School holiday staycation done right: a special HerCanberra reader offer at Hyatt Hotel Canberra

Posted on 2 April, 2026

If your Easter school holiday plans quietly fell apart – perhaps the flights or fuel got too expensive – you are far from alone. But Canberra has your back.

Sometimes the best holiday is the one you don’t have to pack for. Or at least, not very much.

Photography: About Yesterday.

With many Canberrans rethinking interstate travel right now, there has never been a better time to plant your family firmly in the city and discover what is right on our doorstep. And if you are going to do a staycation, do it properly. Which is to say: Hyatt Hotel Canberra.

And with stays starting at $259 per night (with a $100 food and beverage credit and the chance of a free welcome drink), there’s never been a better time to be a HerCanberra reader.

The kids won’t be bored. (Neither will you.)

I have long adored this hotel. There is something about it – the heritage bones, the light-drenched courtyard, the sense of grandeur – that works its magic immediately. And for families with children, Hyatt promises adventures ready to be discovered.

Photography: About Yesterday.

The hotel has pulled together a fantastic suite of complimentary school holiday activities: everything from cupcake decorating to face painting and board games. There’s also a Spy Games adventure for kids, a clever quest that ends with a free milkshake on completion.

Check out what’s on this Easter long weekend and throughout the autumn holidays.

Photography: About Yesterday.

There is also the indoor pool, which will almost certainly become the centrepiece of your entire stay, and the gorgeous courtyard gardens where garden games are set up and waiting.

And if your family has not yet had the pleasure of meeting Pixel, the hotel dog, consider that a non-negotiable on your to-do list.

Photography: About Yesterday.

Step outside and Canberra does the rest

Photography: VisitCanberra.

Location, location, location. Hyatt Hotel Canberra is within easy walking distance of the Museum of Australian Democracy, the National Gallery of Australia and the National Portrait Gallery: three world-class institutions that happen to be entirely free to enter. Questacon is pretty much across the road, and the National Museum is just across the lake.

Speaking of Lake Burley Griffin – add a Bridge-to-Bridge walk, a DIY boat ride or a cycling adventure thanks to the hotel’s complimentary bike hire, and you have the makings of a full and fun day that won’t break the bank.

Canberra’s lakeside in autumn is – and I will not be taking questions on this – one of the most beautiful things this city has to offer.

Do yourself – and your family – a favour. The memories you make here will last considerably longer than the school holidays themselves.

Minimum two-night stay. Subject to availability.