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America's Best Family Hotels 2012

America's Best Family Hotels 2012

By Nate Storey

October 21, 2013

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No. 1 St. Regis, Deer Valley, Park City, UT

Credit: Ball & Albanese

Want to feel like mountain royalty? A former Buckingham Palace steward runs the butler service at this plush 181-room hotel overlooking Deer Hollow run. Another standout: Olympic freestyler Shannon Bahrke, the new ski ambassador and your personal guide to the slopes.

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No. 2 Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Orlando, FL

Credit: © The Walt Disney Corporation

Magic Kingdom doppelgänger of Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn, complete with a gushing (if man-made) geyser.

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No. 3 Wild Dunes Resort, Isle of Palms, SC

Credit: Courtesy of Wild Dunes Resort

Pack a picnic and canoe the waters around the hotel’s barrier island, where a Confederate submarine sank a Union ship during the Civil War.

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No. 4 Inn at Palmetto Bluff, an Auberge Resort, Bluffton, SC

Credit: Inn at Palmetto Bluff

Track alligators and ride horseback at this Lowcountry retreat on the banks of the mirror-like May River.

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No. 5 Whiteface Lodge, Lake Placid, NY

Credit: Courtesy of Whiteface Lodge

Sprawling wood-walled retreat with themed days at the kids club (Wet and Wacky Wednesdays; Space Camp Saturdays).

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No. 6 Big Cedar Lodge, Ridgedale, MO

Credit: Courtesy of Big Cedar Lodge

City slickers have multiple reasons to trek to these newly renovated cabins on Table Rock Lake, from fishing tournaments to paddleboarding lessons. big-cedar.com.

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No. 7 Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Orlando, FL

Credit: © The Walt Disney Corporation

Mickey and Minnie take a backseat to more than 30 species (wildebeests! giraffes!) roaming this 46-acre savanna.

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No. 8 Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, Anaheim, CA

Credit: © The Walt Disney Corporation

Strikingly similar to Yosemite’s Ahwahnee—except for the character breakfasts, Pinocchio workshops, and an only-in-Anaheim proximity to Disneyland.

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No. 9 Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Orlando, FL

Credit: Courtesy of Disney's Beach Club Resort

A New England yacht-club setup on Crescent Lake, with boats on loan for bluegill and largemouth bass fishing and a three-acre sand-bottomed pool.

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No. 10 Disney’s Boardwalk Inn and Villas, Orlando, FL

Credit: Cory Disbrow

Here, nostalgia reigns supreme: a 1920s carousel from Coney Island graces the lobby, and guests of all ages partake in Prohibition-era carnival games such as skeeball and milk can toss.

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No. 11 Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole, WY

Credit: Peter Vitale

Abutting the Grand Tetons, with something for every season: skiing and dogsledding in winter, biologist-led wildlife safaris (in Mercedes-Benz SUVs, no less!) come summer.

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No. 12 Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Orlando, FL

Credit: © The Walt Disney Corporation

Bamboo and rattan-furnished rooms, fire-knife dances, and a 40-foot waterslide through a volcano emote a South Pacific flavor.

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No. 13 Sebastian Vail, CO

Credit: Courtesy of the Sebastian

Even for Vail, this 107-room boutique hotel is beyond posh—care for a slopeside foot massage?

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No. 14 Homestead Resort & Spa, Hot Springs, VA

Credit: Courtesy of The Homestead

The at-your-service Allegheny Mountain hideaway since 1766 is in the midst of a $25 million makeover (look for the 400-foot lazy river in the new two-acre water park).

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No. 15 Kahala Hotel & Resort, Oahu, HI

Credit: Courtesy of Kahala Hotel & Resort

The onetime favorite of Liz Taylor and Richard Burton is now undeniably kid-friendly (don’t miss visiting the six Atlantic bottlenose dolphins in the on-site lagoon).

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No. 15 The Pines Lodge, Beaver Creek, CO

Credit: Courtesy of The Pines Lodge

Want parent-of-the-year award? Bring your kids to their elite ski school for glow stick night runs and warm chocolate chip cookies served lift-side. pineslodge.rockresort.com.

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No. 17 Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, HI

Credit: Courtesy of Hyatt Hotels & Resorts

Animals steal the show at this recently revamped hotel, from the lobby parrots to the nene geese and black swans that flit around the grounds.

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No. 18 Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa, TX

Credit: Courtesy of Hyatt Hotels & Resorts

This pecan tree–shrouded compound outside Austin is the perfect tonic after a day of hiking, GPS trekking, or rafting the Colorado River.

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No. 19 Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa, Avon, CO

Credit: Courtesy of Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa

Thursday nights don’t get better than this: complimentary lift tickets, guided runs, and an après-ski fireworks show.

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No. 20 Mohonk Mountain House, Hudson Valley, NY

Credit: Courtesy of Mohonk Mountain House

Put away your wallet. At this lakeside castle—run by the same family since 1869—everything from canoeing to lobster barbecues is included in your rate.

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America's Best Family Hotels 2012

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No. 1 St. Regis, Deer Valley, Park City, UT

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No. 2 Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Orlando, FL

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No. 3 Wild Dunes Resort, Isle of Palms, SC

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No. 4 Inn at Palmetto Bluff, an Auberge Resort, Bluffton, SC

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No. 5 Whiteface Lodge, Lake Placid, NY

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No. 6 Big Cedar Lodge, Ridgedale, MO

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No. 7 Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Orlando, FL

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No. 8 Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, Anaheim, CA

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No. 9 Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Orlando, FL

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No. 10 Disney’s Boardwalk Inn and Villas, Orlando, FL

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No. 11 Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole, WY

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No. 12 Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Orlando, FL

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No. 13 Sebastian Vail, CO

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No. 14 Homestead Resort & Spa, Hot Springs, VA

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No. 15 Kahala Hotel & Resort, Oahu, HI

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No. 15 The Pines Lodge, Beaver Creek, CO

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No. 17 Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, HI

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No. 18 Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa, TX

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No. 19 Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa, Avon, CO

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No. 20 Mohonk Mountain House, Hudson Valley, NY

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