When you’ve got children, a holiday isn’t really a holiday until the little ones are taken care of. Read our list of the best resorts in the USA for families to make sure your next getaway is as relaxing and stress-free as possible.
When you’ve got children, a holiday isn’t really a holiday until the little ones are taken care of. Read our list of the best resorts in the USA for families to make sure your next getaway is as relaxing and stress-free as possible.
With Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park next door, Disneyland Hotel Anaheim provides an immersive experience for the whole family. Every room in the hotel has a ‘magical’ touch, particularly the five Signature Suites (including the Mickey Mouse Penthouse). The water slides and retro pools offer blissful relief from the California sun and a range of restaurants means everybody’s stomachs are happy. If that isn’t enough, the hotel grants guests early admission to the theme parks, where they can experience the world of Disney ahead of the general public.
Just an eight-minute walk from Disneyland Resort, the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel & Water Playground is the perfect spot to relax and recover from a day of theme park fun. The hotel’s pirate-themed water playground, Castaway Cove, will keep kids entertained for hours and for those wanting a peaceful poolside lounger, the lush Garden Pool is right around the corner. New Orleansinspired Mimi’s Café provides a sumptuous menu for adults complemented by a kids and a health-conscious alternative, keeping every member of the family happy.
The LEGOLAND California Hotel feels like a theme park in its own right, enthralling kids and adults alike with interactive features and surprises around every corner. There’s an outdoor heated pool and nightly kids’ entertainment with dance parties and performances galore, meaning parents can take advantage of a much-needed evening off. The rooms themselves are LEGO®-themed, giving kids the chance to play pirates or Ninjago 24/7. A complimentary breakfast buffet is the perfect way to start the day with something to please even the fussiest eater.
Dine on a delicious three-course breakfast with Disney princesses, head to Disney California Adventure Park and the Downtown Disney District via a convenient entrance located on the hotel grounds and return in the evening to spacious and luxurious rooms where, in selected suites, you might experience Arcadia or El Capitan themes. If you need a break from the thrills and spills of the theme park, you can relax in a poolside cabana or wind down with a movie night.
Little princesses will love their stay at Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort where they can have their very own makeover complete with a dress, bracelet and hairstyle of choice and designer tiara and crystal wand. The parents can also join in on the spa action with a sticks and stones massage or intentional aromatherapy. Once you’re feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, Walt Disney World Resort is right on your doorstep, and the Disney Planning Centre located in the hotel lobby can help you plan your day to ensure you squeeze all the best experiences in.
The Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance is perfect for your ‘eat, sleep, Disney, repeat’ holiday, located under 750 metres from Disneyland. The hotel also boasts it’s very own water park so the fun can continue beyond the theme park with water slides, fountains, a hot tub and a 12.8-metre pool. The hotel also has one of the best seats in the house to view the iconic Disneyland fireworks, so sit back, relax and enjoy the magic.
A good night’s sleep after a day adventuring through Disneyland is guaranteed at Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim Resort/Convention Center, especially if you are staying in one of their fabulous family suites sleeping up to eight guests. You can refuel with a delicious breakfast sandwich (and a Starbucks coffee to give you that much needed energy) before getting back to the park or relaxing by one of the outdoor pools.
A shuttle making it that much easier to get to Disneyland is just the beginning of the amazing features at Holiday Inn Anaheim-Resort Area. The resort-style swimming pool and outdoor whirlpool give little ones a place to splash, while the whole family can enjoy a tasty burger or pizza at Burger Theory. If the little ones are positively exhausted after a day rubbing shoulders with Mickey and Minnie, room service is also available so you can snuggle up and wind down.
What’s cooler than going to Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Going to Disney’s Hollywood Studios via aerial gondolas! The recently opened Disney Skyliner allows guests at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort to travel straight to the action on a state-of-the-art gondola system. And if that’s not already magical enough, there’s a Finding Nemo-inspired pool, an Under the Sea Orchestra conducted by Sebastian from The Little Mermaid and a range of themed suites featuring all your favourite Disney characters.
Home to the iconic Bellagio fountain display, the Bellagio Hotel and Casino dazzles well beyond its mesmerising show of water and light. The hotel features a range of luxuriously appointed rooms and suites that cater to your family’s needs, including the ultimate in Las Vegas luxe, the Presidential Suite, with an indoor fountain and garden. The Bellagio concierge service is on hand to assist you in making your family’s holiday to Sin City one to remember.
Las Vegas averages 294 days of sun a year, and what better way to enjoy them than poolside at Circus Circus Las Vegas? A 15.2-metre water slide tower with three slides shooting from it will keep the older kids entertained, while a splash pad with water cannons, spill buckets and rain trees is perfect for the little ones. The hotel also lives up to its namesake with free daily circus acts from the world’s largest permanent circus.
It’s a tremendous achievement to have your property recognised by the people who matter most: the families who stay there. We love seeing how many wonderful options there are for travellers with kids in tow all across the world, and every year the list is expanding.
As you can probably imagine, it’s a massive job to compile the Top 10 each year, and the Holidays with Kids team has been hard at work for the last few months compiling all the survey responses and sorting them into categories.
Holidays with Kids was the first travel magazine in Australia to do readers’ choice awards all the way back in 2001, our editors are pretty much certified experts in this field.
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