A Foam Party at the Ritz? Summer at the Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas
- 18 hours ago
- 4 min read
We recently spent a weekend at The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas celebrating the boys finishing another school year and officially kicking off summer break. We’ve stayed here before during the holidays and loved it, but summer at this property brings an entirely different feeling.
Summer here revolves around experiences more than schedules. Movie nights (outdoor weather permitting), cocktail classes, sushi evenings, poolside events, scavenger hunts for the kids. The entire property feels alive all weekend long with the option for a number of events but at the same time the option to just do nothing and enjoy the hotel.
The property itself also feels spread out for Dallas with golf course views, walking paths, oversized lounge spaces, and enough outdoor space that people actually spend time outside instead of retreating indoors because of the heat.
Arrival + The Club Lounge
We checked in and immediately headed for the Club Lounge because when club access is part of your stay, you use it early and often. Quick bites, drinks, the boys already helping themselves to snacks before we’d even unpacked. Every time we come to the Ritz the boys immediately ask, “when are we going to the lounge?!”
While an upgrade from a standard room, the Club Lounge offers complimentary food and beverage presentations throughout the day. This includes breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, hors d’oeuvres, and cordials. There is always something going on.
Movie Night: Toy Story in the Gallery
Friday night the property hosted Gallery After Dark Family Cinema with a number of movies throughout the season. We happened to catch Toy Story the evening we were there. Of course, we had popcorn to fully create the movie experience.
Afterward we retreated back up to the lounge for a competitive game of Scrabble, which has quickly become a tradition when we stay at the Ritz-Carlton for some reason. It was just a really good family night at a hotel.
Day Two: Ritz Kids Summer Sunshine Scavenger Hunt
Saturday morning started with the Ritz Kids Scavenger Hunt and the boys were in for a number of activities, which started with some arts and crafts. They spent the rest of the event navigating clues around the property, racing between checkpoints, and ended the scavenger hunt by finding a pot of gold - well, not a real pot but close enough!
The Cocktail Making Class
Right after the scavenger hunt we (ok, me as the adult) headed to the Bright Spirits Summer Brunch Cocktail Experience where we learned how to make a rum punch and a spritz at the Juniper Bar. It was great to socialize with the other guests and also get some time to enjoy some adult company.
The timing also works perfectly because the cocktail experience runs immediately after the scavenger hunt, so the whole Saturday naturally flows from one thing into the next instead of feeling random or disconnected.
Pool Time + The Foam Party
The afternoon was all about the pool, and summer at this property fully revolves around it. The atmosphere feels much more resort getaway than Dallas hotel. Families settle into loungers for entire afternoons, cocktails keep appearing poolside, and kids bounce between the water and activities.
Then we realized it was time for the foam party. The Poolside Bubble Party runs Saturday afternoons and it was immediately obvious why every child on the property was sprinting toward it. A foam party at a Ritz-Carlton is a sentence that should not work and yet here we are.
That Evening: Sushi at Juniper
Saturday night started at Bar Juniper for their Sushi Nights at Bar Juniper experience, which did not disappoint.
The space completely changes energy at night with moodier lighting, a more intimate atmosphere, cocktails worth ordering a second round of, and a seasonal sushi menu that has some very unique options. Given we were headed to dinner after Juniper Bar, we decided to go light on the sushi to ensure we had room for our main courses at dinner.
After Juniper we headed to Knife, which is an Italian steakhouse concept developed by Michelin-starred Chef John Tesar. Every time we stay at this property, we try to do one dinner here and the steak is always perfectly cooked. At this point it would feel strange not to include Knife in the weekend somewhere.
Sunday Morning: Poolside Pilates
Sunday morning started with the Poolside Mat Pilates & Juice Bar which definitely felt ambitious after the previous night but we made it! If you’re a Pilates person, you’ll love it. If you’re not, now you have a story to tell.
This was my first time doing Pilates and it wasn’t intimidating at all. Doing Pilates poolside somehow makes the whole thing feel less intimidating.
Afterward we grabbed fresh juices and yogurt bowls, spent one last slow morning by the pool, and stretched that final afternoon out as long as possible before eventually packing up and heading home. By the way - get the tallow fries poolside. You won’t regret it.
The boys have already started asking when we could come back, which is usually the clearest sign a weekend worked.
What makes this property work especially well during summer is that there’s genuinely something for everyone. Pool days for the kids, cocktail classes and long dinners for the adults, movie nights, spa time, golf, sushi at Juniper, slow mornings by the pool. The whole weekend feels easy in the way a good staycation should.
Hotel Details
4150 N MacArthur Blvd
Irving, Texas 75038
