10. Ritz-Carlton Naples 83.23: Classically posh guest rooms and top-notch service in two towers facing the Gulf of Mexico. There's big-deal golf here, plus a gorgeous beach. The Nature's Wonders program, for all ages, has nine aquariums, a butterfly garden, naturalist-led outings, and a lab with microscopes - just right for budding marine biologists.
8. Disney's Polynesian Resort 84.72: This South Pacific- style spread, with guest rooms in longhouses on a powder-soft beach, is where Lilo and Stitch would stay if their parents took them to Disney World. The pool has a 40-foot-high volcano and cascading waterfalls. The Magic Kingdom rises mirage-like on the other side of the Seven Seas Lagoon.
8. Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa 84.72: With gas lamps and wicker chairs, Disney goes high Victorian at its flagship Orlando hotel. Victoria and Albert's restaurant, one of the best in Florida, serves a seasonal seven-course tasting menu. And at 1900 Park Fare, the resort's buffet, Cinderella, Prince Charming, or a wicked stepsister may join your dinner table.
7. Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress 85.00: Located near the Orlando theme-park hubbub, the 1,500-acre spread has plenty of its own attractions: golf, tennis, horseback riding, and a walkway through a cypress reserve, where you just might spot a bald eagle.
6. Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando 85.67: Universal studios channels the cobble-stoned streets, cafes, and gelaterie of Italy. Family suites come with bunk-bedded kids' quarters that connect to Mama and Papa's domain. Best of all your key card works as a skip-the-line pass to Universal's rides - speedily reached from the hotel not by gondola, alas, but free water taxi.
5. Disney's Beach Club Resort 86.00: Crescent Lake is right outside your private terrace at this Orlando classic; that's Disney's Yacht Club next door. The two resorts share a steak house, cafe, white-sand beach, and a sunny, eternal-summer vibe.
4. Disney's Wilderness Lodge 88.33: The national-park-style lodge even has Yellowstone-inspired geyser. Take a ride on a pony or in a horse-drawn carriage. At the adjoining Wilderness Resort &Campground, catch a campfire sing-along attended by Chip 'n Dale. Around the corner is the Magic Kingdom.
3. Disney's BoardWalk 88.53: The time:1940. The place: Walt Disney World's version of the Jersey Shore, complete with a boardwalk, surrey bakes, and saltwater taffy. The rooms: think old-fashioned floral.
2. Disney's Yacht Club Resorts 88.60: Nautical-crisp digs on Orlando's Crescent Lake. When you're not conquering the World, you can take out one of the resort's pontoon boats, or tackle the three-acre pool complex - climb a ship's mast to get to the top of the water slide.
1. Disney's animal Kingdom Lodge 91.84: From your balcony at this African-Themed Orlando lodge, you just might spot a giraffe, bongo, or wildebeest roaming the surrounding savannah. And dinner stars Kenyan-coffee-braised short ribs and Swahili shrimp curry. At dusk, don night-vision goggles and tour the grounds by open-air truck. Don't miss the safari at the resort's companion Animal Kingdom theme park - the only Disney venue that really is a lion kingdom.
Tara Donne: Travel and Leisure
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