Ruth Bancroft Garden

All-suite layout with a door between the grown-ups and the kids, free cooked-to-order breakfast, an evening reception, and an indoor pool that works in any weather.

Apartment-style rooms with kitchens, free breakfast and a pool off Contra Costa Blvd, an extended-stay setup with room to cook for picky kids.

Walnut Creek hotel whose guests get access to the attached Bay Club's pools, tennis and kids' club programming, the closest thing the county has to a resort.

A straightforward mid-range Pleasant Hill stay with a pool, minutes from the Pleasant Hill Park playground and the Contra Costa Blvd food strip.

The toddler-and-preschool playground of Walnut Creek: small structures close together, shaded benches under three big oaks, and paved loops for trikes and scooters.

A big Walnut Creek park with two playgrounds, a duck pond, wide lawns and restrooms. Easy parking, and shade in the right spots.