Edmonton has a good selection of hotels with waterslides. These hotels are ideal for children and the young at heart who are visiting the City of Champions and want to enjoy some free entertainment and memorable soaks, splashes and plunges in the comfort of their own hotel!
Of course, none of these waterslides can compete with the city's champion of waterslides at the World Waterpark at West Edmonton Mall, pictured above, but having a waterslide right in your hotel is a good way of extending the fun times without extending the budget for your trip!
The Wingate by Wyndham Edmonton West is my number one pick among Edmonton's waterslide hotels, owing to its well-loved indoor pool, amazing yellow waterslide, and close proximity to the West Edmonton Mall's World Waterpark, only a 4-min drive. The hotel features a double-spiral, two-storey waterslide which dominates the pool area. In addition to the waterslide, the pool area (which they call their "waterpark") also features a mushroom-shaped waterfall perched over a shallow area that provides a kid-friendly place for younger children to play.
There's a hot tub nearby for parents to take in a soak, witness their children's amazing feats and applaud! Lounging chairs are also provided on the deck for the less adventurous in the group. This great amenity is open daily from 6 am to 10 pm.
Besides the pool and waterslide that provided hours of fun for the kids, guest reviewers loved its modern, well-equipped rooms, on-site dining and excellent free breakfast buffet. Popular and highly-rated, the hotel is also well situated, close to amenities and in a quiet location off the main roads.
The Best Western Plus South Edmonton Inn and Suites is my second pick for best hotels featuring wonderful waterslides in the city of Edmonton. It features one of the tallest waterslides, a 3-storey, blue tube-style waterslide that sends young and old (who must be more than 40 inches tall) plunging into a 4-foot deep, heated indoor saltwater pool.
Parents can cheer splashdowns from the nearby hot tub or a large poolside deck, where guests can lounge or sit at tables. This inviting pool is conveniently open from early morning, beginning at 6 am, to 10 pm at night.
This Best Western Plus is a highly enjoyed hotel with very high guest scores. It's a 16-minute drive to West Edmonton Mall and guests liked its easy access to Hwy 2, South Edmonton Common mall and nearby restaurants. This hotel offers good value with reasonable room rates, free parking, free Wi-Fi and a well-reviewed free breakfast. Rooms are stacked with modern amenities and recent guests enjoyed the cleanliness of the rooms and the helpfulness of the staff.
Coming in as an excellent third choice is the Best Western Plus City Centre Inn. Guests praised the 30-foot high (3-storey) waterslide as being large and fast, which in waterslide terms means more thrills. The accompanying indoor pool is also slightly deeper than most, which at 5 feet in the deep end means so much more splash and less skid.
Poolside, there are tables and chairs on the deck for watching and cheering on the kids (or cool parents), and a hot tub for unwinding from those spectacular spirals! This hotel's pool and waterslide is open a little later, until 11 pm which may make this more convenient to the older generation while still opening bright and early at 7 am.
Well-liked for its value, the Best Western Plus City Centre Inn is about 15 minutes to West Edmonton Mall's World Waterpark. Guests also liked its proximity to the Kingsway Mall across the street, and to downtown dining and shopping, only a 5-minute drive away. There's on-site dining too, (guests liked the pizza) and a 24-hour Tim Hortons attached for those late night snack attacks. Many reviewers liked the beds, clean and quiet rooms and the courteous service of the staff at this hotel.
With nightly rates just over $100 per night, the Super 8 Edmonton South is a marvel of value, affording memorable times of sliding and gliding for many a guest! The hotel offers a smaller -- but perfect for kids -- indoor, saltwater pool with a two-storey, blue tube waterslide.
It's accompanied by a small hot tub for warming up or chilling out, and a deck area featuring lots of natural light and an attractive mural. Pool and waterslide hours are generous, open daily from 6 am to 10 pm.
Guests found this hotel to be an exceptional value, clean with comfy beds and a pleasing breakfast. Only 11 minutes from the West Edmonton Mall and 13 minutes to downtown, it's also conveniently located right on Hwy 2, directly across from the South Park Centre mall, which offers dining and shopping. Rooms come well-equipped with mini-fridges, and there is free parking, a good quality free breakfast and free Wi-Fi included in a very reasonable room rate.
Last but not least of my picks, is the Holiday Inn Express Edmonton International Airport, which offers a two-storey, spiraling tube waterslide that plunges guests into a large heated indoor pool 4.5 feet deep, the delight of many a child who came to this hotel! Well, at least those over 48 inches tall--the minimum height guests must be to use the slide.
The nearby hot tub provides for some relaxation and good views of the pool for cheering. Parents can also view all the action from tables and chairs on the deck. The pool area is open daily from 9 am to 10 pm.
Overall, this Holiday Inn is a well-liked hotel with lots of happy customers. It's an excellent choice for those flying into Edmonton airport (YEG) as it's only a 3-minute drive from the airport and offers guests a 24-hour free shuttle service. However, being close to the airport means it's a little farther away from the West Edmonton Mall, a 27-minute drive. Nicely appointed rooms come with mini-fridges and microwaves, adding convenience. Guests describe it as modern, quiet and spotless, and having a delicious free breakfast that offers healthy options. Other than breakfast, there's no dining on site, but guests found a couple of choices within walking distance.
Although it does not have a waterslide, this hotel has a shallow, splash pool area perfect for young families with babies and toddlers. It's also a really great hotel. Especially if you want to stay in the West Edmonton Mall area, you may find this family-friendly hotel just the right fit.
The excellent Hampton Inn and Suites comes highly recommended by the great majority of reviewing guests, who consider this hotel to offer outstanding service and a very family-friendly atmosphere. Its pool area features a unique splash pool that is one-foot deep, helping toddlers and small children to discover the deep satisfaction of water play. A mushroom-shaped fountain provides an interesting centerpiece, good for splashing through or filling up buckets of water to pour out again in a never-ending cycle.
There's also a hot tub nearby that guests said was wonderful to relax in and a regular indoor swimming pool that ranges from 3 to 5 feet in depth. Seating is provided on the deck for those wishing to watch and supervise the fun activities. Open from early morning (6 am) to late at night (midnight), the pool area is easily accessible, even for guests spending the major part of the day out of the hotel.
The Hampton is handy to the World Waterpark at West Edmonton Mall, an easy 5-minute drive. Guests really liked its spacious and impeccably clean family suites with extras like playpens and high chairs, its popular free breakfast buffet offering a large variety of pastries, rotating hot choices and waffle station, and its highly-trained staff who set out to exceed expectations and offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee or money refunded. High speed Wi-Fi is included along with plenty of parking, and although the hotel does not have a restaurant on site, guests were pleased with nearby restaurants that they found in walking distance.
The City of Edmonton Parks and Recreation also offers dozens of free Drop-in Water Play Parks that are open in the summer months of July and August. These provide water fun in the sun for young children, the perfect way to cool off on those hot summer days!
These colourful and imaginative water spray parks, some of which are staffed from 11 am to 6 pm and open from 9 am to 9 pm daily, provide an excellent opportunity for water play in the open air on nice summer days during your time in Edmonton.
Kid-friendly, and aimed at different age levels, the parks provide a rubberized platform with various playground zones. The spray areas typically offer features such as loops of water to run through, spray cannons and musical pianos.There are washrooms at the park, food trucks serving fast food and ice cream in some locations, and lots of free parking.
The City of Edmonton Green Shacks, also on site, house fun and friendly personnel who provide supervision, first aid and offer activities by way of games, sports, crafts, drama and music for the children. Many of these spray parks are within a 10- or 15-minute drive of the above hotels. Guests can check online or call 311 in Edmonton for more information.