We’re thrilled to be giving away a two-night all-inclusive stay at Woodloch Resort in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, which has been called "one of America's best family resorts" by Better Homes & Gardens and "one of the world's best all-inclusive resorts" by Family Circle magazine. The prize includes accommodations in a spacious Edgewater Suite; three meals daily for two adults and two children; most activities and amenities; and nightly entertainment. 

Celebrating over 50 years of warm hospitality, Woodloch Resort is an oasis of recreation and relaxation for all ages (see our review). With a slew of multi-generational activities ranging from swimming and go-karting to interactive games to a Broadway-style theme show, Woodloch is often referred to as a “cruise on land.” There’s also an 18-hole championship golf course and access to spa treatments at the Lodge at Woodloch. This four-season resort is nestled in the picturesque Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania and is a haven for outdoor adventure. Guests can enjoy hiking and biking, as well as kayaking, sailing, and boating on Lake Teedyuskung.

For a chance to win this two-night vacation for your family, just head to our giveaway page. You can enter once a day through September 30, 2010. So come back again tomorrow!

Our latest giveaway is all about fabulous hotels in fantastic destinations. One lucky reader will win a three-night stay at the Gaylord Hotel of his or her choice, with locations in Kissimmee, Florida; Washington DC; Grapevine, Texas; and Nashville, Tennessee. Gaylord Hotels are known for their flawless service and wondrous interiors. 

The Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, Florida, is just minutes from Walt Disney World Resort. Inside the hotel’s four-acre atrium, guests can experience the wonder of Florida, from the old-world charm of St. Augustine to the island spirit of Key West to the mysterious waters of the Everglades.

Set on the shores of beautiful Lake Grapevine, the Gaylord Texan is located between Dallas and Fort Worth. From the festive restaurants and shops of the Riverwalk to the rugged canyons of Texas Hill Country, the Gaylord Texan brims with authentic Texas style and hospitality, proving that everything really is bigger and better in the Lone Star State.

Overlooking the monuments and skyline of our nation’s capital, the world-class Gaylord National is the crown jewel of the newly developed National Harbor, a dynamic waterfront community set along the historic Potomac River in Washington DC. Kids will love the nightly fountain shows and Potomac Playzone arcade. 

The luxurious Gaylord Opryland is located in Nashville, a city hailed by Travel+Leisure magazine as one of the “friendliest cities in the United States.” The nine-acre resort features lush indoor gardens, cascading waterfalls, and a killer location right next door to the world-famous Grand Ole Opry.

For a chance to win this vacation for your family, just follow directions on the giveaway page. You can enter once a day through September 14, 2010. Good luck!

The Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld, located directly across from the popular marine attraction and its sister park Discovery Cove, offers guests a heated outdoor pool, spa, and five on-site eateries with SeaWorld-themed activities (think breakfast with Shamu). The hotel has announced a Family Escape! package valid through December 15, with nightly rates starting at $99, free kids meals and a few extras. But is it really a good deal for families?  We crunched the numbers to find out.

A family of four booking this package would get:

• overnight accommodations in a deluxe guest room (regularly $129/night on a September weekend)
• welcome glass of champagne or sparkling cider for parents (worth about $10)
  
• two free kids' meals daily for kids 12 and under (worth about $12/meal x 2 meals x 2 kids = $48)
• family movie night with one large pizza, soft drinks and in-room movie (about $25)
• 10% discount on spa services (discount amounts to $11 on one-hour massage or facial)

When we price-checked a September weekend stay for a family of two adults and two kids under 12, we found a nightly rate of $129 with the package. The non-package, "leisure" rate for those dates was also $129 a night.  If our hypothetical family booked the same stay without the package, the tab would total $212, which is $83 more than the package price.  Room rates at this hotel vary widely during the promo period; we found nightly rates for a deluxe room ranging from $109 on an August weeknight to $369 on a Friday in early December.  In all cases, when the Family Escape package was available, the package rate was identical to the regular room rate. 

At first glance, the package offers savings of nearly 40%. But should all the package components be factored in to our assessment? The welcome drink is just a token perk. And to take advantage of the spa discount, you have to spend money to save money. After factoring out those components, what's left is a package that offers savings to the tune of about $75 a night, which is 35% off the non-package price.  

Deal or no deal?   For families with school-age kids who plan to eat at the hotel, this package is a deal because it offers real savings on food costs.   The fine print: Availability is limited and there are some blackout dates. The "kids eat free" offer is good for a maximum of four children.  Book online or call 800/834-7015 and use promo code "P50."

Every super family vacation starts with a fabulous destination, and Kissimmee, the Heart of Florida has it all! To help you discover that for yourself, we’ll be giving away a total of four fabulous prizes through the end of September. Come back every day to enter and to find out what the next great prize will be!

The iPod touch 8GB is at the top of every wish list, whether you're vacationing in Kissimmee or anywhere there's family fun to be had! Got some time to kill at the airport? Watch movies and TV shows on the brilliant 3.5-inch display. Flick through your music using the revolutionary Multi-Touch interface. And anytime you need a little more entertainment, just tap iTunes to browse and buy on the fly.

For a chance to win an iPod touch 8GB, just follow the steps on the giveaway page. You can enter once a day through August 31, 2010. Good luck!

Every great family vacation starts with a fabulous destination, and Kissimmee, the Heart of Florida has it all! To help you discover that for yourself, we'll be giving away four fabulous prizes through the end of September. Come back every day to enter and to find out what the next super prize will be!

The Kodak PlaySport HD video camera is the season’s gotta-have-it travel accessory when your family is vacationing in Kissimmee or anywhere there’s splashy fun to be had! You can be as adventurous as you like when you bring the PlaySport to the pool, beach or waterpark, or when you’re going fishing, airboating or kayaking. The PlaySport can record your kids’ underwater antics in beautiful 1080-pixel HD, at depths of up to 10 feet.

For a chance to win a Kodak PlaySport HD video camera, just follow the steps on the giveaway page. You can enter once a day through August 17, 2010. Good luck!

We’re thrilled to be giving away a 5-day, fun-filled vacation in San Diego’s Mission Bay, including four nights in a bay-front suite at the Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa; daily breakfast for four people; four tickets to the San Diego Zoo; four tickets to Wild Animal Park; and four tickets to SeaWorld.

With its sensational location right on Mission Bay, the Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa lets families experience the very best of San Diego and the Southern California lifestyle. The resort grounds are a tropical paradise, featuring hidden gardens with over 1,000 types of eclectic plants and flowers, exotic birds, 100 varieties of palm trees, and 30 types of hibiscus. At the Catamaran, you can try any number of beach and water-related sports and activities, from boat cruises and sailing to surfing, kayaking or waterskiing—or cool off at the pool or spa. Your family can also enjoy biking, skating, or strolling along the beautiful waterfront.

Mission Bay is the West Coast’s largest aquatic man-made park, covering over 4,000 acres and offering a wide range of recreational activities. Swimmers and sunlovers are drawn to the calm water and warm sand that Mission Bay offers. Mission Bay also offers boat docks and launches, sail and motorboat rentals, bike and walk paths, basketball courts, and playgrounds for children. It’s one of San Diego's most fun-filled spots to visit.

For a chance to win this vacation for your family, just fill out the form on the giveaway page. You can enter once a day through August 31, 2010. Good luck!

The Marina Inn at Grande Dunes has an enviable location in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The resort is set on 2,200 acres on the intercoastal waterway, tucked off the main strip yet still very accessible to the Carolina Opry, Dixie Stampede, Broadway at the Beach, Nascar Speedpark, and other attractions that make Myrtle Beach so appealing to families.  The hotel offers a naturally-landscaped beach, tennis, golf, and accommodations ranging from standard guest rooms to spacious suites with full kitchens, fireplaces, and washer/dryers. Better yet: The resort has a "kids stay, play, and eat free" policy all summer long for kids 12 and under. 

Still shopping for a summer getaway? The Marina Inn's Last Days of Summer special is valid for stays from August 8 to August 31, and it's a straightforward deal with two options.  Stay five or six nights in a grande guest room or two-bedroom suite and you'll receive one free night.  In August, a grande guest room costs between $149 and $209 a night, depending on travel dates; the free night will chop about 15% off your bill—and that's in addition to what you'll save on kids meals. Two-bedroom suites run $314 a night during those dates.

Stay a week and you'll save even more; book seven nights and you'll get two more for free—which translates to a savings of 22% on a nine-night stay.  The offer can be used to book the hotel's roomy three-bedroom/three-bath suites, which run $419 a night in August, so two free nights means saving a sizable chunk of change.

Book online or call 866/337-4958 and ask for the "Last Days of Summer" special. Note: There is also a $15-a-day resort fee that includes in-room wi-fi, rental bicycles, valet parking, and shuttles to the beach, about a mile away.

• accommodations  (deluxe double room starts at $129/night in August with the best flexible rate)
• four tickets to the Florida Aquarium  (worth $19.95/adult x 2 + $14.95/child x 2 = $69.80)
• a "Finding Nemo" audio CD (worth, let's say, $10)
• a "loaner pet fish" in a small aquarium, placed in guest room for duration of stay

When we price-checked a stay for a family of four in August, the package rate was quoted as $181 per night in a deluxe double room. If booking an identical room only using the best flexible rate, the cost would be $129 for the night. When you factor in the value of the aquarium tickets, the package delivers a value of $198.80. In other words, booking the package saves you about $18, or roughly 10%, on a one-night stay.

But keep in mind that if you book the package for multiple nights, you'll be charged the higher rate for each night.  After the first night (when the rate covers the cost of the aquarium tickets), it makes sense to spend $52 less for each subsequent night using the best flexible rate ($129 instead of $181). 

Deal or no deal? This package delivers guppy-sized savings.  The rent-a-fish and CD add some fun but no genuine extra value. Think of it like this: Saving $18 is almost like getting one free adult ticket to the aquarium. But remember, if booking more than one night, you're better off paying the best flexible rate for the rest of your stay. You can book online or call 866/402-0758 and use rate code IKCT1.

Handed $100 at a resort, what would you do with it—eat? Go to the spa? Eat at the spa?

We know that resort credits offered in hotel deals almost always get absorbed at hotel restaurants—and that's very smart, especially when you’re traveling with kids who love to order $7 sundaes.  The Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa, located between Jacksonville and St. Augustine on Florida's Atlantic coast, is offering such a deal this summer for families: The Stay Together, Play Together package, where you’ll reeive a $100 resort credit per night, good at the resort's restaurants, golf course or spa. If you stay for three nights, for instance, you'll get a $300 credit.

And this is definitely a place where you'd probably use that credit on dining, since there's so much to keep you busy on-site.  The 508-room resort has a beach,  four pools, two golf courses, a kids' club, a beach clubhouse with playground and 350 acres of fishing-friendly lakes. It’s been named one of the country's Top 50 resorts by Conde Nast Traveler and acclaimed a great Family Beach Resort by Parents magazine.

But is the "Stay Together, Play Together" package the best you can do? The Marriott Sawgrass also has a Family Fun package, where kids eat free (one child per accompanying adult). Like the $100 resort-credit package, it promises a starting rate of $169 a night. But when we compared prices for some August dates, the price for a resort-view room with two queen beds and a  balcony was $149 a night with the "Family Fun" package but $219 for the "Stay Together, Play Together" package. 

If you figure that each children's meal is worth about $10, then the "Family Fun" package would deliver added value of about $60 a day ($10 x 2 kids x 3 meals).  If we also assume that two adults could eat for about $120 a day ($20 per meal x 2 adults x 3 meals), then lodging for three nights plus meals would come to about $807 ($149 x 3 nights + $120 x 3 days). Meanwhile, you'd pay $897 for three nights with the "Stay Together, Play Together" package ($219 x 3 nights + $180 x 3 days - $300 credit). The upshot: The "Family Fun" package would save you $30 a day, or $90 on a three-night stay.

Both offers are good through September 30. You can book the "Stay Together, Play Togther" and the "Family Fun" packages online or by calling 904/285-7777.

Naples Bay Resort is offering a three-night Florida's Wild Side package through December 18, with rates starting at $310 per night for a family of two adults and two kids. But is it a good deal for families?  We did the math to find out.  A family booking this package for a weekend in August would get:

• three-night stay in a two-bedroom canalview suite (in August, worth $182/night x 3 = $546)
• welcome amenity of two Florida stuffed animals (worth, let's say, $15)
• popcorn and one pay-per-view movie (worth about $10)
• in-room pizza dining on one night (worth about $25)
• four tickets to Naples Zoo (worth $19.95/adult x 2 + $11.95/kid x 2 = $63.80)
• four tickets for a half-day Everglades Adventure (worth $129/adult x 2 + $65/kid x 2 = $388)
  
• full-day poolside cabana rental (worth $40)

When we price-checked a stay for a family of four in August, the package rate was quoted as $348 per night in a two-bedroom canalview suite, which works out to $1,044 for a three-night stay. If the components are booked separately, the price would come to $1,088 for the three nights—$44 more than the package. Long story short: The package delivers a savings of about 4%. If getting a good price is a priority, you're better off booking a room only and purchasing tickets to the attractions you most want to visit. 

Because the package is available for an extended period, both room rates and the package price fluctuates, depending on dates.  For example, if you were to book a weekend stay in December, you'd pay $269 a night for a room, or $807 for three nights. Adding in the components of the package brings your spend up to $1,348.  Comparatively, that same stay booked with the package would cost $420 a night, or $1,260 for three nights. In this case, the $88 you'd save with the package works out to a savings of 7%.

Still, you could pay much less if you booked à la carte and simply opted to forego the stuffed animals, pizza, in-room movie and cabana rental. Those little extras really do add up when you're paying for them yourself. And with this package, you definitely are.

Deal or no deal?  Nah.  When you subtract the value of the movie night, cabana rental, and stuffed animals, the package price and the non-package price are essentially the same. The resort has basically priced the package to cover the cost of the components. 

You can book online or by calling 866/605-1199 and requesting the "Florida's Wild Side" package.