Resort Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine (Grapevine, USA)

With a terrific indoor water park, Magiquest and fun arcade, the family break gets off to a flying start. Plus, there are some magic 'wands' ... that really do work!

The beds are really comfortable and kids really love the bunk beds. Maybe other aspects of the room are a bit dated, but that pales into insignificance when set against the kids' frenzied excitement.

Quite often on vacations, kids get bored trailing round places of (dis)interest. Nerves get frayed and the success of the holiday is questionable. Here, though, there's so much for families to do, every minute is filled until the time you leave. Add to the fun element, the number of on-site shops and interesting dining choices and parents, too,can relax and enjoy doing their own thing.

The accommodation (*and restaurant food) is quite expensive, but this isn't reflect in the rooms which are somewhat dated and disappointing. Some beds are OK. Other mattresses, though; give the impress of having suffered numerous kids' 'impressions' during energetic jumping up and down phases. In the park itself, the wave machine is good fun but could do with being ramped up a bit for added excitement.

In the restaurant areas, staffing levels seem geared to the quieter times of the week, so it's chaotic at weekends. Similarly, generating activity from the front desk staff is like drawing teeth and is a very slow process.

Imagine trying to have a meal in a restaurant, surrounded by hyper active kids, with parents who have given up the ghost. Meal times are hell on earth.