Every family-targeted resort advertises a "kids club." The phrase is meaningless. A kids club can be a glorified daycare with one teenager supervising six iPads, or it can be a 30,000-square-foot programmed academy with rotating chef, marine biology, and art curricula.
This guide ranks the best resort kids clubs on programming quality, what they actually do with the kids, not on marketing claims.
The 5 best resort kids clubs
| Resort | Kids Club | Ages | Cost | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aulani (Disney) | Aunty's Beach House | 3-12 | Free | Disney-quality programming, 8am-9pm |
| Beaches Turks & Caicos | Camp Sesame + Kids Camp | 0-12 | Free (included AI) | Sesame Street characters + accepts babies |
| Grand Velas Riviera Maya | Kids Club | 1-12 | Free (included AI) | 30,000 sqft, 9am-10pm, Babies Club included |
| Four Seasons Orlando | Kids For All Seasons | 4-12 | $50/half-day | Chef-led baking, archery, marine biology |
| Club Med Sandpiper Bay | Baby/Petit/Mini Club Med | 4 months-17 | Free (included AI) | Only US AI that takes 4-month babies |
1. Aunty's Beach House (Aulani), best free kids club
Aulani's Aunty's Beach House is what every resort kids club wishes it were. It's free (no extra charge for guests), runs 8am-9pm daily, and accepts ages 3-12 for drop-off play.
Programming includes Hawaiian craft sessions, Menehune Adventure Trail challenges, character meet-ups with Mickey/Minnie/Goofy/Stitch, supervised gaming consoles, themed dinners, and indoor/outdoor activity rotations. Staff-to-child ratios run 1:6 or better. Daily themes change so a 5-day stay never repeats activities.
2. Beaches Camp Sesame + Kids Camp, best for age coverage
Beaches Turks & Caicos uniquely splits kids programming into three tiers, all included in the all-inclusive rate:
- Camp Sesame (0-5): Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby visit daily. Includes infant care with bottle prep, diapers, baby food.
- Kids Camp (6-12): Daily themed activities, character meet-ups, pool games, themed dinners.
- Liquid Teen Club (13+): Mocktail bar, X-Box, foosball, dance floor, supervised 10pm-3am.
The fact that babies are accepted from a few weeks old in a dedicated baby facility is genuinely differentiated. Most all-inclusives start at age 3-4.
3. Grand Velas Kids Club, best for parent recovery
Grand Velas runs a 30,000-square-foot Kids Club from 9am-10pm at no extra charge. Activities include an iPad area, art studio, mini-disco, and themed cooking class sessions.
Babies Club (ages 1-3) has cribs, sterilizers, baby food prep, and qualified caregivers. Drop-off is possible for parents who want adult time at the adjacent Grand Class adults-only zone, a structural advantage other all-inclusives don't match.
4. Kids For All Seasons (Four Seasons Orlando), best programming quality
Four Seasons Orlando's Kids For All Seasons is the most curriculum-driven kids program at any resort in our database. Activities rotate through:
- Marine biology with on-site lake samples
- Baking with the resort pastry chef
- Archery (with proper instruction and safety equipment)
- Disney character meet-ups
- Tennis academy mini-clinics
Cost is $50 per half-day or $90 per full-day. The only paid kids club in our top 5. The justification is real: ratios are 1:4 in the younger groups, staff includes early childhood education credentials, and activities are not "keep them occupied". They're actually structured learning.
5. Baby/Petit/Mini Club Med, only US all-inclusive that takes 4-month babies
Club Med Sandpiper Bay is the only all-inclusive in the continental US with a Baby Club Med program that accepts infants from 4 months old. The dedicated baby facility has qualified caregivers, no extra cost, and operates daily.
Above the baby age, Petit Club Med (2-3) and Mini Club Med (4-10) run typical AI programming. Tween/teen Junior Club (11-17) leans into Club Med's sports academy DNA, trapeze, circus arts, climbing wall.
The kids clubs we'd skip
Some properties advertise "kids club" but deliver supervised iPad rooms. Without naming specific properties (this is a fluid quality issue), watch for:
- Staff-to-child ratios worse than 1:8
- "Activities" that consist of coloring sheets and TV
- Limited hours (e.g., 10am-2pm only)
- Age range gaps (no babies, no teens)
- Pay-per-day add-ons over $80/day for non-curriculum supervision
If a resort's website doesn't list specific daily activities, age tiers, and staff credentials. The kids club is probably the cheaper version.
Where we landed
See all our family-scored stays at our destinations index, or our methodology at How FamilyFactor works.