There’s thousands of hotels where you can rest after a long day exploring Florida’s world-class theme parks or relaxing on its sandy beaches, but as the weather warms up, what you really need is a place where you can unwind and cool off.
Florida’s fun-filled water park resorts offer both comfortable accommodations and endless options for swimming, sliding and sunning. Here are ten resorts that are sure to make a splash with everyone in your travel party.
Margaritaville Resort Orlando
Kissimmee
Margaritaville Resort Orlando offers a taste of island life in Central Florida. Rooms and cottages are done up with coastal decor and welcome cocktails are handed out upon arrival. Located next to the resort is Island H2O Live!, the world’s first social media-themed water park.
The slides have names like “Live Streaming” and “Profile Plunge,” and the included wrist band syncs with your phone so you can snap photos, check wait times and personalize your experience. Water park admission requires an extra fee, but hotel guests do receive a discount.
Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center
Kissimmee
Caption: The newly-opened Crystal River Rapids at Gaylord Palms Resort is just part of a current $158 million expansion which also includes additional guest rooms and meeting space. (Photo: Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center)
The decor, dining and activities at Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center pay homage to all the wonder and charm Florida has to offer. Each of the three gorgeous glass atriums is themed to a different area of the Sunshine State and the Cypress Springs Water Park is named for the natural beauty of Florida’s Everglades. At Cypress Springs, you’ll find pools, water slides, a surf simulator, a water playground for kids and the newly-opened Crystal River Rapids river ride attraction.
CoCo Key Hotel & Water Park
Orlando
CoCo Key offers 54,000 square feet of water park fun, much of it under an oversized shade canopy. (Photo: CoCo Key Hotel & Water Park)
With only 391 recently renovated rooms, CoCo Key Hotel & Water Park is smaller and easier to navigate than some of Orlando’s larger resorts. Hotel features include an arcade, multiple onsite dining options and a fitness center.
Hotel guests receive four water park passes with each room reservation, which gets you access to 14 water slides, four heated pools and a tropical splash area for little ones. The oversized shade canopy covering a portion of the park provides a welcome break from the hot Florida sun.
Encore Resort at Reunion
Kissimmee
Encore Resort at Reunion’s private residences offer the comforts of home with the amenities of a luxury resort, including a 10-acre water park. (Photo: Encore Resort at Reunion)
If you’ve always wanted a vacation home in Florida, but it’s not quite in your budget, Encore Resort at Reunion has just what you need. Each private residence has private pools, full kitchens, food delivery and up to 7,000 square feet of living space.
The 10-acre water park has speedy slides for thrill-seeking guests, a Surfing Safari area for children and a pool and private cabanas where the whole family can hang out together.
Marriott’s Harbour Lake
Orlando
With onsite mini golf, sports courts, dining and waterpark, there’s enough to do at Marriott’s Harbour Lake that you really never have to leave. (Photo: Marriott Vacation Club)
A Marriott Vacation Club property, Marriott’s Harbour Lake has both standard guest rooms and one or two-bedroom villas that sleep up to eight guests. The Key West style of the lobby and guest rooms extends to the resort’s Florida Falls pool complex.
Billed as a “water playground,” the park features a winding waterslide, swimming pool, whirlpool, splash pad and a Shipwreck Landing pool for kids outfitted with a playful pirate ship.
Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
Orlando
Guests at the Renaissance Orlando can enjoy the onsite water park or the attractions at nearby SeaWorld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove. (Photo: Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld®)
Accomodations at the upscale Renaissance Orlando are plush, roomy and offer views of the sparkling outdoor pool, open-air atrium, or the nearby coasters at SeaWorld. Catch some R&R in the poolside cabana beds, go for a swim in the large pool, or let loose at the R Aqua Zone water park. The park has slides and activities for kids of all ages, as well as lounge chairs and tropical cocktails for parents.
Tradewinds Islands Resorts
St. Pete Beach,
The massive inflatable water slide at Tradewinds St. Pete Beach draws onlookers from up and down St. Pete Beach. (Photo: Tradewinds St. Pete Beach)
At Tradewinds Islands Resorts, you don’t have to choose between the beach and a water parks. Tradewinds has a ride-on mechanical shark, inflatable surf simulator and three-story-tall water slide, all on the white-sand shores of St. Pete Beach.
For an additional fee, you can try your hand at paddleboarding and jet skiing or relax on a floating cabana. Choose from a variety of rooms and suites, including whirlpool tub rooms for couples and spacious suites for families and larger groups.
The Grove Resort & Water Park
Winter Park
In addition to slides, pools and splash zones, the Grove Resort & Water Park’s FlowRider Double surf simulator allows multiple riders to surf at once. (Photo: The Grove Resort & Water Park Orlando)
The Grove Resort & Water Park is only a short drive away from Disney, but the serene lakeside location makes it feel a world away. Room sizes range from standard hotel rooms to three-bedroom, fully-equipped suites.
Dining options run the gamut from upscale to poolside snacks and entry to the onsite Surfari Water Park is free with your stay. You can laze the day away on the lazy river, slip and slide on the two water slides, or enjoy some family-friendly fun in the kids activity pool.
Four Seasons Resort Orlando
Golden Oak
The Explorer Island water park at Four Seasons Resort Orlando is set among tropical foliage and cascading waterfalls for the ultimate in relaxation. (Photo: Four Seasons Resort Orlando)
With its lakeside gardens, lush greenery, and Spanish Revival style, Four Seasons Resort Orlando is a luxury escape right in the middle of Walt Disney World. Rooms and suites are elegant yet cozy, some with theme park views.
Indulge at the world-class salon and spa, tee off at the onsite golf course, or dip your toes into the water at Explorer Island, the resort’s 5-acre water park. There’s something for everybody, including an adult-only pool, lazy river, two water slides a splash zone for kids and more.
Disney’s Vero Beach Resort
Vero Beach
Located on Florida’s Treasure Coast, Disney’s Vero Beach Resort reminds visitors of an old-fashioned Northeastern coastal retreat. (Photo: Disney’s Vero Beach Resort)
Disney’s Vero Beach Resort is a peaceful retreat just a two-hour drive from Disney World. The resort has all the comforts of home. Studio rooms have a kitchenette and private porch or balcony and villas have a full kitchen, living room and stacked washer/dryer.
In addition to outdoor activities like tennis, fishing, and water sports, guests can cool off at the onsite pool and water play area. Take a swim in the Mickey-shaped pool, zoom down the Pirate’s Plunge water slide or channel your inner swashbuckler at the pirate-themed Tiger Lily Wet Play Area.
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