If there's one thing that gets our attention quicker than a resort’s lure of "kids stay free,” it’s a discount of 50% or better. Dream Resorts, with 11 hotels in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, is extending a version of its Winter Escapes deal into the spring and early summer (and then rolling it out again in the fall). Kids 12 and under stay free and, thanks in part to a resort credit, the savings are advertised to be as much as 50% off regular rates.

The Dreams line of all-inclusive resorts look plenty family friendly, with a focus on activities and with rates that include all your basic meals and beverages, as well as admission to the kids’ club. We looked the closest at Baja-based Dreams Los Cabos, which boasts ocean views from every room and offers three pools (one just for kids), golf, a spa and a roster of activities that includes archery, beach volleyball, movies on the beach, soccer, yoga, "monster" chess and basketball, and even cooking and cocktail classes. Its complimentary Explorer Club is for kids ages 3 to 12. With a minimum three-night stay, the Winter Escape package includes:

• lodging for two adults (normally starting at $481/night x 3 nights = $1,442 ) 
• kids 12 and under stay free (normally $73/child x 3 nights x 2 kids = $438)
• $200 in resort credit, which can be used on spa treatments, special dining, and wine
  

We test-booked a three-night stay for a family of four in early June at the Dreams Los Cabos. If booked without the Winter Escape package, the stay would cost $1,880 for two adults and two children in a junior suite. For the same dates, we found a Winter Escape rate of $372 a night for a family of four in a junior suite, or 1,116 for the three-night stay—a hefty 40% savings.

Then there's that $200 resort credit, which seems like such a great bonus until you try to use it. As it turns out, you can only cash it in for situations where you’ll be spending a bundle, and rules abound. For instance: You can use up to $100 worth of coupons at the spa, but only if you buy three separate treatments (a 50-minute massage starts at $125). Or you can use $60 in credit on “romantic dining” (a special dinner for two on the beach, normally $250) and $40 for wine (though you can only use it $10 at a time). 

Deal or no deal? A great value, even if it doesn't quite live up to its promise of 50% savings. We hate that the $200 resort credit is a classic spend-to-save "gotcha." But even so, it’s hard to complain about kids staying free at an all-inclusive.

The Kids Stay Free/Winter Escape deal is good for stays from May 1 through June 25 and again from August 28 through December 23. When booking online, look for the Winter Escape heading over rates, or mention the Kids Stay Free/Winter Escape deal when calling 866/237-3267.

Sometimes you have to wonder if marketing folks use a different dictionary.

Wyndham Hotels has a 4th Night Free deal on the table at nearly 50 properties in the US, Caribbean and Mexico, from hustle-and-bustle big city getaways to sun-soaked tropical spots.  We decided to check out this offer at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort & Spa in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.  This popular resort welcomes families with a kids' club, three freshwater pools, private beach, loads of water activities, and—a natural kid pleaser—daily iguana feedings.

We test-booked this offer for a February four-night stay for a family of two adults and two kids, and found a nightly rate of $485 for a limited-view double room. Once the fourth night is deducted at check-out, your lodging tab would come to $1,455 before the 8% occupancy tax and 10% resort fee. 

Don't get us wrong: Getting a free night and saving $485 on a four-night stay would be undeniably awesome. But there's one little hitch: You can book the exact same four-night stay for the exact same dates in February in the exact same room category for a lot less without this offer. The resort's best-available rate is $205 a night, or a staggering $280 less than the promo rate. Book the best-available rate, and your four-night stay will run $820 before taxes and fees—a whopping $635 less than you'd pay with the fourth-night-free offer.

In this case, freedom's just another word for jacking up the rate. Your defense, as always: Do the math.

By all means, if you and your calculator find a Wyndham property where the fourth night is indeed free, please let us know.

A trio of tiny islands in the western Caribbean, the Cayman Islands have countless idyllic beaches and plenty to offer families looking for a warm-weather escape.  The nation's tourism board has kicked off a "Get Warm" promotion, which is an umbrella for an assortment of deals at participating resorts and outfitters.  As is often the case with these island-wide campaigns, it can be complicated to figure out which offer is the best for your family. There are "5th night free" deals, "Free Night, Free Rays" packages that include stingray encounters, and other packages that include airfare. Another challenge is that each participating hotel has its own variation on the deal regarding the book-by date, expiry date, and minimum-stay requirement. Bottom line: You need to read the fine print. 

We checked out the line-up of participating resorts and liked the look of the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort, with a location directly on Seven Mile Beach and plenty of kids activities, including a Camp ECO Kids Club.  The resort’s Stingray City Deal, valid through March 31, promises a fifth night free and a few other add-ons.  The published starting nightly rate for the package at this property is $326, though we couldn't find any lower than $421 a night. But is it really a good deal for families? We test-booked a five-night stay in February for a family of four to find out.

The package includes:

• 5 nights in deluxe accommodations (rack rate in February for a double room with balcony is $369/night x 5 nights = $1,845)
• breakfast for two adults and two kids under 17 (valued at $17/adult x 2 adults x 5 days + $8/child x 2 children x 5 days = $250)
• 2 adult tickets for Stingray City tour (worth $60/adult x 2 = $120); kid's tickets ($30/kid x 2 = $60) must be purchased separately

If all three components were purchased a la carte, this five-night stay would cost $2,275 for our dates in February. Comparatively, the package price for the same stay comes to $1,744 ($421/night x 4 nights + free night + $60 for kids' tickets), which is a savings of $531, or 23%.

Deal or no deal? Knocking 23% off your bill is a deal in our book, and yet you might be able to snag an even lower price. After all, the package rate factors in the cost of the $50-a-day breakfast and stingray excursion. If your priority is keeping costs down, it may make more sense to book one of the hotel's other offers, such as the Global Break, with an across-the-board discount of 20% off regular weekend room rates. 

The take-away, as always, is that you need to do the math to see which approach makes the most sense for your family.

This winter is turning out to be a great time for a weekend getaway, thanks to big sales at two of the largest hotel chains. Last week we posted about Hilton's mega January sale, which offers winter weekend savings of up to 33% across its chains. 

Now Marriott has stepped up to the plate with a  Global Rate Break promo that lets you save 20% on weekend rates stay at many of its hotels—and claims to up the ante to a 40% discount at a few resorts. The deal applies to various Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Courtyard, Fairfield, SpringHill, Residence Inn, and TownPlace Suites hotels all over the world. 

We checked rates at several properties and found that, indeed, the deal typically delivers a 20% price cut. At Desert Springs, the JW Marriott in the Palm Springs area with requisite pool, lawn games and kids club, we found rates of $327 a night for a room with two beds and a balcony—down from the desert’s high season rate of $409. In Hawaii, the deal offered up the Kauai Marriott  for just $194 a night, down from $240.

But don’t get your hopes too high on the 40%-off lure that's said to be available at select resorts in the Caribbean, Latin America and Hawaii. When we test-booked a stay at a handful of properties for a February weekend getaway, we couldn’t find any availability at the 40%-off rate.  More commonly, we found that this deal led to a 20% discount.

The sale applies to weekend stays (Thursday to Sunday), and some hotels require a two-night minimum. You must book by January 22 and complete your stay by March 21. Use promo code F5X when booking online.

This sale delivers tons of weekend destination options for traveling families. Want a city break? Consider Hilton properties in San Diego (the Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa is just one mile from SeaWorld), Boston’s super-convenient Back Bay neighborhood, or the family-friendly Doubletree Guest Suites in Washington DC. 

Hoping to escape the cold? At the Hilton Longboat Key Beachfront Resort, the January Sale offers nightly rates starting at $288 for a double room on February weekend.  By comparison, the resort's best available bed-and-breakfast rate for that stay is $429 per night—which does indeed translate to 33% off your bill.

You must book before January 31, but you can travel anytime before December 26. As always, there are some blackout dates and other restrictions. The sale rates are pre-payable and non-refundable, so you should be confident of your travel dates before booking.  

Set atop the island’s highest point, the 593-room Fairmont Southampton boasts six restaurants, indoor and outdoor pools, 11 tennis courts, an 18-hole golf course, spa, water sports (scuba, snorkeling, sailing, fishing), and a kids' club for ages 5 and up.

The promotion is valid for travel  from January 1 to April 30, 2010, but you need to book by December 20.  The fine print:  There’s a three-night minimum, the sale rate is pre-purchase and non-refundable and, as always, there are some blackout dates.

Jamaica’s all-inclusive Franklyn D Resort (see our review) has the solution: the Vacation Nanny, a smiling, helpful, and trained staff member assigned to each family for the duration of its stay.  Your nanny is there to pitch in with childcare, which can mean anything from staying with your kids while they nap  or rinsing out sandy bathing suits to restocking the fridge, tracking down beach toys, or playing with kids while mom and dad enjoy time together during the day.  The best part? Your nanny is included in the price of your stay.

Sound good? The resort's Parents Fly Free promotion makes it even better.  Book a stay of seven nights or more between January 2 and April 2, 2010, and you’ll receive a $700 air credit for each adult.  Translation: that amount is lopped off your bill.  For a family of two adults and two kids under age 6 staying in a junior suite, room rates in February start at $600 a night, or $4,200 for a seven-night stay. (For each extra kid 6-15, add $50 per night.)  Once you figure in the $1,400 credit, your lodging tab for a one-week stay drops to $2,800—a 33% savings.  You'll still have to pay for airfare, but this promo effectively reduces the overall cost of the vacation by $1400.

This offer is only available by phone. Call 800/654-1337 and book by December 31.  

Compare prices and dates at various properties carefully. Plenty of hotels have blackout dates. At some hotels, this deal is only available through January 18, while other hotels are keeping it on the table for stays as late as April 25.

To get this deal, you must book by November 10. Use the promo code LTNOVN when booking online, or mention the deal when calling 888/625-5144. Rates are pre-paid and non-refundable. 

Little more than a decade ago, taking a Disney vacation meant heading to a theme park in Orlando, Anaheim or Paris. But nowadays, the company that Walt built can show you the world. You can sail with Disney Cruise Line to Alaska, the Bahamas, Europe or even the Panama Canal. Or take a VIP-style guided tour of the American Southwest, Europe, China, or Costa Rica with  Adventures by Disney, all-inclusive vacations known for delivering one-of-a-kind experiences such as zipling through a Costa Rican jungle, pizza-making at a family-owned farm in Italy, or going backstage at Disney's The Lion King in London. 

Right now, families have an exceptional opportunity to snag two premium Disney vacations for the price of one. Book a tour to one of Adventures by Disney's most popular destinations and you'll receive a free three-night Disney Cruise to the Bahamas in an oceanview cabin. To take advantage of the offer, you need to book by January 15, 2010, and take your Adventures by Disney tour by October 2, 2010. You can take your cruise between January, 2010, and December 15, 2011.

More on Disney Cruise Line:
Disney 3-night Cruise to the Bahamas