I may have been a bit of a green-eyed monster hearing about all the places people were going for their Thanksgiving holidays: Florida. Mexico. Hawaii. Belize. But we had a soccer tournament at the Starfire Sports Complex that cut into our holiday so flying somewhere far wasn’t meant to be. And usually the Seattle Southside is where we head through when we go to the airport to go somewhere else. But this weekend we decided to have a Seattle Southside staycation and it’s pretty cool that even though we didn’t have to go to the actual airport, it still feels like we had a bit of a holiday too.
A great hotel if your kids have to tournament at Starfire Sports or if you are looking for Seattle hotels near the airport
The Embassy Suites hotel nearby Starfire Sports makes a really great place for families to stay-especially if you’re in town for a sports tournament and it’s also a hotel that is close to the Seattle Airport if you need a place to stay if you have an early flight.
I love that the big open atrium in the middle of the hotel makes all the rooms feel like they are a little bit outdoors. We’ve stayed in Embassy Suites with grandparents and it’s nice because there are many common areas to meet up with big groups when everyone has their own room and I like that this chain always has a pool, free breakfast and an evening reception with snacks. The Tukwila Embassy Suites is also really close to Westfield Mall so it’s perfect if you love to shop! In February 2017, a branch of Din Tai Fung will be opening at the mall and if you love gifts that give back there is a Box Lunch shop in this mall too that gives back a meal to a person in need for every $10 spent in its store. I like Unicone crepes and I still need to try Jollibee, a Phillipines-based chain that is supposed have really tasty food. The Embassy Suites Tukwila hotel has a stay and fly package too if you are stopping here before you fly somewhere too.
Bowling in Tukwila at Acme Bowl
This visit we were invited to try cosmic bowling at Acme Bowl. I didn’t realize how excited my kids were going to be, but they had a bowling birthday party this year and had a great time. They LOVED cosmic bowling at Acme Bowl because their shirts glowed and the music and disco projector lights were fun. I really liked how we could order food and drinks while we bowled too. It was also awesome that we could program our lane to have automated bumpers for the kids and no bumpers for the grownups. We stayed up late bowling and it didn’t really matter-having a staycation in Tukwila also meant we could have a leisurely morning before we had to play soccer.
We were so comfortable we actually spent the whole morning sleeping in, eating breakfast and lazing around in our room. By the time we got our act together, it was time for lunch and we were lucky enough to be eating at Saltys in Redondo Beach.
Redondo Beach near Seattle
I have never been to Redondo Beach near Seattle, but I have been to Salty’s breakfast buffet in West Seattle and it is one of my favorite brunches. It is Las Vegas spectacular meets Pacific Northwest beach and the food is delicious. The Salty’s at Redondo Beach seems like a smaller, more intimate restaurant on a quieter beach but the views from this restaurant are absolutely incredible and the food is really tasty.
When we pulled into the parking lot I noticed a “free aquarium” sign next door to the restaurant. There is a free aquarium here on Saturdays put on by the MaST center at Highline College from 10am-2pm with touchpools and some interesting tanks full of fish from our area. I heard that one of the tanks has TWO octopuses in it too!
Family-friendly restaurants don’t get any more family friendly than the Salty’s Restaurant in Redondo Beach.
So we had a fabulous lunch and I was pleased to see that the kids meals were reasonably priced (under 10 dollars with beverage when we visited) and delicious. My kids enjoyed salmon and chips and I was so happy that there was a side of grilled vegetables on their plates too. There was a couple dining next to us who was catching lunch before they headed off to the airport and needed a quick meal and my guys had to jet off to soccer too and all of our meals were very prompt.
I lingered a little longer and enjoyed Salty’s Famous White Chocolate Mousse Cake.
A sea lion popped its head up and a rainbow peeked out over the water and I ate my dessert all alone.
Cake doesn’t get any more perfect than this.
I’m so glad we staycationed in this city. We didn’t just have a tournament, we made some fantastic memories and I’m excited for the next time we visit the Southside! Have you ever had a staycation in or near your city? And do you have plans to staycation in the new year?
(PS. We were guests of Seattle Southside during our stay but the opinions here are my own.)
(PPS. if you are also a soccer family, have you ever made Ted Lasso’s biscuits?)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)