Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Hayden Lake, Idaho: An Inexpensive Family Hotel

Few people have heard of Hayden or Hayden Lake, Idaho, but you'd be surprised how many tourists travel to this area of the Pacific Northwest for winter sports and the Iron Man competitions. If you're one of these travelers, you're probably looking for a place to stay near Hayden Lake, as there are relatively few hotels to choose from in the vicinity.

We have been to this area of Idaho several times, and each time we've needed a hotel, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites. They officially hail from Coeur d'Alene, but their address is in Hayden, Idaho.

The Holiday Inn Express and Suites is one of the few hotels that offer family-sized rooms for affordable prices (generally under $150 per night). The suite we stayed in was a KidSuite, which accommodated us with two queen beds and a set of bunk beds. There was only one bathroom to share, but if we split up the showers between morning and night, we were able to make it out of the hotel room by 8:00a.m. each morning.

Holiday Inn Express and Suites sweetened our room rates by offering free continental breakfast each morning. And unlike most pathetic hotel continental breakfasts, this one offers hard-boiledeggs, several muffin and donut choices, cereal, cinnamon rolls, meats, coffee, orange juice, and apple juice, among other things. We never needed anything else in the morning to tie us over, which thrilled us quite a bit, as we would ordinarily have to pay $40 per morning to feed our family otherwise.

This hotel is great to stay at with kids because they're located in the adjoining building to Triple Play and Raptor Reef waterpark. Each room comes with 4-5 waterpark wristbands. If you upgrade your suite to include Triple Play passes, you can expect to pay $244 or $250 depending on your room type. This includes up to 5 waterpark passes (good for your whole stay), 24 attraction tickets (one attraction = one ticket), and $40 worth of meal coupons, which fed our family for dinner plus a snack the next day.

At the Triple Play, depending on which attractions are open during your stay, you can choose from indoor and outdoor miniature golf, go-karts, bowling, laser tag, rock climbing, bumper boats, and arcades. Each attraction usually costs $6.50 on its own if you want to purchase extra tickets. However, there are age limits on some of the rides, so make sure your children are the right age or height limit to play before buying extra tickets.

Hayden, Idaho isn't necessarily all that much fun all on its own, but if you're staying there for conference or sports purposes, this is a great way to spend your time without getting bored or spending a fortune. The atmosphere is very family-friendly, as is their staff, so you'll feel right at home at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites.

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