Festive Family Resorts for the Holidays

Start a new tradition: Spend the winter holidays at a resort that truly gets into the spirit of the season. No need to cook, no need to clean, no need to spend time perfecting the decorations. It’s all done for you—and at a scale meant to impress. We’ve curated a handful of properties across the US and the Caribbean that offer unique holiday-inspired amenities and events that could transform where you’ll spend the most wonderful time of the year.

Walt Disney World | Orlando, Florida

Add some tinsel to those Mickey Mouse ears. Walt Disney World goes all out for the holidays, transporting guests into a winter wonderland bubble that extends across its resorts and theme parks—even as Florida remains a balmy 80 degrees. Each resort puts its own unique spin on décor for the holiday season with thematically decorated trees, massive gingerbread masterpieces and dazzling light shows.

A crowd favorite at Disney for the holidays: Wilderness Lodge. It boasts a 60-foot tree gorgeously decorated in the hotel’s massive timber-inspired lobby that makes it feel as if you’re in a rustic (yet opulent) national park lodge. If you can swing a stay at nearby Fort Wilderness, on the other hand, you’ll be treated to a beloved tradition powered by its repeat guests: creative, homemade holiday decorations adorning the cabins and the annual Holiday Golf Cart Parade.

Holiday-themed parades and merriment can be enjoyed at all four Disney theme parks, of course, along with special ticketed holiday events such as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (Magic Kingdom), Disney Jollywood Nights (Hollywood Studios) and EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays.

The Plaza | New York City

This is the quintessential New York City holiday experience for those ready to splurge and take advantage of an iconic location. The Plaza sits at the doorstep of Central Park, with its garland-decorated horse-and-buggy rides ready to take guests for a ride—and right on 5th Avenue, a bucket-list-worthy holiday shopping destination.

Inside the hotel, guests can enjoy immaculate holiday decorations, holiday afternoon tea, Santa Claus visits and entertainment from a Rockettes-inspired dance troupe. The Plaza even offers an overnight package based on a classic holiday movie filmed here: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The stay follows in the footsteps of main character Kevin McCallister and includes a limousine ride around New York City (visiting filming locations such as the Empire State Building) and a “Home Alone” sundae with 16 scoops of ice cream.

Coeur d’Alene Resort | Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Watch the eyes of children grow wide while aboard the “Journey to the North Pole” lake cruise, a seasonal highlight at Coeur d’Alene Resort in northwestern Idaho. The boat journey across beautiful Lake Coeur d’Alene includes 250 holiday displays lighting the way before families meet Santa, Mrs. Claus, the elves and the Grinch. Santa reads each child’s name from the “Nice List” and the experience ends with fireworks over the night sky.

The world-class resort also offers guests nightly fireside story times with the elves; Christmas carolers roaming the hallways; cookie deliveries from Santa’s elves; Christmas brunches; and (heated) lakefront igloos where guests can enjoy frosty cocktails and lakeside views.

Beaches Resorts | Jamaica; Turks & Caicos

Ditch the snow shovel, and take your holidays somewhere tropical. All three Beaches Resorts—Beaches Negril, Beaches Ocho Rios and Beaches Turks & Caicos—offer an all-inclusive beach vacation that’ll be the envy of your friends back home. If you have children in tow, it’s even more magical. The brand has a relationship with Sesame Street, so atop Christmas-themed parades, festive karaoke and holiday photos on the beach, you can enjoy cookie-making with Cookie Monster or story time with Elmo and Mrs. Clause.

The beloved family tradition The Elf on the Shelf also gets a starring role at Beaches Resorts during the holidays. Guests can enjoy Elf on the Shelf-themed parties that feature stilt walkers, candy fairies and ornament-making activities. For guests booked in butler suites, personal butlers will pamper Scout Elves (aka the plush elf doll) with VIP experiences such as marshmallow bubble baths.

Spreading holiday cheer also extends beyond the resorts: Guests are invited to create holiday cards for local children on the receiving end of toys donated by the not-for-profit Sandals Foundation.

Brooks Lake Lodge and Spa | Dubois, Wyoming

Escape the crowds at Brooks Lake Lodge and Spa, a luxe all-inclusive ranch near Jackson Hole and Yellowstone National Park. The only way to access it in winter months: by cross-country skis, snow-coach or snowmobile. (Don’t worry, the lodge will help you make the appropriate arrangements.)

Making this effort yields rich rewards, however, as you’ll be spending the holidays in a remote mountain setting where snow is guaranteed at an elevation of 9,200 feet. Either relax at the lodge, a festively decorated base where eggnog flows and an on-site spa is available for pampering, or opt for some active adventure. Guests can take advantage of winter activities such as snowmobiling, ice fishing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and downhill tubing.

Colonial Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Virginia

Step back in time this holiday season. Colonial Williamsburg—a restored 18th-century setting filled with colonial-style buildings, artisan shops, museums, taverns, and a host of reenactors—offers a holiday experience steeped in historical charm. By staying in one of its five lodging options, such as the Williamsburg Inn or the Williamsburg Lodge, you’re steps away from the festive action in the beautifully decorated Historic Area.

Among the favorites: cozy carriage rides, festive musical performances, holiday-themed feasts and Christmas decoration walking tours. Time a trip with the Grand Illumination holiday fireworks or the Yule Log Ceremony, a longstanding tradition where young and old can participate by tossing a sprig of holly into the bonfire, which is said to welcome good luck for the coming year.

Gaylord Opryland | Nashville, Tennessee

So. Much. To do. Here. One of Nashville’s premier places to stay is an experience unto itself, especially during the holiday season. Gaylord Opryland wows with its three massive atriums: nine acres of spectacularly decorated garden strolls begging to be explored, with its 50-foot-high glass roofs adorned with twinkling holiday décor intermixed with nods to the Nashville music scene. It’s especially mesmerizing when the light and fountain shows are in full effect.

Guests also have immediate access to one of the coolest (pun intended) attractions for the holidays: a Frosty-themed interactive journey of passageways, larger-than-life ice sculptures and six two-story ice slides. (Resort guests who book an overnight package including ICE! or purchase individual tickets get one-hour early admission access before the public.) Add to all this: holiday-themed dinner shows, ice skating, ice-tubing, gingerbread decorating, carriage rides, and winter wellness spa treatments, for when all the merriment of the holiday season necessitates some quiet “me” time.

Mohonk Mountain House | New Paltz, New York

Families return year after year to this castle-like hotel tucked into a mountain preserve and overlooking a large lake—with good reason. Mohonk Mountain House was crowned the No. 1 Resort in the Pacific Northwest by Condé Nast Readers’ Choice Awards (2023) and is at its most magical over the winter holidays.

Decked out in dazzling lights and garland, this resort, 90 miles north of New York City, is a world away from the everyday hustle and bustle. It invites guests to experience a Victorian-style holiday celebration filled with activities such as ice skating, caroling, campfires and snow tubing. The resort hosts dance selections from The Nutcracker and theatrical selections from A Christmas Carol.

A historic staple of the property, however, is its Festival of Lights ceremony. It takes place each night of Hanukkah and includes a Menorah lighting led by musicians and cantors from the Hudson Valley. The Mohonk Kids Club, a popular drop-off program for children ages 4 to 12 that is very popular with families, gives parents a wonderful holiday gift: some time to themselves.