Gone are the days when a swimming pool and roll away bed are enough to constitute a quality family resort. Today, lodgings across the nation are catering to family travelers with a host of awesome amenities – kids programing, childproofed rooms (with multiple bedrooms), gourmet dining with child-approved kids menus and access to essentials, like cribs and baby swings, while on the road.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Family Resort are as follows:
- The Resort at Paws Up - Greenough, Mont.
- Great Wolf Lodge - Multiple Locations
- The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Kiawah Island, S.C.
- Mohonk Mountain House - New Paltz, N.Y.
- Gaylord Hotels - Multiple Locations
- Four Seasons Resort Orlando - Orlando
- Skytop Lodge - Skytop, Penn.
- Vista Verde Ranch - Clark, Colo.
- Keystone Resort - Keystone, Colo.
- Fairmont Scottsdale Princess - Scottsdale, Ariz.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Katie Dillon (La Jolla Mom), Kim-Marie Evans (Luxury Travel Mom), Kyle McCarthy (Family Travel Forum), Eileen Ogintz (Taking the Kids), Dave Parfitt (AdventuresbyDaddy.com), Marla Cimini (USA TODAY), Christopher Parr (Pursuitist) and Yasmin Pullman (Luxury Travel Diary) were chosen based on their family travel experience.
Other nominated resorts included Aulani - a Disney Resort & Spa, The Breakers Palm Beach, Club Med Sandpiper Bay, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Grand Wailea, Kingsmill Resort, Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Omni Mount Washington Resort, Smugglers' Notch Resort and Westin La Paloma Resort and Spa.
Congratulations to all our winning resorts, and remember to keep this list handy next time you're planning a family vacation.
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The Experts
Katie Dillon
Katie Dillon writes the luxury family travel and... Read More
Katie Dillon writes the luxury family travel and lifestyle site, La Jolla Mom, named after her seaside community in San Diego. Before settling in La Jolla, she and her husband spent seven years as expats in London and then Hong Kong where her now 7-year-old daughter was born. Katie's knowledge of luxury travel stems from extensive first-hand experience--her family lived in a Four Seasons Hotel for most of their time overseas. She is also the San Diego editor for USA TODAY/10Best, a contributor to Four Seasons Magazine and never fully unpacked. You can follow her at @LaJollaMom on twitter and Facebook.
Katie Dillon
Katie Dillon writes the luxury family travel and lifestyle site, La Jolla Mom, named after her seaside community in San Diego. Before settling in La Jolla, she and her husband spent seven years as expats in London and then Hong Kong where her now 7-year-old daughter was born. Katie's knowledge of luxury travel stems from extensive first-hand experience--her family lived in a Four Seasons Hotel for most of their time overseas. She is also the San Diego editor for USA TODAY/10Best, a contributor to Four Seasons Magazine and never fully unpacked. You can follow her at @LaJollaMom on twitter and Facebook.
Kim-Marie Evans
Kim-Marie Evans is a travel journalist, mother of... Read More
Kim-Marie Evans is a travel journalist, mother of four, and marketing video expert who has been writing about the luxury market for a decade. As Contributing Editor for Greenwich Magazine she is the taste maker for a picky and well traveled market. Her award winning travel website, Luxury Travel Mom, is the go-to resource for moms looking for advice on where to travel with little ones, what to pack and most importantly, which cocktail to order.
Kim-Marie Evans
Kim-Marie Evans is a travel journalist, mother of four, and marketing video expert who has been writing about the luxury market for a decade. As Contributing Editor for Greenwich Magazine she is the taste maker for a picky and well traveled market. Her award winning travel website, Luxury Travel Mom, is the go-to resource for moms looking for advice on where to travel with little ones, what to pack and most importantly, which cocktail to order.
Kyle McCarthy
Kyle McCarthy is the co-founder and editor of... Read More
Kyle McCarthy is the co-founder and editor of Family Travel Forum, the trusted resource for family vacation planners since 1996. FTF’s award-winning publications (MyFamilyTravels.com, America’s Most Popular Family Vacations, and The Family Vacationist) provide expert and user reviews of global family vacations ranging from eco-adventures to city breaks, multi-generational cruises, resorts, theme parks and more. Each spring, FTF runs a Teen Travel Writing Scholarship for students 13-18 who blog about their trips to win cash grants. Through FamilyTravelConsulting, she advises the travel trade on ever-changing family needs, smarter marketing and conferences. Ms. McCarthy, author of a dozen Frommer’s guidebooks, also contributes to US News, CNN and other publications. She can be found on most social networks @familytravel4um.
Kyle McCarthy
Kyle McCarthy is the co-founder and editor of Family Travel Forum, the trusted resource for family vacation planners since 1996. FTF’s award-winning publications (MyFamilyTravels.com, America’s Most Popular Family Vacations, and The Family Vacationist) provide expert and user reviews of global family vacations ranging from eco-adventures to city breaks, multi-generational cruises, resorts, theme parks and more. Each spring, FTF runs a Teen Travel Writing Scholarship for students 13-18 who blog about their trips to win cash grants. Through FamilyTravelConsulting, she advises the travel trade on ever-changing family needs, smarter marketing and conferences. Ms. McCarthy, author of a dozen Frommer’s guidebooks, also contributes to US News, CNN and other publications. She can be found on most social networks @familytravel4um.
Eileen Ogintz
Eileen Ogintz, a leading national expert on family... Read More
Eileen Ogintz, a leading national expert on family travel, is the author of the Tribune Interactive syndicated column Taking the Kids that appears around the country, creator of the popular website TakingtheKids.com and co-chair of the TMS Family Travel Conference which draws top family travel influencers and major travel brands. She is the author of the 11-book Kids Guideseries; The Kid’s Guide to Acadia National Park is being released in April 2019. The Kid’s Guide to NYC is now in its 3d edition and The Kid’s Guide to Washington, DC the second edition.
Eileen Ogintz
Eileen Ogintz, a leading national expert on family travel, is the author of the Tribune Interactive syndicated column Taking the Kids that appears around the country, creator of the popular website TakingtheKids.com and co-chair of the TMS Family Travel Conference which draws top family travel influencers and major travel brands. She is the author of the 11-book Kids Guideseries; The Kid’s Guide to Acadia National Park is being released in April 2019. The Kid’s Guide to NYC is now in its 3d edition and The Kid’s Guide to Washington, DC the second edition.
Dave Parfitt
A reformed academic with a PhD in neuroscience,... Read More
A reformed academic with a PhD in neuroscience, Dave Parfitt began writing about his family travel adventures after surviving a trip to Walt Disney World as father of two budding princesses. As owner and editor of AdventuresbyDaddy.com, Dave offers family travel advice and escapist fun from Dad’s point of view. Dave’s travel articles and photos have appeared in US News & World Report, Fox News Travel, Huff Post, USAToday, Family Circle Magazine, and more. He has appeared as a family travel expert on nationally syndicated radio shows, newspaper articles, and around the internet.
Dave Parfitt
A reformed academic with a PhD in neuroscience, Dave Parfitt began writing about his family travel adventures after surviving a trip to Walt Disney World as father of two budding princesses. As owner and editor of AdventuresbyDaddy.com, Dave offers family travel advice and escapist fun from Dad’s point of view. Dave’s travel articles and photos have appeared in US News & World Report, Fox News Travel, Huff Post, USAToday, Family Circle Magazine, and more. He has appeared as a family travel expert on nationally syndicated radio shows, newspaper articles, and around the internet.
Marla Cimini
Marla is a journalist with a passion for travel,... Read More
Marla is a journalist with a passion for travel, music and culinary adventures (combining all three whenever possible)! An avid globetrotter, she has covered topics such as exotic Tahitian getaways; Santa Fe’s chocolate trail; Argentine wines; and Japan's Washoku cuisine. Marla is co-author of the book, A Century of Hospitality, a historical exploration of US hotels. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications worldwide. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter or see more of her work on her website.
Marla Cimini
Marla is a journalist with a passion for travel, music and culinary adventures (combining all three whenever possible)! An avid globetrotter, she has covered topics such as exotic Tahitian getaways; Santa Fe’s chocolate trail; Argentine wines; and Japan's Washoku cuisine. Marla is co-author of the book, A Century of Hospitality, a historical exploration of US hotels. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications worldwide. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter or see more of her work on her website.
Christopher Parr
Christopher Parr is the Founder and... Read More
Christopher Parr is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief for Pursuitist, the leading luxury travel and leisure website. An award-winning travel writer, Parr is also a luxury marketing veteran, a frequent speaker at luxury and interactive marketing conferences and a pioneer in web publishing. He launched Pursuitist in 2010 as a curated list of the good things in life, with guest contributors from Forbes, Mashable, TechCrunch, Glamour, Saveur and more sharing their favorite luxuries. Follow along on Twitter.
Christopher Parr
Christopher Parr is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief for Pursuitist, the leading luxury travel and leisure website. An award-winning travel writer, Parr is also a luxury marketing veteran, a frequent speaker at luxury and interactive marketing conferences and a pioneer in web publishing. He launched Pursuitist in 2010 as a curated list of the good things in life, with guest contributors from Forbes, Mashable, TechCrunch, Glamour, Saveur and more sharing their favorite luxuries. Follow along on Twitter.
Claire Endean-Cance
Claire Endean-Cance is the co-founder of Luxury... Read More
Claire Endean-Cance is the co-founder of Luxury Travel Diary– a blog about the best luxury accommodation and the most exclusive transport for your travels. Additional features hi-light essential style & fashion items required for luxury travel. The site also hosts their own online auctions, allowing users to bid on a dream holiday or luxury items.
Claire Endean-Cance
Claire Endean-Cance is the co-founder of Luxury Travel Diary– a blog about the best luxury accommodation and the most exclusive transport for your travels. Additional features hi-light essential style & fashion items required for luxury travel. The site also hosts their own online auctions, allowing users to bid on a dream holiday or luxury items.
