Affordable hotels along Orlando’s International Drive are abundant and many have been on the tourist road for decades. The newly-renovated Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando (formerly the Quality Inn Plaza) is open and ready for guests in its over 1,000 rooms. Rated a 3-Diamond hotel, the Rosen 9000 (as it’s affectionately called) got an all-over face-lift with new playgrounds, new furniture, a fresh coat of paint, and renovated heated pools.

Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando, Florida

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According to my two young children, the Crowne Plaza Hotel’s Downtown St. Louis property is “the best hotel in the whole world! Probably even the country!”

That’s high praise from five and ten year olds.

What makes the Crowne Plaza Hotel Downtown the best place to stay in St. Louis?

The hotel offers free wi-fi, fitness center and a full service health spa.  The guest rooms are spacious and the Crowne Plaza brand has a strong reputation of offering quality service and amenities; you won’t find threadbare linens on worn out mattresses here.  And of course the locations is excellent, offering guests easy access to the Gateway Arch, Busch Stadium, and other fun things to do while on a St. Louis vacation.

But my children were not impressed by the high speed internet or clean bedding.  The best hotel in the world, apparently, needs exactly two things to hold on to its title:

1. A great view.

St. Louis Gateway Arch

This was the view from their hotel room, as captured by a cell phone.

2. A great pool.

Rooftop Pool at Crowne Plaze St Louis Downtown

The pool was “on the roof! So you can swim – ON THE ROOF!”

I don’t remember my children being impressed – or even interested in – the view outside a hotel room before, but it seems that the Gateway Arch, one of the Midwest’s most notable landmarks, is enough to amaze even the most cynical tourists.

Photos provided by Britt Reints and Crowne Plaza.

Schwimming – “To mess around in a pool, but not actually swim.” Here’s a list of 10 good reasons (with hotel suggestions) for schwimming.

1. Adventure - If you’re seeking adventure in a hotel swimming pool, you might find it in The Tank at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas.

The Tank at Golden Nugget Las Vegas

You can slide through a transparent tunnel inside the shark tank or schwim around outside with the sharks on the other side of the tank.

2. Healing - In Desert Hot Springs, CA, every hotel pool is a natural mineral water pool with healing and rejunevation powers as good as a full body spa treatment. The Desert Hot Springs Spa Hotel has 8 (that’s right – eight) natural hot mineral pools, while the Miracle Springs Resort & Spa offers 110 luxurious rooms and an odorless hot mineral water pool. Read More »

Disclosure: Once upon a time, way back in my early 20s, way way back in the late 90s, I worked in the Bell Services department at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, so I’m kind of majorly partial to this location.

Warm weather is upon us in Central Florida, so that means lazy afternoons at the swimming pool. If you’re ever-so-lucky to stay at a fabulous resort like Disney’s Yacht Club Resort (and its sister resort, The Beach Club Resort), you’ll thank your every lucky star that they built the massive water park resort in which to swim just for you. Well, you and all the other tourists sunburning on the sidelines of the aquatic wonderland.

Swim at Disney's Yacht Club Pool

The rates for the hotel may be a bit outrageous for most people, but when you consider where you’re staying (on Disney World property), the free transportation (everywhere around Disney World), and deluxe resort accommodations (the fancy sheets), the cost can almost be justified.

Kids and big kids alike can swim in 3 acres of massive pool area to explore at Stormalong Bay with a “shipwreck” with the highest resort pool water slide at Disney World. If you’re not a fan of the kiddie pools or just need the day off from them, three quite pools and a jacuzzi should meet your expectations for a relaxing vacation.

I might not be able to shell out the $250/night for a room at the Yacht Club Resort, but you will find me poolside at Beaches & Cream nomming down the Kitchen Sink. What, pray tel, is the Kitchen Sink, you ask? Massive amounts of ice cream, sauce, toppings, and an entire can of whipped cream conveniently available right next to one of the best pools in Orlando.

Photo courtesy: Walt Disney Imagineering