The Spread:

Find the best rate at the: Hyatt Regency, Aruba

The Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino spreads across 12 acres that include 150,000 square feet of the island's fabled Palm Beach. Fronting the Caribbean Sea, the resort is situated on the northwest side of Aruba, six miles from the international airport and two miles from the capital city of Oranjestad. The 360-room property is scheduled to complete a $20 million renovation by spring 2007, though the facilities remain fully open, including six restaurants, the Stillwater Spa, plus shops and a casino.

Why Families Love It:
The resort hosts daily and weekly activities, like water-balloon tossing or bingo, for kids and parents to enjoy together. The hard part may be getting your kids to leave the three-tiered pool with waterfalls and a two-story slide or to take time off from the creative kids' program. Camp Watapana, the resort's Camp Hyatt, serves ages three to 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily and again from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Campers discover the island's divi-divi trees (whose branches always point the way the winds blow), bake cookies, go on nature walks, visit a butterfly farm, join tennis clinics, and take lessons in Papiamento, the language of Aruba. Day sessions cost $45, evening sessions $30.

Special Events & Activities:
Twice weekly, Mondays and Fridays at 3 p.m., there's a waterslide contest when all ages compete to see who's fastest.