This hotel is very nice. Friendly and professional staff. Tasteful and comfortable rooms. Large lounge/breakfast/bar area. Convenient to Dulles International Airport and Udvar-Hazy Museum or even the Leesburg Outlets. It's exactly the kind of place I'd like to go ... without kids.

It's mostly small things that make this a poor choice for small people. Our air unit ran all night. Perfect for someone who needs white noise to sleep. Awful for our baby who needs absolute quiet. The other recurring problem was the soaps, shampoo, and lotion. Rather than providing small, single-use bottles and bars, the Hyatt (recently Hotel Sienna) opted for the eco-friendly option of placing large pump dispensers at the sink and in the shower. However, these pumps are so high that our tall 3 year old could not reach them, and we were in a handicap accessible room. It's very unlikely that anyone who cannot stand would be able to reach the shampoo or body wash.

Continental breakfast had less variety than Hampton-like hotels but did have an omelet station.

Like others, the only time I make the trek to Tanglewood is during the holiday season to see the Festival of Lights. We go every year.

Not only is this a huge light display (many more scenes than, say, Bull Run), but there is a bonfire for roasting marshmallows with a cup of cocoa and a crafts display/shop in the red barn about halfway through the show.

The light scenes have a variety of themes including falling leaves, fairy tales, Santa's workshop and a tribute to the Old Salem settlement nearby. Other scenes give a nod to park activities including golf.

Weekends are busy, so expect a wait to get in the gates. Staf does work quickly to accommodate all the extra traffic, but Thanksgiving and the weekend before Christmas may take over an hour.

Our suite was much larger than we expected. Two separate bedrooms with their own bathrooms gave our family plenty of room to settle in. The kitchenette was well stocked and had a dishwasher and full sized refrigerator. Living room television had a dvd player. Gas fireplace in living room added to the cozy feel of the suite.

Unlike other extended stay places we've been, this felt more like a condo than a hotel. The entire property was clean and comfortable. There are lots of reasons we will return to this hotel, including price, but nothing beats the extra bathroom!

We spent a full week on Pleasure Island in a rented condo. It was a fantastic vacation! Besides the beautiful beaches, Carolina Beach has pier and surf fishing, camping, a boardwalk area with rides and attractions, charter boats and party cruises, and so much more!

During the summer months there are special family friendly attractions like Family Night at the boardwalk, outdoor movies at the park, weekly fireworks, and a farmers' market. Don't miss a custom ice cream cone at Squigley's, a fresh hot doughnut at Britt's, and the freshest seafood at Bowman's.

A short drive can take you to the aquarium at Fort Fisher, Fort Fisher historical area, the battleship in Wilmington, and the ferry to historic Southport.

While on vacation at Carolina Beach, we made the short drive down to the Aquarium at Ft. Fisher. We had a nice time. It wasn't too pricey. And there were some cool things like an albino alligator and a petting pool of horseshoe crabs. But, we went through the whole place in just a couple of hours. Nothing held our 3 year old's attention for very long except the big tank.

It made a nice break from our beach vacation, but we would have been disappointed if we had driven all the way to the shore just for this one.