Indoor waterpark resort or a hotel with an indoor pool?
Both keep kids swimming when it is cold or raining. They are very different trips.
Indoor waterpark resorts
A waterpark resort is built around a large indoor water park: slides, a wave pool or lazy river, tipping buckets and splash areas. Access is usually tied to an overnight stay, with passes per guest or per room, and some sell day passes to non-guests. The waterpark is the trip, so plan a full day in it.
- Best for: ages roughly 3 to 14, birthday trips, a winter break with nothing else planned.
- Check: how many passes your room includes, whether passes start on arrival day, and what time the park opens and closes.
- Busy days: weekends, school holidays and the days after Christmas.
Hotels with an indoor pool
A standard hotel indoor pool is a single pool, sometimes with a hot tub, and rarely any slides. It costs much less, and it is perfect for an hour of swimming after a day of sightseeing, a sports tournament or a long drive.
- Best for: road trips, tournaments, toddlers who only need a shallow end, adults who want a quiet swim.
- Check: pool hours, whether the pool is open on your dates, and depth if you have young swimmers.
A middle option
Some hotels have an indoor pool with a slide or a small splash area without being full waterpark resorts. When Google's hotel description mentions a slide or a lazy river we show it on the hotel's page, but always ask whether that feature is indoors: it often belongs to the outdoor pool.