blast. The park welcomes you with their own version of Main Street U.S.A. I did channel Disney through bits and pieces through the park, but I thought Disney was cleaner and the workers more friendly. Besides the park's appearance, the rides were great and that's what I was there for. My two favorites were El Toro, one of the world's best wooden roller coasters,  and Bizarro. Bizarro was amazing. You were upside down for a quarter of the time and fire was shot at you which was pretty cool. If you are not a roller coaster person, you can always try Houdini's Great Escape that "flips you and the room upside down" which is just a parlor trick. After the ride was over, I spent the rest of the day figuring out how they managed to flip you and the room. The rest of the slow rides were for younger children. Overall, I would give the park 3 out of 5 stars because the park was kinda dirty and the workers weren't as friendly. If I was judging just the rides, it would get 5 full stars.

The Broadmoor-Colorado

                                                               The Broadmoor

The Broadmoor Hotel and Resort in Colorado is located in Colorado Springs. It is a five star resort where many PGA golf tournaments have been held. The golf course was very pretty and gave a spectacular view of the mountains behind it. While walking on the paths near the golf course, I saw a group of mule deer. It was a great photo opportunity. The rooms at the hotel were roomy, but didn't have any decks or patios. We stayed in the South tower which is newer so it had more modern amenities like a bedside room control system where you can turn the lights one and off with a simple press of a button or open and close the curtains. The pool at the Broadmoor was cool. The outdoor pool was an infinity pool with a separate slide area with a slow tunnel slide and a super fast slide that drops you almost straight down. The hotel also had stables where my mom and I went horseback riding on a trail in Pike National Forest which was fun for me.  The few problems I had with the Broadmoor was the lack of good, real food at the hotel; most of the restaurants main entrees that were way too complicated for me. The extra activities like bowling cost a lot of money - $50 per hour for bowling with a $5 shoe rental per person. That's "cray, cray."  Finally, for a resort in the middle of busy season, you would think they would plan kid, teen, and family activities like they do at other similar resorts like The Breakers or the Sanctuary. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars. It would have had five stars, but it was ridiculously over-priced.

Busch Gardens in Virginia

Busch Gardens in Williamsburg is probably the best attraction in Virginia. It's definitely the best amusement park in Virginia. From the roaring roller coasters to the European atmosphere of park, Busch Gardens has it all. Busch Gardens Williamsburg has a wonderful staff and they always have a smile. 

My favorite ride was Verbolten. Verbolten is a roller coaster that takes you through the Black Forest in Germany. You encounter the fairy tale scary creatures from the Black Forest and at one point you "fall' straight down. I was very impressed with the ride. My favorite non-roller coaster ride was the swinging pirate ship. I did not really like the shows; they appeal to little kids though judging from the reactions of children in the audience.  
For an amusement park, the food there was really good like the German food at Das Festhaus. I would have to give the place 4 out of 5 stars. I would have given it 5 stars if it wasn't for the corny shows.