Family vacations can be expensive, especially these days. Flights, rental cars, accommodations, meals and activities: It all adds up, no matter the size of your crew. That’s why saving money on some parts of your vacation without compromising on the overall quality of the trip definitely pays off.
Opting for a budget-friendly hotel or resort can be a smart move, especially if you’ll be on the go most of the day or aren’t someone who needs lots of fancy extras. I drew on my own experiences and also spoke with parents across the country to find out about their favorite lower-priced hotels and resorts in the United States. These cheap family hotels and resorts offer prime locations and plenty of amenities, and they come personally recommended by real travelers.
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1. Rochambeau Roadside Inn
Williamsburg, Virginia
The recently renovated Rochambeau Roadside Inn reinvented a former classic 1950s roadside motel for today’s travelers, with a fresh modern design, fun welcome amenities, and a neon sign that still lights up the night. The boutique property in Williamsburg, Virginia, offers 22 rooms, including bunk rooms ideal for families and the General’s Quarters that features a kitchenette and separate bedroom.
A light continental breakfast is available on weekends, and picnic tables, a spacious lawn, and firepit provide space for playing and gathering outdoors. The hotel’s well situated for exploring Colonial Williamsburg and the rest of the Historic Triangle, and there are complimentary bicycles available for guest use if you want to pedal through the past. I appreciated the property’s Instagrammable style, helpful staff, and quiet location a little removed from some of Williamsburg’s busier commercial stretches.
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2. Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort
Orlando, Florida
Spread out over more than 1,100 acres, Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort will keep the whole family busy. There are seven pools, including a 1,200-foot lazy river-style pool with waterslides; water sports on the lake; three arcades; four golf courses and two mini-golf courses; a kids “fun zone” and playground; two fitness centers; pickleball, basketball, racquetball, and volleyball courts; and nine dining options.
“Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort in Orlando offers so much on-site family fun that you could skip the theme park expense and still have an action-packed Orlando vacation,” says travel writer and mom of two Monica Fish. “We stayed there for spring break and loved it.”
Accommodations include one- to four-bedroom villas and new six-bedroom homes that can fit families of all sizes, and a standard two-bedroom villa has an average rate of $250 a night. “We chose the two-bedroom, two-bath West Village accommodation, as they are single-story duplex homes complete with a yard, full kitchen, washer and dryer, living room, and dining room,” says Fish. “We even had an Easter egg hunt in the backyard!”
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3. Massanutten Resort
Massanutten, Virginia
The 6,000-acre, four-season Massanutten Resort in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley offers a range of lodging options to match any budget or group size. There are traditional hotel rooms, townhomes, and villas, with some positioned in close proximity to the resort’s skiing and winter sports area and other accommodations located closer to the indoor and seasonal outdoor water parks, which feature all kinds of slides, pools, and other ways to make a splash.
Other amenities include two 18-hole golf courses, hiking trails, playgrounds, outdoor sports courts, and multiple dining spots. Rates can start as low as $134 a night, and special deals and packages are frequently available.
“The on-property amenities are sure to thrill every parent and child,” says Kirsten Maxwell, travel expert at Kids Are a Trip. “There’s everything from a ropes course and mountain biking to escape rooms and pickleball courts. This resort is one families will return to time and time again!”
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4. Beach Place Guesthouses
Cocoa Beach, Florida
Located along Florida’s famed Highway A1A, Beach Place Guesthouses combines an oceanfront hotel with an apartment-style stay for an easy-breezy family beach vacation. Each guesthouse has its own style and theme, with options from one-bedroom suites to three-bedroom villas that can sleep up to 12 people. Amenities include an on-site barbecue deck, Saturday morning yoga classes, a rec room with board games and books, a firepit with an ocean view, and an array of beach gear and toys for getting out onto the sands of Cocoa Beach and into the Atlantic Ocean.
“You’re really not going to find a more beautiful stretch of coastline anywhere,” says mom of two Terry Ward, a FamilyVacationist contributor and cofounder of the travel blog Florida Beyond. “I love this property for a few reasons: The grounds are strung with hammocks, and there are loaner boogie boards. It feels like a secret once you walk onto the tropical grounds; it feels like Florida, but also like somewhere else.”
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5. Okana Resort & Indoor Water Park
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Opened in 2025, the action-packed Okana Resort & Indoor Water Park makes for a fun family vacation spot any time of year. “We kicked off spring break at Okana Resort & Indoor Water Park, and it was the perfect way to slip into vacation mode,” says FamilyVacationist contributor Tarah Chieffi. “The rooms were thoughtfully designed with families in mind—everything from bunk beds in select room types to garbage cans larger than a thimble like you find in many hotels.”
Rates start at $159 per night (but can climb higher during the summer months and around holidays), and you get a lot for your money. “With a massive indoor water park, an arcade, and on-site dining, we never had to leave the resort!” says Chieffi. “And in addition to the indoor water park, Okana has a seasonal outdoor water park, giving families even more rides, slides, and splashes to choose from.”
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6. Isinglass Estate
LaCygne, Kansas
Set on almost 600 acres in LaCygne, Kansas, Isinglass Estate includes 35 acres of vineyards, a tasting room, a restaurant, and a polo field. But to really soak in all the property has to offer, book an overnight stay in one of its covered wagons, which range from $99 to $189 a night. Tonya Denmark, founder of Detail Oriented Traveler, USA Road Tripping, and The Booked Route, rates it as one of the coolest places she’s ever stayed.
“It went beyond glamping and felt luxurious,” she says. “Each wagon was more spacious than I imagined it would be, with a bathroom and, most importantly, air-conditioning. The setting on the winery, with a fire going in the firepit, was the perfect way to stargaze. And the farm even has a petting zoo.”
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7. Club Wyndham Long Wharf
Newport, Rhode Island
You can enjoy plenty of New England charm at an affordable price point with a stay at Club Wyndham Long Wharf. The resort’s traditional shingle-style architecture meshes well with its historic surroundings, and its location puts guests close to Newport’s bustling waterfront and Gilded Age mansions.
But with room rates between $209 and $259 per night, you don’t have to be a millionaire to have a great family vacation here. One- to three-bedroom suites can accommodate up to eight guests and include either kitchenettes or full kitchens that can help reduce the costs of dining out on vacation. Kids will appreciate the indoor and outdoor pools, game room, and private movie theater, while parents can take advantage of the barbecue pavilion and fitness center.
“In a destination with sky-high hotel rates, these large condo-like rooms are perfect for larger families and multi-gen trips,” says Fish. “The pools, a long list of inexpensive on-property kids’ activities, the on-site movie theater, and a fantastic location made for a perfect family stay.”
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8. AutoCamp Zion
Virgin, Utah
Located just under 20 minutes from Zion National Park, AutoCamp Zion offers a scenic, convenient location and a fun lodging experience for families. Accommodations include more than 60 climate-controlled and custom-designed Airstreams plus a handful of cabins, with rates starting at $199 a night. When you’re not at the national park, you can enjoy the all-season pool, outdoor kids play structure, lawn games, and river access at the glamping resort.
“When we visited AutoCamp Zion, we felt immersed in Zion National Park’s gorgeous red rocks even when we weren’t exploring inside the park,” says Chieffi. “My family of five stayed at a campsite with a side-by-side Airstream and furnished tent, and there were activities like game night in the lobby, s’mores roasting, and scavenger hunts for kids.”
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9. Double Arrow Lodge
Seeley Lake, Montana
About an hour from the college town of Missoula, this historic log cabin lodge in the truly Western town of Seeley Lake dates to the 1930s and has a cozy on-site restaurant open all year round serving delicious steaks. It has standalone cabins as well as rooms in the main lodge for stays, with peak-season rates that start at $200 a night.
You’re a quick drive to Seeley Lake, where you can rent a pontoon to explore the forested shoreline, and other activities like horseback riding, ATV tours, and waterfall hikes are also nearby. A visit to Gus, a record-breaking larch tree some 163 feet high, is a must-do. Double Arrow’s grounds are stunning, overlooking horse pastures and the surrounding mountains, and white-tailed deer prance by on the regular.
“I visited in June with my family,” says Ward. “After a day out exploring all the Western Montana highlights, we loved coming back to this lodge and settling into Adirondack chairs around the bonfire with a slice of huckleberry cheesecake.”
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