Orlando home to six of top 10 best family hotels

Barbara De Lollis, USA TODAY | USATODAY

Orlando's the biggest winner this year in TripAdvisor's just-released Travelers Choice awards for family friendly hotels.

The online review giant crunched its members' reviews to identify the 231 "best of the best" family friendly hotels, and Orlando properties located near Walt Disney World grabbed six of the top 10 spots for the USA.

In the No. 1 spot is the condominium-style Floridays Resort, which offers two- and three-bedroom suites. A quick check of the hotel's website shows that travelers can book a three-bedroom suite with a kitchen and balcony for March 22 weekend, when many schools have spring break, starting at $250 a night.

Disney has two properties that made the top 10: The Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort and Disney's Beach Club Resort.

The upscale Bay Lake Tower is one of Disney's newest, villa-style locations with multi-bedroom suites that sleep at least six people and contain a refrigerator and stove, which makes feeding hungry youngsters a little easier and cheaper. The location also is a plus.

"It overlooks the Magic Kingdom, so you get spectacular views of the fireworks in the evenings," says longtime Disney visitor and independent travel agent Jillian Markin. The Bay Lake Tower's website says that rooms start at $484; a check for March 22 shows the cheapest room available costs $642.

Disney's Beach Club Resort is located on a lake within walking distance to Epcot, the theme park that offers among the greatest variety of options for both adults and kids.

Overall, TripAdvisor identified 231 hotels around the world that received outstanding reviews from people traveling with families.

"For those planning family trips this year, these lists highlight hotels around the world that family travelers love most," said Barbara Messing, TripAdvisor's chief marketing officer.

What makes a hotel family friendly?

While I've never stayed in any of these hotels with family, my sons say their favorite hotel experiences involve guest rooms with Wii, Xbox and/or PS3. Our music-obsessed 9-year-old's favorite hotel suggests that "family friendly" can mean different things to different people.

He gives his own Best Family Hotel award to Manhattan's trendy Gansevoort Park Avenue, which is best known as the place where Kim Kardashian lived with her then-husband Kris Humphries while filming a TV reality series. Despite the hotel's ample adult-oriented amenities, my son appreciated being able to play Wii and Xbox in our room, swim in the hotel's heated rooftop pool overlooking the Empire State Building in the dead of winter, and seeing the pop star Pitbull in the lobby before he got into a waiting limo.

TripAdvisor's top 10 U.S. hotels for families:

1. Floridays Resort, Orlando

2. Woodloch Pines Resort, Hawley, Penn.

3. WorldQuest Orlando Resort, Orlando

4. West Inn and Suites Carlsbad, Carlsbad, Calif.

5. Red Jacket Mountain View Resort, North Conway, N.H.

6. Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort, Orlando

7. Disney's Beach Club Resort, Orlando

8. Village at Indian Point, Branson, Mo.

9. Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa, Orlando

10. Marriott's Harbour Lake, Orlando

Top 10 world hotels for families:

1. Cavallino Bianco Family Spa Grand Hotel, Ortisei, Italy

2. Club Med Ixtapa Pacific, Ixtapa, Mexico

3. Family Hotel La Grotta, Vigo di Fassa, Italy

4. Hotel Baltic, Giulianova, Italy

5. Floridays Resort Orlando, Orlando

6. Woodloch Pines Resort, Hawley, Penn.

7. WorldQuest Orlando Resort, Orlando

8. West Inn and Suites Carlsbad, Carlsbad, Calif.

9. Red Jacket Mountain View Resort, North Conway, N.H.

10. Beaches Negril Resort & Spa, Negril, Jamaica

TripAdvisor lists the full all the best-reviewed family friendly hotels on its website.

Readers: What do you want in a hotel when seeking a family friendly property?