10 Florida Resorts Focused on Family Fun (2025)
The best Florida resorts bring you closer to all the excitement and are designed for families, offering accommodations, activities and amenities that appeal to all ages. With perks like outdoor pools, private beach access, movies under the stars, and special programming for kids and teens, Florida’s best resorts go above and beyond to ensure a family-friendly vacation perfect. Here are my top picks for 2025 family resorts.
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1. Water Palm Beach Resort and Spa
Manalapan, Florida
Situated on a private beach surrounded by tropical gardens, the exclusive Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa takes full advantage of its Palm Beach location. A beautiful lobby offers stunning ocean views, while rooms are upscale and feature playful touches of nautical colors. There’s a supervised kids’ club for ages 3 to 12 called Loggers, and for teens there’s Hide Away, offering table tennis, arcade games and a cool space to hang out with new friends . Adults can try an outdoor yoga class, a treatment at the full-service spa, or a dip in one of the pools.
2. Sandpearl Resort
Clearwater Beach, Florida
Situated on a 700-foot stretch of fine, powdery sand, Sandpearl Resort is Florida’s first Silver LEED-certified resort, combining eco-friendly design and luxury. The elegant rooms feature earthy tones and offer ocean views. Family-friendly amenities include a lagoon-style pool, Camp Ridley Kids’ Club, outdoor movies, and beachfront s’mores nights for unforgettable seaside memories. On Clearwater Beach, the sand is as soft as sifted flour and white as fresh snow. Add to that the Clearwater Beach Pier and palm-lined Beach Walk and you have a seaside dream.
3. Disney’s Vero Beach Resort
Vero Beach, Florida
Located on Florida’s Treasure Coast, Vero Beach offers unspoiled Atlantic beaches and the biodiverse Indian River Lagoon, home to manatees. Disney’s unique and eco-friendly Vero Beach Resort sits on a serene stretch of sand that also serves as a nesting ground for loggerhead sea turtles. Families enjoy the Mickey Mouse-shaped pool, Pirate’s Plunge waterslide, and a mix of traditional rooms and spacious kitchen villas popular with Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members. Dining highlights include sustainable seafood at Wind & Waves Grill and convenient takeout options at Wind & Waves Market.
4. Hawks Cay Resort
Duck Key, Florida
South of Miami, the Florida Keys are known for their laid-back charm, far from the hustle and bustle of Orlando’s theme parks. Halfway through the island chain is Hawks Cay Resort, a classic Florida beach retreat surrounded by palm trees and lush greenery. This cheerful tropical resort offers spacious standard rooms, suites and villas, ideal for a family vacation. Highlights include a kids’ club, teen hangout space and unique experiences interacting with the Atlantic’s resident bottlenose dolphins. Swimming, kayaking, fishing and tennis are additional options.
5. Edgewater Beach Hotel
Naples, Florida
At the Edgewater Beach Hotel, families enjoy chic and spacious suites with kitchens, living areas and bedrooms. The beachfront location includes two heated pools, kayak rentals, paddleboarding, and delicious on-site restaurants for the perfect Florida getaway. Located in Naples, it sits along one of the most beautiful coastlines in the United States. The calm waves of the Gulf are perfect for families, and beyond the beach, Naples offers attractions like a zoo, botanical gardens, and the interactive Golisano Children’s Museum.
6. The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island
Amelia Island, Florida
A preserved part of a barrier island, Amelia Island has miles of pristine beaches with sand dunes and unlimited access to the Atlantic Ocean, plus a forest of giant oak trees draped in Spanish moss just for good measure. The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island is the epitome of island beachfront elegance, with stunning ocean views, comfortable patio lounges, and activities like kayaking and surfing. The Ritz Kids program offers fun entertainment for children, including a popular Kids Night Out program in which children can dine, watch a movie and play games while parents enjoy a child-free evening. For a special treat, book a bedtime pirate meal.
7. Hammock Beach Golf Resort and Spa
Palm Coast, Florida
With its multi-level “fantastic pool complex” featuring a waterslide, lazy river, tennis courts and full-service spa, Hammock Beach Golf Resort and Spa is among the top beach resorts in Florida. The resort also features a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course with ocean views. Family-friendly amenities include supervised programs for children ages four to 12. For guests ages four to 12, supervised on-site morning and evening programs are available for an additional fee. And on those rare days when the sun doesn’t shine, you’ll find a large indoor pool complex with ping pong tables and table football.
8. Fontainebleau Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida
An icon of Miami Beach for more than 50 years, Fontainebleau Miami Beach extends over 22 hectares of seaside, blending the glamor of the golden age with modern luxury. This stunning resort offers 11 pools, including a kid-friendly waterscape with a splash pad, slide, and a gentle 18-inch-deep pool. With miles of beach at your doorstep, it’s easy to enjoy the day by relaxing on a lounge chair under an umbrella, paddling a kayak, or swimming in the sea. Families can explore Miami’s public beaches, the zoo and children’s museum, or visit Little Havana and the Art Deco District before dining at the hotel’s family-friendly restaurants.
9. Acqualina Resort and Beach Residences
Sunny Isles Beach, Florida
For a beachfront getaway just minutes from Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Acqualina Resort and Residences on the Beach is ideal. With four pools, including a Beach Club pool with cabanas and a recreational pool for games, there is fun for all ages. Spanning four acres with a private beach, it features a seaside soccer field, basketball hoop and the marine-themed AcquaMarine program. Luxurious rooms feature private terraces and marble bathrooms; suites come with a fully equipped kitchen. And if you have a little one who wants to learn to swim like a mermaid, the AquaSirène program teaches them the combination of synchronized swimming and monofin.
10. South Sea Resort
Captiva Island, Florida
Captiva and neighboring Sanibel are easily accessible barrier islands with beaches known for their colorful shells. Low tide is the perfect time to discover treasures like sand dollars, conch shells and the elusive Junonia. On Captiva, the South Seas Resort offers 2.5 miles of Gulf coastline and a lush 330-acre property. Amenities include Sunset Beach with chairs, umbrellas and a food truck, as well as the Bayview Pool Complex with swimming pools, water slides, fishing pier, taco truck and pool bar. A new 12-hole short golf course takes full advantage of the scenic setting, and fishing charters and nature tours are available from the marina.
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