Hotels with a fridge in the room in Walnut Creek

All-suite layout (parents get a door between them and the kids), free cooked-to-order breakfast, an evening reception, and an indoor pool that works in any weather - the family-math champion of Walnut Creek.

The Contra Costa splurge stay: hotel guests get access to the attached Bay Club's pools, tennis, and kids' club programming - the closest thing the county has to a resort for families.

The full-service downtown-adjacent Marriott with an outdoor pool and easy walks to Broadway Plaza - a solid base for a Walnut Creek weekend with kids.