Magazine ranks family resorts

NEW YORK -- Golf and a spa have become de rigueur elements of the resort experience. But what about golf for kids, or a spa for teens, in a setting where their parents can also kick back and feel pampered?

Travel + Leisure Family magazine asked readers to name their favorite family-friendly hotels, and the top 50 places appear in the fall-winter issue. "Hotels and resorts are catering to families in ways never before seen in this segment of travel," said Margot Guralnick, the magazine's editor in chief. She added that resort activities for kids are increasingly sophisticated, ranging from cooking and scuba diving to etiquette classes.

The magazine's readers chose The Cloister, on Sea Island, Ga., and Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello, in Quebec, as the top two family resorts in the continental U.S. and Canada. Disney properties took the next five spots on the list: Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge and Yacht Club Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., followed by the Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim, and the Boardwalk Resort in Lake Buena Vista. Finishing up the 10 best were Sundance in Provo, Utah; Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando in Florida, and Canada's Westin Resort & Spa in Whistler, British Columbia.

The top resort in Mexico was the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, while the winner in Hawaii was the Four Seasons Hualalai in Kaupulehu-Kona. Caribbean bests were the Casa de Campo in La Romana, the Dominican Republic; Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas; the Aruba Marriott Resort; The Reefs in Southampton, Bermuda; and the Four Seasons Resort in Nevis.