What to expect: Liki Tiki Village serves as both a destination resort and as a home away from home for couples and active families planning to visit Orlando-area theme parks. Spacious grounds provide ample space for tranquil sunbathing. A small (nonswimming) lake – home to exotic geese, water lilies, and fish for the catching – graces the resort's center and features a small sand beach next to a large playground.

Amenity highlights: Monitored by life guards, a 1.5-acre water park features five water slides entering a huge free-form pool with a wave-pool section, a mushroom-shape shower, and a "volcano" spewing water and also includes a large toddlers' pool with an octopus-shaped fountain. The resort's center offers a pool and six-person spa tub. A third, "quiet" water complex contains a large free-form pool, a mushroom-shower kids' pool, and a 10-person spa tub.

Insider tip: Within a half-mile of the resort on Highway 192 is a shopping center containing a large supermarket.