Which hotel/resort in Florida has the best pool(s)? My idea of best is warm, clean, large, w/waterslides or other features. I am hoping for suggestions other that WDW or US resorts. Thanks for any help.

I stayed at hotels in Miami, Key West, Naples, St. Augustine and Orlando.

This said, by far the best pool I have encountered anywhere (even outside Florida) was at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando.

Acutally there is a multitude of pools here. They are bordered by man-made rocks and waterfalls and connected by grottos leading through those waterfalls and rocks. There is a huge pool spanned by a pedestrian bridge and bordered at the other end by rocks again, where they integrated a nice long waterslide.

I found it gorgeous, but it is in Orlando and near WDW. It is not on the grounds of WDW, though, if that helps.
The hotel itself is pretty nice, too, and its grounds and landscaping are impressive.

Apart from that, I wonder what you mean by hoping for suggestions for other than US resorts, though, as I guess most hotel pools qualifying for your requirements would be located at a resort - and Florida obviously is a US state ;-).

By US I meant Universal Studios. But thanks for your Hyatt Regency suggestion. It may be just what I was looking for. We go to WDW alot, and I wanted to avoid it for this vacation. I would still like to go to Florida though, because it is so easy to get to from Maine.

The Westin Diplomat in Hollywood Florida, The Loews, The National, and The Raleigh in South Beach along with the small rooftop pool at The Hotel.

I know there are many more but they are escaping me.

What exactly are you looking for?

GoTravel - The hotels you listed certainly have lovely pools. Thank you for taking the time to respond. They look like they are places meant for adults. We will have our 3 really active kids with us. I was looking for waterslides, and other kid-type stuff.

I think the Hyatt Grand Cypress is exactly what I am looking for.

Just so you're aware the Grand Hyatt is not kid central. For Orlando it's very adult-oriented. Have been there three times - twice for meetings (they do a lot of smaller/mid size meetings) and although there are always some kids - it wasn't very many.

It's a huge resort with (I think) 3 golf courses, a nature reserve, a large lake with paddle boats, bike rentals etc - and the pool complex is very pretty and nicely landscaped. There is also a sort of mini game room hidden in one of the rock grottos.

It's not really focussed on children;s amusements - but then I don;t know how old your kids are. I would check out the web site and call to ask specifically about the pool complex/activities for kids.

Sorry - that may have sounded like the hotel doesn;t want kids. I don;t think it's that at all.

I think it's just that people with kids either want a more budget property off Disney site - or - if they have a higher budget - go for one of the better Disney resorts - since that's usually the focus of their trip.

Because this place is neither on-site Disney nor low cost - and markets itself for golf and meetings - it tends to have mostly adults.

Thanks for the clarification. I want a great pool w/waterslides. I don't really care about any other kid's programs. We'll be gone for most of the day. But while we are at the hotel, a good pool will give them someplace use some of that endless supply of energy boys always seem to have. And they have a nice deal on the kid's room being almost half off.

Minor technicality--it's the Hyatt Grand Cypress Resort, but it is not a Grand Hyatt. Picky...lol, but there is a difference. They are in the resort division, and aside from international hotels, no resorts are also Grand Hyatts.

Hyatt Grand Cypress does have business meetings but it is very definitely a mixed use hotel with, any time I've been there, plenty of families as well.

They also have a Camp Hyatt for kids should you want to take advantage of that, and as mentioned, the pools are terrific, for kids and adults!

If your kids are interested in riding, the equestrian center has lessons for kids as young as 3, and has both trail rides and pony rides.

I've been there for a meeting once and the remainder of times as a non-business getaway (from Tampa). The grounds are beautiful too, with ample room for kids to run off any excess energy before they get back to their rooms.

I know you said no Disney, but you'd have a hard time finding a better pool than Stormalong Bay at the Yacht Club/Beach Club at WDW. Water slide, lazy river, three hot tubs and best of all, the shallow end has a sand bottom.

Oops...I have to eat my words about no Hyatt resorts, aside from international, also being Grands. Kauai was converted to a Grand this June after their renovation.

Best pools, hands-down: Hyatt Coconut Plantation (a time-share) and it's sister resort, Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort. They are both in Bonita Springs, Florida, midway between Ft. Myers and Naples. The resorts are adjacent and pool priveleges are reciprocal. Both Hyatts are brand new and have absolutely fantastic pool complexes: lazy river, slide, etc.

I live in Southern Florida and have been to many places with my kids. Around Disney you have what was the Holiday Inn Family Suites now the Nickelodean. They have a great pool for younger children. There is a Marriott which shares property with a Ritz Carlton in Orlando which has an amazing pool complex. My children didnt want to leave. If you call Marriott and tell them you want the one in Orland with the Waterpark they will know. Naples has the beaches and pools, which are nice. Both the Registry and Naples Beach and Golf are kid friendly. Miami has the Fountainbleau but I wouldn't recommend Miami as much. The Loews in Orlando have nice pools particularly the Hard Rock Hotel and the Portofino. Disney of course has great pools particularly the Boardwalk, but can be pricey. Good luck

Scarborough,
IF you want to be near Orlando, here's a site which desdcribes some good family hotels, including those with waterslides:
http://hotels.about.com/od/orlando/
Another with a waterslide is Sheraton Safari, in Lake Buena Vista.
Maybe one of these will work for your next time near WDW,. if not now. Bon voyage!

This thread has me intrigued. I'd like to take my husband to a really nice hotel for his birthday, and we both really want to try a "lazy river." Orlando is close to us but we could drive elsewhere ... the main thing is we want to be able to use our MANY marriott points. Of the two, would you recommend the JW Marriott Grand Lakes (which shares some amenities with the Ritz) or the Marriott World Center (both in Orlando)? Or is there another Marriott we should try for gorgeous grounds and a lazy river? We're in the Tampa/St Pete area.....

Hi Folks,
For my two cents worth, the new OMNI at Champions Gate has the best pools in Florida. They have super large pool for families (with water basketball), an interactive fountain area for kids, a really good lazy river (and i consider myself a good judge on lazy rivers) and an adult only pool with cabannas and hot tubs. Thats a short drive from Tampa up 4 .. you could rent a cabana for a day =).
PS I judge the lazy rivers on the ease of getting a tube, the flow, the length, the "special areas" (waterfalls, bubbles, etc), and the fun factor without a tube. Just tried the lazy river at the MGM in Vegas - it sucked.

topping

great thread, thanks for posting, I want to take my niece to a hotel with a great pool complex!

The Hyatt Grand Cypress does have the prettiest pool, and it is my favorite Orlando hotel, but it is NOT heated. (Unless they've changed it very recently.) It's difficult to swim in Dec-Feb.

The best Lazy River pool is at the JW Marriott. When staying there, you can also use the cool pool at the Ritz for a change of scene. The properties are attached and share a super-delux spa. These pools are heated.

Fun, fun, fun!

I've got a 50% off coupon for the Omni, so I think I'm going to try that soon. Their website said the lazy river is heated. When I try it, I will post back. The JW Marriott is like $550/night! Ack - no hotel can be that good!