By Suzanne Rowan Kelleher

updated 1:14 p.m. ET April 8, 2008

Want an easy way to shave your family’s vacation costs? Be on the lookout for a free meal—or even better, make it three squares a day. An increasing number of hotel and resorts are giving parents reason to cheer by offering deals that can add up to huge savings. We’ve noticed a nice trend in “kids eat free” promotions offered this summer at hotels and resorts at every price point. Here’s a round-up of some of the best:

Family-friendly pricing is nothing new at Holiday Inn, whose famous “Kids Eat Free” promotion launched in 1993. Fifteen years later, kids 12 and under eat free at nearly 900 Holiday Inn properties throughout the Americas.

At select Marriott hotels, including Courtyard, Residence Inn, Renaissance, and Marriott Resort properties such as the Orlando World Center Marriott, the Escape! Family package lets kids 12 and under eat free at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The deal includes a free pizza party, including in-room movie rental, pizza, and beverages.

Who says golf resorts don’t get families? At the venerable Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina (see our review), the Summer Tee & Summer Spree packages include two nights of accommodations plus one night free, and golf or spa treatments. Plus, kids 17 and under not only stay and eat free, they golf free.

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Two Hyatt Regency Resort properties in Hawaii are offering money-saving promotions this summer. The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa’s Kids Eat Free deal lets kids 12 and under eat free off the restaurant’s Johnny Venture menu. Better yet, the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort & Spa has a Kids Stay, Play and Eat Free offer where kids 12 and under eat free and get one free shave ice treat at Hyatt on the Beach. Plus, kids 5 to 12 get a free session at Camp Hyatt.

Kids 12 and under stay and eat free at all-suite, all-inclusive Divi Village Golf & Beach Resort on Aruba. Plus, grown-ups golf free!

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has launched its brand new Love Your Family program at 29 properties, including some Sheraton, Le Meridien, and Westin properties in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Canada, and the Caribbean. Kids 5 and under eat free off the children’s menu, while kids 6 to 12 eat for half price from the regular menu. Other perks include a daily $100 resort credit, and a souvenir cup that’s refillable with unlimited soft drinks, juices, and milk.

WeJustGotBack.com is an authoritative online guide to family trip-planning. The site features reviews of kid-friendly hotels and resorts, expert planning advice, readers' travel tips, destination insider guides, vacation deals, and more. Subscribe to our newsletter to hear about resort specials and exclusive, money-saving offers.

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