Marriott's Harbour Lake

There's lots to do here, including an on-site miniature golf course. The two pools are very nice: one has an adult slide at the deep end, and the other has a pirate ship arc with squirt guns for kids. The hot tubs are phenomenal and really large.

I nearly tossed the mail offer for four nights and five days at $399 because I assumed it was a timeshare pitch. After reading the fine print, I called the hotel and confirmed there was no presentation required, so we booked Memorial Day weekend. It turned out to be a wonderful deal. We're Bonvoy members and weren't charged the usual $30-a-day parking fee. We also got property coupons and free mini golf. My kids might have enjoyed the hotel more than our time at Universal Studios. The pools were clean and lovely, with life jackets in all sizes, several hot tubs, a splash pad and daily activities where the kids could earn “sand dollars” for prizes. Some activities cost extra, but most were free and fun for the whole family. There's also access to a private lake. My daughter and I went fishing, caught some huge bluegill and saw a bunch of gar and other big fish swimming by. The room was a little dated but very clean, and had almost everything we needed to cook, do laundry and relax after long days at the parks. The staff were friendly and helpful, always smiling and willing to accommodate us.

We had a great family stay, and I'd give it 4.5, but getting checked in was a hassle. Our two-bedroom villa was huge, and we could easily have managed with one bedroom. The main bedroom had a full kitchen, dining and seating areas, and an enclosed patio. Cooking in the villa was easy, as was using one of the many grill stations. One was being repaired, but that didn't cause a problem. The pools were lovely, and my kid enjoyed the waterside on days off from the theme parks. The bar served very good drinks and decent food. Harbour Lake also has basketball courts, mini golf and plenty of other activity areas, along with a well-equipped exercise center. The drive to the local amusement parks was easy, roughly 15 minutes or less. Check-in was slow and disorganized. We arrived at 4 and the villa wasn't ready. We went grocery shopping, came back at 5:30, and it still wasn't ready. Checkout is at 10, and late checkout wasn't offered.

We had a flat tire the night before checkout and couldn't get roadside assistance from our rental company. At midnight, Front Desk Supervisor Will came outside and helped change it. He saved our trip, and we'll always be grateful to Harbour Lake and Will from New York. We'll be back every year. This place deserves 10 stars for the incredible staff, resort and people.