Where to stay in Florida: the best areas and resorts

If the holiday is all about Disney, stay at Disney. Lake Buena Vista is the address for Walt Disney World, its four theme parks, two water parks and Disney Springs, and the resorts inside it are destinations in themselves: Animal Kingdom Lodge, where giraffes and zebras wander past your balcony, seaside-themed villas a stroll from Epcot, and the Riviera, linked to the parks by the Skyliner cable car.

Staying on site means free transport around the resort, no daily parking battles and more time in the parks, which matters when you have small children. For a grown-up alternative, the Waldorf Astoria and the other big-name hotels at the edge of Disney add golf, spas and shuttles to the parks.

South of Disney, Kissimmee and Davenport are where British families have been renting villas for decades, and for good reason: you get bedrooms for everyone, a kitchen, often a private pool, and change from what a Disney hotel would cost. Gated resorts here add water parks, lazy rivers and games rooms, and the parks are typically 15 to 30 minutes away by car.

Kissimmee also has the Gaylord Palms, a giant resort under a glass roof with its own water park, and the old-time attractions and shops of Old Town. You will need a car for everything, so factor in hire and park parking.

Miami Beach is Florida at its most flamboyant. South Beach is the star: pastel Art Deco hotels lit up in neon along Ocean Drive, wide white sand with candy-coloured lifeguard huts, and a nightlife scene of rooftop bars, Latin clubs and people-watching that runs well past midnight. Lincoln Road's pedestrian mall and Collins Avenue's boutiques keep the credit cards busy.

Head north to Mid-Beach and the scene mellows into grand beachfront resorts and the gilded Faena District. Wherever you stay, take an evening on the mainland for the murals of Wynwood and the Cuban cafés of Little Havana. Families looking for calm should keep reading.

North of Miami, the Atlantic coast relaxes. Hollywood's Broadwalk is a lovely old-fashioned beach promenade lined with cafés and ice-cream stands, ideal for bikes and buggies, while Fort Lauderdale's canals and yacht-lined waterways earn it the nickname Venice of America. Further north, Pompano Beach has a long fishing pier and a quieter crowd.

Prices are generally kinder than in Miami Beach, the beaches are less of a scene and the crowd more family-minded, and resorts here range from retro beach hotels to big beachfront towers with several pools. Fort Lauderdale's airport and cruise port are close, which makes this a handy stop before or after a cruise, and Miami is an easy drive south when you want a night out.

Key West is the full stop at the end of the Overseas Highway and it has never quite behaved like the rest of America. The Old Town is a grid of wooden gingerbread houses, chickens wandering the pavements and bars spilling onto Duval Street, and every evening a crowd gathers at Mallory Square to applaud the sunset, with buskers and street performers in support.

Stay in Old Town to walk everywhere: there are historic hotels at the top of Duval, guesthouses in restored mansions and bungalows around palm-shaded pools. The beaches are small, so come for the atmosphere, the seafood and the Hemingway House rather than miles of sand. Miami is the best part of four hours' drive away.

The Upper and Middle Keys are where to come for water rather than nightlife. Key Largo, an hour or so south of Miami, is the gateway to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and the only living coral barrier reef in North America. Islamorada calls itself the sport fishing capital of the world, and its resorts lean towards barefoot luxury.

Further down, Marathon sits beside the famous Seven Mile Bridge, with beach resorts on little Knights Key looking straight at it. Resorts in all three tend to have their own marinas, private beaches and boats for snorkelling, diving and fishing trips, and they are ideal for a few days' unwinding on the drive to Key West.

Clearwater Beach is the Gulf Coast's crowd-pleaser: a long, wide beach of soft white sand, warm and gently shelving water, and a lively strip of seafood shacks and bars behind. Every evening, the action moves to Pier 60, where street performers and craft stalls gather for the sunset.

It is a natural fit for families, with big beachfront resorts, dolphin-spotting boat trips from the marina and the beaches of Sand Key just to the south. Tampa airport is a short drive across the bay, and Orlando's parks are close enough for a long day trip.

Sarasota is the Gulf Coast's cultured side, a small city of museums, theatres and the Ringling's art collection, fronted by a chain of barrier islands with some of the finest sand in Florida. Lido Key and St Armands Circle are minutes from downtown, Longboat Key is quieter and smarter, and Siesta Key's beach is famous for sand as fine and white as flour.

North of Sarasota, Anna Maria Island is old-school Florida: low-rise cottages, bicycles, pastel beach houses and no high-rises at all, with a free trolley running the length of the island. It is perfect for couples and families who want to slow right down. Tampa and Sarasota airports are both within reach.

Naples is Florida in a crisp linen shirt. Old Naples is a neat grid of palm-lined streets, with galleries, boutiques and restaurants along Fifth Avenue South and Third Street, and pelicans patrolling the shoreline. The beaches are long, calm and pale, and the sunsets are some of the best on the coast.

This is resort country for couples and golfers, with grand beach hotels, championship courses and smart spas. Marco Island, to the south, adds wide beaches and family-friendly resorts, and the Everglades are on the doorstep.

Tampa is a proper city with a fun side. Downtown has a long Riverwalk along the Hillsborough River, lined with bars, museums and a growing crop of smart hotels, and the historic Cuban cigar district of Ybor City is a short streetcar ride away for brick streets, cigars and lively nights.

It makes a good base for Busch Gardens, with some of Florida's wildest rollercoasters, and its Adventure Island water park, and a useful stop between Orlando and the beaches of Clearwater and St Pete, which are under an hour away. Hotels are mostly modern, business-friendly towers downtown, with a couple of beautifully restored historic ones.