Wisconsin Dells Advice » Chula Vista

Chula Vista $199 All Inclusive Special is Back!

Dells Advice — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:40:41 +0000

The great all inclusive special that Chula Vista has run the past couple years is being repeated again this year. For just $199 you get the following:

2 nights in your choice of hotel room
Unlimited meals at the Market Fresh Buffet & Lounge and Crash Landings Restaurant
Unlimited drinks at 2 bars
Unlimited use of the Lost Rios Indoor Waterpark

The special rate is valid for Sunday – Thursday night stays through January 30, 2010 and is based on double occupancy. Children between the ages of 3 and 21 are an additional $46 per night, and children under the age of 3 are free. Blackout dates are December 23rd through January 3rd and January 17th.

This is a very popular promotion, and some dates will sell out quickly. Reservations can be made on the Chula Vista website, or by calling Chula Vista at 800-388-4782.

Easter in the Dells

Dells Advice — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:16:41 +0000

With lots of families spending their Spring Break in Wisconsin Dells this year, there are plenty of options for Easter activities. Most of the water park resorts have special activities and dining options on Easter Sunday. Many of the nicer Wisconsin Dells restaurants also have buffets or special menus for Easter.

Here is a summary of what is going on for Easter on Sunday April 12th in Wisconsin Dells.

Resorts

Chula Vista has 3 different Easter buffets being served at their Market Fresh Buffet.

Chula Vista Grand Breakfast Buffet, served 7:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M. Adults $10.95, Children 6-11 $5.95, Children 2-5 $3.95.
Chula Vista Grand Easter Brunch, served 11:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. Adults $15.95, Children 6-11 $6.95, Children 2-5 $3.95.
Chula Vista Special Easter Dinner Buffet, served 4:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. Adults $22.95, Children 6-11 $8.95, Children 2-5 $4.95.

Additional details about their Easter dining options, including menu choices, can be found on their website. The Easter Bunny will be making appearances in the lobby area on Easter Sunday. Reservations for the buffet can be made by calling 608-254-8366.

Great Wolf Lodge has an Easter buffet in the Loose Moose Bar & Grill. Prices are $24.95 for adults, and $12.95 for children ages 5-10. Call 800-559-9653 for reservations. Other than the buffet, no other special Easter events are planned.

Kalahari is serving their Easter brunch in the Kalahari Convention Center from 10:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. on Easter Sunday. Prices are $24.99 for adults, and $10.99 for children 3-10. Additional details, including a full listing of buffet choices, can be found on their website. Reservations can be made by calling 608-254-3217.

Kalahari also has a lodging and brunch package, the Easter Sunday Brunch Special, which includes a room and the Easter brunch for 2 adults and 2 children. The price for a standard room is $289 for Saturday night, April 11th or $219 for Sunday night, April 12th.

Kalahari has several events planned for the days leading up to Easter, including Easter Egg hunts on Sunday morning. All of the details can be found on the Kalahari Website.

The Wilderness is serving two Easter buffets at the Wild Canyon Cafe. The Easter Sunday Breakfast Buffet runs from 8:00 A.M. until 12:00 noon. Prices are $13.99 for adults, $7.99 for children 7-12, and $5.99 for children 3-6. The Easter Sunday Dinner Buffet runs from 4:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. Prices are $19.99 for adults, $10.99 for children 6-12, and $8.99 for children 3-5. The Easter Bunny will be in attendance for the breakfast buffet. Additional information including a list of what is being served can be found on the Wilderness website. Reservations can be made by calling 800-867-9453.

The Wilderness also has Easter egg hunts and other arts & crafts activities planned for Easter day.

Restaurants

Buffalo Phil’s Pizza & Grille has an Easter buffet from 10:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. on Easter Sunday. Prices are $18.95 for adults and $8.95 for children ages 4-10. Reservations can be made by calling 608-254-7300.

The Del-Bar will open at their normal time of 4:30 P.M. on Easter. They don’t have any special menu or buffet, but will have some daily specials such as ham and lamb for the holiday. The Del-Bar can be reached at 866-888-1861.

Field’s at the Wilderness will have an Easter menu available with special Easter selections, plus their standard menu. Call 608-253-1400 for reservations.

Moosejaw Pizza & Dells Brewing Co. will be serving their Easter Day Buffet from 10:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. Prices are $13.95 for adults and $6.95 for children ages 4-10. Moosejaw Pizza & Dells Brewing Co. can be reached at 608-254-1122.

Wally’s House of Embers will be serving Easter Sunday Buffet Brunch from 9:30 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. Prices are $16.99 for adults, and $8.50 for children 7 and under. From 9:30 A.M. until 10:30 A.M. they price is lowered to $13.99 for adults, and $6.99 for children 7 and under. At 2:30 P.M. they will start serving from the dinner menu. Reservations can be made by calling 608-253-6411.

If there are any Easter events that I may have missed, please leave a comment and let me know!

Chula Vista Offering Incredible All Inclusive Special Again

Dells Advice — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 02:22:42 +0000

Back in December I wrote about the incredible all inclusive special that Chula Vista has run the past couple years during December and January. For $199, you get 2 nights in your choice of hotel room plus all of your meals and drinks. It really is the best deal you’ll find in Wisconsin Dells all year. I am happy to report that they have decided to run this special again during April and May!

Here are the details. For $199, you get two nights in Junior Suite or Golf Villa. All meals & drinks are included. It is valid for Sunday – Thursday night stays from April 19th – May 21st. The rate is valid for 2 adults. Children between the ages of 4 – 21 are an additional $49.75 a night. Children under the age of 3 are free. Blackout dates are April 23rd & 30th, and May 4th.

The Travelzoo Top 20 newsletter came out today, and this offer was included in their list of the 20 best deals of the week. Since a lot of people subscribe to the Travelzoo newsletter, the deals featured in it tend to sell out quickly. If you are thinking about booking this incredible deal, I suggest doing it soon. Reservations can be made on the Chula Vista website, or by calling 800-388-4782.

Is Wisconsin Dells Recession Proof?

Dells Advice — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:27:30 +0000

WISC-TV, Madison’s channel 3, broadcast an interesting report today regarding the impact of the recession on the Wisconsin Dells. The report says that a national economic recession might actually work in favor of the Dells area, rather than against. It is easy to see why. Families might not have the extra money to spend on a Disney or other warm weather vacation this year. The Dells can be reached by car in no more than half a day from areas of Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan & Wisconsin. For the cost of airfare alone for a family of four, the same family can spend a week in a very nice resort in the Dells.

The news report states that the Kalahari, Wilderness & Chula Vista stand to do the best during the economic downturn. I think that some of the smaller Dells resorts & motels may also see a bump in their business in 2009. Visitors who still want to make their annual trip to the Dells might consider staying at a smaller Dells resort or one of the many motels in the area to save money. Several Dells motels have partnered with Mt. Olympus to offer passes to the Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park during the summer months. Money saving programs like the Dells City Pass might also appeal to cost conscious travelers this year.

The Channel 3 report can be viewed below. The text version of the story can be found on their website.

Spring Break in the Dells

Dells Advice — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:33:56 +0000

For families with kids in school, Spring Break is right around the corner. For those who want to save a little money this year, yet still go somewhere during the time off from school, the Wisconsin Dells can be a good fit. Although the prices during the weeks around Easter are a little higher, you’ll still save plenty of money by not going on a “big” vacation to somewhere warm. I have taken a look at what specials the resort hotels are offering during the mid week stays for late March and early April (the weeks surrounding Easter) and have summarized the promotions and packages below.

Chula Vista

Week of 3/29 – standard rooms from $149
Week of 4/5 – standard rooms from $139
Week of 4/12 – standard rooms from $99

Chula Vista also is offering a couple of Spring Break packages that are worth looking into. The Family Fun Package is $159 a night (2 night mid week stay required), and includes a large pizza, $25 dining certificate, and 100 arcade tokens. The Spring Party Package is $199 a night (2 night mid week stay required), and includes a stay in a 2 bedroom condo, large pizza, $30 dining certificate, 2 games of bowling, 2 orders of chicken wings & a 6 pack of soda. Details on these packages can be found on the Chula Vista specials page. Reservations can be made here.

Great Wolf Lodge

Week of 3/29 – standard rooms from $199
Week of 4/5 – standard rooms from $199
Week of 4/12 – standard rooms from $169

Great Wolf has a promotional code of BREAK on their website, however prices are the same if you use the code or not. Reservations can be made here.

Hotel Rome

The Hotel Rome at Mt. Olympus has some great Spring Break packages, as I wrote about last week. For the next several weeks, you can get up to 3 additional free nights depending on how many nights you pay for. You also get passes to come back to Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park during the summer. Click here to go to Hotel Rome’s website for more details.

Kalahari

Week of 3/29 – standard rooms from $229
Week of 4/5 – standard rooms from $199
Week of 4/12 – standard rooms from $199

There are several specials going on at the Kalahari during the weeks surrounding Easter. For example, the week of 4/5, you can get 2 nights plus 4 passes to the Indoor Theme Park for $299 (the passes normally sell for $20 each for hotel guests). To see all of the specials for March and April, check out their specials page. Reservations can be made on their reservations page.

Wilderness

Week of 3/29 – standard rooms from $150
Week of 4/5 – standard rooms from $180
Week of 4/12 – standard rooms from $150

The best deal that the Wilderness is offering is the Wild Fun Package from 3/29 – 4/4. For $150 a night you get your choice of any Wilderness hotel room and 4 Wild Fun Passes, which gets you mini golf at two new indoor courses – the Wild Abyss course & the Wild Buccaneer course, a game of laser tag at the Wilderness Ok Corral Lazer Runner, and 8 arcade tokens. The code for the Wild Fun Package is I-FUN. For details on this promotion and the other Spring Break promotions, check out their April Specials page. Reservations for the Wilderness can be made here.

Chula Vista Announces New Fractional Ownership Development

Dells Advice — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:42:38 +0000

Chula Vista will be expanding their real estate ownership options by offering fractional ownership of new condominiums to be built as early as this summer. The new units will be sold in two week increments, starting at $30,000, according to Jim Anacher from Cold Water Realty, the broker handling sales. At this point, no ground breaking date has been set. The expansion is in the planning stage, with site layout and engineering being worked out. Unit floorplans and building layouts haven’t been finalized yet, however they plan on offering 2 and 3 bedroom units. The buildings would be constructed in the area of the Golf Villa condominiums, adjacent to Cold Water Canyon golf course. The initial phase would start with one 28 unit building, to be followed up with additional phases in the future. Jim told me that if all necessary approvals were granted and financing secured, that construction could begin this year.

Owners of the new condominiums will have the option to use their units in three different ways. First, they can vacation during their specified weeks at Chula Vista in Wisconsin Dells. They can also participate in Chula Vista’s rental program to rent their unit to other Chula Vista guests, and receive income. Chula Vista will also be partnering with a timeshare exchange company, like RCI, to allow owners to exchange their weeks for weeks at other properties.

Offering ownership starting at $30,000 is a smart business move for Chula Vista. Their beautiful condo units along the Wisconsin River have been very popular with buyers. However, most visitors to the Dells don’t have $500,000 to spend on a vacation property. Offering these new units at a much lower cost will appeal to a different market than those who are buying the more expensive units.

This expansion would be the latest of several made by Chula Vista in the past few years. Recent additions to the resort have included the construction of over 200 condominium units, the addition of an 80,000 square foot indoor water park, remodeling and improvements to its dining and banquet facilities, and updates to the Cold Water Canyon golf course.

Chula Vista $199 deal – February & March

Dells Advice — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:25:41 +0000

Chula Vista Resort has a special deal for 2 night stays Sunday through Thursday nights through March 12th. For $199, you get 2 nights in your choice of suite, plus a $50 credit at either Kaminski Brothers Chop House (their onsite steakhouse), or Spa Del Sol, the Chula Vista spa. You also get a bottle of champagne delivered to your room as a part of this deal. If you prefer to stay in one of Chula Vista’s condominium units, an upgrade is available for $100 a night.

Although this deal isn’t as good as the all inclusive special they were running in December and January, it is still pretty decent. I checked several dates in February and March, and most of them were available. I even found their Presidential Suite available for some of the dates at this special reduced price.

To book this deal, call Chula Vista in Wisconsin Dells at 800-388-4782, and mention Promo Code DM0012, or click here to be taken directly to the Chula Vista reservations page and select Suite Deals after you have picked your dates and room type.

New Years Eve in the Dells

Dells Advice — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 05:04:49 +0000

Now that the stress of the holiday season is behind most of us, it is time to start thinking about your New Years Eve celebration. If a trip to the Wisconsin Dells is on your agenda, there are plenty of fun options to choose from. Be forewarned though, staying in the Dells over New Years can be expensive.

Resorts

Chula Vista (Hwy 13 North, 608-254-8366) is hosting Chula Fest 2008. Admission is $49.95 for adults 21+ ($24.95 ages 12-20 and $12.95 ages 11 and under). Admission includes all drinks, and celebration events. There are 3 different themed rooms – a DJ room, a live band room, and a kids carnival. You don’t need to be a guest at Chula Vista to attend Chula Fest 2008. Rooms start at $149 a night with a 2 night minimum.

Great Wolf Lodge (1400 Great Wolf Drive, 608-253-2222) has a New Years Eve buffet, crafts for the kids, an early countdown to 2009 for families with younger children, and music in the lobby. Also featured is their Great Duck Race, where hundreds of rubber ducks are dropped into the lazy river. A free night stay is awarded to the person whose duck finishes first. Rooms start at $349.

Kalahari (1305 Kalahari Drive, 608-254-3217) is offering a very unique African themed buffet starting at 5:00. Some of the offerings are South African smoked prime rib, Moroccan bisteeya (chicken & almonds in a pastry), flame grilled king fish, Libyan beef cigars, Ethiopian grilled vegetables, and Dukkah nut dip. They also have separate teen and a family parties that are free for hotel guests. Included are a DJ, dancing, prizes, snacks, a midnight balloon drop & champagne toast. Rooms start at $349.

Meadowbrook Resort (1533 River Road, 608-253-3201) has a Family New Years Eve party for guests of the resort. Included are snacks, non-alcoholic beverages, games, face painting, party favors and more. There is an early 2009 countdown at 10:00. A continental breakfast on New Years Day is also included. Rooms start at $189. Visit the Meadowbrook website for more information on their party.

The Wilderness (511 E. Adams Street, 800-867-9453) will be having their party in the Glacier Canyon Conference Center. Admission is $10 in advance or $15 at the door for ages 12 and up. Ages 3-11 is $5 in advance or $7.50 at the door. Included is a DJ, dancing, kids activities, appetizers, and a balloon drop at midnight. There will also be hourly prize drawings. Rooms start at $220.

Bars & Restaurants

Nearly all Wisconsin Dells bars & restaurants will be opening and celebrating New Years Eve on the 31st. The following are those that are hosting special events, in addition to the traditional midnight toast.

The Dells Comedy Club (591 Wisconsin Dells Parkway, 608-253-9453) opens at 8:00 with comedian Kevin Downey Jr., followed by the Wild 4 Hypnosis Comedy show. Party favors, a DJ, a champagne toast & a midnight balloon drop are included. Also included is a midnight buffet. Tickets are $35 in advance or $45 at the door. More information can be found on their website.

Monk’s at the Wilderness (45 Hillman Road, 608-254-6665) is hosting a party starting at 10:00 with a live band on the lower level. Party favors and a midnight champagne toast are included. The cover charge to see the band is $5, otherwise you can party in the bar area for no cover. The downtown Monk’s (220 Broadway, 608-254-2955) is not having any special New Years Eve events.

Marley’s (1470 Wisconsin Dells Parkway, 608-254-1800) New Years Eve party starts at 10:00 with a DJ and dancing. There is a champagne toast at midnight as well as a balloon drop. Cover charge is $10.

Taxi Services

A discussion of New Years Eve in the Dells wouldn’t be complete without information about taxi services. The following is a list of companies that serve the Wisconsin Dells and Lake Delton area.

Wisconsin Dells Taxi – 608-415-7433

Dells Cab Co. – 608-253-7722

Sureway Taxi – 608-253-2129

Dells Delton Shuttle Taxi & Limousine Service – 608-253-6746

Incredible All Inclusive Deal at Chula Vista

Dells Advice — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:38:11 +0000

I have been eagerly checking Chula Vista’s website over the past few weeks to see if they were going to repeat the all inclusive deal that they have run in December and January the last couple of years. I am happy to report that they are offering it again this year. For $99.50 a night (2 night minimum), you get your choice of room (hotel only – no condo rooms), and all of your meals and drinks included. This is the best deal you will find in the Wisconsin Dells all year. During a Wisconsin Dells trip you could easily spend $100 a day on your meals and drinks alone.

The rate is based on double occupancy. Families with 2 adults and children under the age of 3 will get the best deal, since children under 3 are free. Children 4-20 are an additional $46 a night. There are restrictions of course. It is valid for Sunday – Thursday night stays in December and January with a few blackout days. Check out the details of this incredible deal on Chula Vista’s website.

If you haven’t been to Chula Vista before, or haven’t visited in the past couple of years, you really should check it out. They have gone through an extensive renovation of the entire resort. The highlight of the renovations is the new 80,000 square foot Lost Rios Indoor Water Park. The buffet was remodeled more recently, and is on par with some buffets I have visited in Las Vegas. This is a very popular promotion, so book early if you want to take advantage of this great deal.

Chula Vista November and December Specials – $50/night

Dells Advice — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:07:26 +0000

The Travelzoo Top 20 once again is featuring an incredible deal at Chula Vista in the Wisconsin Dells for stays in November and December. If you reserve by November 14th, and stay 2 nights Sunday – Friday, you get the second night free. Many of the dates are being offered are priced at $99 a night, which would equate to $50 a night with the special promotion. The following dates are available for $50 a night based on 2 night stays:

Nov. 11-13, 18-19, 23-26, 30
Dec. 1-4, 7-11, 14-18, 21-25

Reservations can be made by visiting the Chula Vista website, or by calling 800-388-4782 and mentioning promo code BOGO.